Buying a vacation home with friends just got a lot less messy

Kristina Modares was eager to buy a home in Austin, TX, but the 25-year-old feared she wouldn’t qualify for the loan on her own. “That’s when my sister, Stefanie, offered to co-sign on the mortgage,” she says. With her sister’s help, Kristina was able to purchase her first property in this pricey market.

Since then, Kristina has continued her co-buying spree, purchasing a total of 10 homes with friends and family over the past decade. Her latest venture—a $455,000 beach house in Santa Rosa, FL, split with Stefanie—doubles as a spot for family reunions and a rental property. “When you pool your resources, it can open so many doors,” she explains. “I’ve built up so much net worth I could have never done on my own.”

Still, Kristina has learned that owning vacation homes with pals isn’t all sunset toasts and fond memories. One co-owner flaked on upkeep. Another wanted out entirely, leaving Kristina scrambling to line up a new partner. “A lot can go wrong,” she admits. That’s why she was relieved to discover Joynt.

Real estate’s new matchmakers

Software engineer Brett Humphrey was inspired to launch Joynt after his friends proposed purchasing a party house together. “Most of these conversations never make it out of the bar,” says Humphrey. “But I thought, wouldn’t it be great if they did? What if people could buy and share a house, but do it safely so it doesn’t ruin your relationships or your finances?”

Joynt provides guardrails for co-buyers and co-owners, including LLC and tenancy-in-common setups, joint expense accounts, shared scheduling tools, and structured voting systems to keep everyone aligned. Want to co-buy, but lack a willing partner? Platforms like Pairgap will match you with like-minded partners, and help you draft a “real estate prenup” if you decide to move forward.

“I got the idea from dating sites,” says Pairgap founder Nikki Merkerson, a New York City–based loan officer. She purchased her first property—a $660,000 brownstone—with a co-worker who co-signed on the loan. “People thought I was crazy to do that, but I could have never afforded a home without him,” she says, adding that she has since bought out his 1% share.

Co-ownership, in other words, doesn’t need to last forever. While some buyers hope to pass these homes down to future generations, others see them as a practical stepping stone into an otherwise out-of-reach market. In either case, the key to a solid partnership is to communicate the tough topics up front. “Have all those ‘what if’ conversations,” Merkerson says. “Conflict is inevitable, and it can get nasty, so it’s best to get out in front of it.”

“You have to treat it like a business,” agrees Kristina. “If not, you’re in la-la land, like ‘owning this lake house together is going to be fun.’ Those moments definitely happen. But it can also leave you on the floor crying.”