Stop Waiting for “Someday.” Start Living Your Legacy Now

It started with a simple question: what if owning a second home felt as easy as arriving?

The team that helped build Zillow saw families skipping the dream of second home co-ownership because of upkeep, expense and empty weeks - and decided there was a better way.

Pacaso is the smarter way to own a luxury vacation home. They provide true deeded ownership in fully furnished, move-in ready homes - and handle the details like scheduling, local care, and ongoing management.

You get the rituals that matter - sunrise coffee on the deck, long dinners with friends, unhurried weekends - without the stress of doing it all yourself.

It’s the effortless path to the place you’ll return to again and again. Own a remarkable home for a fraction of the cost, with the confidence of a fully managed experience.

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Their portfolio is a study in curation. They don’t strive to be in every market; they operate only the best markets.

Each home is a hand-selected masterpiece in premier destinations like Aspen, Los Cabos, Paris, Lake Tahoe, Kiawah, Palm Springs - and more.

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Their mission is to enrich lives by making a second home possible and enjoyable for more people.

Built on trust, fairness, and ease-of-use, Pacaso is designed to help you and your family create memories that will last for generations.

Because every moment you delay is a memory that will never exist. Start living your legacy today.

Unlock the Smarter Way to Own a Second Home — Backed by Market Intelligence

Traditional second-home ownership comes with outsized burdens, including the constant responsibility of managing a high-value asset.

As the global leader in second home co-ownership, Pacaso simplifies this with curated luxury homes, professional property management, and a modern co-ownership structure designed for flexibility that fits your life.

To help buyers make informed decisions in a rapidly shifting luxury landscape, Pacaso has released the 2025 Co-Ownership Index Report — a data-rich, exclusive look at where affluent consumers are buying, what’s driving demand, and how the trend of co-ownership is growing.

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Some moments shouldn’t wait.

With a Pacaso home, you can begin building the traditions, memories, and sense of place that will last for generations — the second home your family will return to time and again.

And you’ll arrive to a pristine, professionally managed residence that feels like a five-star check-in every time.

There’s no place like your second home

View The Portfolio

Schedule a Private Consultation

Unlock the Smarter Way to Own a Second Home — Backed by Market Intelligence

Traditional second-home ownership comes with outsized burdens, including the constant responsibility of managing a high-value asset.

As the global leader in second home co-ownership, Pacaso simplifies this with curated luxury homes, professional property management, and a modern co-ownership structure designed for flexibility that fits your life.

To help buyers make informed decisions in a rapidly shifting luxury landscape, Pacaso has released the 2025 Co-Ownership Index Report — a data-rich, exclusive look at where affluent consumers are buying, what’s driving demand, and how the trend of co-ownership is growing.

Download Report

Some moments shouldn’t wait.

With a Pacaso home, you can begin building the traditions, memories, and sense of place that will last for generations — the second home your family will return to time and again.

And you’ll arrive to a pristine, professionally managed residence that feels like a five-star check-in every time.

There’s no place like your second home

View The Portfolio

Schedule a Private Consultation

On October 1, 2024, Maryland entered the world of TOPA. Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (“TOPA”) generally seeks to mitigate tenant displacement from rental housing due to an intended sale of a property. However, the legislation and implementation of the law can vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. While these laws have been part of our landscape in the District of Columbia for over four decades (the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980), just this October 1, 2024, TOPA became statewide Maryland. In recent years, DC has scaled back the reach and application of TOPA in providing for a “single-family” exemption. The single-family exemption became law in July 2018 and amended the existing law to remove these properties from the requirements of TOPA. Conversely, Maryland has now made it a requirement that tenants of 1, 2, or 3 residential units be offered the opportunity to purchase the property they have been living in before the owner can sell on the open market.

Before the amendment in DC, it was common for tenants of single-unit properties to be paid sizeable amounts for the rejection or assignment of their TOPA rights. The single-family exemption in DC applies (with limited exception) to “(A) a housing accommodation, whether freestanding or attached, and the appurtenant land that contains: (i) one single-family dwelling; or (ii) one single-family dwelling with one accessory dwelling unit or (B) a single rental unit in a condominium, cooperative, or homeowners association.” The exemption does not apply if a tenant is an elderly tenant (over 62) or is a tenant with a disability as of the date of the offer of sale, and the tenant signed a rental agreement to occupy a single-family accommodation or a unit in a single-family accommodation by March 31, 2018, and took occupancy by April 15, 2018. As we get further away from 2018, the occupancy and written lease requirements have made more “single-family” properties exempt from TOPA every year. Moreover, and also of great consequence, the amendment in 2018 shortened the TOPA response timeframes and removed a tenant’s right to receive consideration from a third party for an assignment of their rights.

Common to both TOPA laws is that they provide two rights to the tenants: an offer of sale right and a right of first refusal. In addition, the laws have somewhat similar timeframes for responses (that are much more reasonable than DC’s original law and in line with customary closing timelines of today), along with notification provisions which require delivery of the TOPA notices to the appropriate landlord/tenant office(s) in the jurisdiction where the property is located. Like the DC laws, the new Maryland TOPA provides for a number of transfers that are exempt from the law including, but not limited to transfers to some family members, court ordered transfers, and transfers from the owner to their trust. Unlike DC, the Maryland TOPA rights are not assignable and Maryland has already promulgated regulations on this law that will be very useful for real estate practitioners, as well as landlords and tenants, in navigating these waters. What is yet to be determined is whether the law will have a significant impact on tenants not being displaced, be an undue burden on sellers and the real estate community or fall somewhere in-between. Neither of these laws is affordable housing legislation …, that is a subject for another day.

For more information on TOPA in the District of Columbia consult: https://dhcd.dc.gov/page/rental-conversion-and-sale-forms

For more information on TOPA in Maryland consult: https://dhcd.maryland.gov/TurningTheKey/Documents/HB693-FAQ.pdf

The opinions expressed herein are not to be construed as legal advice provided by the author or any affiliate thereof.

We are pleased to officially welcome Christopher Darby to our platform as a Contributor. We look forward to the expertise and value he brings to Billion Dollar Broker.

Christopher B. Darby is a founding member of Counselors Title, LLC and a principal in the law firm of Pardo & Drazin, LLC (formerly Darby, Nalls, Smyth & Muldoon, LLC). He is also the Co-managing Attorney of the Counselors Title Dupont Circle Office. Prior to founding Counselors, Darby served as a settlement attorney, office manager, and the Director of D.C. Operations for Universal Settlements.

A native of the Washington area, Chris entered into the title business in 1998 after receiving his law degree from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bar Associations. He enjoys regularly teaching continuing real estate education courses for local realtors and a Real Estate Transactions Law class at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. Chris is also an active member of the local real estate community with service to and membership in the DC Land Title Association and the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors (”GCAAR”), where he has served on the  Forms Committee (formerly Contract and Clause  Committee) since 2001.  Chris was honored by GCAAR as its 2007 Affiliate of the Year for his service to the real estate community.  He is experienced in residential and commercial real estate transactions and the resolution of contract issues. Licensed to conduct closings in DC, MD, and VA, Chris specializes in DC-specific matters, including land development, condominium conversions, and TOPA.

He is a founding member of Counselors Title, LLC, having received his JD in 1998 from the University of South Carolina. He is experienced in residential and commercial real estate transactions and the resolution of contract issues.