How does August select its homes and its members?

Every August home is carefully chosen long before it becomes a part of a Collection, and every homeowner is matched to a Collection with just as much care. That is the foundation of August’s Private Collection membership. August's team views close to two thousand homes a year across its ten regions and cities, and only a very small fraction of them are ever selected. Each property has to fit a set of carefully selected criteria – architecture, location, and a distinct local character worth restoring. New Homeowners go through a similarly considered process, matched to whichever Collection truly fits their family, lifestyle and how they want to spend their time in Europe, so that they end up where they actually feel at home.

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In this article: 

• How August's team chooses which homes join a Collection. 
• What are the criteria a home needs to meet before it's considered. 
• How a new homeowner is matched to the Collection that fits them. 
• What belonging to a community of like-minded owners looks like once someone joins. 

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How does August choose which homes join a Collection? 

August's acquisitions team visits a large number of properties each year, but only a few of them meet the criteria to become the homes within an August Collection. Each one has to meet the same handful of requirements: a place within one of August's ten destinations, an easy reach of an international airport, a setting worth waking up to, and the bright, communal spaces a family can gather in. Beyond the practical, August looks for authentic local charm and original character – the architecture and lasting value that separate a holiday property from an exceptional home. 

Many of the homes are found off-market, through relationships built over years with local communities and agents, rather than the open market – the kind of house a homeowner would struggle to find alone. 

From there, Studio RL, August’s in-house design studio, leads the renovation process across every Collection, following the same standard for each home – preserving the original bones and distinct charm, and thoughtfully considering every detail from bathrooms and furnishings to the angle at which the light enters the living spaces. The process is part of why August only launches six new Collections a year. 

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How is a new homeowner matched to the right Collection? 

Joining a Collection begins with expressing interest and a conversation, not a form. A new homeowner speaks with a dedicated advisor first, and that conversation has one purpose: finding the Collection that actually fits how a family wants to spend its time in Europe, not simply the one with a share available. The match runs both ways – the destinations, the scale of home, and the community of families already sharing that Collection's homes and seasons all have to fit as well. It's a considered match on both sides, not a form to fill in or a box to tick. 

Once a Collection is fully reserved, August establishes a dedicated real estate company created solely for that Collection's homes – and August holds no equity in it. Homeowners own the company in full, with equal shares and equal rights across the group, so every member joins on exactly the same terms as everyone who joined before them. 

What does belonging to that community look like once a homeowner joins? 

How involved a homeowner becomes from there is entirely their own choice. Every homeowner has access to Valeria, August's in-house booking system and homeowner portal, where a private community board sits alongside the booking calendar – a place to share recommendations, ask questions, and get to know the handful of other families in their Collection. It's common for Homeowners staying in the same destination at the same time to meet in person, and more than a few have gone on to become real friends, travelling between each other's Collections together. None of this is required. What August builds is the chance for a genuine community to form – whether a homeowner takes it up is entirely theirs to decide. 

Every home in a Collection has been chosen with real care, and every homeowner who joins one is matched with just as much care – the same standard, applied on both sides.

Get in touch and our team will help you decide which Collection would be the right fit, or explore August’s Collections. 

FAQ: 

How does August select the homes in each Collection? 

Homes are found through a careful, often off-market search, and meet the same handful of requirements before joining a Collection – their architecture and distinct local charm, location and lasting character. Each one is then renovated and designed by Studio RL, following the same care and standard. 

How is a new homeowner matched to a Collection? 

Membership starts with expressing interest and a conversation with a dedicated advisor, to find the Collection that genuinely fits their family and lifestyle – the destinations, the scale of home, and their vision for a holiday – rather than simply purchase the next available share. 

What does premium home membership with August actually involve?

August's own term for this is Private Collection membership: holding a share in a Collection of exceptional, carefully selected homes, matched to a community of like-minded Homeowners with the same care. It involves access to more than one home and destination, run by the same team throughout. 

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