I own RCI, would like to sell and purchase DVC

Is there anyone that currently owns another vacation club such as RCI that could advise how I would sell it in order to purchase DVC. I expect to take a loss on the sale, but would like to purchase the DVC and maybe out that loss to the new mortgage. Anyone have any advice what to do or where I could go to find out?

I would ask this question over on TUG -- the Timeshare Users Group (www.tug2net.com).

The value, if any, of what you own now depends on exactly what underlying timeshare you own. If you own a fixed week contract, the specific week will greatly influence the value.

One way to get an idea of its worth would be to go to eBay and search for that timeshare and then look at completed sales. You will find that some timeshares retain some value, while others sell literally for $1 on eBay.

For the actual sale, you can advertise the timeshare on TUG, Redweek, eBay and other sources.

If you have an existing loan on your timeshare, that would have to be paid off at closing -- either by the sale proceeds, or by you paying in if the timeshare is worth less than you owe. I can't imagine any lender rolling a loss into a new mortgage for more than the purchased timeshare is worth, but you never know until you ask.

BTW, you know you can exchange into DVC via RCI...right? If selling is not doable, spend some time on TUG learning about exchanges and see if that can work for you.

Yes I can exchange for Disney but it seems difficult. The timeshare I have isnt an exact week, but a time period. I also get 12 additional bonus weeks which are really good deals, I'm using one for Vegas. My actual week is in AC which is fine because I live nearby. Even if I couldn't get off work I could stay the week and go to work from there. I just love Disney so much and think I'd prefer it.

RCI exchanges are just like any other timeshare use, including DVC. You have to go to school and learn how the system works and how to benefit from it. I've seen numerous posts on other sites from people who exchange into DVC via RCI 4-5 times a year, so it's certainly doable. I've only tried it once, but I had no problem...and that was for a 2 BR. The key is to figure out how to do it.

You should go over to the Exchange board at TUG and start reading. Learn about Ongoing Searches in RCI Weeks (which is the part of the system you'll probably be using). Also see if you can deposit some of those bonus weeks into RCI, and learn about combining weeks in RCI to boost your trading power, if necessary.

Not knocking DVC, but I would certainly investigate all the possibilities of what you already own before attempting a complicated and probably costly sell-and-buy adventure.

Ditto above recommendations for TUG. You'll want to research the TUG classifieds to see listing prices for timeshares similar to yours (location, name, season, size). You'll also want to find an agent to prepare the title and possibly run the closing process on your behalf. Selling, or even giving away, the AC (Atlantic City, I'm guessing) timeshare could take years -- so be patient. You may have to sweeten the pot by prepaying dues and including a great holiday reservation with the transfer transaction.

FWIW, I have two other timeshares outside DVC. I use one exclusively for trading through RCI (including DVC) and the other I use for weekend getaways almost every month. It might be best to love your present timeshare, learn to work the system and make the best of it.

disneyworldaddict said:

Yes I can exchange for Disney but it seems difficult. The timeshare I have isnt an exact week, but a time period. I also get 12 additional bonus weeks which are really good deals, I'm using one for Vegas. My actual week is in AC which is fine because I live nearby. Even if I couldn't get off work I could stay the week and go to work from there. I just love Disney so much and think I'd prefer it.

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I assume it's at Atlantic Palace. I doubt it would have enough trading power for a single week. I wonder if this might be the source of past failures. Is your ownership a fractional where you can get and deposit 12 additional weeks or just extra weeks with RCI that you can exchange and pay the exchange fee? You should be prepared that your ownership there likely has zero value for most situations no matter what you paid or owe or what they told you. You might even have trouble finding a taker if you gave it away and pay all the transfer fees. If you have a mortgage on it, you're likely stuck and if not, it's likely just a throw away in all likelihood. If it's AP, Bluegreen no longer manages that resort and the new manager has no current plans to renovate the roughly half of the rooms that have not been done when Fantasea or BG were managing so it will likely decline further and thus further erode the trade power which RCI calls TPU for their weeks resorts.

I assume you can reserve at least one week within your floating time period and deposit with RCI. To get into DVC you'd likely have to do more than one week and then pay the $109 fee to combine the TPU. If it's AP, you're looking at 25-31 TPU per week for summer and 13-19 the rest of the time for a full credit deposit. Starting at 270 days they start decreasing the value of a deposit so it'd be less for something sooner, as much as 55% less under 14 days. If you plan at least 10 months out, have a TPU of at least 42 (not Xmas, Easter), are OK with SSR & OKW for a 1 BR and put in an ongoing search; you'd have a very good chance of success IMO. I just got back from a long week at WDW where I had 3 exchange units and we're going back later in the summer.

Dean said:

I assume you can reserve at least one week within your floating time period and deposit with RCI. To get into DVC you'd likely have to do more than one week and then pay the $109 fee to combine the TPU. If it's AP, you're looking at 25-31 TPU per week for summer and 13-19 the rest of the time for a full credit deposit. Starting at 270 days they start decreasing the value of a deposit so it'd be less for something sooner, as much as 55% less under 14 days. If you plan at least 10 months out, have a TPU of at least 42 (not Xmas, Easter), are OK with SSR & OKW for a 1 BR and put in an ongoing search; you'd have a very good chance of success IMO. I just got back from a long week at WDW where I had 3 exchange units and we're going back later in the summer.

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This is what I'm talking about, OP. Go to TUG; go to school and learn this type of stuff.

Plus, your AC timeshare is working just fine for you -- you can vacation there, you can take Vegas trips, you can even work from your timeshare in a place you apparently like while your family vacations there.

You just haven't been able to exchange into DVC yet...but it might well be possible, and even easy, IF you can deposit those bonus weeks into RCI and then combine them for sufficient TPU.

Also, don't think you are going to be limited to OKW or SSR, because you are not. Those are the two largest DVC resorts, and as you would expect, there will be MORE RCI exchange eligibility there than anywhere else. If you do an Ongoing Search in RCI Weeks for any DVC resort, you will most likely get either SSR or OKW.

But if you start your search early and specify resorts you really want, you may be surprised what you get. Inventory does pop up in the other larger resorts (BLT, BWV, AKV) and sometimes even in the smaller ones. There is currently a 1 BR available at VWL. BWV, OKW, and SSR are also currently available in RCI Weeks. Don't expect BCV during F&W, but you have a good chance at a lot more than you think.

Dean said:

I assume it's at Atlantic Palace. I doubt it would have enough trading power for a single week. I wonder if this might be the source of past failures. Is your ownership a fractional where you can get and deposit 12 additional weeks or just extra weeks with RCI that you can exchange and pay the exchange fee? You should be prepared that your ownership there likely has zero value for most situations no matter what you paid or owe or what they told you. You might even have trouble finding a taker if you gave it away and pay all the transfer fees. If you have a mortgage on it, you're likely stuck and if not, it's likely just a throw away in all likelihood. If it's AP, Bluegreen no longer manages that resort and the new manager has no current plans to renovate the roughly half of the rooms that have not been done when Fantasea or BG were managing so it will likely decline further and thus further erode the trade power which RCI calls TPU for their weeks resorts.

I assume you can reserve at least one week within your floating time period and deposit with RCI. To get into DVC you'd likely have to do more than one week and then pay the $109 fee to combine the TPU. If it's AP, you're looking at 25-31 TPU per week for summer and 13-19 the rest of the time for a full credit deposit. Starting at 270 days they start decreasing the value of a deposit so it'd be less for something sooner, as much as 55% less under 14 days. If you plan at least 10 months out, have a TPU of at least 42 (not Xmas, Easter), are OK with SSR & OKW for a 1 BR and put in an ongoing search; you'd have a very good chance of success IMO. I just got back from a long week at WDW where I had 3 exchange units and we're going back later in the summer.

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Sounds super complicated. I had thought about buying a distressed timeshare to also trade into dvc, as well. I own points at two dvc resorts which I'm very happy with but always looking for excuses to head down there. Not sure if I have the wherewithal to understand, let alone master, the Rci-dvc trade.

Plus, at the end of the day, do you truly save money on that trade/exchange? It's $109 plus weeks of your timeshare (so a few years worth of maintenance fees), so would it end up being even Steven without the hassle?

suebeelin said:

Sounds super complicated. I had thought about buying a distressed timeshare to also trade into dvc, as well. I own points at two dvc resorts which I'm very happy with but always looking for excuses to head down there. Not sure if I have the wherewithal to understand, let alone master, the Rci-dvc trade.

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Timeshares generally are complicated. Think about the learning curve with DVC -- 11/7 booking windows, dues, UY, which resort to buy, direct vs. resale, banking, borrowing, use of DVC points for other options, etc, etc, etc. Points systems may make it easier to get your head around, but it's ALL complicated. RCI exchanges, either into or out of DVC, are just one more system to learn.

Plus, at the end of the day, do you truly save money on that trade/exchange? It's $109 plus weeks of your timeshare (so a few years worth of maintenance fees), so would it end up being even Steven without the hassle?

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Like virtually all financial comparisons, the answer to this is, "It depends." It depends on what you are trading, how much that costs, what the various fees are, etc.

But when you see someone as knowledgeable as Dean, who owns both DVC and several other timeshares, exchanging into DVC repeatedly, it obviously makes sense for him.

Personally, I have only exchanged into DVC once, but it made financial sense for me. I exchanged in using Wyndham/RCI for an OKW 2 BR December 14-21, 2013. My costs were the prorated acquisition costs of my Wyndham points (almost zero because I bought Wyndham on eBay for next to nothing), my maintenance fees for those points, the RCI exchange fee ($199 at that time), and the DVC incoming "because we can" fee of $95. My total costs for the week were about $860. My total cost (including both acquisition costs and MFs) if I had used OKW resale points for the same stay would have been about $1,625 (232 points X $7).

So, in that particular situation -- for my family, considering my exchange property costs and all fees -- the exchange cost a little more than half what the same stay would have cost using DVC points. And...I should also note that I got a TWO bedroom during what we usually consider the most difficult time of the year to book.

For our next WDW trip, however, I probably will not exchange into DVC -- not because of relative cost, but because of the accommodations I will want. I will probably use my Wyndham points for a 3 BR at Reunion for our family and DD's BFF family.

suebeelin said:

Sounds super complicated. I had thought about buying a distressed timeshare to also trade into dvc, as well. I own points at two dvc resorts which I'm very happy with but always looking for excuses to head down there. Not sure if I have the wherewithal to understand, let alone master, the Rci-dvc trade.

Plus, at the end of the day, do you truly save money on that trade/exchange? It's $109 plus weeks of your timeshare (so a few years worth of maintenance fees), so would it end up being even Steven without the hassle?

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It really isn't, it's likely simpler overall than DVC in many ways, but there is a learning curve. Like DVC, the thing to do would be to learn enough up front to make good choices. I would not recommend buying a different timeshare just to trade to DVC alone, too risky IMO even with any possible savings. My exchanges currently cost me between $600 & $650 per week but part of that is due to good up front choices and the economy of scale. I don't think it's possible to buy just to exchange in alone for one week a year and save enough money to justify it. Certainly when I've run possible scenarios comparing buying Wyndham, Marriott Grande Vista, Bluegeen and the like for Orlando, the numbers haven't suggested much of a savings comparing one week of each vs DVC in a 2 BR and DVC is more flexible from a direct usage standpoint than most other Orlando options. The potential benefits are in using it for non Orlando as well, playing the system such as trading 1 week for 2 and the like. IMO the best situation is to buy something that fits one's non DVC plans and also try to get further value by trading to DVC OR getting something good that works for Orlando for those where off property isn't a big deal. There are actually people who prefer to stay off property even at the same price.

JimMIA said:

Timeshares generally are complicated. Think about the learning curve with DVC -- 11/7 booking windows, dues, UY, which resort to buy, direct vs. resale, banking, borrowing, use of DVC points for other options, etc, etc, etc. Points systems may make it easier to get your head around, but it's ALL complicated.

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YES. I watched my mom and stepdad deal with RCI for a few years, and it looked crazy. But then I see peoples' reactions to DVC, which to me seems fairly easy (though I get confused sometimes, too!), and I realize that like you said, it's all complicated. Just gotta learn it.


I'm not sure the OP has tried a trade yet. OP, try a trade first, see if you find the whole thing to be easy or not. I'd have a hard time giving up something I own, if I can get what I want, rather than trying to sell what I own and buying something super-expensive (that still has a steep learning curve).