Are there any companies I should *not* buy resale from?

[Shelly888]

I see there are many that sell all timeshares, DVC included. Then there are others which are pretty much all, or are all DVC. Is there much difference between them? I found a contract that is exactly what I am looking for, but it's with a 'general' timeshare store, and I wonder if it's more hassle than it's worth, and if I should just keep looking and waiting for the right one to come along with a 'DVC' selling site.

 

[RobDoc]

If you find a contract to your liking it's fine to make an offer. The only difference I can really think of with one of the generic timeshare resellers is that they may not be able to answer a lot of DVC questions like those who deal primarily with DVC contracts.

So, unless you need some guidance from them about DVC making the purchase, a qualified reseller should be fine. I'd still research the company to make sure they are legit before sending any $$$.

I can think of one DVC specific reseller that I would personally NEVER consider working with due to some of their business practices but am not aware of any generic brokers I'd specifically stay away from. Any of the resellers commonly posted here should be fine (The Timeshare Store, DVCbyResale, Fidelity and a few others).

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

I would limit yourself to one of the companies who specialize in DVC. If you look on eBay or similar Internet sites, you're likely to end up with a realtor who knows absolutely nothing about DVC, and that will hurt you. DVC is a rather specialized product, and if the broker doesn't really understand it, you're starting out at a disadvantage.

Of the DVC specialists, The Timeshare Store -- longtime sponsor of these DVC boards -- is clearly the best, IMHO. I have both bought and sold through TTS, and they are great in my book.

I have never dealt with DVC by Resale or Fidelity.

I've only heard good things about Shontelle at DVC by Resale and would certainly have no reservations about dealing with her.

With Fidelity, I've heard some satisfied customer reports, but it seems that every single time a problematic transaction is reported here, it's with Fidelity.

My biggest concern with Fidelity is their apparent complete lack of any due diligence on their listings. The problem with that is that DVC refers all their distressed owners to Fidelity (for $) so their listings tend to be a landfill of troubled contracts.

(Incidentally, for years DVC referred those folks to the Timeshare Store and we never heard about any messed up transactions through them...none.)

Because of the due diligence problems frequently reported with Fidelity -- not their spotty customer service -- I personally would not use them.