Help.

[EvilQueensRock]

So there we were two days ago, sitting with our DVC guide, paperwork in front of us, hubby ready to sign, and I panicked. If I could have run screaming from the room I would have. Simply because I hate financing anything. But I'm glad I did. My in-laws have gifted us a week from their RCI timeshare!

Soooooo, that being said, does anyone have any insight on how this works for us coming in from the Dark Side to rent or trade a DVC property?

 

[rmcildw2m]

Well if you have gotten a taste of DVC and you like it and you want some more you could rent points for another stay . But if you want to buy , buy resale for half the cost sometimes but always cheaper than direct like u were about to do . all that info can be found on these boards . happy hunting .

 

[RobDoc]

... My in-laws have gifted us a week from their RCI timeshare!

Soooooo, that being said, does anyone have any insight on how this works for us coming in from the Dark Side to rent or trade a DVC property?

A lot will depend on the resort your in-laws own, whether it is a weekly RCI program or points. If weekly, it will also depend on the trade strength for their resort. Some resorts are blocked entirely from trading into DVC (mostly if they are within 30 miles of WDW).

Basically, they will need to start an ongoing search for you - the DVC resorts are typically deposited into the RCI system around 7-10 months ahead and they go quickly. If you are part of the ongoing search, you will get first opportunity to secure the deposit - otherwise you will need to check the availability regularly.

RCI also does offer rental opportunities for the DVC resorts, so you might have your in-laws check that for you too.

The DIS has a DVC Rent/Trade Board, where DVC owners can make reservations for others and we have a sponsor ( www.DVCrequest.com ) who can rent DVC reservations to others also. No one can make reservations more than 11 months ahead - whether owners, rental companies or RCI.

Good luck!

 

[EvilQueensRock]

Thank you very much! We are actually acquiring the deed in 2015. The resort I believe is weekly and it's by Sarasota.

This is great info and I appreciate the responses.

 

[bwvBound]

Thank you very much! We are actually acquiring the deed in 2015. The resort I believe is weekly and it's by Sarasota.

This is great info and I appreciate the responses.

'...by Sarasota'??? Checking for understanding ... where is that timeshare? Is it in Sarasota, FL (along the Gulf Coast between Tampa and Ft Myers) or another Sarasota? Or did you mean it is near Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort? If the latter, that timeshare will be blocked from trading into WDW Disney properties but allowed to trade into Disney's Vero Beach, Hilton Head, California and Hawaii locations.

Before you accept the deed to this property be sure you understand:
a) The full name and management company of the property. (Often a single property will have several different HOAs/management.)
b) The annual dues history and special assessments.
c) How it trades -- if exchanging is part of your goal. Does it trade through RCI Weeks? RCI Points? Interval International? Trading Places? SFX? GPX? Dial-an-Exchange? others? What are the costs of membership and exchange fees?
d) How often does the interval occur? Is it every year, every other year, every third year, etc?
e) When is the interval? Is it a fixed week, floating week, points, etc?
f) What size is the interval (studio, 1BR, 2BR, etc). If a large unit, can it be split into multiple smaller units for purposes of booking or exchanging?
g) Have you been to this property and do you LIKE the property for its own merits? Will you and your family enjoying using the unit every so often?

Really, a gift of timeshare is like receiving livestock. Make sure this animal fits into your plans and lifestyles before accepting the deed.

 

[supersnoop]

Thank you very much! We are actually acquiring the deed in 2015. The resort I believe is weekly and it's by Sarasota. This is great info and I appreciate the responses.

A gift of a timeshare is like someone giving your kid a puppy. It's going to be expensive for you. Be sure you understand all the costs before you accept it. Many, if not most timeshares are worth less than $0. They're considered a liability, not an asset.

 

[EvilQueensRock]

Thanks for your concerns. The timeshare in question - is by Sarasota. I do know the difference between Sarasota and Saratoga Springs. It has also been used by our family for well over 20 years. End result: Even if we ultimately could not trade for a DVC property, our week would simply be either used at the Sarasota property, or we would try to rent it out.
At this time, paying a maintenance fee once a year is a much better situation for us. I HOPE we could trade for some time at a DVC property, but worst case scenario we spend a week on Lido Key instead.

 

[bwvBound]

The timeshare in question - is by Sarasota. I do know the difference between Sarasota and Saratoga Springs.

Soooooo, that being said, does anyone have any insight on how this works for us coming in from the Dark Side to rent or trade a DVC property?

Ok, so your next steps are to determine which RCI exchange method is offered to your timeshare (RCI Weeks or RCI Points) and then determine the relative strength of your timeshare in that exchange system. If the timeshare gives you sufficient "trade power" to pursue exchanges - then you'll want to either transfer the RCI Account or create your own RCI account and get the new deed linked to that account for trading.

Short version ...

• If RCI Weeks, your timeshare will be assigned a numerical score called "Trade Power Units" (TPU) based on the resort, check-in date and unit size. You'd want at least 40 TPU to get your foot in the door of DVC exchanges. It is possible to combine deposits to increase your TPU. The most successful way to trade into DVC through RCI Weeks is by using an Open Search with great flexibility: multiple DVC resorts, wide range of dates, and not looking for large unit sizes.
• If RCI Points, you timeshare will be assigned a certain number of Points based on the resort, check-in date and unit size. You can combine deposits together to increase your points balance. You can't use an Open Search but can book either online or phone based on current availability.

These are only the tip of the iceberg. For best success in exchanging, I'd recommend joining the Timeshare Users Group (TUG) website for $15/year to gain access to their private Sightings board (where exchange secrets are revealed) and the Resort Reviews. Link: http://www.tugbbs.com