Slightly OT: Where to buy for trading?

[MikeJ]

We've been DVC owners for a couple of years now (330 pts at OKW) and are well aware of the mantra "your best use of points is at DVC resorts, oooooommmmmmm". I know a few regulars on this board (e.g. Doc and Dean) own other timeshares which they own for the sole purpose of exchanging.

Where are some of the less expensive places to own which still give you good trading value with either II or RCI? I've made some cursory visits to the TUG website but haven't joined. Are there other sources of information available on the net?

Muchos gratias.

- Mike

 

[RobDoc]

TUG is probably the best single source for non-DVC resale infomation. Another is Timesharing Today (tstoday.com), which offers ratings and sale and rental information.

The best place to find very inexpensive resales is from the resorts themselves. Some of the older resorts (15-20 years) have significant numbers of owners who lose interest in their ownership, pass away (and the family has no interest) or for other reasons, just stop paying the annual fees. The owners associations then "repossess" these weeks and have no effective rental program to get any return. A common program at this time is to offer these weeks very inexpensively (the developers were paid long ago)- sometimes in the $500-1500 range.

This is a win-win situation for the new owners and the association. The owner gets a bargain price and the association gets annual fees again.

We have purchased 3 weeks in this manner- paying no more than $750 and as low as $500. The maintenance fees run $325 -$480 on these weeks. (These resorts sold for $10,000-15,000 originally.)

I'm sure that Dean will have some suggestions also. There are many great deals out there if you are patient and look in the right places.

 

[Dean]

You knew I wouldn't pass this by. Werner and others might have some thoughts as well. There is no one answer to this question. It depends on so many factors. Some of these factors include:

1. Your location
2. Vacation habits
3. Whether you're resort or location driven
4. The unit size you need.
5. Finances
6. flexibility
7. If you can travel off season
   [/list=1]
   Most people should fall into one of several categories which I'll try to sumarize here.
   1. Those that simply need something to get into the system. They are very flexible and are willing to trade some options for price. South Africa and off season units at good resorts come to mind.
   2. Those that want more quality but at a controlled price and possible need an internal trading option. Marriott comes to mind.
   3. Those that want to go to a certain area and/or a certain week every year. Buy where you want and use it.
      [/list=1]
      
      For a first timeshare purchase, I'd do lots of research but in the end, you'll be better off with something you'll enjoy if you use but something you can trade part of the time. The lessor Marriott's, Fairfield, Bluegreen come to mind. As you get more info, you'll narrow the choices and prices down. JOIN TUG, best $15 you'll ever spend if you are interested in buying or using a regular timeshare.
      
      Edited out my ad. My apoligies, I just wasn't thinking about it being against the BBS rules.

 

[Diznut84]

I would also highly recommend that you join TUG ! If you are buying to trade, and want TOP trade power, I'd recommend summer (late June to early August) beach weeks and winter ski weeks. With II, you'll need a 5* resort (maintenance fees can be expensive!) and at least the same size unit that you'll want to trade into. If you want to trade into Marriott, please realize that other Marriott owners have 21 days before non-Marriott owners can pull them. In that scenario, a summer Marriott Harbour Point on Hilton Head Island unit seems the best deal. An ERA Stroman rep can probably help you land one for between $5000 and $7000.

RCI is much easier to trade in cheaply. You can buy a South Africa week for around $400 that will have moderate trading power. A TOP RCI trader (Southern California Aquamarine Villas) can be had for between $2500 and $3500. Maintenance fees are only around $300 per year.

Another option is to buy a summer Welk at Escondido week. Many units are dually affiliated with II and RCI. Prime summer resale weeks can be had for around $4000, although maintenance fees are high (around $600). Then you'll have the option to join II and/or RCI, will get bonus weeks for depositing with II, and have a powerful trader as well.

As you can see, there are MANY options. Stroll on over to TUG to see these topics regularly discussed from many different (and all valid) points of view.

Good luck!