What's the best place to purchase a timeshare re-sale?

[lorilori]

Hi all. Not sure if this is the proper board, but I'm looking for suggestions as to the best place/website/company to purchase a timeshare re-sale (not Disney, probably one of the Marriotts - hopefully Grande Vista). Thanks in advance for your help. We are seriously considering taking the big plunge into timeshare ownership but I am clueless!

 

[DianeV]

Check the classifieds on www.tug2.net and also The Timeshare Store (not sure if that is how the website is listed)

Sometimes on ebay too if you know what you are looking for

 

[spiceycat]

don't buy in Orlando unless you are buying DVC - you can trade to some great places in Orlando with a fairly inexpensive timeshares.

get be sure to get the right exchange company - there are two big ones II (marriott and DVC), RCI (HGVC). Hyatt appears in both so does Fairfield (and this is very, very strange because Fairfield and RCI are owned by the same company...)

 

[spiceycat]

www.redweek.com

send me an email for the ones that don't show up here

www.atimeshare.com
www.dvc-resales.com
www.******************.com ******** crawford
www.thetimesharewarehouse.com
www.reid4florida.com
http://tra-resales.com/

 

[jeff968]

good deals on ebay.

 

[lorilori]

Thank you so much for your replies. I have joined both Tug and redweek; are those generally good prices? My husband has basically put the ball in my court to find the best deal spiceycat - re buying somewhere besides Orlando and trading in, this sounds like a great idea, but how would i know where to buy? should it be somewhere as popular as Orlando? (I apologize if these are the most basic questions!) Thank you!

 

[spiceycat]

no on the contrary - the reason that Orlando has so many is it popular - so that also run for Branson, WIlliamsburg - a couple of other places - ask on the tug board.

in your area - along the Atlantic seaboard would be a nice one. just don't over pay for the timeshares.

I got one from the tug board $1,500 in Panama City Beach, FL - the maintence fees are high $400 to $500. You should be able to get one for the same price but with better maintence fees - check first!!!

if you can find one with an hour drive of your home - then in some timeshares you can use their stuff on a dailey basis. (okay weekly - if you want too).

II use to be very hard on timeshares if you weren't the top resort if that area - forget about trading to a Marriott or DVC - but lately they have changed their policy. So if you have an ocean or gulf timeshare they now give you a better deal than RCI. So I would look for one of the timeshares that started with RCI but lately has either changed to II or is now listed in both places.

go ask on the tug board in buying, selling section and also in the eastern section - tug won't allow the same post in both places. So I would ask first in the buying,selling -also watch here - sometimes other good sales are posted here.

if you can't find anything that you like. then in a couple of months post on the Eastern section - ask what the current tuggers own.

Florida has the highest maintence fees - so I might look for something closer to your home.

try to find one on the ocean or lake front - these seem to be pretty popular and there aren't alot of them that are nice.

oh the reason I brought the Panama City Beach (PC) one instead of one in Ala - my nephew - he wanted something along the Panhandle - I suggested Destin,ft walton, penscola, gulf shores - he picked PCB....it was not my first choice at all. but when I started to price timeshares in the area I am so glad he wanted that area - there are few more in PCB and that always bring the price down....

 

[mrsstats]

When I bought my timeshare resale, my brother (who owns 2 weeks in Orlando but rarely goes there) told me to buy at a resort and the week I would want to use. That is what I have done. I bought Westgate Vacation Villas (even if most people hate it, we don't) I bought the week I want to go there each year. This was the best advise he gave me.

He trades his 2 weeks but he has the added fee for trading, the fee for joining RCI or II. And he can't always get to go where he wants on the week he wants.

 

[spiceycat]

that may be because he owns in Orlando....

also with II if your resort wants it - you can't trade into the immediately area. So if you want to try to exchange in Orlando - you would have to stick with your origninal company - Westgate. Even Westgate when you try to get another week charges the same fees that II does.

with RCI it has the 1-4 or 1-3 rule - you can't trade back into the same resort for 4 year or 3 years - this is generally not a big problem. Orlando has some of the best and nicest timeshare around. but if you aren't buying DVC - forget it.

 

[Tiger Fan]

I'll just share our experiences and you can add those into your considerations. We own in Hilton Head Island and Gatlingburg, TN. We bought both because we love each destination and chose weeks that we usually can use. However we have traded into Orlando 8 times, each with NO problem getting pretty much exactly what we wanted on each trade (we might have had to be a little flexible on check-in date, but very minimal). Our HHI unit is a one bedroom, not Gold Crown, but it's a Spring Break week. We will almost always draw several 2 bedroom, Gold Crown options in Orlando. Our Gatlinburg is a 2 bedroom, Gold Crown and it's for leaf season in TN and we always draw 2-3 bedroom, Gold Crown units with that one. We also have several bonus night options with that unit. As others have stated, Orlando has so very many timeshares that it's easy to get a trade there if you have a decent trade option. We usually trade into Orlando either during the summer (early June to mid July) or the first week in December. I often check to see what we could get for other weeks and have often found great things available during Christmas/New Year and even Easter week (choices will be a little less than our June month options). I start looking to trade around 6 months out and the options decrease as you get closer. When I start it would be normal to find anywhere from 15-20 returns, with about 10 of those being ones I would actually consider and at least 2-4 being what I call great options, one of which we usually end up with. We bought our HHI unit as a resale and the Gatlinburg as a tour purchase, but were able to get quite a few perks thrown in (unliminted bonus nights through our home club - Bluegreen). We already were familiar with RCI when we bought in Gatlinburg (from owning in HHI) and knew what to ask for so to speak. Buying our timeshares have been about the best travel thing we have ever done and love all the options we have. Good luck and have fun as you decide.
Lisa
Tiger Fan

 

[lorilori]

Wow! Thank you so much for all your replies (and now I'm even more confused!) I didn't realize there were so many options, so I guess now I'll become as obsessive about this as I am with planning our trips.

 

[spiceycat]

go join
www.tug2.net
it will cost $15 - but if you join - you get to read the reviews - also the prices paid for by members (different data reports).

if you are serious and want a good deal - go join tug.

sometimes the reviews are late being posted - it is all volunteer moderates (like the dis boards)- but they do a good job.

there is lots of knowledge there.

 

[booyaa68]

You can also check our www.bidshares.com. Got mine there.

 

[lorilori]

Hi spiceycat, yes, I did join both Tug and Redweek and I have been on both their sites all morning. We go to Disney every October or November and then usually again sometime in the spring so I guess first I need to figure out the best option for us as far as buying in Orlando or buying somewhere else.

 

[disneygals]

We bought a floating Vistana resale in 1998. We joined RCI and traded it twice, one really good trade and one so-so. It's a pain in the neck. We cancelled RCI and decided that while the kids are young, we will just use the week at the Vistana.

While it's true that you can buy a timeshare from somewhere else and trade into Florida, it seems to me to make more sense to just buy there if you know you're going every year. No RCI fees, no trading fees, etc. Just make sure you buy a floating week.

Good Luck

ps...I love www.tug2.net also....I rented a Hilton Head timeshare once from their classified ads