# Need advise-HGVC ON LAS VEGAS STRIP



## chum94555 (May 9, 2009)

Hello  We just became member of this forum and group

 We have just returned from LAS VEGAS and sat through two hours of sales presentation at HGVC CLUB IN STRIP, LAS VEGAS BLVD. We already have HGVC BAY CLUB Big  Isalnd , Hawaii with 8200 annual points  and the incentive here with LV STRIP timeshare is additional 7000 points that gives us a lot of flexibility to travel and use our points between Hotels and Club. We do find ourselves short of points every year borrowing at times from next year

Now my question They quoted us 2 bdrm penthouse at $32990 and 7000 points with additional 15000 points as added incentive. They also quoted 1 bdrm regular condo at 5800 points and 7000 incentive points. 

Is this a good deal? They are stating they have given $7000 incentive and $6000 incentive over regular listed price.

 I however did find 2 bdrm penthouse on the marketplace on Tug2 for half of the price or $15,000. what gives? why such a  difference? I also understand from HGVC if one buys from open market, they are not qualified for what is known as ELITE status (minimum 14,000 points/year) which I am told has  its own set of benefits (no blackout dates, priority reservation etc)

 Can anyone provide any feedback? 

We have not sign anything (although we were told the offer is only good if we sign right there and then)

 Thanks

 ks


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## Karen G (May 9, 2009)

chum94555 said:


> I however did find 2 bdrm penthouse on the marketplace on Tug2 for half of the price or $15,000. what gives? why such a  difference? . . .
> We have not sign anything (although we were told the offer is only good if we sign right there and then)


The difference in price is similar to buying a brand new car and once you drive it from the dealership it loses value.  "Used" timeshares are a much better buy as you will discover the more research you do.

You are so fortunate that you didn't sign anything.  People often find TUG after they have bought from the developer and are past the rescission period.  Take your time; read all you can on TUG; ask questions; look at resale sites and ads and you'll find lots of timeshares for sale at bargain prices compared to what the developer is charging.


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## bosco0633 (May 9, 2009)

you can buy a 7k platinum LV strip for under 15,000.00.  That is crazy the prices that they try and charge.  The elite status is nice, but honestly, I would find it difficult to find anyone willing to tell you that it is worth paying developer prices for.

I would venture a guess that if you really want the LV 7k, you can grab one for around 11 to 12k right now.  That kind of savings really makes me care less about elite status.  Just my 2 cents worth.

If you are looking for a great resale agent, call Judy Kozlowski of remax in Orlando.  She is very well respected amongst members of this board, as well as Seth.  I used Judy and was very pleased with her.  Give her a call at 1800 541-5666 ex 622.  Tell her Ryan says hello.  She will get you a great price resale.  

If you wanted even more points you can find a 3 bedroom platinum LV strip which is 9600 points.  I think they are 17 to 20k for this price resale which is expensive but none the less still a great price when compared to developer prices.


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## chum94555 (May 9, 2009)

*Conventional wisdom*

The reason I was surprised to see half or less prices of resell vs buying from the developer (HGVC in this case) is that by buying I also get a deed of trust. The conventional wisdom is property prices in general go up over the years but that does not seem to apply to  the timeshare, I learned this quickly from reading postings on TUG2...I am glad I became member BEFORE I bought anything from the developer 

ks


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## chum94555 (May 9, 2009)

One other question.. Does HGVC treat owner of resell property same as ones bought from them directly? Do these owners get same priority and other services when making reservation etc or get treated differently? Thanks

ks


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## Karen G (May 9, 2009)

chum94555 said:


> The reason I was surprised to see half or less prices of resell vs buying from the developer (HGVC in this case) is that by buying I also get a deed of trust.


 Most timeshares sold in the U.S. would have a deed of trust. If you buy resale, that deed of trust is transferred to you just like it would be in any other type of real estate transaction. It is recorded with the county where the timeshare is located.

Resale transactions are usually accomplished by an escrow company and they would see that the deed of trust is properly worded transferring ownership to a new buyer. The new buyer would get the deed of trust after it is recorded with the county.


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## bosco0633 (May 10, 2009)

yes karen is correct.  when i purchased resale last month, the deed was prepared by an excellent closing company through judy kozlowski.  The deed was registered with the county and then the final prepared deed was mailed to me.  I now have the hard copy deed to my timeshare!

As for your question about treatment.  No difference at all.  Everything counts, you get a HH honours account, all same booking rights etc.  The only thing is that the points cant count towards gaining elite status.  But if you read the benefits of obtaining elite status, it really doesnt justify the extra cost.  That is just my 2 cents.


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## JonathanIT (May 10, 2009)

chum94555 said:


> I also understand from HGVC if one buys from open market, they are not qualified for what is known as ELITE status (minimum 14,000 points/year) which I am told has  its own set of benefits (*no blackout dates, priority reservation* etc)


There are specific benefits to Elite membership... but neither of the two you mentioned, as described, are even among them.


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## chum94555 (May 10, 2009)

*Elite Membership Benefits*

Thanks but here is what I have on ELITE MEMBERSHIP benefits (from their website)

 ELITE
14,000 ClubPoints
• Gold VIP HHonors® membership
• $39 online HGVClub reservation fee
• 10% Open Season cash discount
• Priority and exclusive resort access
• No reservation fee for 7-night stays during
Club and Open Season reservation periods
at any Hilton Grand Vacations resort
• Special resort access with 12 month
reservation window
• Direct 800 number
• Special Elite Member check-in desk at select
Hilton Grand Vacations resorts

 I wonder what does PRIORITY AND EXCLUSIVE RESORT ACCESS mean ?

 Thanks

ks


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## i39249 (May 10, 2009)

*Elite Advantage*

From the HGVC website:

Elite Advantage

The Elite Reservations Window enables you to request reservations at select Club resorts before the reservation window opens for other Club Members. 

You may make reservations up to 365 days prior to your preferred check-in day. The featured resort destinations will change from time to time, so enjoy this special benefit of planning ahead as new resort opportunities are offered.

Please contact an Elite Club Counselor to make your Elite Advantage reservation.

Current participating Club resorts:

Kings' Land by Hilton Grand Vacations Club


WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT AN ELITE MEMBER CAN MAKE RESERVATIONS A YEAR IN ADVANCE FOR SELECT RESORTS.  CURRENTLY IT IS THE KING'S LAND RESORT.  THEY OFFERINGS CHANGE PERIODICALLY.


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## i39249 (May 10, 2009)

*Grand Offers*

MORE FROM THE HGVC WEBSITE:

Grand Offers

Through direct affiliations with some of the most popular resorts and travel partners, Hilton Grand Vacations opens the door to an amazing world of vacation options available only to Members with Elite status.

Discover spectacular ski, golf and beach resorts accessible through our unique affiliation with Club Intrawest. Enjoy luxurious Grand Mayan accommodations on the renowned beaches of Mexico through our exclusive San Francisco Exchange Company partnership. These are just two of the abundant Grand Offers awaiting your enjoyment.

Reservations for resorts featured in Grand Offers may be made 365 days prior to your preferred check-in day. Simply consider the number of nights you prefer to stay, review the applicable Points value for your ideal accommodations. Please contact a Club Counselor to plan your next grand getaway.


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## alwysonvac (May 10, 2009)

i39249 said:


> From the HGVC website:
> 
> Elite Advantage
> 
> ...



This is the "Special resort access with 12 month reservation window".
Elite members usually have access to one resort during the year and usually it's one of the newer Club resorts.


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## alwysonvac (May 10, 2009)

i39249 said:


> MORE FROM THE HGVC WEBSITE:
> 
> Grand Offers
> 
> ...



I believe this is the "Priority and exclusive resort access" option.

See this recent thread for comments from Elite members - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93987&highlight=elite


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## Talent312 (May 11, 2009)

Even with the ability to booking one resort ahead of the unwashed masses, and those other perks, can anyone honestly say that its worth paying more than twice what resale would cost?  I'd rather take my chances at nine months out.


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## PigsDad (May 11, 2009)

Talent312 said:


> Even with the ability to booking one resort ahead of the unwashed masses, and those other perks, can anyone honestly say that its worth paying more than twice what resale would cost?  I'd rather take my chances at nine months out.


And remember:  that "priority booking" is only at one property.  Hardly worth the tens of thousands more you would pay to acquire a minimum of 14K points direct from the developer.

Kurt


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## chum94555 (May 11, 2009)

*Thanks*

Thanks to all who responded. We have decided to go ahead with resale purchase rather than one from HGVC. We are so happy we did not tumble to *'this price and special only valid today'* pressure technique and found TUG2 purely by chance while doing Google search. Best $15 investment I made so far :-0 Thanks and people on this forum seem to be very informed and sincere in wanting to help 

we also found name of a couple of good agents for resale purchase from this forum

 keep up the good work and I will be active on this forum asking you all questions


ks


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## Sandy VDH (May 11, 2009)

Let us know how your resale purchase goes.


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## JonathanIT (May 11, 2009)

Disregarding the flowery prose from the HGVC website, here is my explanation:

Elite allows advance booking at basically one HGVC resort 12-months out (Elite Advantage).  The resort does not change annually; it has only changed once since I became Elite.  I admit I have never had any use for this benefit, especially since the original resort featured was the Las Vegas Strip, where I am an owner.  It only changed this year (maybe late last year?) to the Kingsland resort in Hawaii.  Reservations cannot be made online; they must be made over the phone.

However, there is one other category of resorts that also allows booking at the 12-month window for Elites: Intrawest.  It is not made very clear on the website, but Elites get access to any Intrawest property at the 12-month window.  This is a great benefit that I have taken advantage of several times.  Intrawest properties are very nice; one of my favorites is in Whistler, BC. As with any Intrawest reservations, they also must be made over the phone. Hopefully they will allow online access one day.

There are other benefits to being Elite, the advance access at certain properties is only a small part. But I would never tell anyone not to buy resale because Elite status is so great, I can only say that I like it and I have no regrets.  It's kind of hard to explain.  

Put it this way: many people who tind TUG before they purchase always express gratitude for discovering the world of purchasing a TS on the resale market. I did not, I bought from the developer and did not find TUG until many months later.  At first I thought "Wow, I could have saved a lot of money," but now I can say that I am glad I did not find TUG first.

Why? Well, I would probably have bought resale like everyone else (and, yes, saved a bundle of $$$)... but I would never have experienced Elite.  And in all honesty, after living with being an HGVC member for several years, I enjoy being Elite and I would not have changed a thing.  To me it is worth it.  YMMV.


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## Talent312 (May 11, 2009)

I do not begrudge those who are willing to pay a premium for a premium lifestyle.  Its kinda like cars, they're all boxes rolling on 4 wheels, but some just want the cachet of a Lamborgini.  Others will pinch a nickel till the buffalo squeals.


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## Zac495 (May 11, 2009)

RESCIND IMMEDIATELY!!! 
There's no difference  - points are points.


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## chum94555 (May 11, 2009)

*Resale department at Hilton??*

Jonnathan

The reason I am happy I found TUG2 before I signed anything is I find difference between buying from Developer and Resale is 2X OR MORE. Yes developers do thrown in 15k to 20 k additional points and also provide 'elite 'status. To me and from what I know now, benefit of Elite status are minimum to none. I took 15k to 20k additional points and did math (spread them over 10 years for example) and still Resale came in to be a better deal...Now I have HGVC corporate calling me and telling me they will provide additional incentive (points) . I asked them to speak to their Resale department and person who called me said  they have NONE  but tried selling me on ELITE status .She also told me HGVC has first right of refusal (almost meaning any Resale property I try buying , may not go through?)

*does anyone have contact info of Resale department at HGVC? *

I should have refereed her to TUG2 and as I said, I am so happy I did not sign anything during Marketing view last week under pressure and found TUG2

 Thanks

ks


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## pianodinosaur (May 11, 2009)

I am at the Elite Plus level, having purchased all my units directly from Hilton prior to being introduced to TUG.  I do not see how the advantages of Elite status outweigh the cost savings of purchasing resale.  On the other hand, there would be no new time share construction or a TS resale market without those of us who purchased direct from the developer, in this case, Hilton. I have no regrets as HGVC has been very honest with me and I really enjoy timesharing and cruising with Hilton.  We have also had some very nice HHonors redemptions at fabulous resorts as well.


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## Talent312 (May 11, 2009)

chum94555 said:


> I asked to speak to their Resale department and person who... tried selling me on ELITE status. She also told me HGVC has first right of refusal (meaning any Resale property I try buying, may not go through?)... Does anyone have contact info of Resale department at HGVC?



The HGVC "resale" department does not sell anything. AFAIK, all they do is review private resale contracts to decide if Hilton will exercize its ROFR and issue waivers on those which they do not. There is no one at HGVC (as opposed to affiliates or HIGVC) who will broker a private sale.

Except for Flamingo, HGVC holds a ROFR on every TS that it (Hilton) has sold, meaning that they can interfere with resales.  However, if the parties set a price that's high enuff, Hilton will pass on buying it back.  The level considered "high enuff" is one of the great mysteries of life, and the subject of a great many threads here on TUG.


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## bosco0633 (May 11, 2009)

I have and will continue to encourage you or anyone to use Judy Kozlowski with remax.  She is an authorized HGVC resale agent.  She is amazing!!!!  Call her any time at 1 800 541-5666 ex 622.  Many people have used her and will agree, never one negative comment.


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