# We don't use our points. Now what?



## essie74 (Jan 31, 2014)

Let me say first off I have never posted to a forum like this. Apologies in advance and if there is another place I should be looking/posting, please, let me know. This is very overwhelming. 

In 2003 my husband and I purchased HGVC points in Las Vegas. In 2009 we purchased more in Orlando, but the deed is for a unit in South Beach. Until 2012 we used the points regularly to go to Marco Island. 

We find that we are not using them, the fees are astronomical, and we don't know what to do. When we bought it was just us. Then we had one child. That was doable. Now with two kids, it is far more difficult, and expensive, to fly or drive to any of the resorts. I think that perhaps when they get older we might go back to using the points, so I am not entirely sure I want to sell both properties outright and be done. 

Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? Is it better to just sell the properties or sell the points?  Thank you for your help!


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## RX8 (Jan 31, 2014)

The good news is that HGVC, unlike many timeshares, still has some value. Not near as much as you paid for them but at least you could sell them if you really wanted to be done with them. 

I am not sure what you mean when you say "sell the properties or sell the points."  You can't sell the points but you could make a reservation and rent that out.  

Here are some possible options for you:


Sell one or both properties
Rent out reservations to help cover your maintenance fees
Use your points to make an RCI exchange for a resort within driving distance

If the cost of the annual MF is a major concern you could sell both and when the kids are older you could always purchase again, resale of course.  In the interim, you could rent from Tuggers or elsewhere often at a price less than maintenance fees.  If you do decide to sell just be aware that are many scammers out there.  If someone cold calls you and/or offers you much more than the TS is worth and then wants an upfront fee, run away! 

Good luck!


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## presley (Jan 31, 2014)

You can allocate your future years points to Hilton hotel points and stay in any Hilton brand hotel, but for what you pay in MFs, you will end up paying out more than if you didn't own HGVC and used those points.

If you aren't using them, you are essentially flushing your money away year after year.  You may want to discuss with an agent who specializes in HGVC resales what you could sell the contracts for.   It won't be anywhere near what you paid, but it will be better than continually throwing money away in MFs every year in hopes of using it later in life.


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## alwysonvac (Jan 31, 2014)

essie74 said:


> Let me say first off I have never posted to a forum like this. Apologies in advance and if there is another place I should be looking/posting, please, let me know. This is very overwhelming.
> 
> In 2003 my husband and I purchased HGVC points in Las Vegas. In 2009 we purchased more in Orlando, but the deed is for a unit in South Beach. Until 2012 we used the points regularly to go to Marco Island.
> 
> ...



If you're not planning to use it then it simply doesn't make sense to hold on to it

You stated "fees are astronomical". Fees will continue to rise. If this is a problem then you should probably sell.  If you decide to sell one of the two, _keep_ Pick the one that provides more points per dollar. 

_NOTE: Keep in mind that HGVC maintenance fees are generally determined by unit size. So if you own a silver week, you're paying the same MF as a platinum or gold season owner._

If transportation expense for vacation is a concern, you could use your points every three years by banking and borrowing. Every three years you can book a longer vacation stay somewhere or book larger accomodations for a multi-family trip with friends and extended family.
For example, you can rescue your 2014 points for use in 2015 and borrow from 2016 points for use in 2015.


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## Tamaradarann (Jan 31, 2014)

*Very Good Suggestion*



alwysonvac said:


> If you're not planning to use it then it simply doesn't make sense to hold on to it
> 
> You stated "fees are astronomical". Fees will continue to rise. If this is a problem then you should probably sell.  If you decide to sell one of the two. Pick the one that provides more points per dollar.
> 
> ...



Wow, that is a very good suggestion.  Of course since you have two children within a short period of time it may be a while before you can take a nice long vacation with the four of you.  However, in order to save money this suggestion does make a long vacation that takes transportation expense more reasonable every 3 years (or two years if that works for you) instead of every year.


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## momeason (Feb 1, 2014)

If you can afford to keep them, you should learn to use RCI and exchange for vacations closer to home. Family vacations create lots of great family memories. 

My kids are grown now but we have lots of "Remember when" stories from our vacations. When our kids were 10 and 12 we made a conscious decision to take at least one nice trip every year. We have never regretted it.

There are lots of us here to help you learn.


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## PassionForTravel (Feb 1, 2014)

Momeason HGVC trades in RCI not II.

Ian


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## alwysonvac (Feb 1, 2014)

JMHO... 

Based on the South Beach Maintenance Fees (MF) posted on TUG, I would get rid of that one. It only makes sense to own South Beach to use due to the high MF. Also, if you own a silver week in Vegas, I would get rid of that as well, since you're paying high MF for very little points. 

HGVC SOUTH BEACH TWO BEDROOM (excluding club dues and ARDA fee) 

2010 Maintenance Fees -  2 bedroom 
2010 Operating Fee $944.32
2010 Reserve Fee $200.41
Real Estate Taxes $132.84
Total: $1,277.57

2012 Maintenance Fees  -  2 bedroom 
2012 Operating Fee 01/01/12 $1,012.48 
2012 Reserve Fee 01/01/12 $217.62 
Real Estate Taxes 01/01/12 $104.00
Total: $1,334.10

2013 Maintenance Fees  -  2 bedroom 
2013 Operating Fee 01/01/13 $1,040.32 
2013 Reserve Fee 01/01/13 $226.76 
Real Estate Taxes 01/01/13 $111.20 
Total: $1,378.28


HGVC SOUTH BEACH ONE BEDROOM (excluding club dues and ARDA fee) 

2013 Maintenance Fees -  1 bedroom 
2013 Operating Fee $709.17 
2013 Reserve Fee $153.41 
Real Estate Taxes $86.32 
Total: $948.90

2014 Maintenance Fees -  1 bedroom 
2014 Operating Fee 719.22 
2014 Reserve Fee 160.16 
2014 Real Estate Taxes 86.73 
Total: $966.11

*Keep in mind that timeshares are not an investment. 
Expect Resale prices to continue to drop and Maintenance Fee to continue to increase. 
If you have no plans to travel in the next several years, then the best strategy is to sell them now.* 
It simply doesn't make sense to hold on to a timeshare without using it. You can easily pickup a timeshare on resale market when your situation changes. Paying years of maintenance just to use several years later far exceeds existing resales prices.  
For example, take a look at HGVC resale prices on Judi's website - http://judikoz.com/Search.aspx

Good Luck


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## momeason (Feb 1, 2014)

PassionForTravel said:


> Momeason HGVC trades in RCI not II.
> 
> Ian



You are correct. I typed II by mistake. I trade in II


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## UWSurfer (Feb 1, 2014)

You are getting some very good advice here.

In order of preference (in my humble opinion) would be:

1) Work the system, bank the points and take a vacation to a place every three years for a longer trip &/or to a nicer place and use the time to save up for the transportation and incidental costs.

2) Exchange in RCI through HGVC to a location closer to home & use them that way.

3) Convert the points to HHonors points which let you stay at any Hilton (family of brands) hotel(s).   The good thing about this is HHonor points do not expire and continue on in your account & provides far better value than just letting them expire and not being used.

4) If you have family you could let them book a vacation using your points with you providing a guest confirmation booking.  Not that you benefit but again the points don't go to waste and hopefully the family member would be good enough to reimburse you.  Family dynamics will vary from member to member.

5) Sell them through a re-sale broker.  There are two well regarded folks here on TUG who any of us can steer you two if needed.


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## stevio99 (Feb 2, 2014)

Sent you a pm


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## rknicker (Feb 3, 2014)

Also, there is a pretty good market for that south beach property. It's small and almost always booked at high occupancy by owners. Its an entirely different situation than the orlando or vegas properties.


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## Ron98GT (Feb 3, 2014)

Considering that:

1. They paid prime price buying the TS's from Hilton.
2. They are talking about using the TS's in the future when the kids get older.
3. They will lose money on the sale.
4. It will cost them $ to sell these TS's.
5. It will cost about $1/point to buy in the future.
6. It will cost them closing costs to buy in the future. 

Doesn't it make more sense to rent out for the next few years and cover the MF's and HGVC fees?  Maybe in a few years they will want to go to Disney Land/World with the kids.  If they can drive to the TS and eat meals at the TS, it would be a great family vacation. 

Just asking/thinking


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## piyooshj (Feb 3, 2014)

I's support the idea of renting to cover MFs and fees. I'd suggest book TS in Hawaii or open season in NY W57th ST and rent them on ebay. You may end up making some money over your MFs to recoup some of your retail cost to buy  just my 2 cents....


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## RX8 (Feb 3, 2014)

piyooshj said:


> I'd suggest book TS in Hawaii or *open season* in NY W57th ST and rent them on ebay.



Good idea but open season is for owner use only.  A renter will not be able to check in.


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## alwysonvac (Feb 4, 2014)

*Renting isn't as easy as it sounds*

Renting on a regular basis is a pain in the ....
There are lots of folks on TUG who rent regularly but just be aware renting is not as easy as it sounds. Definitely read the "How to Rent Your Timeshare" sticky if you're planning to take this path - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43

I just don't recommend this path if you have no plans to travel in the next 5+ years as I stated above it's easy to buy a HGVC resale week when you're ready to travel again and it's easy to find timeshare rentals for the occassional need. 

*Here are some things, you'll want to consider if you're planning to rent on a regular basis.*

First, you'll want to rent a high demand week at a hiigh demand resort. However high demand weeks are the first to be reserved by HGVC members, so members will most likely have to select a week to rent with hopes that a renter will be willing to accept their travel dates. Here's a thread with some helpful renting tips - Newbie Question - My units are not renting! Why? 

As the landlord, you may have to deal with
- the hagglers (you know the type, if it was marked 25 cents they would ask if you would accept 5 cents and sometimes it's down right insulting)
- the sad stories (those wanting you to drop your prices because their family can't afford your rate and they really want a vacation) 
- the tire kickers (who will ask you all sorts of questions with no intent of renting)
- the scammers (fake checks, advertisers, etc)
- renters that don't understand timeshares and expect the same results as booking a hotel.  (may not be able to change the travel date, no daily housekeeping, etc)
- renters expecting you to resolve their resort issues or expect compensation for problems encountered during their stay

Some of the TUG stories over the years 
- Renter wants my bank info to wire me money
 - Charge back from Paypal for rental -- after renter checked in
- What would you do? [renter wants to cancel]
- GERMAN COCKROACH in HAWAII! Is RENTER due COMPENSATION? THANKS for ADVICE. 
- A Warning to Renters! [last minute' rentals, then stiffs you with a bad check]
- Are you responsible for renters who skip bills?
- Any experience with a non-paying renter?
- First Issue Renting my Timeshares
- Can I get my money back?
- Feedback please! (bad rental?)


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## VegasBella (Feb 4, 2014)

Personally, I think you should sell. I think that's the wisest financial decision. Cut your losses.

If you want another timeshare down the road you can buy resale, this time with a much better understanding of what you hope to gain from owning a timeshare.

However, I don't really understand 'having kids and not being able to travel'. That's just me, but I wouldn't have even considered buying timeshares if I didn't have a son. Timeshares tend to be well-suited for families, much better than hotels IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## essie74 (Mar 12, 2014)

*wow! Thanks!*

Been busy and haven't logged in for a while. Read through all of this today. THANK YOU ALL. Wonderful information.  I guess the one big thing I would still like is the name of a Realtor you all would recommend if we do want to dump it all. Thanks so much!


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## essie74 (Mar 12, 2014)

it is expensive to fly as a family of 4. We live in Chicago and we did the drive to FL when the baby was 2 months old. It was doable then. She slept. It would be a bit of a challenge I think with her right now. When we had one kid it was awesome. It was totally easy. We do travel to family in Canada but that is a far cry from driving all the way to Marco Island. I think in another year? definitely in 2 years we will probably start up again.


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## Blues (Mar 12, 2014)

essie74 said:


> Been busy and haven't logged in for a while. Read through all of this today. THANK YOU ALL. Wonderful information.  I guess the one big thing I would still like is the name of a Realtor you all would recommend if we do want to dump it all. Thanks so much!



The two realtors that are consistently recommended on this forum:

Seth Nock -- http://www.sellingtimeshares.net/

Judi Kozlowski -- http://www.judikoz.com/

Good luck!
Bob


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## HatTrick (Mar 12, 2014)

essie74 said:


> I guess the one big thing I would still like is the name of a Realtor you all would recommend if we do want to dump it all.



Two trusted names are Judi Kozlowski (http://www.judikoz.com) and Seth Nock (http://www.sellingtimeshares.net).


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## HatTrick (Mar 12, 2014)

Great minds, eh Bob?


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## essie74 (Mar 12, 2014)

Ron98GT said:


> Considering that:
> 
> 1. They paid prime price buying the TS's from Hilton.
> 2. They are talking about using the TS's in the future when the kids get older.
> ...


here is my current thinking. 
We need to talk to a realtor for sure. We need to find out what we can get for both properties in terms of selling them and renting them. 

I can't see us personally ever going to the South Beach property. The only reason I would want to hang on to that property is if the points from it allow me to have more time in FL. 

I would really like to hang on to the LV property. Though we haven't been back to it since we bought it, and it was under construction then, I think that even as a family I can see us going to Vegas. Even for a few days. It is an exciting place, plenty near by to see OTHER than Vegas you know. And we are missing our FL vacation something terrible.  I think we should keep that one and learn to rent it out. Then we can use it as some people suggest, even every three years, and rent in between to cover the MF. 

Thanks!!!!!


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## essie74 (Mar 12, 2014)

HatTrick said:


> Two trusted names are Judi Kozlowski (http://www.judikoz.com) and Seth Nock (http://www.sellingtimeshares.net).


Thanks, I saw Judi's page, but I will also look at Seth.


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## essie74 (Mar 12, 2014)

Blues said:


> The two realtors that are consistently recommended on this forum:
> 
> Seth Nock -- http://www.sellingtimeshares.net/
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestions!


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## Blues (Mar 12, 2014)

HatTrick said:


> Great minds, eh Bob?



Most definitely!  :whoopie:



essie74 said:


> Thanks for the suggestions!



You're welcome.

Your current idea of selling SoBe and hanging onto LV makes sense to me.  You can contact the realtors to find out what you can expect from a sale.  But both web sites will display current listings, which may also give you an idea.  Warning - listing price is not the same thing as sales price.  There are still lots of people who aren't realistic about the value of their timeshare, and list for a price that will never sell.

-Bob


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## presley (Mar 12, 2014)

essie74 said:


> I would really like to hang on to the LV property. Though we haven't been back to it since we bought it, and it was under construction then, I think that even as a family I can see us going to Vegas. Even for a few days. It is an exciting place, plenty near by to see OTHER than Vegas you know. And we are missing our FL vacation something terrible.  I think we should keep that one and learn to rent it out. Then we can use it as some people suggest, even every three years, and rent in between to cover the MF.



If you want to keep Las Vegas, you'll probably rent out at a loss.  By Hilton's definition of renting, you can rent your home resort week only.  Las Vegas has lots of full week rentals for a only a few hundred dollars.  If you are able to book NYE on a high floor, you might be able to recover all your costs.

If you decide to rent something other than your home week and keep it on the down low from HGVC, you need to pay $52. to book the reservation + $52. guest certificate.  That is in addition to what your are paying in MFs annually, which is likely in the $800-$1000. range.  It can be done, but the bigger question is why would you do that.


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## Ron98GT (Mar 12, 2014)

essie74 said:


> here is my current thinking.
> We need to talk to a realtor for sure. We need to find out what we can get for both properties in terms of selling them and renting them.
> 
> I can't see us personally ever going to the South Beach property. The only reason I would want to hang on to that property is if the points from it allow me to have more time in FL.
> ...


Vegas has the lowest HGVC MF's.  Are both TS's, 2-BR, 7K, Plat., annual, units?


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## jllull (Apr 14, 2014)

Thank you. Very helpful


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## travelplus (May 20, 2014)

essie74 said:


> Let me say first off I have never posted to a forum like this. Apologies in advance and if there is another place I should be looking/posting, please, let me know. This is very overwhelming.
> 
> In 2003 my husband and I purchased HGVC points in Las Vegas. In 2009 we purchased more in Orlando, but the deed is for a unit in South Beach. Until 2012 we used the points regularly to go to Marco Island.
> 
> ...



My Family has been in the same situation when my Parents purchased a timeshare back in 1996 and did not know the system like I do today nor knew anything about TUGSBBS. We were able to use our weeks in Europe and then sold the TS as our weeks were hard to Exchange  let alone use the home resort in Utah.

Fast Forward to 2010 on a trip in Arizona I had the wise idea to go with my Father to see some resorts in the area and go resale. I had joined Redweek.com and TUGS BBS and we rented on Redweek.com a week at the Sheraton Desert Springs in Scottsdale.  We found a week at the Villa Mirage and we used it for 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom at the Welk Resort in San Diego.

In 2011 we rented another week at The Ridge Lake Tahoe did the presentation and then went onto Redweek.com and purchased a  2 bedroom in the same building we were staying in. This is our home resort and we have been going every year since owning it plus did some bonus time there as well.

We have a Marriott week in Palm Desert which we used to exchange via Interval at the Ridge for this summer and as owners we are able to stay in the same unit in the Cascades as we get priority even on exchanged weeks of where we want to stay.

My point is try buying a resort that is located an easy drive from you like the Ridge Lake Tahoe is only 4 hours away and has a free shuttle down to the Casinos in South Lake Tahoe, Free Ski Shuttle to Heavenly plus their own private Gondola that connects to the Heavenly Ski Lift.  In addition there is an Amtrak Bus Stop thats located feet away from the shuttle that takes us to the resort so in the winter we can take Amtrak to Sacramento and then the bus connection to South Lake Tahoe. We can even fly into Reno if needed and rent a 4WD car. So there are many options available to us.

If you can first own at a Home Resort close to you and the Exchange secondary you will be happier as you know you are going to use it. I think too many people buy a Home Resort so far away or make up an excuse as to why they can't use it.  If you can't use it then you can rent your week and at least cover the Maintance Fees.

Hope this helps you.


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## travelplus (May 20, 2014)

presley said:


> You can allocate your future years points to Hilton hotel points and stay in any Hilton brand hotel, but for what you pay in MFs, you will end up paying out more than if you didn't own HGVC and used those points.
> 
> If you aren't using them, you are essentially flushing your money away year after year.  You may want to discuss with an agent who specializes in HGVC resales what you could sell the contracts for.   It won't be anywhere near what you paid, but it will be better than continually throwing money away in MFs every year in hopes of using it later in life.



In my opinion this is not really a good move because the points lose value when you transfer them, Its less expensive to book a Hotel using various means online than to use points.  In a sense its like Frequent Flier Miles when I wanted to transfer my Hilton points to my American account it was not 1 for 1. It was more like 5 points for  1 miles with a minimum. 

Not sure if its the same for Timeshare but it seems like it would be.


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