# How to know best trader?



## hibbert6 (Nov 14, 2007)

I bought - and rescinded - a timeshare but was allowed to keep my RCI membership.  Now, I want to buy resale.  My question: If I'm looking at 3 resorts,   is there any way I can find out which might have the best trading power, before I buy?


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## 3kids4me (Nov 14, 2007)

If you list them here we can give you our opinions based on experience...but I'm sure you know by now that nothing is static and that the safest purchase is at a place where you will be happy going at least some of the time.

Sharon


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## Lisa P (Nov 14, 2007)

You could call RCI a few times and ask the VCs which would be the tougher trade, which would be harder to get into on an exchange.  And I agree with the idea of posting them here.


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## Sandy (Nov 14, 2007)

Another thought:

Isn't the RCI account listed according to the first timeshare purchased? And, this has something to do with the VEP filter, which affects trading power? If I understand this correctly, a high VEP filter means that you can trade up, but not down.  A low VEP filter means that you can see anything. 

The theory behind this is that RCI doesn't want a gold crown resort owner to be disappointed when they exchange into a regular resort.  And this all has some connection with your original RCI weeks account number. 

Perhaps someone can verify this or explain it better.


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## theo (Nov 15, 2007)

Sandy said:


> Another thought:
> 
> Isn't the RCI account listed according to the first timeshare purchased? And, this has something to do with the VEP filter, which affects trading power? If I understand this correctly, a high VEP filter means that you can trade up, but not down.  A low VEP filter means that you can see anything.
> 
> ...



I can neither explain nor verify your theory, but I frankly have my doubts that the theory is correct. While the "first" timeshare owned does indeed end up reflected in the assigned RCI account *number*, it's hard to imagine (even with wacky and unpredictable RCI) that number alone being factored into any filtering. For example, I haven't even owned the timeshare associated with my RCI account number in well over 10 years now. It's hard to imagine that this "long gone" resort number reflected within my account number actually factors in any way into any searches or exchanges utilizing entirely different (and better) resorts than the long-departed resort reflected within the account number. I'll stand to be corrected if mistaken, but I believe that it's only an actual *deposit* (not the irrelevant account number) which impacts any filtering in searches and/or exchanges.


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## e.bram (Nov 15, 2007)

Simple:
Oceanfront weeks 25-34
Ski resort during season
Major city(NYC, Boston, Paris, SF)


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## Bill4728 (Nov 15, 2007)

e.bram said:


> Simple:
> Oceanfront weeks 25-34
> Ski resort during season
> Major city(NYC, Boston, Paris, SF)



As e.bram said these are the best traders. Maybe I'd add most hawaii resorts too.


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## e.bram (Nov 15, 2007)

Yeah, but traveling to Hawaii can be costly and time consuming which would inhibit self use.(unless you are from Hawaii)


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## hibbert6 (Nov 16, 2007)

OK, folks, I'd better make myself clear.  I'm not talking about buying a high-end resort for trading purposes.  I'm talking about buying at a bargain resort, which probably WON'T get me into Hawaii!  I would buy at a resort I'd like to visit. But if I were choosing between, say three resorts all priced at, say $700 for an every-year timeshare, is there a way I could find out which might get me better exchanges?  It would be just one factor in choosing which one I'd buy, but it could be pretty important.

Dave


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## JLB (Nov 17, 2007)

Wow!  Quite a collection of theories for such a short thread.

Just a few notes:

High Season on the beach is not always 25-34, but that would be a good guesstimate of high season for a number of locations, those that rely on summer, warm weather and those that rely on family vacations.  So, that would include some beach, northern and central lake, and Williamsburg/Orlando type locations.  For Snowbird Florida beach locations, and for Hawaii, peak season is Weeks 1-16, and creeping backwards (52, 51), with a second, lower peak in the summer weeks.

In that same post, however, I would concur that it would be hard to go wrong with a peak ski week, 51 and 52 being the best.
- - - - - -
The theory about RCI account number, based on your first resort, has had considerable discussion here and elsewhere, as verifiable and credible as most other things we discuss.  I have taken note because our first resort was such a lesser resort than even Wastegate does not claim it.   

Even with that account number, we enjoyed great trading power with subsequent resorts, until that was corrected by the trading power gods.
- - - - -
If I were to purchase another week, based on our anticipated use the rest of our lives, with top trading power, it would be a SW FL resort on the beach, weeks 1-16.  Specifically, I would purchase a week 1 or 2, probably in Bonita Beach, Ft. Myers Beach or Sanibel, although there would be nothing wrong with the right resort on Captiva or Marco..

There is a thread on the Florida board where I have listed all the SW FL resorts.  There is no way I can guarantee that every week and every resorts would be great (after all, I am not a timeshare salesperson, so I am not allowed to make such claims  ), but I have compared with lesser resorts there, 1-16, and they do well.

I have also done almost-daily searches since RCI-com began, 1997, and have recorded the results since March 27, 2002.  I have compared my weeks with every trading power test and with many forum participants.


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## e.bram (Nov 17, 2007)

Any TS where there are cronically vacant units for certain weeks will be easy to trade into. A cheap TS is cheap just because of this. Low demand. So anyplace with excess units will be an easy trade for any other place with excess units. Makes little differance which TS it is. To get get a good trader you have to get a unit whose units are fully occupied at that time. These units do not come cheap!!!


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## JLB (Nov 17, 2007)

Ooops, I forgot the short answer:

If it was intended that you know what you are asking, that information would be made available to you.  The problem with doing that is that it would make 80-90% of all timeshares/weeks unattractive to buyers.

Again, just a guesstimate, but based on everything that has ever been said here and elsewhere, I would guess that less than 5%, probably more like less than 1%, of all weeks have top trading power--seeing everything available.  I have saved some/most of the trading power tests, and, if memory serves right, only one or two saw more than all the others in each test (but I could be wrong). (I have 10 trading power tests saved, but don't have time right now to study all of them. In a couple that I opened, one week in each one got the most resorts)

Oh, another thing.  As I remember it, the best weeks/resorts in the trading power tests didn't have anything to do with anything mentioned in this thread.  They were little-known and not on popular destinations.


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## 3kids4me (Nov 18, 2007)

hibbert6 said:


> But if I were choosing between, say three resorts all priced at, say $700 for an every-year timeshare, is there a way I could find out which might get me better exchanges?
> 
> Dave



As I already mentioned, you can post the resorts here and get some fairly expert opinions.  Or, you can read TUG for another few years and you will be able to form your own.


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## JLB (Nov 18, 2007)

Is this a new rule, that there is a waiting period before opinions can be formed, or that TUG is required in order to form opinions?  What about all those poor folks who have never heard of TUG?  How have they muddled through life without it?     

Being new-ish, not that being here more than two years is new-ish, has never stopped folks from opining before.   



3kids4me said:


> As I already mentioned, you can post the resorts here and get some fairly expert opinions.  Or, you can read TUG for another few years and you will be able to form your own.


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## brucecz (Nov 18, 2007)

I know that the first 4 numbers on our first RCI weeks account are the same 4numbers that is your resorts  RCI (weeks) ID number.

The same numbering system does not seem to hold true on our  various RCI  Points account numbers

How many others have noticed if thier first RCI weeks account has the name first 4 numbers as their resorts RCI ID number.

Bruce  



Sandy said:


> Another thought:
> 
> Isn't the RCI account listed according to the first timeshare purchased? And, this has something to do with the VEP filter, which affects trading power? If I understand this correctly, a high VEP filter means that you can trade up, but not down.  A low VEP filter means that you can see anything.
> 
> ...


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## JLB (Nov 19, 2007)

I have never heard of anyone's that didn't.



brucecz said:


> How many others have noticed if thier first RCI weeks account has the name first 4 numbers as their resorts RCI ID number.
> 
> Bruce


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## short (Nov 19, 2007)

*VEP applied to EV and LC.*



Sandy said:


> Another thought:
> 
> Isn't the RCI account listed according to the first timeshare purchased? And, this has something to do with the VEP filter, which affects trading power? If I understand this correctly, a high VEP filter means that you can trade up, but not down.  A low VEP filter means that you can see anything.
> 
> ...



I believe that the VEP of the individual  resort you are using to trade with will determine how low you can go with that exchange.

The VEP of the resort you used to set up your account however will determine what resorts you can see when you search for EV or LC.  

I don't think this has been tested or discussed lately but thats the way I remember it from researching it when I first joined RCI.

Short


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## johnmfaeth (Nov 19, 2007)

A good mid-range Caribbean beachfront resort is always good. Aruba is always good, St. Thomas has a shortage of units compared to St. Maarten. The winter, spring, July, and Dec. are great ownership months.


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## dougp26364 (Nov 19, 2007)

FWIW, south Florida's highest season is NOT weeks 25 to 34. The strongest weeks in S. Florida would be the last week of the year through the last week of April with Jan. through March being the strongest weeks and April being a little less strong. The summer family weeks, while strong are not nearly as strong as the snow bird weeks in the dead of winter. 

Now as you move further up the coast things change to the point where the summer weeks are by far better exchangers than the winter weeks. But the further south you go the more that fact reverses itself.

One final thing to keep in mind is that MF's for the top traders can be on the expensive side. It's takes money to keep those top resorts in top locations in top condition. So you're more likely to see MF's over $1,000 rather than in the hundred's.

Now as for my opinion on the subject, I would never recommend buying something strictly (or mostly) to exchange and I would never buy into the RCI weeks program. 

I wouldn't buy strictly to exchange because that playing field is in a constant state of change. What's a great trader today may or may not be a great traded tomorrow. Granted you're safest bet is a strong beach week or ski week but, things can always change. 

If I were to buy into an RCI resort I believe it would have to be a points based resort. No guessing about trading power. Your trading power is stated in the amount of points given to your week. You can also easily see what you can get in exchange for your week. However, RCI has proven to most of us that even they can screw up a points system and what is true today may be changed tomorrow. 

For my money, at this point in time at least (remember things change), a resort in a good mini-system with good internal trade privledges would be my pick. The first priority would be that it be a resort in an area that I would be happy visiting if everything else failed me. The second priority that it be in a system that had several places I'd be happy visiting and good internal exchange priveledges.


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## 3kids4me (Nov 19, 2007)

JLB said:


> Is this a new rule, that there is a waiting period before opinions can be formed, or that TUG is required in order to form opinions?  What about all those poor folks who have never heard of TUG?  How have they muddled through life without it?
> 
> Being new-ish, not that being here more than two years is new-ish, has never stopped folks from opining before.



Okay...I should have said "your own expert opinion"...or..."an opinion equal to the opinions one would get from the folks here on TUG"


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## JLB (Nov 19, 2007)

Thanks, Doug, for reinforcing what I said up yonder.  It must be true if both of us said it.   



dougp26364 said:


> FWIW, south Florida's highest season is NOT weeks 25 to 34. The strongest weeks in S. Florida would be the last week of the year through the last week of April with Jan. through March being the strongest weeks and April being a little less strong. The summer family weeks, while strong are not nearly as strong as the snow bird weeks in the dead of winter.


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## Judy (Nov 20, 2007)

hibbert6 said:


> I bought - and rescinded - a timeshare but was allowed to keep my RCI membership.  Now, I want to buy resale.  My question: If I'm looking at 3 resorts,   is there any way I can find out which might have the best trading power, before I buy?


It depends on where you want to go.  Some resorts are affiliated with II, some with RCI, and SFX accepts only what they consider to be top resorts.  Each of these exchange companies have better availability in some areas & types of resorts than the others.  So first you have to consider the exchange company.  Don't lock yourself into RCI just because you already have a membership.

Second you should consider trading power.  You've received some good information here. Someone mentioned high season in Williamsburg and Orlando. You should know that while high season in those areas might have better trading power than low season, it still isn't very good.

Third you should consider Quality Rating (II) or VEP (RCI).  These ratings (that can and do change) restrict exchange options.  The higher the QR/VEP of your resort, the better quality resorts you can exchange into but the fewer choices of resorts and areas you'll have.  The lower QR/VEP resorts cannot always exchange into the highest rated resorts, but they get more choices overall.  For example, my mediocre QR resort in Orlando can currently see 6 different resorts in Egypt.  My Worldmark that has a high QR and allegedly high trading power sees nothing.


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## hibbert6 (Nov 21, 2007)

*I'm Confused!*

I'm getting a lot of complicated, confusing answers.  I appreciate the effort, but maybe I'm not as bright as I thought!   

I just figured that there was a way that I could objectively compare which resort, with a floating week, would pull the best trades.  Some online program where I could punch in a resort I'm looking at buying (Resort "A" ) and when and where I want to go "week 16, Mexico" and the software would show me what's available in Mexico that week that I could trade for.  Then I could repeat the process with resort "B" and resort "C" to compare.  Or is that kind of simplicity asking too much of RCI & II?  

Dave


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## PerryM (Nov 21, 2007)

*What is the square root of Thursday?*



hibbert6 said:


> I bought - and rescinded - a timeshare but was allowed to keep my RCI membership.  Now, I want to buy resale.  My question: If I'm looking at 3 resorts,   is there any way I can find out which might have the best trading power, before I buy?




Question: What is the square root of Thursday?
Answer: Sunday

This is a typical NetFlix question in their radio commercials.

Question: What is the square root of “How to know best RCI trader?”
Answer: *WorldMark*

RCI and II’s Trading Power formulas are trade secrets – not one of us can give you the correct answer – we are all guessing.

So why guess in the first place?  Trading Power is but a SMALL part of the strategy used to snag timeshares that are way better than yours and for hot holiday weeks.

WM is unique in the fact that I can place 50 II/RCI on-going searches and NOT need one WM credit to do it.  If I get a hit I have 24 hours (at least with II) to decide if I want the exchange and then I need to come up with the credits.  If I'm short on credits I can borrow from next year’s usage or just rent them from other WM owners for peanuts.  A 2BR Red week in a Marriott or other fine timeshares is 10,000 WM credits that I can rent for $700 and out of that $450 is maintenance fees that I’d have to pay if I owned those credits anyway.

Once you have the ability to place unlimited II/RCI searches up to 3 years in advance of your desired vacation you can take advantage of developers dumping weeks more than 13 months out and other owners don’t have a week yet to put up in an on-going search – you get it.

There are many more tricks that WM let’s you do that allow you to out-fox, out-play, and out-maneuver other timeshare owners.  WM allows you to belong to II and RCI.  I like II better and the Marriotts and Westins.

Good luck,

P.S.
I don't like WM resorts myself - they are borderline 5 star but their Trading Power is right up there with Marriott's and Westins for a host of reasons that have nothing to do with the resort themselves.

P.P.S.
If you find an II exchange within 59 days of check-in (This happens all the time) you only need 4,000 WM credits for that exchange no matter the size of unit - 3BR or whatever.  I do this all the time and it costs me $180 in MFs and $135 in II exchange = $315 to stay at 2BR Marriott's Beach Place Towers in Ft. Lauderdale where the owners their pay $1,000+ in MFs per year.  This is how you leverage your money with timeshares.


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## timeos2 (Nov 21, 2007)

hibbert6 said:


> I'm getting a lot of complicated, confusing answers.  I appreciate the effort, but maybe I'm not as bright as I thought!
> 
> I just figured that there was a way that I could objectively compare which resort, with a floating week, would pull the best trades.  Some online program where I could punch in a resort I'm looking at buying (Resort "A" ) and when and where I want to go "week 16, Mexico" and the software would show me what's available in Mexico that week that I could trade for.  Then I could repeat the process with resort "B" and resort "C" to compare.  Or is that kind of simplicity asking too much of RCI & II?
> 
> Dave



As Perry notes the ways of RCI/II trades in the week for week world are secret and ever changing. What trades great today may be a total dog next year. Buying a week only to trade was never a great plan and in th current environment is really a poor choice. Buy a week if you plan to use it 90% of the time. If you plan to trade look at the various multi-resort systems. 

Bottom line there is no way to identify good traders - at least not beyond a year or two. Too many factors around the value are not under the owners control. The type of comaprison you want to do can't be done because the week for week trade systems depend on your inability to find out what the values are.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 21, 2007)

*Don't Feel Like A Lone Ranger.*




hibbert6 said:


> I appreciate the effort, but maybe I'm not as bright as I thought!


Welcome to the club.  I have serious doofus tendencies myself -- & not just with regard to timeshares & exchanges. 

To minimize the consequences of goofing up, I buy all my timeshares _used-used-used_ (i.e., resale, _not_ full-freight for big bux), & I mostly buy'm at places where I actually enjoy vacationing myself.  That way, I don't have too much financially or emotionally invested in the prospect of advantageous timeshare trades, so that when I _do_ get a nice timeshare exchange -- as I've done a few times now -- that's just icing on the cake. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## GrayFal (Nov 21, 2007)

hibbert6 said:


> OK, folks, I'd better make myself clear.  I'm not talking about buying a high-end resort for trading purposes.  I'm talking about buying at a bargain resort, which probably WON'T get me into Hawaii!  I would buy at a resort I'd like to visit. But if I were choosing between, say three resorts all priced at, say $700 for an every-year timeshare, is there a way I could find out which might get me better exchanges?  It would be just one factor in choosing which one I'd buy, but it could be pretty important.
> 
> Dave





hibbert6 said:


> I'm getting a lot of complicated, confusing answers.  I appreciate the effort, but maybe I'm not as bright as I thought!
> 
> I just figured that there was a way that I could objectively compare which resort, with a floating week, would pull the best trades.  Some online program where I could punch in a resort I'm looking at buying (Resort "A" ) and when and where I want to go "week 16, Mexico" and the software would show me what's available in Mexico that week that I could trade for.  Then I could repeat the process with resort "B" and resort "C" to compare.  Or is that kind of simplicity asking too much of RCI & II?
> 
> Dave


What u want doesn't exist - if it did, everyone would buy your $700 resort week and then it wouldn't be true anymore as the marketplace would be overloaded with your bargain week.

Soooooo...
As requested above by 3Kids4me and others.

1. Tell us the resort name, week number and unit size of your proposed purchase.
2. Tell us where and when u would like to travel/exchange using this week.
3. We will give you our opinin of what would be the better week to purchase.

Simple


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## applegirl (Nov 21, 2007)

Your insights into how the WM system works is amazing!  I want to be you when I grow up so I can get the most out of our one week we own.  LOL

Thanks for sharing your tips!

Janna


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## Judy (Nov 21, 2007)

PerryM said:


> Question: What is the square root of “How to know best RCI trader?”
> Answer: *WorldMark*


That's a matter of perspective.  There are many places in the world that Worldmark cannot exchange into.  I don't consider that a characteristic of a "best RCI trader".  I can easily get into these same areas with my standard resort.
If Sandy wants to buy a trader, it's critical that she understands (so far as possible) how the VEP block works and not just blindly buy Worldmark. Otherwise she might be very disappointed.


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## PerryM (Nov 21, 2007)

Judy said:


> That's a matter of perspective.  There are many places in the world that Worldmark cannot exchange into.  I don't consider that a characteristic of a "best RCI trader".  I can easily get into these same areas with my standard resort.
> If Sandy wants to buy a trader, it's critical that she understands (so far as possible) how the VEP block works and not just blindly buy Worldmark. Otherwise she might be very disappointed.



True, big brother RCI and II won't let you see inferior timeshare to exchange down to.  If that's the goal then I'd just rent RCI rentals myself.


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## e.bram (Nov 22, 2007)

PerryM:
The same as the square root of minus 1(-1) = i.


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## bengates2860 (Nov 23, 2007)

I am not sure how much this helps, but you can call RCI and ask them how many points each resort would be worth in the PFD program.  Its seems that the one with the highest points value would be the better trader, since RCI is the one telling you it is worth more to them.

You can also look at the 2007 RCI  points chart to get a more general idea.
http://www.rci.com/CDA/Common/Documents/PointsPartners-en_US.pdf


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## bugzapper (Nov 26, 2007)

*Stategy for Obtaining the Ultimate Flexible Trader*

This is what I've gleaned from various postings, so that a newbie (like myself) who has never bought a timeshare can get the most flexibility from trading. (All purchases are to be resale, of course.)

   1. Decide which exchange company you intend to use (RCI or II).

   2. Buy a low quality timeshare that uses your preferred exchange company, to establish a low VEP. Ideally, this would be a timeshare with low maintenance fees in a highly desirable location and season, however this is not critical because it doesn't really matter whether you keep this timeshare or not; the first timeshare is the one that establishes VEP. 

   3. Purchase a minimum number of points in a points-based system to establish an account within this system. This account is used so that points can be rented as desired. PerryM prefers WorldMark, for various reasons--including the ability to search without depositing, or even owning points. For Worldmark, the target number of points for ownership would be 5,000-7,000.

   4. Purchase a timeshare within a desired name-brand system (Marriott, Westin, Hyatt, etc.) so that a preferred trading relationship can be established for that name-brand. This purchase should be as inexpensive as possible--i.e., an EOY studio during off season.

   5. Searches should now yield just about everything the exchange company has available in inventory and points can be rented as needed.

   6. Wait for the exchange company to change its rules and start over again.

Have I correctly stated how this strategy works?

-- Keith


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## JLB (Nov 26, 2007)

Dang.  I did almost everything wrong.   



bugzapper said:


> This is what I've gleaned from various postings, so that a newbie (like myself) who has never bought a timeshare can get the most flexibility from trading. (All purchases are to be resale, of course.)
> 
> 1. Decide which exchange company you intend to use (RCI or II).
> 
> ...


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## Judy (Nov 26, 2007)

bugzapper said:


> Have I correctly stated how this strategy works?-- Keith


Since you asked, I'll add my 2 cents worth.



> 2. Buy a low quality timeshare that uses your preferred exchange company, to establish a low VEP. Ideally, this would be a timeshare with low maintenance fees in a highly desirable location and season, however this is not critical because it doesn't really matter whether you keep this timeshare or not; the first timeshare is the one that establishes VEP.


 The first timeshare only establishes the VEP for Extra Vacations and Last Calls.  To have a chance of getting into mediocre to low VEP/Quality Rated resorts (the only ones available in many areas of the world), you have to keep a mediocre to low VEP/QR resort in your account to search with. One of my mediocre VEP resorts is my best trader in RCI.  Assuming that you keep it, it is critical that the low VEP resort in your account be in a highly desirable location and season.  Otherwise your exchange choices could be limited by low trading power.


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## PerryM (Nov 26, 2007)

bugzapper said:


> This is what I've gleaned from various postings, so that a newbie (like myself) who has never bought a timeshare can get the most flexibility from trading. (All purchases are to be resale, of course.)
> 
> 1. Decide which exchange company you intend to use (RCI or II).
> 
> ...



I don't like to stay at cheesy timeshares so WM is as low as I go.  If others like low end units then RCI is the way to go - just rent.

If you want to reliability stay at a unit year after year then you also need to buy a unit there.


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## bugzapper (Nov 26, 2007)

Judy said:


> Since you asked, I'll add my 2 cents worth.
> 
> The first timeshare only establishes the VEP for Extra Vacations and Last Calls.  To have a chance of getting into mediocre to low VEP/Quality Rated resorts (the only ones available in many areas of the world), you have to keep a mediocre to low VEP/QR resort in your account to search with. One of my mediocre VEP resorts is my best trader in RCI.  Assuming that you keep it, it is critical that the low VEP resort in your account be in a highly desirable location and season.  Otherwise your exchange choices could be limited by low trading power.



Judy, 

Thanks for the clarification!


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## bugzapper (Nov 26, 2007)

PerryM said:


> I don't like to stay at cheesy timeshares so WM is as low as I go.  If others like low end units then RCI is the way to go - just rent.
> 
> If you want to reliability stay at a unit year after year then you also need to buy a unit there.



You're probably right about renting low end RCI units. There seems to be good availability at all times of the year in many locations. So far, I've been able to get some nice vacations, without owning, by renting inexpensively. Why own if you can rent cheaper?


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## hibbert6 (Nov 27, 2007)

GrayFal said:


> What u want doesn't exist - if it did, everyone would buy your $700 resort week and then it wouldn't be true anymore as the marketplace would be overloaded with your bargain week.
> 
> Soooooo...
> As requested above by 3Kids4me and others.
> ...


OK, Let's try these: 
Sea Crest Surf and Racquet Club, 1 bdrm, Hilton Head, Wk 8
Kuhio Banyan Club, studio, Honolulu  Wk 20
Fairfield Sea Gardens, 2 bdrm, Ft.  Lauderdale, Wk 45
Plantation Resort Villas, Surfside Beach (Myrtle Beach) S. Car., 3 bdrm, wk 3

My desired destinations are Mazatlan or Puerto/Nuevo Vallarta, Week 6 or 15, or any other Hawaiian Island week 6, 15 or 24-31. Prefer 1 bdrm, but studio will work.

Thanks a million!

Dave


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## bookworm (Nov 27, 2007)

Given the fact that you are pretty specific about what you would like, why don't you give it a little time and wait for one of the weeks/floating seasons you are interested in (Mexico or Hawaii) and pick that up? You would have a better chance of getting something that you want instead of hoping for a good trade and you could avoid a lot of exchange fees. If you pick a Mexico float week, for example, you would only need to trade on years you went elsewhere. You might even consider some combination of every other year.

I think the weeks you are looking at will be tough trades for summer Hawaii. I'm not certain about Mexico. Of course you could also look into Hawaii Timeshare Exchange as a trading company choice. Have you considered them?
 Hopefully others will chime in.


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## Judy (Nov 27, 2007)

hibbert6 said:


> OK, Let's try these:
> Sea Crest Surf and Racquet Club, 1 bdrm, Hilton Head, Wk 8


Cold.  Not high season.  Probably not a strong trader for that reason.


> Kuhio Banyan Club, studio, Honolulu  Wk 20


 Hawaii is usually a strong trader far out, but not so much close in (because of airfare costs for the people exchanging in).  You'd be better off with a larger unit. Studios are not usually great traders.  I suggest that you check with some of the independents to see what they think of this unit.  www.htse.net  (as mentioned by bookworm), www.tradingplaces.com  or www.sfx-resorts.com  (I don't think SFX takes studios except in places like San Francisco and London.)


> Fairfield Sea Gardens, 2 bdrm, Ft.  Lauderdale, Wk 45


 Low season.


> Plantation Resort Villas, Surfside Beach (Myrtle Beach) S. Car., 3 bdrm, wk 3


 Again, low season.



> My desired destinations are Mazatlan or Puerto/Nuevo Vallarta, Week 6 or 15, or any other Hawaiian Island week 6, 15 or 24-31. Prefer 1 bdrm, but studio will work.


 I agree with bookworm.  Buy something in Hawaii or Mexico that you'd like to use yourself.  I think Hawaii would have better trading power to exchange into Mexico than the other way around, but owners in those two places will be able to tell you better than I can.


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## JudyS (Nov 27, 2007)

*Some Comments on VEP*



short said:


> I believe that the VEP of the individual  resort you are using to trade with will determine how low you can go with that exchange.
> 
> The VEP of the resort you used to set up your account however will determine what resorts you can see when you search for EV or LC. ...


That's my understanding, too.  The VEP of the initial resort you own determines VEP for Extra Vacations and Last Call.  The VEP of the individual deposit determines the VEP filter for trades using that deposit. 




bugzapper said:


> ...   2. Buy a low quality timeshare that uses your preferred exchange company, to establish a low VEP. Ideally, this would be a timeshare with low maintenance fees in a highly desirable location and season, however this is not critical because it doesn't really matter whether you keep this timeshare or not; the first timeshare is the one that establishes VEP. ...


It might make sense to use this strategy in RCI Weeks, but only if you intend to use Last Call or Extra Vacations, and are interested in staying in low-end timeshares. Otherwise, there is no advantage to doing this.  I wouldn't buy a low-end timeshare for use in II -- II cares too much about quality, and won't let low-end timeshares see the better-quality units (in other words, II, unlike RCI, has an *upwards* quality filter as well as a downwards one.)


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## JudyS (Nov 27, 2007)

bengates2860 said:


> I am not sure how much this helps, but you can call RCI and ask them how many points each resort would be worth in the PFD program.  Its seems that the one with the highest points value would be the better trader, since RCI is the one telling you it is worth more to them.
> 
> You can also look at the 2007 RCI  points chart to get a more general idea.
> http://www.rci.com/CDA/Common/Documents/PointsPartners-en_US.pdf


Unfortunately, this method is unreliable.  What a unit is worth in RCI Points really doesn't tell you all that much about how it trades in RCI Weeks.


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