# Newbie with Atlantis Harborside Bahamas timeshare



## brettco84 (Jul 25, 2011)

Hey everybody,

I have been looking through the threads of this website for a long time now.   I am thrilled to be on here and have the oppurtunity to talk to you all.  I have recently purchased a timeshare to the Atlantis Harborside Resort in the Bahamas.  I love it there and I visit yearly to the Atlantis.  I really wanted a timeshare here, and even though I know very little about them, I was very excited to hear what they had to say.  It seems pretty straight forward.  I have the GOLD season with a one bedroom (44,000 points).  They also gave me the gold card with it plus 50,000 free points to use wherever, whenever, plus 4 free nights stay at the Harborside at any time I choose.  

Now, my only concern is that, what they told me is what I will get.  For example, the month of July is listed as part of my time I could choose.  I can begin booking in January 1st 2012.  Can I just simply call and reserve?  That is all I really care about.  I know resale could have been a better option, but I had enough to put down and my payments are affordable to me.  I do not feel as if I put myself in a bad situation, would you say so?  You all would know best.  I can easily afford the payments monthly and the annual fee because of my downpayment, but I know the sales guy didnt tell me all of the ins and outs.  

Does anybody have this timeshare as well?  How do you like it? I would imagine if you can afford it, you would absolutely love it, being that it is Atlantis.  What important steps should I take to ensure that I can simply get my reservation?  I do not really understand the timeshare jargon (I will very soon and of course remain on this website to help others in need), but can someone really put it in to nice easy words for me?  I have all of the contracts here with me, and I can look up anything if someone needs me to for more information.  

Also, I do not need a SPECIFIC week when I reserve, but I would really like it to be within the month that I choose, which is July, and the Gold season has dates that are in that category.  

I just want to pay my dues and be able to take a vacation at Atlantis each year, hassle free.  Any advice (that I would be able to understand) would go such a long way for me.  I am looking forward in being a part of this site and once I get on my way with this thing, I will learn even more and help others.  

Lastly, I feel I made a good decision for my future.  I love the bahamas.  I go there yearly.  I can afford the monthly payments.  I know people have problems with timeshares...so the big question:  Did I make a wise decision?  I am 27 years old, I do not have a mortgage yet, my car is almost paid off, and I do not have a lot of debt, and I have a very decent job that pays well enough to be able to afford the timeshare at this present moment, and in the future when a mortgage arrives.  I also have two parents who told me that they would be glad to take over the payments and use it, god-forbid I were to loose my job, which my job is pretty stable.  

I am sure you heard this all before, so thank you, thank you, thank you for your time.  You all are great and I look forward in reading your responses.  :rofl:


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## DeniseM (Jul 25, 2011)

> I know resale could have been a better option, but I had enough to put down and my payments are affordable to me. I do not feel as if I put myself in a bad situation, would you say so? You all would know best. I can easily afford the payments monthly and the annual fee because of my downpayment, but I know the sales guy didnt tell me all of the ins and outs.



Hi and welcome to TUG!- If you are still within the rescission period, you should *absolutely rescind*.  There are no advantages to buying this property from the developer, and it cost you thousands more than buying resale.

Please read this article about rescinding a Starwood timeshare.

*This is a Starwood timeshare, so I moved your post to the Starwood forum.


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## brettco84 (Jul 25, 2011)

thank you for responding so quickly.  I am a little nervous now... I can absolutely afford it, and it  is not a lot of money, surprisingly.  I felt comfortable with my purchase.  I guess I just do not see how I could have gone wrong? Besides the money, where else would lie a problem?  Again, thanks for the response, I was not exepcting one until morning. What a great website with great people.


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## ada903 (Jul 25, 2011)

You can buy the same gold floating annual week for a fraction of the price you paid, on the resale market.


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## DeniseM (Jul 25, 2011)

1.  You spent thousands more than you needed to.  Why pay more for no reason?  If you are looking at 2 identical cars and one is $5,000 and one is $20,000, why would you pay $20,000???



> I have the GOLD season with a one bedroom...
> Now, my only concern is that, what they told me is what I will get. For example, the month of July is listed as part of my time I could choose. I can begin booking in January 1st 2012. Can I just simply call and reserve? That is all I really care about.



2.  They didn't tell you the truth when they told you that it would be easy to reserve a week in a different season than the one you own.  The truth is that it will be very difficult to reserve a week in July - *Gold Plus Season does NOT include July.*

These are the season at Harborside Resort Atlantis:

Platinum Plus - weeks 1-17 (67,100 Staroptions)
Platinum - weeks 18-34 (44,000 Staroptions)
Gold Plus - weeks 35-46 (37,000 Staroptions)

July includes weeks *26-30* - but if you own a gold plus week, you don't own during that season - you own during weeks 35-46, which means that you have to TRADE into July, and you are in competition with every other owner in all of the Starwood resorts who wants to trade in.

The other issue is that you don't own enough Staroptions.  For instance, a 1 bdm. during Gold Plus Season is worth 37,000 Staroptions, but to trade into a 1 bdm. in July - Platinum Season, you must have 44,000 Staroptions.

Please rescind!


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## J&JFamily (Jul 25, 2011)

*Rescind*

Please do yourself a favor and rescind immediately!  Most of us here on TUG have made the mistake of buying from the developer and regret it.  In your case, I completely understand your dilemma!  Harborside is a great resort with the promise of great vacations for many years to come, however, for the amount of money you spent buying from the developer directly you could likely buy a significantly better timeshare at HRA - two or three bedrooms instead of one.  Or, you can buy the same timeshare for pennies on the dollar.  There is currently one selling on ebay that will sell for NOTHING!!!  If you don't feel comfortable buying from ebay (many of us don't have the experience or knowledge to trust such a purchase), you could contact a reputable salesperson (several post here on TUG) who could help you with your purchase.  But right now you should consider rescinding and spend the next few months researching so you can learn more about Harborside, the Starwood Network, and the resale market.


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## brettco84 (Jul 25, 2011)

how much less?  I spent $14,000 for mine, and I bought it in the Atlantis.  It says on my contract Gold Season, Week 18 F, F meaning floating, which I only have a very vague understanding of that term.  It still feels like a good deal. I am just not familiarized with the booking process and how to "work" the timeshare to book a trip.  I am still within the 7 days, but I would hate to loose something that I really want.  If it truly is a situation that I put myself in, I will get out of it, but I just dont see it yet. Thanks for all of the responses, I will keep checking and reading.


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## brettco84 (Jul 25, 2011)

sorry for that last post, I did not see all of the responses above it. I will read them now.


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## Passepartout (Jul 25, 2011)

Never Never Never finance a timeshare purchase. Furthermore, rescind and buy the same or better on the resale market for a fraction of the cost. I am no expert on Starwood, but I know enough to listen to Denise! She knows the system.

Welcome to TUG. I hope you got here in time and we can save you a few thou$and$!

Jim Ricks


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## J&JFamily (Jul 25, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> 1.  You spent thousands more than you needed to.  Why pay more for no reason?  If you are looking at 2 identical cars and one is $5,000 and one is $20,000, why would you pay $20,000???
> 
> 
> 
> ...



As far as trading into Harborside in July, I have tried for months at a time calling at 6am (my California time - 9am EST) every day for weeks, months even, and have never been able to get Harborside in July.  If you don't own a Plat Week at Harborside (as Denise mentioned), and they told you that you would easily be able to get into that resort in July (using staroptions), they lied to you.  It is a very difficult resort to get into for July, especially if you are looking for something bigger than a studio or one bedroom.


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## siesta (Jul 25, 2011)

Brett these are questions you should ask once you've successfully rescinded. If you then decide to purchase from the developer, they will be more than happy to get you back into that "deal"


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## DeniseM (Jul 25, 2011)

Please read the article that I posted above about rescinding.

If you rescind - you will not lose anything - it will allow you to do your research, take your time, and buy exactly what you want FOR FAR LESS with no pressure.

Some of the info. you have posted is confusing, because week 18 is PLATINUM season - not Gold Plus Season.

If you owned Platinum season, you could make a reservation 12 mos. out from check-in - you would not have to wait until January.  Since they told you that you couldn't make a reservation until January, that tells me that you do not own Platinum season - which  includes July.

*You can save 50-75% by buying resale. * 

Please read the article I posted for you in post #2.


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## J&JFamily (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> how much less?  I spent $14,000 for mine, and I bought it in the Atlantis.  It says on my contract Gold Season, Week 18 F, F meaning floating, which I only have a very vague understanding of that term.  It still feels like a good deal. I am just not familiarized with the booking process and how to "work" the timeshare to book a trip.  I am still within the 7 days, but I would hate to loose something that I really want.  If it truly is a situation that I put myself in, I will get out of it, but I just dont see it yet. Thanks for all of the responses, I will keep checking and reading.



A Harborside timeshare auction just closed on Ebay (you need to understand that EBay timeshare auctions can't be fully trusted and are the "floor" from which to gauge the real value of a timeshare), but basically it was a one bedroom for 44,000 staroptions (very small amount of staroptions within the Starwood system) floating weeks 35-46 and only had two bids with the high bid at $102.50.  

There is so much to learn and you need time to research before you make your decision.  There are many folks here on TUG who know infinitely more than I do about timesharing and the Starwood system, listen to what they are saying, take your time and research.  Then you can make an educated decision.  For less than (or perhaps MUCH LESS than) $14,000 I am CONFIDENT that you can buy a two- or three-bedroom that guarantees you the ability to travel to Harborside in JULY that is worth significantly more than 37,000 staroptions.  Within 2 minutes I found several for sale by reputable agents that:
1. Guarantee you the ability to travel in July when you want to travel;
2. Significantly more than the 37,000 staroptions that you purchased; and 
3. Significantly less than the $ you spent.

Check Redweek.com and myresortnetwork.com, not to mention right here on TUG.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

I seriously LOVE you all.  I am practically in tears over here.  My girlfriend and I were so excited, and we still will be...once I rescind.   Here is what my final paper in my contract says...
My contract says "Interval 18, an annual Interval in the Gold Season". I was told that the interval # is just to use for contract purposes.  I just looked further in to my contract and it says Home Resort Season: GOLD, 1 Bedroom Deluxe, Ownership Type:  Annual Fixed Week/Float Villa, STARWOOD VACATION NETWORK STAROPTIONS:  44,000   STARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST PROGRAM STARPOINTS 31,000. 

please, if you can lead me to a good, reputable sale for a timeshare for the Atlantis, I will be glad to give my business to them.  I also want you all to know that my parents purchased one for 20,000 dollars, and she paid it all up front.  You are now helping two people out, so god bless you all.


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

Brett - Get the rescission done and behind you, and then come back and talk timeshare with us.  We'd love to help you.

See the article I posted in post #2 for more info. on how to rescind.

Please let us know how it goes.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

I just looked at myresortnetwork and I found a bunch of sales, but I just dont know which one is a really good one.  I would have about 5,000 dollars cash to give for one.  Would this put me where I need to be?  If  I need to get a bank involved for a small loan, I will do that too.  The more points the better.  I am so fortunate to have decided to join this website.  I wont ever forget this.  If someone see's one I should get, I will get it immediately.  I really want it.  I just want to rip up this contract and go back there and ask why he lied to me.  Its just not fair.  Thank you all for doing such a good deed.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

Okay, I will do that tomorrow first thing when I wake up.


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## lily28 (Jul 26, 2011)

closing of a resale harborside timeshare will cost about $2000 as it requires the service of a bahamas lawyer.  You may need to factor in the closing cost to the purchase price.


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

Brett - I highly recommend that you buy a timeshare that you can afford to pay cash for - $5,000 should be plenty.

We have people who come to TUG everyday and they are crushed because they've had a financial down-turn and they can't make their timeshare payments.  Then they find out that they can't sell it for enough to pay off what they owe, and they are double crushed.

Remember, that you will have a large maintenance fee that comes due every year right after Christmas, AND goes up every year - you don't want to add monthly payments on top of that!


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## yumdrey (Jul 26, 2011)

I bought my gold season (floating summer season on phase II) for $395 on ebay which is an annual use and I can secure 4th of July week each year.
I just purchased a platinum season, every even years for under $1,000. and seller paid a maintenance fee for this year - which saves me $700.
Also, seller offered me a free week on Atlantis!
Does it make you feel better for rescinding?


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## jarta (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84,   ...   Once you rescind and look to rebuy at Harborside, look for a small 1-br unit in Phase II that floats within the gold (summer) season.  Float gives you the choice of any week in the gold season.

Once you buy and get title, all you need to do is call at 12 months before arrival and you should be able to find what you are looking for.  The sooner the better during the morning of exactly 12 months before arrival for a primo week like the 4th of July.  Do not wait until within 8 months from arrival for summer weeks.  Most of the smaller 1-br units will be gone by then because all SVN members can (and do) bid starting for Harborside weeks at the morning 8 month from arrival.  Use your ownship right to reserve early at Harborside.

Also, Harborside has very high MF.  If you buy there, there is no real economic advantage to trading (internal SVN or external II) for something in the Starwood system with lower MF.  Buy Harborside because you will be going there in gold season almost every year.

Good luck rescinding.  Follow the posts on TUG about Harborside before buying resale.  You will learn the fine tricks about usage throughout the SVO timeshare system.  Then decide if buying at Harborside is the right thing to do.  But, remember:  high annual assessments!   ...   eom


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

I am all set to cancel my original.  I followed exactly as it says on the contract.  For the post above:  Isn't Gold season weeks 35-46?  July would not be part of this.  Seems like I would need a Platinum Season?  Also, right now I have an Annual Fixed Week/Float Villa, STARWOOD VACATION NETWORK STAROPTIONS: 44,000.  It also says STARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST PROGRAM STARPOINTS 31,000.  So do I have 44,000 or 31,000?  Just out of curiousity.  Im trying to see if he lied to me.  He also told me Gold Season was good, and it included a lot of the summer.  I guess he lied to us.  I am ready to cancel and have it all written up as stated in my contract.  If anyone see's an appropriate timeshare for me to purchase for Harborside that would suite my needs, I will buy that specific one (I really have no idea how to buy through resale and know for sure if it were legit).  I know that the one bedroom or one bedroom premium is good for me to keep the annual fee lower.  Thanks everybody.


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## jarta (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84,   ...   "... It seems pretty straight forward. I have the GOLD season with *a one bedroom (44,000 points*). ... 

Now, my only concern is that, what they told me is what I will get. *For example, the month of July is listed as part of my time I could choose*."

The usage dates of what I referred to as the summer season are weeks 18-34 and 47-49.  The StarOptions chart posted on the Starwood web site (mystarcentral.com) says that a small Deluxe 1-br with those weeks as the home season gets 44,000 StarOptions (not points).  The season is called Platinum.  It is the "middle" value season.

The lower value season is called Gold Plus.  The weeks are 35-46.  Week 35 starts around the end of August.  We call the Gold Plus season Hurricane season.  The large Premium 1-br gets 44,000 StarOptions in Gold Plus season.  The smaller Deluxe 1-br gets only 37,000 StarOptions in the Gold Plus (Hurricane) season.  Starpoints are what you get when you convert your StarOptions to the Starwood hotel program, SPG.  Points are hotel "money" to spend; options are "timeshare" money to spend.

If you own a large 1-br in Hurricane season, it may be that you were told you could trade internally into the smaller 1-br in the summer at 8 months out for 44,000 StarOptions.  True, but very difficult because there is generally little availability at 8 months for the best summer weeks.

When you buy from Starwood you get a large package of documents.  I suggest it doesn't matter since you are rescinding your contract.  However, only you can read what it says on your documents and determine what you (almost) bought.   ...   eom


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## grgs (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> I am all set to cancel my original.  I followed exactly as it says on the contract.  For the post above:  Isn't Gold season weeks 35-46?  July would not be part of this.  Seems like I would need a Platinum Season?  Also, right now I have an Annual Fixed Week/Float Villa, STARWOOD VACATION NETWORK STAROPTIONS: 44,000.  It also says STARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST PROGRAM STARPOINTS 31,000.  So do I have 44,000 or 31,000?  Just out of curiousity.  Im trying to see if he lied to me.  He also told me Gold Season was good, and it included a lot of the summer.  I guess he lied to us.



I agree with the advice you have been given already.  However, based on what you stated above, and in a prior post, I believe you did buy the summer season which would include the July dates you want.  So, I do not think the sales person lied about this.  The confusion comes because Starwood relabeled the seasons at Harborside on the Staroptions chart (SO) to Platinum Plus, Platinum, and Gold Plus.  However, it seems that the sales dept. at Harborside may still be using the original season names of Platinum, Gold, and Silver.  Since you said your deeded week is 18, then you would fall in the summer season.

The 31,000 number above refers to the Starpoints you could get for the unit which are *hotel* points that can be used in the Starwood system.  The 44,000 are SOs which can be used to trade into other Starwood *timeshares.*

Best wishes!


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## PamMo (Jul 26, 2011)

You're smart to follow the advice here to rescind and buy a resale! We bought (resale) two fixed early July weeks - 2BR lockouts - in Phase I at prices _W-A-Y_ lower than what you paid for yours. One was under $4,000 including all closing costs.

If you're set on Harborside, check eBay or post a Want Ad for a unit that fits your needs. The high MF's are making a lot of people think twice about keeping their units.


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## Passepartout (Jul 26, 2011)

Brett, hopefully, you have your rescission letter in the mail- exactly like the instructions outline in your contract. There will be a delay in getting back your down payment.

Now, while you catch your breath about what you've done and the bullet you've dodged, might I suggest investing (yup, not spending) $15 in a TUG membership. It will be the best money you can spend to assure great vacations. The most important benefit is access to the resort review database. TUG members are encouraged to write reviews on their TS vacation resorts. Most are pretty unbiased and give you a good idea of what to expect at each resort. You can also compare one to another. Also included is access to 'Sightings' of TS that you can exchange into at reasonable cost or difficulty to find. 

I know that you are pretty committed to Atlantis. Fine. But it has high MF, and will require flights to get there to use it. You can't drive there. It is subject to hurricane damage that- if it happens, owners pay for repairs via 'special assessments.' The cost of the MF there makes it inefficient to exchange into somewhere else. While you wait for your money to be returned, I'd encourage you to look at other resorts and systems. You may find something you can drive to, with lower MF and strong trading power at much lower cost. If your (known) vacation plans are pretty much limited to a trip to the Bahamas next July, you have time to find a TS, make a purchase, and the time for closing (the longest wait in the world!) and still book next Summer's vacation.

As I was told as a young man, infatuated with a pretty face on a high-maintenance girlfriend, "Son, she isn't the only fish in the sea." It was good advice to look around for someone(thing) of better lasting value.

Happy hunting!

Jim Ricks


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

grgs said:


> I agree with the advice you have been given already.  However, based on what you stated above, and in a prior post, I believe you did buy the summer season which would include the July dates you want.  So, I do not think the sales person lied about this.



One of the things that is confusing is that sales told him that he had to wait until 8 mos. out to make a July reservation.  Maybe the OP just misunderstood that info. in the avalanche of stuff that was thrown at him, but that would indicate that he did not buy in the season that he wants to own.

Either way, he should still rescind, and buy resale - without financing.


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## tomandrobin (Jul 26, 2011)

Congrats on taking all the great advice given here and backing out of that direct Harborside purchase. 

We own at Harborside and absolutely love it! We bought resale and have no regrets. Is the maintenance fees high...yes. But if you go to Atlantis regularly, like us, its still cheaper then paying cash.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> Congrats on taking all the great advice given here and backing out of that direct Harborside purchase.
> 
> We own at Harborside and absolutely love it! We bought resale and have no regrets. Is the maintenance fees high...yes. But if you go to Atlantis regularly, like us, its still cheaper then paying cash.



Thanks very much.  I am backing out today, word for word according to the contract.  May I ask, how do the Maintenance Fee's increase?  Will I one day owe 3,000 dollars annually for MF for one that started at 1300 dollars annually?  That would really make or break the deal for me, even if I go resale (which I absolutely will, thanks to all of you).  Thanks for your time, and everybody's time, I really am taking each comment to heart, so thank you.


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

Brett - I would count on the maintenance fees increasing 5-10% a year, to be on the safe side.  They may not go up that much every year, but they will definitely increase over time.

Another options is to rent from an owner - you can often rent from an owner for half what the resort charges.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

Wow, that is at 5 percent, an extra 70 a month. The guy told me only one to three percent, sometimes none At all some years. That will definitely not be affordable or reasonable once a few years go by... That makes me wonder now. I can do 2000 a year but I am thinking of the long term commitment. Sounds like it would be way over my head in 10 years.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> Wow, that is at 5 percent, an extra 70 a month. The guy told me only one to three percent, sometimes none At all some years. That will definitely not be affordable or reasonable once a few years go by... That makes me wonder now. I can do 2000 a year but I am thinking of the long term commitment. Sounds like it would be way over my head in 10 years.



Wait till you hear about Special Assessments :ignore:


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## Ken555 (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> Wow, that is at 5 percent, an extra 70 a month. The guy told me only one to three percent, sometimes none At all some years. That will definitely not be affordable or reasonable once a few years go by... That makes me wonder now. I can do 2000 a year but I am thinking of the long term commitment. Sounds like it would be way over my head in 10 years.



Reality sucks. Timeshare sales staff convince you to enter their own reality distortion field in which many stay until they get the maintenance fee bill and see the details. 

When I bought Kierland (resale) maintenance was in the low 900s (and that's after the SVN fee, if I recall correctly). It's now in the $1300s some six years later. Kierland has the lowest maintenance per StarOption, which is what I wanted. It's not for everyone, especially if you're tied to a certain holiday schedule, but if you are flexible when you travel it's a good option to consider.

Get through the paperwork, go for a long walk, get your money back, and then spend some months (months!) investigating timeshares before buying. You can always rent next year, often for the same or less than maintenance (depending on the resort). Just remember that once you buy it's much, much harder to sell. Good luck!


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## grgs (Jul 26, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> One of the things that is confusing is that sales told him that he had to wait until 8 mos. out to make a July reservation.  Maybe the OP just misunderstood that info. in the avalanche of stuff that was thrown at him, but that would indicate that he did not buy in the season that he wants to own.



I was unclear on whether the OP was told that, or it was simply what they thought they were supposed to do.  I was thinking possibly the latter since you would make a July SO reservation beginning in November, and he thought he was supposed to wait until January 1st.  As far as I can tell he was never told to reserve at 8 mos. out.



brettco84 said:


> Now, my only concern is that, what they told me is what I will get.  For example, the month of July is listed as part of my time I could choose.  I can begin booking in January 1st 2012.





DeniseM said:


> Either way, he should still rescind, and buy resale - without financing.



Yes, definitely a good plan.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

There was so much said that went over my head. It just sounded straight forward but I should have figured it would not be that way. Is there a highly recommended timeshare that is fair with fees? I still really want one, especially at the Bahamas. This is such a let down but thank god I talked to you all.


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## YYJMSP (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> Wow, that is at 5 percent, an extra 70 a month. The guy told me only one to three percent, sometimes none At all some years. That will definitely not be affordable or reasonable once a few years go by... That makes me wonder now. I can do 2000 a year but I am thinking of the long term commitment. Sounds like it would be way over my head in 10 years.



I would realistically expect the annual maintenance fees to pretty much have doubled in 10 years...


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> There was so much said that went over my head. It just sounded straight forward but I should have figured it would not be that way. Is there a highly recommended timeshare that is fair with fees? I still really want one, especially at the Bahamas. This is such a let down but thank god I talked to you all.



Harborside Resort Atlantis is one of the most expensive timeshares anywhere.

I would not jump into another purchase without doing a lot of research.

Renting from owners may be a better option for you - there is no on-going commitment when you rent.

Buying a timeshare is a big financial commitment - we have a lot of owners come to TUG in a panic, because they have financial problems and can't pay their payments or maintenance fees.  A timeshare is a contractual financial obligation - if you don't pay - they turn you over to collections and report you to the credit bureaus.  It's just like defaulting on any other financial obligation - it's not something you take on lightly.  If you financial situation is not solid - don't buy a timeshare.


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## Passepartout (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> Is there a highly recommended timeshare that is fair with fees? I still really want one, especially at the Bahamas.



I don't know what TSs exist in the Bahamas. You might want to look at other Starwoods with lower MF that might allow you to exchange into Harborside from time to time. Then there are the Disneys, Hiltons (HGVC) Marriotts, all of which give a great vacation experience. Then at significantly lower cost, Wyndham. Perhaps the Royals or Mayan resorts in Mexico. All these will give you and your family wonderful vacations. All are available resale for 10s of thousands less than you were about to spend and at lower MFs too.

Denise has suggested renting for a while to try some TSs. A great place to do that is in the TUG Marketplace. Look in the red line above here. Many times you can rent for lower cost than MF, and no commitment. What's not to like?

We like to suggest that for your first TS, It should be bought resale. For cash. At a place you can drive to, and be a resort you would go to at least half the time. In other words, don't buy to trade.

Jim


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

Jim - trading into Harborside with another resort is almost impossible.  You need to own or rent there to get a July Resv.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

I will have to look in to other timeshares.  I really like the Starwood Chain, so I would stick with them...But wow, I just was not expecting maintenance fee's to most likely double in 10 years. I could afford it if it were the 4 or 5 grand up front and the maintenance fee stayed under 2,000 dollars, but that just doesnt seem likely at all.  I really dont want to say no to Harborside but I feel like I have no choice.  I am going to search for another timeshare.  In the meantime, if anybody knows of a good solid timeshare in the Carribbean, I can begin my research on that one. It is such a shame for those fees to be so high.  In 10 years, my idea of having a paid off timeshare with only MF's will turn in to the exact opposite.  I'll be just paying the same amount I pay for the MF's for a full week vacation at Atlantis without a timeshare.  I still want to be a part of the timeshare community though    Any advice/locations on Carribbean timeshares?


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

Brett - If you join TUG ($15) you will have access to our extensive Timeshare Reviews with thousands of reviews - that's the best place for you to do your research.

BTW - over time, the maintenance fees at all timeshares do go up - at least modestly.  None of them have fixed maintenance fees.

Did you rescind and get it in the mail?


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## Negma (Jul 26, 2011)

I am not sure that doubling is the baseline expectaion, but they will go up

Disney boardwalk (EY) 2002-2011- 1168 to 1629/yr
Mission Hills (ey)        2006-2011-  1109 to 1585/yr
Maui (EY)                 2008-2011- 1711 to 2399/yr (tax issues)
Atlantis  (EOY)           2007-2011-  1100 to 1307/yr
keirland  (Eoy            2006-2011-  339 to 392 /yr
Orlando  (ey )              2008-2011-  1508-1527/yr

From my records


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## mariawolf (Jul 26, 2011)

When I bought in 2001 at Harborside my maintenance fee was about $1350 as I recall--now it is more than $2800! Still love it there but I agree at this point buy resale if you want to go every year--I had no choice when I bought!


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

I am absolutely subscribing to this. I love it. I feel confident I will find a timeshare suited for Me. 2300 is a big jump! What siZe room did you get and what season?


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## YYJMSP (Jul 26, 2011)

Negma said:


> I am not sure that doubling is the baseline expectaion, but they will go up



We saw the costs at our VOIs go up ~45% from 2005 to 2009 (peak, including Special Assessments at SVR).

They've actually been dropping a bit since, but some of that has to do with favourable foreign exchange rates (billed in USD, pay in CAD).



Negma said:


> Maui (EY) 2008-2011- 1711 to 2399/yr (tax issues)



Unfortunately, I think that there will always be some kind of "extraordinary" circumstances that come in to play, so you might as well plan for it up-front.

We always assumed ~10% per year average.


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## brettco84 (Jul 26, 2011)

I just joined TUG!


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## DeniseM (Jul 26, 2011)

brettco84 said:


> I just joined TUG!



Welcome aboard!

Here is how to change your status to "member" so that it will show that you are a member when you post.

When you joined TUG, you received an email with a member's code that you have to add to your profile, for the system to recognize you as a member.

If you can't find the email and code:
Click on *TUG Resort Databases* at the top of the page, 

Scroll down and click on *MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LOG IN*, 

Log in, 

The member's code will be in the top box.

To add the member's code, click on *USER CP* in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Then click on *EDIT BBS MEMBER CODE*

Then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, put the code in the box 

Save it.​


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## Passepartout (Jul 26, 2011)

Oh no!. Not another member to teach the secret handshake and to be amassing posts to chase the elusive 'boiled pizza' recipe. Well, I guess we DID invite him. Next thing you know he'll be asking questions in the newbies forum. 

Welcome, Brett 

Jim


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