# Westin Desert Willow -- was told will be selling in September



## martin1g (Jun 2, 2007)

I had a developer presenation last week at Westin Mission Hills and was told by a developer rep there that Westin Desert Willow Villas will begin selling in September of this year.  Thought I'd pass along the info.

Martin


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## duke (Jun 2, 2007)

Any idea of the pricing?


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## martin1g (Jun 3, 2007)

They alluded that a 2BR, platinum, annual would be in the 46K to 50K range.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 3, 2007)

martin1g said:


> They alluded that a 2BR, platinum, annual would be in the 46K to 50K range.



Pricing like that will definately keep the Kierland resale prices in the mid 20's.


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## stevens397 (Jun 3, 2007)

Making my developer purchase at $27,900 with 125,000 Starpoints (3 years or so ago) + 27,900 for buying on the credit card a great deal!

Not so sure there are any more great developer purchases around.  I've mentally given up on 5* Elite - at this point it makes more sense for us to purchase a second home and stop worrying about reservations.


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## duke (Aug 25, 2007)

Any update on when on-sale and pricing for new Desert Willow in Palm Desert?


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## myip (Oct 2, 2007)

Desert Willow is currently on sale.

Platinum 2 BDRM $38,900 -- same staroptions and points as Mission Hills
174,000 incentive
GOLD 2 BDRM: $27,900  -- 135,000 incentive
Occpany Jan, 2010
Maintenance around: $1393 included CA proerty taxes.


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## nodge (Oct 4, 2007)

If anyone is interested in purchasing at Westin Desert Willow, I just stumbled onto this promotion that is running through Oct 31, 2007.  

Update:  I just tried calling the listed number and received a message that it is "an unassigned number at Starwood Vacation Ownership," and that I should call member services instead.  I also tried to fill out the on-line form, and got an error message.  I wonder if SVO is busy hiring a data cruncher to figure out why their response to this promotion is so low.

If anyone is actually able to take advantage of this promotion, please post details.  Oh yeah, the "artist rendering" of the Westin Desert Willow's kitchen is missing an oven. Someone should talk to the artist about that.  Maybe they're just too hard to draw.

FYI,
-nodge


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## tomandrobin (Oct 4, 2007)

nodge said:


> Oh yeah, the "artist rendering" of the Westin Desert Willow's kitchen is missing an oven. Someone should talk to the artist about that.  Maybe they're just too hard to draw.



:hysterical:


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## Pedro (Oct 6, 2007)

myip said:


> Desert Willow is currently on sale.
> 
> Platinum 2 BDRM $38,900 -- same staroptions and points as Mission Hills
> 174,000 incentive
> ...


 
I was quoted the same exact prices today, except that I was told that the $1393 does not include CA property taxes. That is an additional $300+ per year.


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## myip (Oct 6, 2007)

Pedro said:


> I was quoted the same exact prices today, except that I was told that the $1393 does not include CA property taxes. That is an additional $300+ per year.


I wouldn't be surprise if it does not include CA property taxes since CA property tax are billed separately.


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## mesamirage (Oct 7, 2007)

Pedro said:


> I was quoted the same exact prices today, except that I was told that the $1393 does not include CA property taxes. That is an additional $300+ per year.


 
Is it just me or does $1700 a year for a completely land lock desert villa seem a bit high for MF fees??  I understand high MFs from Hawaii... worth every penny.  But Palm Springs??  $1700?

Even more so when its likely I can trade the studio lock-off side of Desert Oasis (thru II) for a 2 bdrm at Desert Willow in a couple years... ~$400 MF trading for a ~$1700 MF week.


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## califgal (Oct 7, 2007)

I agree about the maint. fees...crazy!  The desert is no comparison to Hawaii !!

I think Starwood has a mental block against ovens!!


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## myip (Oct 7, 2007)

The maintenance fees for Westin Mission Hills is around the same price.


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## vacationtime1 (Oct 7, 2007)

myip said:


> The maintenance fees for Westin Mission Hills is around the same price.



Mission Hills MF's are about 10% less ($1,265 last year, although I suppose that will increase) although the kicker is California property taxes.  Under Proposition 13, property taxes are about 1.15% of the purchase price.  If one pays $38,900 for a platinum at Desert Willow, property taxes will be about $447/year; if one buys a second-hand Mission Hills platinum for about $12,000, the property taxes would be about $138/year.


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## myip (Oct 7, 2007)

vacationtime1 said:


> Mission Hills MF's are about 10% less ($1,265 last year, although I suppose that will increase)


Occpancy is 2010 in Westin desert Willow.  It won't be long before Mission Hills to catch up.  Did anyone manage to appeal the tax rate and get it reduced because of resale price.


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## Cathyb (Oct 7, 2007)

Any idea if they will be larger or smaller and if lockouts are the same as Mission Hills?  Is there a website on that development yet?


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## grgs (Oct 7, 2007)

Cathyb said:


> Any idea if they will be larger or smaller and if lockouts are the same as Mission Hills?  Is there a website on that development yet?



About the same size: 1424 sq ft. at WDW vs. 1421  at WMH.

http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/westin_desert_willow_villas_palm_desert/welcome.jsp

Glorian


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## duke (Oct 9, 2007)

vacationtime1 said:


> Under Proposition 13, property taxes are about 1.15% of the purchase price.  If one pays $38,900 for a platinum at Desert Willow, property taxes will be about $447/year; if one buys a second-hand Mission Hills platinum for about $12,000, the property taxes would be about $138/year.



Westin Mission Hills property taxes are revalued every year under Prop 8.  They are NOT based upon your RESALE purchase price.  They are based on what the Assessor feels that the average "selling" price or current "value" is.

I just went through an appeal request and they DID NOT give me my resale price.  The property taxes are currently about $276 per year for a 2 BR L/O Platinum.  My resale purchase price should have been about half of that.

Your purchase of Westin Desert Willow property tax will be much higher because there are no resales so sales price is purchase price at about 1.1%.


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## grgs (Oct 9, 2007)

duke said:


> Westin Mission Hills property taxes are revalued every year under Prop 8.  They are NOT based upon your RESALE purchase price.  They are based on what the Assessor feels that the average "selling" price or current "value" is.
> 
> I just went through an appeal request and they DID NOT give me my resale price.  The property taxes are currently about $276 per year for a 2 BR L/O Platinum.  My resale purchase price should have been about half of that.
> 
> Your purchase of Westin Desert Willow property tax will be much higher because there are no resales so sales price is purchase price at about 1.1%.



Duke,

Did they give you any kind of break?  Or is everyone paying $276?

Glorian


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## duke (Oct 10, 2007)

grgs said:


> Duke,
> 
> Did they give you any kind of break?  Or is everyone paying $276?
> 
> Glorian




They told me everyone pays the same.  That is, I think, everyone who purchased in that year because those are the people that are being valued.  I think you can file a Prop 8 "decline in value" request" and they will reassess your property.


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## STEVIE (Oct 10, 2007)

Will this be a mandatory resort?  Sue


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## nodge (Oct 12, 2007)

I just spoke with a salesman, who called me in response to my email inquiry regarding the on-line promotion (posted above).  Here’s what he told me (which parallels earlier posts here):

Westin Desert Willow is VOLUNTARY
The lock-off unit will have a QUEEN BED
The kitchen in the large side will have a combo convection/microwave oven and a separate cook-top, but no traditional oven.
Seasons and StarOption values will be the same as Westin Mission Hills
Starwood will only sell two-bedroom lock-offs.  No large or small one bedroom individual sales.
Occupancy begins in 2010, and you can’t use any of your WDW StarOptions anywhere until then.  (If you buy now, you can pay $1300 each year until then and get 80,000 StarPoints (hotel points).  Participation in this deal is optional).
Maintenance fees “about $1300.”  (I didn’t remember to ask if that included taxes).

Here are the prices and StarPoint incentives he offered me (MYIP got a better incentive point deal)

Platinum 2 bedroom L/O (Worth 148,100 StarOptions):
Annual:  $38,900  (144,000 Starpoint incentive) (Price available to anyone)
EOY:  $19,500 (80,000 Starpoint incentive) (Existing Starwood Owner Price)

Gold 2 Bedroom L/O (Worth 81,000 StarOptions)
Annual:  $27,900 (100,000 Starpoint incentive) (Price available to anyone)
EOY:  $14,000 (80,000 Starpoint incentive) (Existing Starwood Owner Price)

Silver 2 Bedroom L/O (Worth 56,300 StarOptions)
Annual:  $18,900 (75,000 Starpoint incentive) (Price available to anyone)
EOY: $9,500 (60,000 Starpoint incentive) (Existing Starwood Owner Price)

The EOY prices are higher for people that aren’t already Starwood Owners.  (He didn’t give me the non-owner EOY prices)

“Explorer Package” Details:
Purchase price:  $1600 (100% of which is applied to the purchase price when you buy)
Additional StarPoints awarded for remembering to ask about this at the time of purchase:  80,000 StarPoints

Retro/Requal Details: (Which seemed to me more like an initial position rather than a requirement)
Minimum developer purchase $20K, 
Annual for an annual or EOY for an EOY,
Developer purchase of like season (or greater) for like season
Developer purchase of like size (or greater) for like size.

Has anyone heard anything different?

-nodge


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## sml2181 (Oct 13, 2007)

No, all the same here, except for the fact that a sales manager called me last night and that she said I could buy any resale unit to requalify. (no like for like when purchasing a 148100 SVO points unit.)

She also said something like "we don't really talk about that usually but..."

She told we that after I told her that my friends are interested in purchasing, only to get the SPG points and platinum status. So she will come with an offer after the weekend for them - with the best and cheapest way to achieve that. (My friends don't own anything yet and want to achieve that status asap)


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## DavidnRobin (Oct 13, 2007)

sml2181 said:


> No, all the same here, except for the fact that a sales manager called me last night and that she said I could buy any resale unit to requalify. (no like for like when purchasing a 148100 SVO points unit.)
> 
> She also said something like "we don't really talk about that usually but..."
> 
> She told we that after I told her that my friends are interested in purchasing, only to get the SPG points and platinum status. So she will come with an offer after the weekend for them - with the best and cheapest way to achieve that. (My friends don't own anything yet and want to achieve that status asap)



This takes a lot of research, effort, negotiation, money, and dealing with alot of SVO BS.  Read and understand the Requal/Retro sticky - duke's approach is the least expensive.  It depends on too many things to answer this concisely.


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## myip (Oct 13, 2007)

sml2181 said:


> No, all the same here, except for the fact that a sales manager called me last night and that she said I could buy any resale unit to requalify. (no like for like when purchasing a 148100 SVO points unit.)


2 bedroom annual @ Desert Willow is over $20K  - According to the meno, you can retro any resale unit -- nothing special with the saleperson offer.  It will be different if you can buy a EOY annual Desert Willow < $20K and requalify a annual week...


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## sml2181 (Oct 14, 2007)

Sorry - that's what I meant.

She offered me the option to buy eoy and requalify.

But, I am 5* elite already and I would indeed like to get some more points.

My friends still have to start from scratch.


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