# Low Maintainence Fee 2br lockouts, for trading in II



## Bgkinut (Jan 4, 2014)

I am looking to purchase a timeshare for trading only within Interval International. I would prefer a 2 Bedroom with lock out, every other year usage but would consider an every year, and very low maintenance fees. I don't care where the time share is located since I will be using it to trade within II.  Any thoughts on properties that would meet this criteria?  Thanks!


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## littlestar (Jan 4, 2014)

We have what you are looking for with Fairways of the Mountain at Lake Lure, North Carolina.  It's a small resort.  The 2 bedroom locks off into two one bedroom units (A and B side).  

My summer Week 27 (odd week) trades great with II.  II (Interval) does not get much inventory in the North Carolina mountains and they reward me nicely for depositing the two one bedrooms with them.  I also receive two Accommodation Certificates (one for each one bedroom) when I deposit it with II which I use for off-season travel to Orlando.  Maintenance fees are reasonable - $350 a year (they bill every year).

Here's an old link from 2009 from Lake Lure Realty on Fairways:

http://www.lakelureresortrealty.com/timeshares/fairways.aspx

Good luck.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 4, 2014)

Most Branson timeshares fit this requiremnpment and, if you reserve a summer week, they exchange pretty well. 

Keep in mind that any discount timeshare (low MF) will likely be prone to a couple of things. It's not likely to be such a strong exchanger so as to get the most difficult of trades and, if the MF's are to low, it could be susceptible to the occasional special assessment for repairs not adaquately set aside for with cash reserves.  

Another problem is the unforeseen takeover. What might be an inexpensive timeshare today could become one of the more expensive timeshares tomorrow. Ask anyone who's had a timeshare that's been taken over by DRI what's happened to their MF's.


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## K2Quick (Jan 4, 2014)

You might want to consider a Worldmark membership.  It's not the absolute cheapeast trader, but has solid trade power with II, relatively cheap cost of entry, and is very flexible.  The smallest account (5,000 points) is the rough equivalent of a 2BR EOY timeshare - That would set you back around $1,500 plus closing up front.  The nice thing about Worldmark is they're easy to get rid if you decide you want out - Many of the cheaper traders are very easy to buy but very difficult to unload.


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## K2Quick (Jan 4, 2014)

It would also help to know your trading goals (where you want to go and the time of year you want to go there) before you can get the best recommendation.


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## Bgkinut (Jan 4, 2014)

K2Quick said:


> It would also help to know your trading goals (where you want to go and the time of year you want to go there) before you can get the best recommendation.



We are in Utah, we like So. Cal anytime of year, southern and northern utah in the summer. We are flexible and can make our vacation plans quickly if something intriguing becomes available.


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## Rene McDaniel (Jan 5, 2014)

We have been very happy with our Marriott Shadow Ridge (Villages) 2-bedroom, platinum (high season) lockoff in Palm Desert purchased in 2010.  We bought an every other year (EOY), so our annual maintenance fees are about $550, and by locking off and trading each half -- we get one week per year for use or trade. Perfect for us as we are trying to keep our maintenance fees low.  I think we paid around $3,200 resale for the week from a broker because I was nervous about buying from eBay sellers. The annual ownerships are actually a better deal, but you have a much higher maintenance fee to pay each December.

Right now there are several annual platinum weeks for Shadow Ridge listed on Redweek.com for $4,000.  The annual maintenance fee will be higher ($1,100), but if you lock-off you would have 2 weeks of vacation usage each year.  Keep in mind, the cheap getaways and bonus weeks are only for low or shoulder season.  You will NOT be able to get a highly-desirable prime time week at those rates. To get highly desirable prime time weeks you will need to follow the golden rule of: deposit a platinum highly desirable week (Feb/March for Palm Desert), and start an ongoing search early.

In my humble opinion, the Marriott-preference is worth its weight in gold.  Even though we do not belong to the Marriott Destinations program (DC club - points), we have been able to make excellent trades through Interval International, and usually get a bonus weeks from II (called Accomodation Certificates) here and there.  We have been able to use those to book 1-bedrooms in high quality resorts in the off-season.

We have also picked up plenty of good Getaways from Interval, for anywhere from $199 - $399 per week for 1-bedrooms at Marriott resorts in Palm Desert.  Summer is too hot for us, so we book those for Memorial Day weekend or early June when the weather there is only around 90-degrees!  It's a perfect start to the summer, because late-May and early June are still too cold to be in the pool in San Diego.

Since Fall 2012 when our youngest started college 3,000 miles away, we are happy to have a nice drive-to timeshare for low cost vacations since college costs are staggering!  So, although we originally bought it to trade, it's evolved into more than that, over time. 

Since purchasing in 2010 we have done the following with Interval:
2010 Getaway - Marriott ShadowRidge, Palm Desert 1-bd (Memorial week), $299?
2011 Getaway - Marriott Desert Springs Villas, Palm Desert 1-bd (Memorial week), $349?
*2011 Exchange -Marriott Harbor Point, Hilton Head*, 2-bd (July) from studio lock-off deposit
*2012 Exchange - Marriott Custom House, Boston*, 1-bd (late June) from1-bd deposit
2012 Bonus week (AC) - Marriott ShadowRidge Enclaves, 1-bd (Memorial wk), 299?
2012 Bonus week (AC) - Marriott ShadowRidge Villages, 1-bd (mid-December), $199
*2013 Exchange - Royal Caribbean, Cancun 2-bd*, October for neice's wedding, using 1-bd
2013 Bonus week (AC) - Royal Caribbean, Cancun 2-bd Oct. (2nd week in same room, $214)
*2014 Exchange - Marriott, Palm Desert* 1-bd (Feb), using studio/lockoff deposit

We also own a couple of summer beach weeks here in San Diego, but they only trade through RCI.  I have been so much happier with Interval and our Marriott lock-off.  We have been able to do a lot of great vacations with it, considering it is an EOY.  If you can travel during non-peak season for less than $400 per week (and you are okay with 1-bedrooms), using getaways and bonus weeks can  actually be cheaper than owning.  BUT -- you need to be an own a prime week to get decent AC's (bonus weeks), and be an Interval member to take advantage of the off-season Getaway deals.

Here is a link to photos of the Marriott ShadowRidge units.  The pool complex is amazing and you truly feel like you are at a resort. We have stayed in all the Palm Desert Marriotts, but the ShadowRidge (Villages) are our favorite.  If you were to rent the timeshare units directly from Marriott you would pay close to $300 per night for the 1-bedroom units, more if you wanted weekends. We have stayed at the Worldmark/Wyndham Indo timeshare on an RCI getaway, and the pool complex is okay -- but neither the pools, the amenities, or the units are as nice as any of the Palm Desert Marriotts. We have found that the Marriott timeshares are SO NICE, they have really spoiled us.

Luckily, I learned about resale opportunities at this resort from folks on here on TUG, and I am so happy I did!

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/ctdsr-marriotts-shadow-ridge-i-the-villages/
TripAdvisor photos - click on "View traveler photos":
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...tt_s_Shadow_Ridge-Palm_Desert_California.html
--- Rene


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## DeniseM (Jan 5, 2014)

Bgkinut said:


> I am looking to purchase a timeshare for trading only within Interval International. I would prefer a 2 Bedroom with lock out, every other year usage but would consider an every year, and very low maintenance fees. I don't care where the time share is located since I will be using it to trade within II.  Any thoughts on properties that would meet this criteria?  Thanks!



Timeshares are assigned specific trading power by II, which limits what you can reserve with them.  A timeshare with very low maintenance fees, located anywhere, may be a poor trader.

A timeshare with the Marriott preference in II, would meet your needs and would have far more trading power than a generic timeshare with a low MF.


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## Bgkinut (Jan 7, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Timeshares are assigned specific trading power by II, which limits what you can reserve with them.  A timeshare with very low maintenance fees, located anywhere, may be a poor trader.
> 
> A timeshare with the Marriott preference in II, would meet your needs and would have far more trading power than a generic timeshare with a low MF.



Thanks for the input. Does the trading power with II change when you are looking to book something within 59 days (Flexchange)? In other words is everyone on a level playing field?


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## DeniseM (Jan 7, 2014)

Bgkinut said:


> Thanks for the input. Does the trading power with II change when you are looking to book something within 59 days (Flexchange)? In other words is everyone on a level playing field?



No, there are still some differences.  Plus, for the most part, at 59 days out, you are really dealing with the leftovers, and it will be rare for you to get prime resorts, with a real cheap trader.


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## K2Quick (Jan 7, 2014)

Bgkinut said:


> We are in Utah, we like So. Cal anytime of year, southern and northern utah in the summer. We are flexible and can make our vacation plans quickly if something intriguing becomes available.



With that much flexibility and given your goals, I'm not sure you really need or want something that delivers Marriott preference.  Pretty much all Marriott 2BR lock-offs are running around $1,100 per year and up from there plus you have to pay $75 to utilize the lock-off feature.  That doesn't seem to match up with your goals of ultra-low maintenance fees.  There has been a lot of talk on the Marriott board, too, around weakening trade power for the studio lock-off deposits.  That said, there seem to be a  ton of high-quality, last-minute Marriott deposits in II visible only to Marriott owners.  For that reason, I'm certainly considering a Marriott purchase of my own sometime in the future.

Like I was saying, though, with your flexibility, you don't really need something that pulls brand preference which is why I'd probably steer you toward something like Worldmark.  For that same roughly $1,200 in maintenance fees, you'd get two 2BR deposits (or better if you learn how to work the system) compared to a 1BR and studio you'd get from a lock-off deposit.  That's very valuable in setting up ongoing searches.

This is not to say that there's not some tiger trader with lower maintenance fees out there that will pull anything. It's just that I'm familiar with Worldmark - It's well-tested and will pull anything not in preference, the cost of entry is cheap, and the maintenance fees are reasonable.  Plus, you'll have your own network of timeshares within driving distance that you wouldn't have to use II for (granted not the same quality as Marriott and the like).


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## Rene McDaniel (Jan 7, 2014)

Bgkinut said:


> Thanks for the input. Does the trading power with II change when you are looking to book something within 59 days (Flexchange)? *In other words is everyone on a level playing field?*



No, it is not a level playing field (no matter how close to the check-in date) and I know this first hand.  We used to own a San Francisco timeshare - 1 bedroom (very high demand area - $1,100 annual maintenance fee), but it had terrible trading power in Interval.  I could never get a decent trade with it, even at the last minute.  I only gave I.I. one deposit, and tried for 3 years to get something decent, and finally gave up.  It could not pull TUG sightings that were posted 60 days out, 30 days out, or even 1-week out.  Our experience was that the I.I. "like-quality" filter is never lifted.

Luckily, it was dual-affiliated, and San Francisco weeks were what Tuggers used to call "tiger traders" in RCI.  Using RCI we were able to make several summer exchanges to the Manhattan Club in NYC, Rome Italy (twice), Florence Italy, Venice and Maui. Those trades all require a very high trade power for summer travel. But that was before RCI went to the TPU system, when our resort was downgraded to mediocre trade power (30 tpu) but you need 50-60 tpu's for Manhattan Club now. When our San Francisco maintenance fees hit $1200, we worked with resort manager and successfully deeded our ownership back to the resort.

With our Marriott EOY we are spending half of what we spent on maintenance fees ($600/year when you add in the lock-off fee EOY), and still enjoying one exchange per year by locking-off.  I have not had any difficulties getting the weeks I want when reserving with Marriott.  I've also had great luck with getting our Marriott trades through Interval, and the discounted I.I. exchange fees ($129) are great, too.

As K2Quick mentioned, Interval will not let you do an ongoing search with a studio requesting a larger unit. However, there are 2 known workarounds to that.  1st option - put in an ongoing search for a resort that does not offer studio units.  That's how we used an ongoing search to pull a 2-bedroom in Hilton Head. The resort only had 2 bedrooms/no lockoffs.  The 2nd option - is to just search manually on your own.  Even with the studio side to our Marriott, we can see larger units that are Marriotts, Starwoods, Hyatts, Royal Resorts, etc. and make an online exchange.  We have always successfully exchanged our studio/lockoff deposit for 1 or 2-bedroom units.

My words of advice to you are, if you want to be happy with your Interval International membership, it is crucially important to choose a resort that is considered a "high quality" resort by I.I.  

At least, that has been my personal experience.

-- Rene


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 8, 2014)

> We are in Utah, we like So. Cal anytime of year, southern and northern utah in the summer. We are flexible and can make our vacation plans quickly if something intriguing becomes available.



Based on this clarification (along with the fact that the OP is looking for a low maintenance fee), I personally think Marriott is not the best recommendation for the OP.  I say this as an owner of multiple non-franchise weeks - my 1BR non-gold rated property pulls the 2BR Utah Marriotts in the summer time (winter would be a different story, but then, I'm not so sure even a Marriott deposit would pull a prime ski week - the OP is looking for summer though).  In California and Arizona, the franchise preference isn't necessary for the Marriotts in the golf areas like Desert Springs or Scottsdale either or in Las Vegas.  I can see plenty of availability at these locations throughout the year.  A chance (certainly not a guarantee though) at prime summer at Marriott Newport Coast would be the only thing that the OP would have an advantage on by buying Marriott in the desired area over a non-franchise deposit, but would still have to be very flexible with dates.  There are other non-franchise choices though that do come up during flex-trade.  Can't say about success with a request though as we don't look to travel to this area.   

To the OP - I recommend taking a look at some of the gold rated 4BR lock out units in Williamsburg VA (look at prime summer only as the others won't trade as well).  I recently bought fixed week 27 at The Colonies of Williamsburg and have been happy with the purchase so far (pleased with what I can see in open inventory).  The annual fee is about $760 and the unit can be deposited as two 2 BDRM deposits.  So if you bought an EOY contract, you'd still have a 2 BDRM deposit to use every year for a cost of around $380ish.  There is no lock out fee, and in 2014 II offered bonus weeks for both 2BR deposits, so we got two 2BR deposits plus two ACs (they have flex-change privilege within 59 days) for a $760 maintenance fee. I think that's pretty good value.  I also like that if I ever needed a larger unit for a big family trip, I could choose not to lock out the unit and have the ability to place a request for up to 4BR size.


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## JudyS (Jan 10, 2014)

littlestar said:


> We have what you are looking for with Fairways of the Mountain at Lake Lure, North Carolina.  It's a small resort.  The 2 bedroom locks off into two one bedroom units (A and B side)....


I also own at Fairways of the Mountains, and like it a lot. I don't own in Branson so I can't compare it to Branson ownerships, but Fairways of the Mountains does have the benefit of being part of the VRI*ety exchange network. For no membership fee and an exchange fee of around $130, you can trade a red Fairways of the Mountains for any other available VRI*ety week of the same size. (Size upgrades are also available for a fee -- about $200 to upgrade from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom.) VRI*ety has quite a lot of inventory in SoCal and in Utah, although peak seasons will require an ongoing search. 





Bgkinut said:


> Thanks for the input. Does the trading power with II change when you are looking to book something within 59 days (Flexchange)? In other words is everyone on a level playing field?





Rene McDaniel said:


> No, it is not a level playing field (no matter how close to the check-in date) and I know this first hand.  We used to own a San Francisco timeshare - 1 bedroom (very high demand area - $1,100 annual maintenance fee), but it had terrible trading power in Interval.  ....My words of advice to you are, if you want to be happy with your Interval International membership, it is crucially important to choose a resort that is considered a "high quality" resort by I.I.


My understanding is that all *trade power *restrictions are listed in II during the Flexchange period, but *quality* restrictions are only relaxed, not lifted. So, if you want to trade into a very high-quality resort 9say, the Four Seasons Aviara) you will need to use a high quality resort, even for last-minute trades. 

Rene, are you saying that the resort you owned was rated low quality by II, and that the resorts you wanted were high quality? Which SF resort was it?


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 10, 2014)

> My understanding is that all trade power restrictions are listed in II during the Flexchange period, but quality restrictions are only relaxed, not lifted. So, if you want to trade into a very high-quality resort 9say, the Four Seasons Aviara) you will need to use a high quality resort, even for last-minute trades.



Agreed - although I would say this seems to be somewhat arbitrary.  I've been able to see some amazing (high demand) properties during the flex period with an AC.  Then there are other things that aren't viewable that surprise me sometimes.  I think Four Seasons, Harborside, and a couple other places seem to be permanently blocked from viewing during flex (at least with an AC) no matter how close to check in it is.


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## Rene McDaniel (Jan 10, 2014)

JudyS said:


> Rene, are you saying that the resort you owned was rated low quality by II, and that the resorts you wanted were high quality? Which SF resort was it?



It was the Nob Hill Inn, and it was the largest of the 1-bedroom units there, their Crocker unit, sleeps 4.  But as I think about it, probably the big negative hit came from I.I.'s designation of the kitchenette as a "partial kitchen".  It is similar to the kitchens at the Manhattan Club, which means no oven, but I think it did have a stovetop.  
http://www.nobhillinn.com/crocker

Anyway, a partial kitchen must be a deathblow in Interval, because the resort & unit was actually very nice.  The maintenance fees were around $500 when we first purchased it resale (1996?), to $1,200 now.  Way too much money for something that could not pull the high-quality trades I was looking for in Interval.  (I can get tons of mediocre trades with RCI)

I really am doing the happy dance about the Marriott I replaced it with! Even though the Marriott studio lockoffs are smaller & less amenities than the Nob Hill Inn 1-bedroom, the amazing Marriott preference in II makes it a non-issue.

--- Rene


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## JudyS (Jan 13, 2014)

Rene McDaniel said:


> ...
> Anyway, a partial kitchen must be a deathblow in Interval, because the resort & unit was actually very nice.  The maintenance fees were around $500 when we first purchased it resale (1996?), to $1,200 now.  Way too much money for something that could not pull the high-quality trades I was looking for in Interval. ....


Rene, I am still confused. When you say your week "could not pull the high-quality trades" do you mean that Nob Hill would not pull trades at resorts that were high quality (that is, *luxurious*) even in the off-season? Or, do mean it would not pull trades that were in *high demand* (i.e., summer at the beach?) 

I agree that having a partial kitchen is a problem in II. Did II consider your resort a one-bedroom or a studio? I own at a resort whose lock-off increased dramatically in trade power in II once the kitchen was upgraded. Before the upgrade, the lock-off was considered a studio. After the upgrade, II considered it a one-bedroom. 



bonk2boy said:


> Agreed - although I would say this seems to be somewhat arbitrary.  I've been able to see some amazing (high demand) properties during the flex period with an AC.  Then there are other things that aren't viewable that surprise me sometimes.  I think Four Seasons, Harborside, and a couple other places seem to be permanently blocked from viewing during flex (at least with an AC) no matter how close to check in it is.


I think ACs may have a short list of extremely high quality resorts they can not trade into. But again, this has nothing to do with seeing high *demand* weeks with an AC -- demand is different from quality.


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## tschwa2 (Jan 13, 2014)

I found having a high quality non branded TS, as a trader, to be a detriment in II.  The worst of both worlds.  The quality filter, filtered out at 1/3-1/2 the inventory.  Since I didn't have priority anywhere, I only had access to the left overs for Starwood and Marriott and I had fairly high MF's.  A plain jane summer 2 br even in overbuilt areas like Branson had way more choices.  The only thing the non rated resort couldn't see that my other unit could was Four Seasons.


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 13, 2014)

> I think ACs may have a short list of extremely high quality resorts they can not trade into. But again, this has nothing to do with seeing high demand weeks with an AC -- demand is different from quality.



The places I'm talking about qualify for both.  If you are willing to take a studio, the ACs offer amazing value.  We can't ski this year, but as an example, my current AC has shown availability at Grand Peak 7 in Breckenridge for February 2014 weeks.  A few years ago, we confirmed Poste Montane (if I'm spelling it right) in Beaver Creek Village for the first week of March.  These are ski in / out type luxury properties that easily go for over $400 a night (probably more) after tax during peak season.   I've also seen Marriott studios in Sounth Florida during the winter with ACs.  

For 1 BRs, my experience is that ACs can still pull shoulder weeks at very nice resorts.  We used an AC last year for a 1BR over Memorial weekend at Marriott Ocean Club in Aruba.  This year, I gave an AC to a friend to take a 1BR at Marriott Manor Club in September.

IMO - the only ACs that are useless are the ones that are 100% tied to the grid.  I've had a tough time using those and currently have one that will expire unused on February 10th.


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 13, 2014)

> I found having a high quality non branded TS, as a trader, to be a detriment in II. The worst of both worlds. The quality filter, filtered out at 1/3-1/2 the inventory. Since I didn't have priority anywhere, I only had access to the left overs for Starwood and Marriott and I had fairly high MF's. A plain jane summer 2 br even in overbuilt areas like Branson had way more choices. The only thing the non rated resort couldn't see that my other unit could was Four Seasons.



Yes - unit size is a big consideration in II.  That's why in another thread, I recommended the 4BR lock out prime summer units in Williamsburg for buying non-franchise.  The buy in price isn't high, and the resorts are nice (not dumpy with low maintenance fees).  I'm sure larger units in Branson during the summer have similar trading power to summer Williamsburg.  I would not buy in II anywhere off season (must be max TDI).  

Regarding the need to own franchise, it really depends what you are looking for in tading.  If you KNOW you want to go to Hilton Head every summer and want to stay at one of the half dozen plus Marriotts there, your best bet will be to buy Marriott.  You'll have a good chance to trade into one most years with the preference, though maybe not right on the beach. 

On the other hand, I don't think the franchise preference is particularly helpful for trips like ski vacations as one example.  The mountain front franchise property prime weeks are rarely if ever deposited so having the preference doesn't matter if there are no deposits.  For east coast ski trips, it really doesn't matter since there are no franchises at all.


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## Rene McDaniel (Jan 13, 2014)

JudyS said:


> Rene, I am still confused. When you say your week "could not pull the high-quality trades" do you mean that Nob Hill would not pull trades at resorts that were high quality (that is, *luxurious*) even in the off-season? Or, do mean it would not pull trades that were in *high demand* (i.e., summer at the beach?)
> 
> I agree that having a partial kitchen is a problem in II. Did II consider your resort a one-bedroom or a studio?  I think ACs may have a short list of extremely high quality resorts they can not trade into. But again, this has nothing to do with seeing high *demand* weeks with an AC -- demand is different from quality.



Judy,
My Interval deposit did list it as a "1 bedroom, sleeps 4, partial kitchen". I deposited a July week into Interval one full year in advance, so I had 3 full years to play around with it, and see what I could get. As a big follower of the TUG sightings board, I was very frustrated that I could never really see any of the juicy sightings that others were posting, even if they were close to check in date.  Not the Marriotts, Starwoods, DVC, Harborside, Aviara, even when the preference periods had expired and other Tuggers could see them.  All I can say is, for 3 years I felt like a kid looking in the window of the candy store where all the other kids are feasting. 

To add insult to injury, by making one Interval deposit, I paid the $79 membership fee the first year (no trade), then had to pay it again the 2nd year just to look for a trade (still no success), and the 3rd year.  So, three years of fees for only 1 deposit.

However, we were VERY fortunate that Nob Hill Inn was a tiger trader in RCI, and at the same time we were getting amazing trades from them:  Summer weeks in Kauai(2x), Maui(4x), Yellowstone, Vancouver Island(2x), Banff, Manhattan Club- NYC (2x), DVC Beach Club Villas, Rome (2x), Venice & Paris(2x).  So, we ended up dealing exclusively with RCI while our kids were younger and still in school. Even though I am not a fan of RCI and their ever-escalating fees, we did enjoy amazing family vacations.

I only mention my earlier experience with Interval and our San Francisco week because, it was an expensive week, and a very poor trader in Interval.  I think it's important that newcomers should know that there are various "filters" in the I.I. exchange system that can work for you, or against you.  Plus, with all exchange companies -- the rules change all the time, so there are no guarantees. What trades well today, may not trade well tomorrow. Resort affiliations also change. DVC exchanges were RCI-only, then Interval-only, and now RCI-only. 

The TUG mantra *"always buy into a resort you really like and would be willing to go to"* has proved very true for our family.

Since buying our resale Marriott week, we have rejoined Interval and are wildly happy with our exchanges and Interval as a company. So, I would forewarn others who are timeshare shopping, to not rush in -- but take time to investigate and choose their purchase carefully.

-- Rene


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 13, 2014)

> I only mention my earlier experience with Interval and our San Francisco week because, it was an expensive week, and a very poor trader in Interval.



RCI is a much better system for studio deposits and 1BRs that don't have full kitchens.  I own a lock off studios that gets 34 TPUs.  

In II, it doesn't matter how nice the studio is.  Unless it's tied to a franchise preference (and even still there are limitations) the trading power is crummy. 

But this observation should not lead one to avoid ownership of non-franchised properties altogether in II.  2BR units and larger during peak season do particularly well in the system.


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## ryanthekiwi (Jan 17, 2014)

I have traded many times with Ocean Landings studio timeshares.  The current MF is only $230.  In the flex period of 60 days and under everything is equal so you want to use the lowest MF unit to exchange with.  I've gotten 2BR Marriott & Westin Hawaii properties many times.  With better than average rated Ocean Landings studios I've been able to exchange 6+ months out for Marriott Ko Olina studios and Westin Kaanapali studios.


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## JudyS (Jan 17, 2014)

Rene McDaniel said:


> Judy,
> My Interval deposit did list it as a "1 bedroom, sleeps 4, partial kitchen". I deposited a July week into Interval one full year in advance, so I had 3 full years to play around with it, and see what I could get. As a big follower of the TUG sightings board, I was very frustrated that I could never really see any of the juicy sightings that others were posting, even if they were close to check in date.  Not the Marriotts, Starwoods, DVC, Harborside, Aviara, even when the preference periods had expired and other Tuggers could see them.  All I can say is, for 3 years I felt like a kid looking in the window of the candy store where all the other kids are feasting....
> 
> However, we were VERY fortunate that Nob Hill Inn was a tiger trader in RCI, and at the same time we were getting amazing trades from them:  Summer weeks in Kauai(2x), Maui(4x), Yellowstone, Vancouver Island(2x), Banff, Manhattan Club- NYC (2x), DVC Beach Club Villas, Rome (2x), Venice & Paris(2x).  So, we ended up dealing exclusively with RCI while our kids were younger and still in school. Even though I am not a fan of RCI and their ever-escalating fees, we did enjoy amazing family vacations...


Thanks for the information, Rene. This really does sound like II's very strict quality filters kicking in. Even if one owns a very high demand week, II won't allow a trade for something that is considered much more luxurious. Only a certain list of resorts were eligible for DVC trades back when DVC traded in II, and only a very much shorter list of resorts were eligible for the Four Seasons Aviara. 

There were actually some very tough trades that you probably could have gotten in II with your Nob Hill Week -- Cape Cod in July, unbranded resorts on the beach in SoCal during summer or in Park City during winter, etc -- but it sounds like these were not the sorts of trades you wanted. 

With RCI, there does not seem to be any quality filter preventing owners from trading up to a more luxurious resort. (Both RCI and II have filters that prevent people from trading *down* to a much less luxurious resort. This is because exchange companies don't want people to call them and say, "I gave you a palace and you gave me a dump!") So, if someone has an RCI deposit that's high demand, they can get pretty much anything RCI has, except things that are much lower in quality.

In addition to things like nice furniture and good service (which I assume Nob Hill has), II takes resort amenities into consideration as part of resort quality. So, things like a golf course, tennis courts and multiple pools really raise a resort's quality rating, but of course there's no room for these things in San Francisco.  Lacking a full kitchen also reduces a unit's quality rating.


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## Beefnot (Jan 17, 2014)

Palace View in Branson is very inexpensive and a great trader, especially if you are flexible. I have gotten some excellent trades.


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 17, 2014)

> I have traded many times with Ocean Landings studio timeshares. The current MF is only $230. In the flex period of 60 days and under everything is equal so you want to use the lowest MF unit to exchange with.



As Judy said - not everything is equal, but still you are right that a lot of good inventory opens up within the 60 day flex period.  That said - it should be noted that most of the free bonus weeks (Accommodation Certificates) II gives for depositing peak season weeks have access to 60 day flex inventory too.  For this reason, an EOY deed for a larger unit that has a reasonable maintenance fee will almost always offers more overall value than a cheap, low maintenance studio (studio deposits rarely qualify for II bonus weeks even in prime seasons).


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## Saintsfanfl (Jan 17, 2014)

bonk2boy said:


> As Judy said - not everything is equal, but still you are right that a lot of good inventory opens up within the 60 day flex period.  That said - it should be noted that most of the free bonus weeks (Accommodation Certificates) II gives for depositing peak season weeks have access to 60 day flex inventory too.  For this reason, an EOY deed for a larger unit that has a reasonable maintenance fee will almost always offers more overall value than a cheap, low maintenance studio (studio deposits rarely qualify for II bonus weeks even in prime seasons).



This is very true. Not only do you get an AC, but you can also use an XYZ. So you can end up with 3 weeks that all can potentially be booked more than 60 days out.

There are low maintenance fee summer lock-offs that give AC's for each half as well as two XYZ's. You can get 6 weeks from a single lock-off unit. This scenario can possibly be cheaper per week than using the Ocean Landings studios but you can book 2BR units 12 months out. You can also use an XYZ with the Ocean Landings studios but you are limited to studios only and very short notice with the exchange not far out.


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## twinmommy19 (Jan 17, 2014)

> There are low maintenance fee summer lock-offs that give AC's for each half as well as two XYZ's. You can get 6 weeks from a single lock-off unit. This scenario can possibly be cheaper per week than using the Ocean Landings studios but you can book 2BR units 12 months out.



This is is exactly why I'd recommend for someone looking for a low fee 2BR unit to trade with (and who is not looking for a specific franchise preference - i.e. if you don't intend to book primarily high demand Marriotts most of the time) to strongly consider a 4 BR EOY lock off unit instead of an every year 2BR every year lock off. Very few 2BR units split off into two 1BR units with full kitchens and most lock off with at least one studio piece which has significantly lower trading power in open inventory beyond 60 days (and also when placing requests).  Most 4BR EOY units also have a cheaper maintenance fee than two years worth of fees for owning a 2BR every year unit. 

There aren't that many 4 bedroom timeshares out there with lock off capability.  Most of them are in Williamsburg, Branson, Orlando or Las Vegas.  These are overbuilt areas, but Williamsburg and Branson in particular are very seasonal and are not easy exchanges in the summer time.  In the summer these areas get good trading power and II usually offers ACs for depositing them.  In our case, we chose to buy in Williamsburg because it's the shortest drive for us and once in a while we plan to stay at the home resort (confirming a 4BR via II during peak season anywhere on the east coast would be near impossible).  We own week 27 and next year we plan to stay at our home resort which includes July 4th in 2015.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jan 17, 2014)

bonk2boy said:


> This is is exactly why I'd recommend for someone looking for a low fee 2BR unit to trade with (and who is not looking for a specific franchise preference - i.e. if you don't intend to book primarily high demand Marriotts most of the time) to strongly consider a 4 BR EOY lock off unit instead of an every year 2BR every year lock off. Very few 2BR units split off into two 1BR units with full kitchens and most lock off with at least one studio piece which has significantly lower trading power in open inventory beyond 60 days (and also when placing requests).  Most 4BR EOY units also have a cheaper maintenance fee than two years worth of fees for owning a 2BR every year unit.
> 
> There aren't that many 4 bedroom timeshares out there with lock off capability.  Most of them are in Williamsburg, Branson, Orlando or Las Vegas.  These are overbuilt areas, but Williamsburg and Branson in particular are very seasonal and are not easy exchanges in the summer time.  In the summer these areas get good trading power and II usually offers ACs for depositing them.  In our case, we chose to buy in Williamsburg because it's the shortest drive for us and once in a while we plan to stay at the home resort (confirming a 4BR via II during peak season anywhere on the east coast would be near impossible).  We own week 27 and next year we plan to stay at our home resort which includes July 4th in 2015.



And there lies the answer to the OP's question. From an exchange stand point in II it simply cannot be beat, preferences aside.


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