# Anybody buy into the new Marriott Crystal Shores



## icydog (Jul 8, 2007)

After reading the slick sales brochure Marriott sent out, and talking to a sales rep, my husband and I just comitted to buying at the new Marriott on Marco Island, Crystal Shores. It's pre-construction pricing for a silver week, probably no view in 5 years, for $18,100. It will be our first developer week other than our DVC, which we purchased when it first opened its doors, and we are very excited. I own several Marriott weeks, all purchased resale, but this place looks like a resort we will never trade. We love the west coast of Florida, and since we are retired this timeframe, late Aug through November, works for us. I was recently offered a Sanibel Cottages shoulder week for $16K but I think this will be a better place in the long run-- despite the very high maintenance fees. 
*Has anyone else taken the plunge?*


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## pharmgirl (Jul 8, 2007)

icydog said:


> After reading the slick sales brochure Marriott sent out, and talking to a sales rep, my husband and I just comitted to buying at the new Marriott on Marco Island, Crystal Shores. It's pre-construction pricing for a silver week, probably no view in 5 years, for $18,100. It will be our first developer week other than our DVC, which we purchased when it first opened its doors, and we are very excited. I own several Marriott weeks, all purchased resale, but this place looks like a resort we will never trade. We love the west coast of Florida, and since we are retired this timeframe, late Aug through November, works for us. I was recently offered a Sanibel Cottages shoulder week for $16K but I think this will be a better place in the long run-- despite the very high maintenance fees.
> *Has anyone else taken the plunge?*



Congratulations, I think it will be beautiful, looking forward to having success in an occasional trade with our hawaiian units.
What do you mean by no view in 5 years?  It seems to be right on the beach and most units with ocean view


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## Kazakie (Jul 8, 2007)

icydog said:


> despite the very high maintenance fees.



How high are the maint fees?  (I assume a large chunk is property tax & insurance)


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## AmyL4408 (Jul 8, 2007)

icydog said:


> -- despite the very high maintenance fees.




How high are the very high maintenance fees??


I received a big thing in the mail from Marriott and found the place to be very interesting.    I'm definitely not a modern kind of person, so the decor didn't really appeal to me. 


We have a Grand Vista, so I was wondering how much Marriott would give us on the Grand Vista towards a Marco Island...    But I didn't wonder enough to make the call


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## Big Matt (Jul 8, 2007)

Marylyn,
I think you got a good deal.  That Silver week always includes that last week of August and Labor Day week.  Hurricanes aside, that's a pretty good time to go.


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## pcgirl54 (Jul 8, 2007)

Congratulations on your new purchase. Marco is so beautiful and the beach is wonderful. So so many shells. I wouldn't trade it either.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 8, 2007)

I've given it thought but, I have seven weeks already and I really just don't need another week, don't have the cash on hand to pay it off and I just don't think I can handle another MF. If I buy every new, bigger better resort that gets developed I'll never be able to pay for everything I'd like to have.


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## gmarine (Jul 8, 2007)

Wouldnt you be able to pick up a silver week for half what you paid or less when resales start to be available? If you cant use it for several years why the rush to buy an off season week?

Also consider the risk of special assessments due to hurricanes and the inevitable rise in m-fees due to insurance costs. I'm sure its a beautifull resort but I would reconsider purchasing an off season week from the developer.


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## Beverley (Jul 8, 2007)

Ditto

Beverley


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## dougp26364 (Jul 9, 2007)

Marriott, with it's ROFR, has a history of keeping resale values high. It is likely that this resort will maintian is value for those that purchase pre-construction. PerryM can list several Marrriott resorts that, when bought at pre-construction pricing actually increased in value when sold on the resale market.

However, I believe it is usually platinum and premium weeks that have shown this ability to go up in value and not silver season weeks. 

There is also the length of time before weeks begin to hit the resale market at reasonable pricing after the resort is built, the ablility to exchange for Marriott Rewards points and any sales incentives that might be offered to purchase so early in the pre-construction phase. I know when I purchased our Ocean Pointe unit, the value of our incentives amounted to close to $5,000. Granted that was back right after 9/11 when everyone was worried vacation related industries would take a big hit but still, any incentive value has to be taken into consideration when buying pre-construction.

$18,100 sounds like a great price to own at this resort if you can travel in silver season. I've read that platinum weeks are considerably more expensive. The units are still just as nice in silver season as they are in platinum season and the weather for that latitude in FL still has to be marvelous if you live in the colder climates.


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## gmarine (Jul 9, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> Marriott, with it's ROFR, has a history of keeping resale values high. It is likely that this resort will maintian is value for those that purchase pre-construction. PerryM can list several Marrriott resorts that, when bought at pre-construction pricing actually increased in value when sold on the resale market.
> 
> However, I believe it is usually platinum and premium weeks that have shown this ability to go up in value and not silver season weeks.
> 
> ...



Buying a pre-construction platinum week is a whole other story. And Marriott isnt offering anywhere close to the rewards points that they used to. Going to be a great resort, but again I dont see the reason for buying from the developer when silver season units are typically so cheap on the resale market. Especially when you dont have use for several years. 

I try hard to make sure I dont spend too much on a unit. To me saving 5K-10K on a resale is worth waiting for. Others may not feel the same. JMO.


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## Beverley (Jul 9, 2007)

Maybe I am mesmerized by the high price tag for the platinum weeks, but I wonder if buying platinum resale before the resort is completely sold out wouldn't be a money saver.  I tend to believe there will those buyers that "bite off more than they can chew" and may look to sell after 2 years of purchase. 

As for off season, we have a silver week at the Barony.  Once the resort sold out and Marriott actually began calling owners and offering to buy thier platinum week at 60% of value, platinum weeks went up in price on the resale market.  The silver week, on the other hand, cost me 12,900 preconstruction and I would be lucky to get 9. 

Buy the silver only if you want to travel at that time, which from what you say you do and it should work for you.

Beverley


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## icydog (Jul 9, 2007)

*We changed it to GOLD!*

Having read all your posts and considering the price for Gold Gulf View we decided to go with the GOLD! The Silver Season is from week 34, at the end of August, to week 43, at the end of October. We like to travel in Nov and May shoulder seasons so the Gold is best for us. Also by purchasing Gold we can take our grandkids in the summer if we want. When we pass it down our great grandkids can use it when school is out as well. 
I am very excited so pls don't talk me out of this.


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## gmarine (Jul 9, 2007)

icydog said:


> Having read all your posts and considering the price for Gold Gulf View we decided to go with the GOLD!  The Silver Season is from week 34, at the end of August, to week 43, at the end of October. We like to travel in Nov and May shoulder seasons so the Gold is best for us. Also by purchasing Gold we can take our grandkids in the summer if we want. We we pass it down our great grandkids can use it when school is out as well.
> Pls don't talk me out of this. I am very excited.



I think you made a wise choice changing to gold. Congrats.


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## icydog (Jul 9, 2007)

gmarine said:


> I think you made a wise choice changing to gold. Congrats.


 
I truly hope so. Platinum was SOOOO expensive I couldn't justify spending that much. My husband has sticker shock right now, but I am just too excited to think of money. Thanks for the kind words.


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## tlwmkw (Jul 9, 2007)

*Good luck, Icydog*

Congrats on your purchase.  Don't let the naysayers get you down- it sounds like you will get plenty of use out of this so enjoy it.

Where did you get info about the resort?  Are there any mockups of what it will look like?  I got a card/brochure in the mail from Marriott but it was short on details- would love to know more.


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## icydog (Jul 9, 2007)

tlwmkw said:


> Congrats on your purchase. Don't let the naysayers get you down- it sounds like you will get plenty of use out of this so enjoy it.
> 
> Where did you get info about the resort? Are there any mockups of what it will look like? I got a card/brochure in the mail from Marriott but it was short on details- would love to know more.


Sent you a pm


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## potchak (Jul 9, 2007)

If it is where you want to go, you cannot go wrong. Congrats!

I wouldn't worry about what every one else says, I just bought my second developer week, and I have been a member of tug for a long time. Just thought it suited my purposes better, although, everyone on the boards tells me I made a bad choice. I am the one that has to live with it, so I am not concerned


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## bw3 (Jul 9, 2007)

*Marco Island*

Marylyn,

I received the same package mentioning the $18,100 starting price.  Could you reveal the price for Gold and Platinum?  Also, what was the annual maintenance fee estimate?

Thanks,
Bob


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## mariawolf (Jul 9, 2007)

Buying resale only works if there is a resale to be had--on a new resort you can't do that--we just bought Frenchman's Cove--the few resales out there are as much or more than new current prices!
We bought two developer Starwood weeks--both at Harborside at Atlantis--one was in 2001--again before resales were available and again for a week 52 which we couldn't find on the resale market.
As long as you buy what you want to use I think you will be happy with your purchase--folks who buy low end resorts and think they can trade up are the ones I feel badly for!


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## icydog (Jul 9, 2007)

bw3 said:


> Marylyn,
> 
> I received the same package mentioning the $18,100 starting price. Could you reveal the price for Gold and Platinum? Also, what was the annual maintenance fee estimate?
> 
> ...


 
It is a long PDF but in essence:

Platinum float -$79,200 Gulf Front, $71,800 Gulf Side and $59,600 for Gulf View.

Gold Float - $42,600 Gulf Front, $35,400 Gulf Side and $32,100 Gulf View.

Silver Float - $24,200 Gulf Front, $20,100 Gulf Side and $18,100 for Gulf View

There are a few variations for fixed week but there's not many:

Christmas and President's week are $89,400 gulf front $74,400 Gulf Side and $67,200 Gulf view.

New Years week is $98,700 Gulf front, $82.200 Gulf Side and $74,200 Gulf View 
*The most expensive week is New Years Gulf Front --3 bdrm Penthouse-only $137,300*
_______________________________________________________________
Platinum floats Weeks 1-17. 

Platinum plus 51, 52 and President's week 


Gold floats Weeks 18-33 and 44-50

Silver Floats weeks 34 -43


Maintenance fees are $925.27 and taxes are $236.50.

If anyone would like my salesperson's name send me a PM or email. The pricing is only good until Wednesday and there are perks for being in the first 500 buyers like Preconstruction pricing, Your name on Founder's monument, Crystal Shores Beach Towel and tote set, 
Marriott $75 Gift Card, and a pass to use the Resort facilities when you are not staying there (fees may apply it says)! 

I also got 240,000 reward points for the sale.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 9, 2007)

icydog said:


> ..........I also got 240,000 reward points for the sale.



That's not to bad for an incentive. That should get you two coach class seats and a week in a Cat. 5 hotel in Europe.


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## JudyS (Jul 9, 2007)

AmyL4408 said:


> ...We have a Grand Vista, so I was wondering how much Marriott would give us on the Grand Vista towards a Marco Island...    But I didn't wonder enough to make the call


Just curious, does anyone know if this new Marco Island resort would be part of Marriott's Florida Club?  If it were, do you think there would be a chance of trading in that way?  (I presume off-season would be the only real possibility.)


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## Kazakie (Jul 9, 2007)

icydog said:


> Maintenance fees are $925.27 and taxes are $236.50.


.............

Gulp


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## dougp26364 (Jul 9, 2007)

Kazakie said:


> .............
> 
> Gulp



That's about standard for Marriott's FL resorts. Between property taxes, property insurance and hurricane insurance, FL coastal FL is a very expensive proposition to own and to hold.


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## taffy19 (Jul 9, 2007)

icydog said:


> Having read all your posts and considering the price for Gold Gulf View we decided to go with the GOLD! The Silver Season is from week 34, at the end of August, to week 43, at the end of October. We like to travel in Nov and May shoulder seasons so the Gold is best for us. Also by purchasing Gold we can take our grandkids in the summer if we want. When we pass it down our great grandkids can use it when school is out as well.
> I am very excited so pls don't talk me out of this.


I can feel your exitement and I am so happy for you. Remember, you live only once and you can't take the money with you so why not spend it? Your kids still have the benefits, if you have any.  

Waiting for the right re-sale may take you a few years and time is money, they say.


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## icydog (Jul 10, 2007)

JudyS said:


> Just curious, does anyone know if this new Marco Island resort would be part of Marriott's Florida Club? If it were, do you think there would be a chance of trading in that way? (I presume off-season would be the only real possibility.)


Nobody mentioned the Florida Club. I know I wouldn't trade into any of the other FL Club resorts if it was. I bought the week to use it not to trade but that's just me. I will be speaking to the salesperson later today and I will ask her. It never hurts to ask.



iconnections said:


> I can feel your exitement and I am so happy for you. Remember, you live only once and you can't take the money with you so why not spend it? Your kids still have the benefits, if you have any.
> 
> Waiting for the right re-sale may take you a few years and time is money, they say.


 Thanks so much for that reply. You made me very happy.


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## Kazakie (Jul 10, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> That's about standard for Marriott's FL resorts. Between property taxes, property insurance and hurricane insurance, FL coastal FL is a very expensive proposition to own and to hold.



I thought maint fees started off really understated, with the developer subsidy and everything being NEW, which of course just happens to help sales…..

So starting off at or above Ocean Pointe (depends if you count the Special Assessment) makes me think this could out-maint fee Hawaii...

Ko Olina - which was new from the ground up went from $893.47 in 2003 to $1,312.62 in 2007; although Waiohai more moderately raised from $927.76 in 2003 to $1,297.20 in 2007.  

So if we take the average change in Ko Olina and Waiohai, then Crystal Shores could go from $1,161.77 in 2007 to $1,665.59 in 2011.


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## icydog (Jul 10, 2007)

WOW and double gulp....


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## Kazakie (Jul 10, 2007)

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have higher maint fees than an SA down the road…


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## icydog (Jul 11, 2007)

Kazakie said:


> Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have higher maint fees than an SA down the road…


 
I'm not sure of your meaning. SA =South Africa, right, but I don't know what the rest means.


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## rsackett (Jul 11, 2007)

icydog said:


> I'm not sure of your meaning. SA =South Africa, right, but I don't know what the rest means.



SA = Special Assessment

Ray


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## Beverley (Jul 11, 2007)

Sounds like an excellent gold season grouping of the weeks.  Good choice for an upgrade from the Silver.  It will trade better and your usage is much more flexible.

Beverley


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## icydog (Jul 11, 2007)

rsackett said:


> SA = Special Assessment
> 
> Ray


 
Duh First I should have filled in the blank to check if my solution fit... then asked. 
_"_I'd rather have higher maintenance fees than _...South Africa_ _..._down the road_"_  Now that really makes sense doesn't it. Thanks for not calling me a nincompoop.


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## icydog (Jul 11, 2007)

Beverley said:


> Sounds like an excellent gold season grouping of the weeks. Good choice for an upgrade from the Silver. It will trade better and your usage is much more flexible.
> 
> Beverley


 
It was a lot more money but the advantages really outweighed the money issue. Thanks for your kind words.


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## Beverley (Jul 11, 2007)

Marilyn,

You are more than welcome.  By the way, do you know if they will have anything built for previews this summer or is this all still on the drawing table?

Beverley


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## taffy19 (Jul 11, 2007)

Kazakie said:


> I thought maint fees started off really understated, with the developer subsidy and everything being NEW, which of course just happens to help sales…..
> 
> So starting off at or above Ocean Pointe (depends if you count the Special Assessment) makes me think this could out-maint fee Hawaii...
> 
> ...


A big portion of the hike in maintenance fees in Maui is due to higher taxes so you can't blame the Marriott or any other resort for that.

Real estate values have risen so much and many timeshare developments were re-assessed so taxes went up for that reason alone. Also, there is the dreaded Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) on timeshare occupancy too. I don't know if Oahu or Kauai have the same situation too?


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## Docklander (Jul 11, 2007)

iconnections said:


> Real estate values have risen so much and many timeshare developments were re-assessed so taxes went up for that reason alone.




Does this mean that if there is a 'correction' in the property market and prices dropped (for example if people were scared off by increased interest rates) the there might be a decrease in MFs due to lower property values...or is this just never going to happen because Maui is unlikely to re-assess anything downwards?


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## pharmgirl (Jul 11, 2007)

Docklander said:


> Does this mean that if there is a 'correction' in the property market and prices dropped (for example if people were scared off by increased interest rates) the there might be a decrease in MFs due to lower property values...or is this just never going to happen because Maui is unlikely to re-assess anything downwards?



Hmmmmm, live in Jersey and the concept of re-assessing downward is foreign to our state government.  snowball - hell, pigs - fly ???????


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## icydog (Jul 11, 2007)

pharmgirl said:


> Hmmmmm, live in Jersey and the concept of re-assessing downward is foreign to our state government. snowball - hell, pigs - fly ???????


 
Right!! On!!


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## taffy19 (Jul 11, 2007)

We were once successful in OR when prices had dropped a lot. This is many years ago and I know that you can do this in CA too, if it is to your advantage. We have Prop 13 in CA and if you have lived a long time in your home, your taxes are low because they cannot increase more than 2% per year and prices have gone through the roof. You don't want to have your property re-assessed. Once the property sells, the taxes are based on the new sales price and the buyer pays way too much tax. :annoyed: I am shocked when I hear how much taxes people pay on real estate today. 



Docklander said:


> Does this mean that if there is a 'correction' in the property market and prices dropped (for example if people were scared off by increased interest rates) the there might be a decrease in MFs due to lower property values...or is this just never going to happen because Maui is unlikely to re-assess anything downwards?


 
You can have your timeshare re-assessed in some cases in CA. I remember reading that someone here bought a re-sale unit and his real estate tax was based on the assessed value of developer sold units. When he could prove that his purchase price was way below that, he was successful in reducing his taxes. 

I would try the same in HI, if prices would drop a lot, to have it re-assessed. I would also ask the HOA to fight in our behalf as many people won't do it themselves. The developer would probably fight it because it hampers their sales if taxes go too high.
We have gone a few cycles already where prices went up and down and then up again. It may go down again too.


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## icydog (Jul 26, 2007)

*Why I canceled the deal yesterday afternoon.*

Copied from my post in the Flyertalk Forums. I am too lazy to type this twice.

*After all this waiting for Marriott to get us a contract and then allowing us to use our credit card to pay for the timeshare we decided to go with a Marriott Ko Olina, Oahu, HI, Platinum mountainview resale. The difference is 10K less for the HI Marriott and I am sure when this Marco resort is completed I will be able to trade into a Gold week. *
*Why I told them no yesterday*

*1.They took too long getting the contract to me. We agreed to their terms at the end of last month but only finally got an accurate contract from them yesterday. It gave me time to cool off and to look around for something else for myself.*
*2. Marriott wouldn't allow us to use 2 years worth of Marriott weeks for vacationing for the two years it would take to complete this purchase (of course we would have paid the maintenance fees)*
*3. Their closing fees were twice as much as any other closing company which I thought ridiculous since they are the developer*
*4. The maintenance fees for the Marco Island Resort were the same as the Hawaiian Resort so it was a wash.*
*5. The Marriott HI week was in a lock off as compared to a straight two bdrm at the Marco Island Resort. By trading in the studio into II I can get another master unit at one of the other Hawaiian Marriotts to allow me to vacation for two weeks in Hawaii each year. Also by trading in the master to II I would get an accommodation certificate to use for another high end week. Hence three for one. With the Marriott in Marco I would still get an AC but it would be two for one and with those high maintenance fees the more I get the better if I were to ever trade it. *

*Basically Marriott dropped the ball with us. I have been in sales my whole life and there was no way I would have allowed a customer to sit without a signed contract in place for more than a day. I agreed to all their terms but they kept making mistakes or taking too long to check on things and so I started looking elsewhere. What a good example of allowing a client to go cold for no reason. Had they put the correct contract into my hands I would have signed it and by today I would have been way past the recission period. If I was the sales manager on this deal-- heads would fly over this one. *


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## Kazakie (Jul 28, 2007)

icydog said:


> we decided to go with a Marriott Ko Olina, Oahu, HI, Platinum mountainview resale. The difference is 10K less for the HI Marriott and I am sure when this Marco resort is completed I will be able to trade into a Gold week.



I think you just made and intelligent financial decision, but then timeshares are rarely about good financial decisions.  Trading from Ko Olina may be a bit more hassle (and an $89 exchange fee) but will probably land you in the same place. 

*Just a point of clarity: * It seems you were purchasing Marco Island with the idea of use.  It sounds like you're buying Ko Olina with the idea of trading.  If you're buying with trading in mind (and don't plan to go to Ko Olina), you may want to consider other resorts.


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## potchak (Jul 28, 2007)

Icy dog, 
I know what you mean. I am getting very frustrated with Marriott resale operations right now. We signed our developer resale contract on Manor club on the 18th of June and it still hasn't closed, but even worse than that, I have contacted them several times to just get a status update on the closing and have yet to get any kind of status. I understand that resales take longer than an original developer week, but to not even give me a status is ridiculous.


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## icydog (Jul 28, 2007)

Kazakie said:


> *Just a point of clarity: *It seems you were purchasing Marco Island with the idea of use. It sounds like you're buying Ko Olina with the idea of trading. If you're buying with trading in mind (and don't plan to go to Ko Olina), you may want to consider other resorts.


 
Yes, you're right, I wanted to use the resort in Marco but I can't wait two years to vacation while still paying taxes. Also, I still believe that a Platinum Ko Olina will trade in the gold season at Marco without a problem. Maybe not the first year, but soon, I belive. So yes, I am trading, and yes the Ko Olina is expensive in maintenance fees, but no more than the Marco place, and we WILL got to HI until we can't make the trip any longer; and by then we should be able to trade into Marco. We are 60 and 75 years old; who knows what life will bring us. I couldn't see waiting two years to use the resort when I could be laying in the beach in Hawaii. 



potchak said:


> Icy dog,
> I know what you mean. I am getting very frustrated with Marriott resale operations right now. We signed our developer resale contract on Manor club on the 18th of June and it still hasn't closed, but even worse than that, I have contacted them several times to just get a status update on the closing and have yet to get any kind of status. I understand that resales take longer than an original developer week, but to not even give me a status is ridiculous.


 
Again, I have a Ph.D. in marketing and management, I cannot agree more with this assessment. Just sloppy management in my opinion. There is no reason why a signed customer should be calling the company looking for her deed. They should keep you in the loop at all times. When I get around to it I may write to their marketing vice president. The problem being the salesperson was wonderful and I don't want her to take a hit because her admin team dropped the ball.


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