# buying a timeshare-I am new



## 65wheeler (Mar 2, 2011)

hello Tug Members,
Glad I found tug.Just sent in a revocation for Grandview Lasvegas for a 2br with 98,000 points(rci) $26,990.00. did I do the right thing?
I am however very keen on buying a TS  resale. I have two kids 12 and 5 and we love to travel . atleast One vacation every year.We live in NY .Any suggestions.?we would like to use an exchange system as we would like to travel overseas


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## DeniseM (Mar 2, 2011)

You ABSOLUTELY did the right thing!  You can buy the same thing for pennies on the dollar on ebay.

However, exchanging overseas is much more difficult, because there is limited availability in the top locations - where would you want to go?


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 2, 2011)

*Buy Timeshares Resale.  Save Thousands Of $ $ $ $.*




65wheeler said:


> Any suggestions.?


Nothing that the timeshare companies sell at full freight is worth the money -- never was, but specially not now when so many really nice timeshare deeds are worth approximately nothing. 

Main suggestion, beside the overriding recommendation of buying timeshares resale, is buy at a timeshare you actually like & where you can go by car (so you won't be stuck with the crapshoot of trying to exchange into somebody else's timeshare & you won't have to pay through the nose for plane tickets -- just for ga$oline). 

Another suggestion is to try renting other people's timeshares direct from the owner(s), without even buying your own timeshare.  That's specially good when the owner pays way more in maintenance fees than his or her unit will rent for -- good for the renter, that is, not so good for the owner. 

Also, welcome to TUG. 

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


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## Passepartout (Mar 2, 2011)

Welcome! +1 for rescission! With kids the ages yours are, I will guess you are tied to the school schedule. This DOES make exchanging more difficult/costly-as points go. When researching what resale to buy, we like to suggest buying where you want to go at least 2/3 of the time. Don't buy to exchange.

We have had several enjoyable exchanges to Europe, though not to big, popular cities. They are mostly in more outlying areas. Usually you can day-trip if you don't mind driving, or better yet using public transport.

Anyway, read the stickies, study what fits your needs and ask questions.

Jim Ricks


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## Conan (Mar 2, 2011)

Living in New York, the only high-demand timeshare that's within reasonable driving distance would be a summer vacation week at Cape Cod (week 27 through 31 only). You'll need to be patient since summer fixed weeks (which is what you would want) are not so easy to find for sale. You would then have the choice of using your week, renting it at a modest profit, or depositing it into RCI Weeks where it would trade very well.

If you're not feeling patient, you could find an already-enrolled RCI Points week anywhere in the US, but only one that comes with between 60,000 and 90,000 RCI Points and maintenance to match at between 1 and 1.1 cents per point (so 60,000 points at $600 to $660 maintenance, etc.). I'm suggesting RCI Points in this case because you can get your feet wet in the timeshare world by going online 10 months ahead of your vacation date and seeing what's available among RCI Points properties. (RCI Points weeks also trade on the RCI Weeks side but they're not super traders and for better results you need to plan at least 18 months ahead.)

Anyway that's my two cents....


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 2, 2011)

*Reasonable Is As Reasonable Does.*




Conan said:


> Living in New York, the only high-demand timeshare that's within reasonable driving distance would be a summer vacation week at Cape Cod (week 27 through 31 only).


Different people have different stamina levels for car trips. 

By me, the distance from New York to Pennsylvania or New Jersey or Maryland or Virginia is within reasonable range by car.  

That would cover, for example, Virginia spots like Massanutten & Williamsburg & Virginia Beach, which are loaded with nice timeshares. 

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


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## Conan (Mar 2, 2011)

AwayWeGo said:


> That would cover, for example, Virginia spots like Massanutten & Williamsburg & Virginia Beach, which are loaded with nice timeshares.


 
They'll need to be selective though, since as far as I know Massanutten and Williamsburg are pretty poor traders.


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 2, 2011)

*Traders, Shmayders.*




Conan said:


> They'll need to be selective though, since as far as I know Massanutten and Williamsburg are pretty poor traders.


For people who get'm mainly for the purpose of checking in themselves for their own vacations, trading is _mox nix_ -- not to mention a surer approach to timesharing, particularly newbie timesharing, than the crapshoot of trying to exchange into other people's timeshares. 

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


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## Ridewithme38 (Mar 2, 2011)

AwayWeGo said:


> For people who get'm mainly for the purpose of checking in themselves for their own vacations, trading is _mox nix_ -- not to mention a surer approach to timesharing, particularly newbie timesharing, than the crapshoot of trying to exchange into other people's timeshares.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



From what I've heard...its nice to be ABLE to exchange if possible...I'm in NY also and have family/friends in the Pocono's so i was looking there for a little bit....because its definitely some place i would visit....But the problem is, there really are no Quality, exchangeable TS's in the Poconos, and what if one year i don't want to go to PA...And i like the resorts in Williamsburg, and the drive isn't horrible, but they're hard to exchange from because of the sheer number of them and i don't know if i could do that drive EVERY SINGLE YEAR

Its VERY hard to find a driveable TS from NY that has a good trading value AND is someplace i'd visit...Which is why i've been looking at Wyndham points


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## Conan (Mar 2, 2011)

65wheeler said:


> we would like to use an exchange system as we would like to travel overseas


 
Because Christmas is 10 months away, I took a quick look at what's currently available. 55,500 RCI Points would get you an Xmas week, 2-BR suite at a really nice timeshare in Umbria, Italy. 76,000 RCI Points would get you Xmas, again 2-BR, in St. Martin in the Caribbean. And as always there's lots of availabililty in Orlando/Kissimmee.


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## Conan (Mar 2, 2011)

Ridewithme38 said:


> Which is why i've been looking at Wyndham points


 
Wyndham points is a good (albeit more expensive) alternative to RCI Points, but probably not if the OP wants to be able to exchange into Europe.


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## Ridewithme38 (Mar 2, 2011)

Conan said:


> Wyndham points is a good (albeit more expensive) alternative to RCI Points, but probably not if the OP wants to be able to exchange into Europe.



Ahh...sorry i didn't notice the RCI Points comment about...RCI Points are great!


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 2, 2011)

*You Typed A Mouthful.*




Ridewithme38 said:


> From what I've heard...its nice to be ABLE to exchange if possible.


True. 

It is also nice not being stuck with the exchange crapshoot in order to be able to enjoy timeshare vacationing. 

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


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## massvacationer (Mar 2, 2011)

I also think you should take a look at club Wyndham points...there are drivable (from NY) Wyndham resorts in PA, MA, RI, NJ, MD and soon Vermont.....fairly complicated system - but you can get great deals on resale contracts on ebay and elsewhere.   

Take your time and research the options.  

RCI points ---- or a high TPU (with low maintenance fee) drivable distance RCI week might also be good choices


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## 65wheeler (Mar 3, 2011)

*thanks*

a big thank you to everybody for all your input.I really appreciate it. i saw a timeshare reals at bonnet creek,FL for $1500. $400 mf. seems too good to be true .I know florida means flying but I think once a yr is not too bad.


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## Ridewithme38 (Mar 3, 2011)

65wheeler said:


> a big thank you to everybody for all your input.I really appreciate it. i saw a timeshare reals at bonnet creek,FL for $1500. $400 mf. seems too good to be true .I know florida means flying but I think once a yr is not too bad.



Look on Ebay...you can get the same thing for less then half of the $1500 price

oh..Unless you ARE looking at the $1500 one on Ebay...the problem with that one is its an Every other Year, while i'm not as versed as some...i think the points expire after 12 months(Unless deposited, which adds costs) and the 210,000 points don't buy you that much during Prime Season(School breaks) at bonnet creek

Here's a list of Bonnet Creek rates and seasons...






see if you can only travel during school holidays(Like me) and you need atleast two bedrooms(I prefer two bedrooms) Your going to need atleast 224,000-308,000 points to get it at bonnet creek


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## timeos2 (Mar 3, 2011)

65wheeler said:


> a big thank you to everybody for all your input.I really appreciate it. i saw a timeshare reals at bonnet creek,FL for $1500. $400 mf. seems too good to be true .I know florida means flying but I think once a yr is not too bad.



You've got the right idea but this isn't a great price/deal. Look for this many points (or a few more) ANNUAL use & keep the price about the same or less and you've got it.  

Find plenty of offers at many timeshare sites such as this.


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## Ridewithme38 (Mar 3, 2011)

How about something like this 65wheeler.. http://cgi.ebay.com/Wyndham-Kingsga...=Timeshares&hash=item2c5b018f98#ht_5239wt_934

238,000 should get you a 2 bedroom at most places during prime season, the resort is driving distance away, and you can use the internal Wyndham system for exchanges...Close to the same price as the Bonnet Creek(BC was $862 per use($431 a year), this is $910)

I don't know how exchanges within the Wyndham/fairfield network work...or if this is a good trader outside of the network in things like RCI


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