# Cheap Silver/White Week for Trading (2008 thread)



## dioxide45 (Jul 17, 2008)

If one was looking to purchase a cheap low season (white/silver) week for use in trading during flexchange, which would be the best? Important things are low MF's, lock off, and low upfront cost. Two possibilities come to mind.

Legends Edge (Silver) - Can book at Ocean Point at 6 months out and lock off. Deposit in to II for trades during flexchange. Couldn't find what the MF are for silver as they don't appear in the MF list.

Horizons Branson (Silver) - Can lock off at 12 months out and deposit in II for trades in flexchange. MF ~$700.

We have great flexibility to book on short notice. Like the ability to "upgrade" to a larger unit as we sometimes have others travel with us. Also would have the Marriott internal exchange preference, even if only 3 days.

What would one expect to pay for these? Were either sold as an EOY option?

Anything else I may be missing?


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## ondeadlin (Jul 17, 2008)

Within flex, trading power isn't going to matter, so you want the absolute cheapest week with the absolute best MF bang-for-your-buck.

Outside Marriott, the answer would be Worldmark points. 4,000 points for any flex trade in II.

Within Marriott, the answer is a Summit Watch bronze week, $1,500 from Marriott, around $900 in MF, and you can lock it off and get two flex trades with the Marriott advantage. Outside of flex? Won't have much value at all.


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## LAX Mom (Jul 18, 2008)

I agree with the suggestion of a Summit Watch bronze week, but want to point out that the MF were almost $1,000 for 2008. I expect they will rise above $1,000 in 2009. But you can't beat these weeks for Flexchange exchanges!


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## luv2vacation (Jul 18, 2008)

If you're looking to stay at a Marriott, that Marriott priority is extremely important, especially during flexchange.  I check every AM in the summer using both my Marriott studio and non-Marriott studio.  The best Marriott weeks only come up with my Marriott studio and they are usually gone within minutes and never last for more than a day or two.  I can _never_ see them with my non-Marriott.

As for LE EOY silver - if you check carefully enough you might be able to find one.  Many people didn't think OP was sold in EOY, but I have 2 EOY gold weeks.  They weren't openly marketing EOY when I bought, but brought it put when I balked at the price of a week.  Since it was my pre-TUG days, I bit, with the option to purchasing the other half within a year's time at the 40% price (which I did).  Having had such a hard time selling LE, there might be a few of these out there.


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## hot2trot (Jul 18, 2008)

Summit Watch bronze does not trade very well, but a Blue week (the equivalent of a bronze week) out at Desert Villas I or II do!  If you book the right week it trades as red and not as yellow. Because there is a full service hotel on the grounds it ranks very high on II's scale (8 out 10) The M.F.'s aren't the cheapest, but you can pick up those weeks pretty cheap. You won't believe the trades you can get with those weeks!

Good luck!


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## dioxide45 (Jul 18, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions. I had read about Summit Watch bronze. However, with the MF ~$1000, add to that $200 for the exhange fees and one is paying ~$600 for each week. Compare this to a resort with ~$700 MF and then exhange fees it is closer to $450 a week.

Annual cost is a bigger factor in the decision than upfront cost, but the lower upfront cost the better.

Trading power really isn't at issue here as most if not all weeks would be in Flexchange.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 18, 2008)

Do you pay extra to lockout a Summit Watch?  I thought about getting one of these Bronze weeks, but I would rather have something that trades well and would get some respect in a Marriott internal system.  It's a difficult decision to decide what to buy, plus I cannot afford much right now.  I was thinking of Branson, but I want bottom-dollar price, and I know some slip through....


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## LAX Mom (Jul 18, 2008)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Do you pay extra to lockout a Summit Watch?



Marriott charges a $75 lock-off fee, applies to all Marriott resorts.


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## Steve A (Jul 18, 2008)

My Barony Beach silver is an excellent trader. Been to Hawaii, Aruba, Palm Desert, the Monarch and back into the Barony during July and end of August.


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## icydog (Jul 19, 2008)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Do you pay extra to lockout a Summit Watch?  I thought about getting one of these Bronze weeks, but I would rather have something that trades well and would get some respect in a Marriott internal system.  It's a difficult decision to decide what to buy, plus I cannot afford much right now.  I was thinking of Branson, but I want bottom-dollar price, and I know some slip through....



I owned two UT Silver weeks and couldn't wait to unload them. I searched each morning and believe me it was difficult to find a trade. I finally traded my last week a few weeks ago. They sat in my account for years. I wouldn't buy any of the UT weeks in anything less than Platinum time. 

I think that either DS I or DSII would be a good choice in the off season. 

I think a silver Barony or GO (and maybe Surfwatch) with the right week reserved, will do very well for trading no matter if it is flexchange or not.


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## thinze3 (Jul 19, 2008)

A platinum Marriott Legends Edge just sold on eBay for $4600 (I almost bought it). Just before trading my MLE July 2009 week for a 2BR July 2009 Ko'Olina week, I checked into Ocean Pointe availability. There were plenty of January and March weeks and a few February weeks available at OP. In September, if my trade hadn't come through, I was thinking about booking a March OP week and locking it off.

With MLE you would definately have a decent trader and multiple options at a low price. 2008 MF = $865

Terry


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## dioxide45 (Jul 19, 2008)

thinze3 said:


> A platinum Marriott Legends Edge just sold on eBay for $4600 (I almost bought it). Just before trading my MLE July 2009 week for a 2BR July 2009 Ko'Olina week, I checked into Ocean Pointe availability. There were plenty of January and March weeks and a few February weeks available at OP. In September, if my trade hadn't come through, I was thinking about booking a March OP week and locking it off.
> 
> With MLE you would definately have a decent trader and multiple options at a low price. 2008 MF = $865
> 
> Terry



Terry, Do you know if the silver week MF for MLE is also $856? The MF list only shows platinum. Unfortunately buying silver MLE won't allow one to use the Florida Club to get in to MPB platinum season. I guess the question is, how good is a MPB silver week as a trader outside of flexchange? Silver at MPB is weeks 18-21 and 35-50. This is mainly hurricane season. MPB is the only FC resort with a silver season and lock off so it would be the only option if one goes with MLE. I don't know how cheaply one could pick up a MLE silver week for. I think Marriott sold them for around $7500 at the end. They may still have some on the books.


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## luv2vacation (Jul 19, 2008)

My sister owns an OP silver week and it has been a very good trader.  In the last couple years, all OUTSIDE of flexchange, She has traded into 2 BR at Disney Wilderness Lodge (September), Surfwatch (August), and Ocean Watch (April), just to name a few.  I think she paid around $11K developer, but not positive.  A lot of people like to go there during November and December - it's a nice break from the cold of the northeast.  Also, silver includes Thanksgiving week.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 19, 2008)

luv2vacation said:


> Also, silver includes Thanksgiving week.



It may be difficult for one to book Thanksgiving week at 6 months out with the FC. Were your sisters trades with Thanksgiving week?


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## luv2vacation (Jul 20, 2008)

dioxide45 said:


> Were your sisters trades with Thanksgiving week?



No, I'm sure they weren't.  She's not the least bit TS savvy, I'm sure she just takes whatever Marriott gives her when she wants to exchange.  

I've tried & tried to help her learn how to use her TS (even) better but she just can't be bothered.  To me, it's enough that I got her to buy it - at least, after 20 years of marriage, she finally takes a vacation every year on her own (instead of just waiting to go on mine  ).


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## thinze3 (Jul 20, 2008)

dioxide45 said:


> It may be difficult for one to book Thanksgiving week at 6 months out with the FC. Were your sisters trades with Thanksgiving week?



Your correct. The "good" silver weeks would all be gone at the six month mark, and if you waited for the second half of the MPB silver season, you may not get anything at all.

I'll bet that you can buy a MLE Gold for next to nothing. Then you would have a great summer season at MPB. Summer at MPB is platinum at the new Oceana resort down the street.


Terry


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## michigander (Jul 21, 2008)

*MLE Gold and Florida Club*

We have a MLE Gold and have always used Florida Club to obtain Beach Place (May), GV (May) and OP (summer).  All have traded for whatever we wanted.  We've never been there and are happy to own it.


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## Bill4728 (Jul 21, 2008)

IMHO, forget about Marriott seasons and look at the II seasons.  Therefore: The Palm Spring's resorts have cheap summer weeks (silver or blue seasons) but they are red in II. (Granted they are pink not really red) They will likely trade much better than the other weeks talked about, which II lists as yellow or green weeks.


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## applegirl (Jul 21, 2008)

I have a Silver Shadow Ridge week and have traded twice into Newport Coast Villas.  Once in February a few months out (not great weather) and this year for the first week of September (should be fabulous weather).  I never really new how to do trading before I found TUG and now I think I'm more confident about being able to get some great trades.

I spoke to another TUG member a while back who owns Silver SR as does his dad and dad's friend.  Together they have all traded into Hawaii with their silver weeks over a dozen times.  Sometimes even in prime summer. His dad has also traded into NCV in prime summer before.  I think the 24 day Marriott priority has helped a lot in those cases.  

We can't wait to try for Hawaii someday.  We plan to never use our actual owners week again, since hearing these success stories.


Janna


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## Stefa (Jul 21, 2008)

What would be a good price for a silver week at MLE or one of the Palm Desert resorts?  

Thanks


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## Bill4728 (Jul 21, 2008)

Historically, A good price for the summer weeks at Palm Desert was about $5000 but in recent months that seem kind of high. Since, some fall weeks Gold/White season have been selling for about $6000, I'd look at about $4,000 maybe less for the summer weeks.


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## abdibile (Jul 26, 2008)

I have no info about ROFR, but there have some Horizons Branson Silver weeks been sold on ebay for less than $1,500 in the last few months.

So this would beat Summit Watch Bronze in annual fees and upfront cost.

Outside flexchange I would expect Branson silver to trade marginally better than summit Watch bronze, but still very poor.

Any strong arguments against Branson silver?




dioxide45 said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I had read about Summit Watch bronze. However, with the MF ~$1000, add to that $200 for the exhange fees and one is paying ~$600 for each week. Compare this to a resort with ~$700 MF and then exhange fees it is closer to $450 a week.
> 
> Annual cost is a bigger factor in the decision than upfront cost, but the lower upfront cost the better.
> 
> Trading power really isn't at issue here as most if not all weeks would be in Flexchange.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 26, 2008)

abdibile said:


> I have no info about ROFR, but there have some Horizons Branson Silver weeks been sold on ebay for less than $1,500 in the last few months.
> 
> So this would beat Summit Watch Bronze in annual fees and upfront cost.
> 
> ...



I think Branson silver may be the better choice. The lower MF and possibly lower buy in price (resale) will prove to be better in the long run. Finding them though it not easy. Guess I have to be methodical at watching EBay.


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## littlestar (Jul 26, 2008)

We bought a silver Horizons Branson EOY for $1,200 and sold it for that same price.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 2, 2008)

Took a presentation for Oceana Palms the other day (should have some photos of the model unit to post shortly). We discussed this strategy with the sales rep and he confirmed that Branson and Legends Edge would likely be the best options. He also mentioned Doral, but I think the MF are too high for this to be effective. Marriott has very little Ledends Edge and Branson silver inventory, but he could make a deal. A Branson silver doesn't have a MRP redemption, so that negates any benefit of paying developer price.

I plan to be on the lookout for either resort in silver EY or EOY. A MLE silver recently went on EBay for around $1700.


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## thinze3 (Sep 2, 2008)

*If buying from developer ...*

If you bought MLE silver and waited to within six months out of booking a silver week at Ocean Pointe, it would be too late to deposit MLE for points if nothing were available. But, if you happened upon a really good silver week (considered platinum at Oceana Palms) you would have a good trader.

Just a thought.


Terry


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## Stefa (Sep 2, 2008)

thinze3 said:


> If you bought MLE silver and waited to within six months out of booking a silver week at Ocean Pointe, it would be too late to deposit MLE for points if nothing were available. But, if you happened upon a really good silver week (platinum at Oceana Palms) you would have a good trader.



Silver OP would be a better trader than silber MLE, but if you deposite at six months out, some of that trading power would be lost.


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## applegirl (Sep 2, 2008)

hot2trot said:


> out at Desert Villas I or II do!  If you book the right week it trades as red and not as yellow. Because there is a full service hotel on the grounds it ranks very high on II's scale (8 out 10)
> Good luck!




I didn't know this!  But it makes sense.  We own silver at Shadow Ridge and I've know some people who have made some very good trades with their silver weeks (Hawaii and Newport coast in summer to name a couple!).

MF's aren't the cheapest, but you pay for what 's good.  I'd go with DSV I silver.  With the spa privilege and full access to the JW, it's the best value. Oh, and no ROFR.

Janna


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## thinze3 (Sep 2, 2008)

There is a full service hotel on site at Marriott's Legends Edge at Bay Point as well. Owners and guests at Legends Edge have full Spa use and get golf discounts.

www.marriottbaypoint.com


Terry


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## dioxide45 (Sep 20, 2008)

I've been seeing a number of Manor Club silver weeks on EBay lately that go for under $1K. I have noticed that these tent to be MMC instead of MSE. The only advantage with this would be to be able to lock off. Does anyone know what MSE silver units tend to go for? Any reason these don't come accross EBay as often?


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## dioxide45 (Nov 25, 2008)

I think we have decided to not even purchase a cheap week for trading. Looking at the getaways that we are able to purchase that fit our needs, the costs of MF and other fees outwieghs the getaway fees.

We bought a II getaway for $324 for a studio for Orlando MLK week. We recently saw 2BR for the same week for $404 (we are gold members in II). I inquired about upgrading and they did so for a cost of the exchange fee. If I was to buy a cheap Branson week I would have to pay ~$800 for in MF, $75 to lock off and $200 to exchange. This works out to over $500 for each week. Now I am more likely to get a good flexchange in peak months vs a good getaway in the same months, but for now we are finding the getaways to be working to our advantage. I just can't justify the purchase and additional liability. If I choose not to travel now, I just don't buy the getaway. If I buy a week I am tied in to that MF.


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## dioxide45 (May 15, 2009)

Tell me why I still find myself searching E-Bay for cheap weeks when I thought I had talked myself out of this?

We are seeing getaways for places we travel when we travel for half the maintenance fees that we pay. Why can't I help myself. Thank goodness I never pulled the trigger on an E-Bay auction.


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## thinze3 (May 15, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> Tell me why I still find myself searching E-Bay for cheap weeks when I thought I had talked myself out of this? ...




It's the same lack of reason that I watch Starwood and Hilton (and Marriott) auctions.


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## applegirl (May 15, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> We bought a II getaway for $324 for a studio for Orlando MLK week. We recently saw 2BR for the same week for $404 (we are gold members in II). I inquired about upgrading and they did so for a cost of the exchange fee.




Hi dioxide! We buy getaways several times a year to the Palm Desert Marriotts because we love it out there.  Could you please explain what you meant in the above quote about "upgrading for the cost of an exchange fee"?
I've never heard of this or done it but would like to know if I'm understanding you right.  Did II let you upgrade your getaway purchase from a studio to a larger unit?  What size unit did you upgrade to?

Thanks for the insight!

Janna


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## dioxide45 (May 15, 2009)

applegirl said:


> Hi dioxide! We buy getaways several times a year to the Palm Desert Marriotts because we love it out there.  Could you please explain what you meant in the above quote about "upgrading for the cost of an exchange fee"?
> I've never heard of this or done it but would like to know if I'm understanding you right.  Did II let you upgrade your getaway purchase from a studio to a larger unit?  What size unit did you upgrade to?
> 
> Thanks for the insight!
> ...



We booked a studio getaway at MGV (no 2BR were available at the time) for January 2009. When on vacation at Beach Place in November 2008 we saw a 2BR online for only about $75 more than we originally paid for the studio getaway. I called II about the ability to upgrade. They changed our unit to a 2BR and charged us the domestic exchange fee ($139).

I called back again at one time about changing the check in date by one day and they were not flexible. It worked out great for us anyhow, just checked in a day late. When I called back this second time they indicated that getaways are non changeable or non refundable and that they made the first change as a good will gesture. I must have lucked out on that first call. I would have actually been willing to just outright buy the 2BR getaway.

In our history on the II website the original studio shows as a canceled reservation and the re-booking is under an accommodation certificate.


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## applegirl (May 16, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> We booked a studio getaway at MGV (no 2BR were available at the time) for January 2009. When on vacation at Beach Place in November 2008 we saw a 2BR online for only about $75 more than we originally paid for the studio getaway. I called II about the ability to upgrade. They changed our unit to a 2BR and charged us the domestic exchange fee ($139).
> 
> I called back again at one time about changing the check in date by one day and they were not flexible. It worked out great for us anyhow, just checked in a day late. When I called back this second time they indicated that getaways are non changeable or non refundable and that they made the first change as a good will gesture. I must have lucked out on that first call. I would have actually been willing to just outright buy the 2BR getaway.
> 
> In our history on the II website the original studio shows as a canceled reservation and the re-booking is under an accommodation certificate.



dioxide,

Wow!  That is so interesting!  I'm glad it worked out for you and it certainly sounds like you got lucky.   Guess I shouldn't count on that in the future though.  Pretty cool they were able to do that for you.

Thanks so much for explaining 

Cheers,
Janna


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## ldanna (May 16, 2009)

thinze3 said:


> But, if you happened upon a really good silver week (considered platinum at Oceana Palms) you would have a good trader.
> 
> Terry



Does anyone know a link to Oceana Palms Calendar?


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## dioxide45 (May 16, 2009)

ldanna said:


> Does anyone know a link to Oceana Palms Calendar?



https://www.my-vacationclub.com/common/respages/pdf/resorts/sn/sn_calendar_20071129.pdf

While there are some weeks at Ocean Pointe that are platinum at Oceana Palms, I don't think this makes those silver weeks more valuable at Ocean Pointe. II uses a far more complex trading value system than the simple seasons Marriott uses. Marriott has consistently made their platinum seasons longer and longer over the years as new resorts came along. They do this to sell more weeks at premium prices. It doesn't make the weeks more valuable in terms of trading or even use.


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## indyhorizons (Jul 21, 2009)

Bill4728 said:


> IMHO, forget about Marriott seasons and look at the II seasons.  Therefore: The Palm Spring's resorts have cheap summer weeks (silver or blue seasons) but they are red in II. (Granted they are pink not really red) They will likely trade much better than the other weeks talked about, which II lists as yellow or green weeks.



I have been in the market for an additional week that I can use to trade. We originally bought developer (pre-tug ) and with the current market and the current ROFR, I have been keeping my eye out.

Does anyone have any thoughts to Bill's comment above. It makes sense to me, if I am reading it correctly. I have been looking for an EOY Branson plat (low MF's) but haven't seen a good deal of late. So with that in mind, have decided to look at the advice in this thread.  According to Bill's comment , Branson gold would be a good trader as well. (II red) Anyone have any experience with this? What about receiving AC's for gold weeks?


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## m61376 (Jul 21, 2009)

indyhorizons said:


> I have been in the market for an additional week that I can use to trade. We originally bought developer (pre-tug ) and with the current market and the current ROFR, I have been keeping my eye out.
> 
> Does anyone have any thoughts to Bill's comment above. It makes sense to me, if I am reading it correctly. I have been looking for an EOY Branson plat (low MF's) but haven't seen a good deal of late. So with that in mind, have decided to look at the advice in this thread.  According to Bill's comment , Branson gold would be a good trader as well. (II red) Anyone have any experience with this? What about receiving AC's for gold weeks?



I'd search the forum for "Branson." I know there was a recent post (I think by Grayfal) about her great Branson weeks trades.


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## Beverley (Jul 21, 2009)

Steve A said:


> My Barony Beach silver is an excellent trader. Been to Hawaii, Aruba, Palm Desert, the Monarch and back into the Barony during July and end of August.



Agree, we have gotten excellent trades also.


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## dhole (Jul 22, 2009)

*Silver Branson works for me.*

We bought two EOY Silver Branson Weeks to accomplish the following.
    1.  To give us 13 month booking for our Wiaohai and Grand Chateau weeks in the spring.  By locking out the Branson, and sometimes locking out our MGC we can get any week we need at MAW. We trade every other year with another MAW owner so we each get two weeks every other year.
    2.  We then use the locked off Branson to trade in and out of flex for our supplemental visits.  So far we have traded a Branson silver studio for a late January MGV 2 bedroom, a MMC April 2 bdroom, an Ocean Pointe May 1 bedroom and a Memorial Day Branson 2 br and a 2 Bd March Sabal Palms outside of flex. The Branson 1 bedroom traded for a  Sept Waiohai 2bdr, August Newport Coast 2 bedroom and a early June Oceanwatch 2 bdroom, all in flex.  Granted that you won't getting prime trades outside of flex, but the low cost and proximity (We can actually drive to Branson in about 4 hrs.) it has worked out great for us.  Your mileage may vary.


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## mulch1 (Jul 22, 2009)

I traded my Shadow Ridge (Palm Desert) lockoff for a 1 bedroom Ko Olina for this past July 4th during Flexchange.

I bought it on E-bay for $950 (Feb 09) the MF is about 950 as well.

Best thing I ever did.


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## normab (Jul 22, 2009)

I agree with the others who touted the silver weeks.  Our silver Bransons week just got us a platinum Kauai Beach Club more than 5 months out.  This was the first time we tried outside of the flexchange...


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## dioxide45 (Jul 26, 2009)

indyhorizons said:


> I have been in the market for an additional week that I can use to trade. We originally bought developer (pre-tug ) and with the current market and the current ROFR, I have been keeping my eye out.
> 
> Does anyone have any thoughts to Bill's comment above. It makes sense to me, if I am reading it correctly. I have been looking for an EOY Branson plat (low MF's) but haven't seen a good deal of late. So with that in mind, have decided to look at the advice in this thread.  According to Bill's comment , Branson gold would be a good trader as well. (II red) Anyone have any experience with this? What about receiving AC's for gold weeks?



The only warning with possibly buying in to Branson and also Horizons Orlando (now Harbour Lake) is that they are now part of the MVCI family of resorts. This means that sometime in the future (possibly on refurbishment cycles) they will be upgrading existing units to the "Marriott Standard". This doesn't mean they are bad buys but don't expect them to retain the low maintenance fees they now enjoy.


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## indyhorizons (Jul 27, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> The only warning with possibly buying in to Branson and also Horizons Orlando (now Harbour Lake) is that they are now part of the MVCI family of resorts. This means that sometime in the future (possibly on refurbishment cycles) they will be upgrading existing units to the "Marriott Standard". This doesn't mean they are bad buys but don't expect them to retain the low maintenance fees they now enjoy.



Another valid point. I already own at Harbour Lake and am holding my breath with that one.      In the meantime, I am hoping that an EOY Branson will help soften any blow that may occur as a result of future mf increases.


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## Dean (Jul 29, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> The only warning with possibly buying in to Branson and also Horizons Orlando (now Harbour Lake) is that they are now part of the MVCI family of resorts. This means that sometime in the future (possibly on refurbishment cycles) they will be upgrading existing units to the "Marriott Standard". This doesn't mean they are bad buys but don't expect them to retain the low maintenance fees they now enjoy.


I doubt it'll be that bad, esp for Branson but a SA might be in the cards in the next few years.  I think price, yearly fees and lockoff are the main issues but I don't think one should forget about the underlying value of the week in question.  That's especially true now when prices are much lower.  I would NOT buy a non lockoff FC property with the intent of using the FC lockoff, partly because you'll lose some control and lose potentially 6 months on your exchange life for any such deposits.  I still think Branson is the best choice for this situation but likely better Gold or even Platinum at the present time.  OTOH, if there's a resort you might use part of the time but otherwise fits fairly well into the other parameters, I'd put it at the head of such a list.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 29, 2009)

Dean said:


> I doubt it'll be that bad, esp for Branson but a SA might be in the cards in the next few years.  I think price, yearly fees and lockoff are the main issues but I don't think one should forget about the underlying value of the week in question.



I am quite surprised at what silver Branson weeks have been going for on E-Bay lately.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310156618048

I don't know if these still meet the criteria as a cheap week. I wouldn't expect them to go for as much as they do. Some in the past ended with very vew bids for less than $500. Apparently someone wanted this one real bad.


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## ldanna (Jul 29, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> Legends Edge (Silver) - Can book at Ocean Point at 6 months out and lock off. Deposit in to II for trades during flexchange. Couldn't find what the MF are for silver as they don't appear in the MF list.



Dioxide, I know you're a big fan of Legends Edge (I am also a big fan), but consider a platinum week at Legends Edge:

*if you wait a little, I have seen some of those weeks go for $3k, and maybe if you wait for the right time and make the right offer, you may pay less than this.

*MF should be around $900, not a low MF, but a good one, just $200 more than Branson.

*if you book during the 13 month period (you can use your MGV to do that), MLE has 10 weeks with with TDI 150.

*Still not a lockoff, BUT you can use Florida Club to reserve soth Florida lockoffs AND OceanPoint and BeachPlace have their best weeks during the first 3 months of the year, which means you will be able to look for a week in July, not so far away after you make the reservation at MLE (late april).


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## indyhorizons (Jul 29, 2009)

Dean said:


> I still think Branson is the best choice for this situation but likely better Gold or even Platinum at the present time.  OTOH, if there's a resort you might use part of the time but otherwise fits fairly well into the other parameters, I'd put it at the head of such a list.



I agree, and in fact was looking at a Branson Gold or Plat. The recent thread (resurgence I should say) on the new internal exchange system has me rethinking this for now. I can assure you, I have no desire to go to Branson again, so while I think it is a great buy for trading, I would not want to be stuck with it if for some reason I choose not to join a new internal exchange program (cost-prohibitive to join for resale owners).  It is not somewhere I would want to visit every year or eoy for that matter.

Just somethings to consider.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 29, 2009)

indyhorizons said:


> I agree, and in fact was looking at a Branson Gold or Plat. The recent thread (resurgence I should say) on the new internal exchange system has me rethinking this for now. I can assure you, I have no desire to go to Branson again, so while I think it is a great buy for trading, I would not want to be stuck with it if for some reason I choose not to join a new internal exchange program (cost-prohibitive to join for resale owners).  It is not somewhere I would want to visit every year or eoy for that matter.
> 
> Just somethings to consider.



While I don't think Branson may be the best choice, Harbour Lake may be a good option, cheapest would be gold and they would be a decent trader likely on par with MGV. You don't see very many of them go through E-Bay though. I wouldn't have an issue going to Orlando every year in addition to our MGV week, though I don't think I would actually want to stay at Harbour Lake (did it once, no thanks). It may be a good trader barring any new system Marriott may employ.


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## indyhorizons (Jul 29, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> While I don't think Branson may be the best choice, Harbour Lake may be a good option, cheapest would be gold and they would be a decent trader likely on par with MGV. You don't see very many of them go through E-Bay though. I wouldn't have an issue going to Orlando every year in addition to our MGV week, though I don't think I would actually want to stay at Harbour Lake (did it once, no thanks). It may be a good trader barring any new system Marriott may employ.



I already own a Platinum week at Harbour Lake. This has proven to be a strong trader for us, we went to Ko Olina this yr in June, and have gotten trades to NCV (April); Ocean Watch (June) Marbella (Flex-change); Desert Springs (April); Ocean Pointe (June); Surf Club (June)  All of these trades happened within months of depositing our week. Only the Marbella trade happened during flex-change. We have been happy with the results of our exchanges with this resort.


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## Dean (Jul 30, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> I am quite surprised at what silver Branson weeks have been going for on E-Bay lately.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310156618048
> 
> I don't know if these still meet the criteria as a cheap week. I wouldn't expect them to go for as much as they do. Some in the past ended with very vew bids for less than $500. Apparently someone wanted this one real bad.


Normally I would say that is a cheap week but given the specifics now where that price will get you close to a Gold or even Platinum week, likely not right now.  Especially when you figure that closing the the same regardless.  It's a little better than you wouldn't be getting the current week and trying to scramble to use it or get value for it.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 15, 2009)

Surprisingly here is another silver week that only went for about ~$500. Though the zero feedback seller and short auction duration probably didn't help.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250481108200


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## brianfox (Aug 19, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> Surprisingly here is another silver week that only went for about ~$500. Though the zero feedback seller and short auction duration probably didn't help.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250481108200



It also didn't help that they just had "Horizon" in the title and not "Branson".


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## dioxide45 (Aug 19, 2009)

brianfox said:


> It also didn't help that they just had "Horizon" in the title and not "Branson".



But there are only two resorts that this could have been Harbour Lake or Branson. Harbour Lake usually sells for a higher premium than Branson. So I still wonder why the low final auction price.


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## Dean (Aug 19, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> But there are only two resorts that this could have been Harbour Lake or Branson. Harbour Lake usually sells for a higher premium than Branson. So I still wonder why the low final auction price.


I was thinking it was about right to high given that with closing it would be around $1K total plus the next years week is coming up in only a few months reducing the options and trading power.  IMO, this was only a good deal for one who intended to use it exclusively for easy to get options like Orlando, in flexchange, or someone who could use it otherwise but their main goal was to take advantage of the 13 month reservation option at another resort.


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## brianfox (Aug 26, 2009)

Evidently, the "cheap" Branson week ain't so cheap these days.  A Silver Marriott Branson just ended on EBay for $1225 

Less than a week ago an identical week went for $504.  That had been the fair market average for a silver week for several months.

I had my snipe bid for today's auction set for $550.  Within the final minute it was bid to $500, then to $999, then to $1200, then to $1225.  This was between two bidders willing to pay in the thousand dollar range.  Incredible.


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## Dean (Aug 26, 2009)

brianfox said:


> Evidently, the "cheap" Branson week ain't so cheap these days.  A Silver Marriott Branson just ended on EBay for $1225
> 
> Less than a week ago an identical week went for $504.  That had been the fair market average for a silver week for several months.
> 
> I had my snipe bid for today's auction set for $550.  Within the final minute it was bid to $500, then to $999, then to $1200, then to $1225.  This was between two bidders willing to pay in the thousand dollar range.  Incredible.


ebay is always confusing.  One item may go for X price, the next identical item might go for 2 or 3 times X and then the next one might be the cheapest of all 3.  It just depends on who's looking at bidding and to a degree, on whether shill bidding is employed.  The who's looking and why is very important, esp for Branson.  IMO, the reason is that often one is trying to find something to use both for trading but also to combine with the 13 month  reservation window.  If the latter is the case, they're looking for a specific range of weeks.  And for those who are more informed, the seller and rating information makes a difference as well.  We'll see what the Gold week goes for, it should be barely more than the Silver one but you never know.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 26, 2009)

I think the zero seller feedback of the older auction really led to its low ending bid. I am still surprised at the high selling bids of some of these Branson silver weeks.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 26, 2009)

Dean said:


> We'll see what the Gold week goes for, it should be barely more than the Silver one but you never know.



It looks like the gold week went for less than the silver.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390083602425


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## brianfox (Aug 27, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> It looks like the gold week went for less than the silver.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390083602425



Gee...I can hardly wait to see a Platinum go for less than a gold!


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## Dean (Aug 27, 2009)

brianfox said:


> Gee...I can hardly wait to see a Platinum go for less than a gold!


The last EOY platinum I saw went for more than the last EY Platinum that I am aware of.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 30, 2009)

*Harbour Lake Plat*

Here is a Harbour Lake Plat that went for a little over $3500. There is a gold that I won't link to that looks like it may go for more than the Plat. I am surprised at how high some of these weeks are selling for at the moment on Ebay. It seems that Harbour Lake seems to garner much higher prices than Horizons Branson.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 1, 2009)

That gold went for a little over $3000. Not a real great deal IMO. It appears that the gold MGV weeks are going for about the same as the Platinum Harbour Lake.

Any explanation for the cost difference between MGV and Harbour Lake. I would think that they trade about equally.

Here is a recently ended auction for gold MGV that sold for ~$3600. Seeing that we paid about $7500 for a gold MGV back in 2007, I wince when I see this.


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## m61376 (Sep 2, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> Here is a recently ended auction for gold MGV that sold for ~$3600. Seeing that we paid about $7500 for a gold MGV back in 2007, I wince when I see this.



But think of the great vacations you've had in the interim. Those 3 years of vacations were probably worth the extra $3900. Besides, we can all say that it would have been nice to have had a crystal ball- but I am glad I didn't and bought in 2006, because I have priceless memories.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 2, 2009)

m61376 said:


> But think of the great vacations you've had in the interim. Those 3 years of vacations were probably worth the extra $3900. Besides, we can all say that it would have been nice to have had a crystal ball- but I am glad I didn't and bought in 2006, because I have priceless memories.



This is true. We have had great vacations out of the four use years. Heading to Orlando again in less than a week and access to the II getaways has been great.


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## Dean (Sep 2, 2009)

dioxide45;785081Any explanation for the cost difference between MGV and Harbour Lake. I would think that they trade about equally.[/QUOTE said:
			
		

> I would expect they'd trade about the same for many weeks but not for others.  I think the off season weeks for Branson will be lower trade power than HL but for a lower up front and yearly fee.  Branson is likely higher trade power for select weeks in Platinum though.  I think the real explanation as to the price difference is the same one you hear on sales tours, Orlando has a higher demand, and even though it doesn't make up for the supply, it does affect the way many people look at it when thinking of buying.  More know Orlando better and also think they may use it sometime and now that DVC is not with II, there isn't that additional block some had with owning in Orlando to trade.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 14, 2009)

*I think we found our week.*

I have been waiting until the transfer and all paperwork was complete. I think we found our cheap week for trading. Though we may have done better than originally expected when I initiated this thread.

We won this Ebay auction for an annual gold week at Marriott's Harbour Lake. We were very impressed with the time to transfer the week in to our names. Total time from auction end to recognized by Marriott is 60 days.

Intervalmax does a double close, so they transfer the unit in to their name and then in to the buyers name. This explains the $240 resort transfer fee they charge for Marriott weeks. Given the winning bid price of $809.99 we felt the higher transfer fee and closing costs were worth it. Total cost out the door including all fees was about $1475.00

*Our approximate time-line is as follows*
Auction Completed: 7/16/2009
Payment Sent: 7/17/2009
Closing Information Sent: 7/20/2009
Deed Recorded: 9/1/2009
Transfer Documentation Sent to Marriott: 9/3/2009
Original Recorded Deed Received: 9/14/2009
Resort Added On-line: 9/14/2009

Marriott's turnaround time has decreased drastically. This is great news for those buying resale at this time.


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## ldanna (Sep 15, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> I have been waiting until the transfer and all paperwork was complete. I think we found our cheap week for trading. Though we may have done better than originally expected when I initiated this thread.
> 
> We won this Ebay auction for an annual gold week at Marriott's Harbour Lake. We were very impressed with the time to transfer the week in to our names. Total time from auction end to recognized by Marriott is 60 days.



Congratulations!!. Great week at a fantastic price. It should trade as good as your Gold MGV. BTW, the eBay auction say it's not a lockoff, but is it true or all Harbour Lake units are lockoffs first come first served units?


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## Stefa (Sep 15, 2009)

ldanna said:


> Congratulations!!. Great week at a fantastic price. It should trade as good as your Gold MGV. BTW, the eBay auction say it's not a lockoff, but is it true or all Harbour Lake units are lockoffs first come first served units?



I believe Horizons at Branson works that way.  My understanding is that Horizons Orlando has dedicated lockoffs and non-lockoffs and that it is not first come, first served.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2009)

ldanna said:


> Congratulations!!. Great week at a fantastic price. It should trade as good as your Gold MGV. BTW, the eBay auction say it's not a lockoff, but is it true or all Harbour Lake units are lockoffs first come first served units?



The actual unit that was sold was not a lock off unit. Harbour Lake has only 48 lock off units in the newer buildings. The older buildings are not lock off units.

I wasn't 100% sure when bidding that it could or could not be locked off. I bid thinking it wasn't a lock off. It also appears lock offs are not always easy to score at Harbour Lake since they are first come first serve and limited in quantity.

I think Terry (thinze3) bought a week from Intervalmax (Beach Place Towers) that was listed in the ad as a non lock off but all Beach Place Towers units are indeed lock off capable. Guess that is possible with the Harbour Lake week we purchased.


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## Dean (Sep 15, 2009)

Stefa said:


> I believe Horizons at Branson works that way.  My understanding is that Horizons Orlando has dedicated lockoffs and non-lockoffs and that it is not first come, first served.


My understanding is they are treated the same and you can l/o if available.  As noted, there may not be much availability due to the limited numbers.  The 13 month priority window and Thursday start date should help tremendously.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2009)

Here is another auction that just ended today where a Harbour Lake gold week sold for under $1K. This was an individual selling their own week. From reading the questions it seems they weren't real sure what they were selling and also indicated that it wasn't a lock off. They indicated that 2010 was available, but indicated in another answer that they deposited for points but since Marriott hadn't deposited the points yet, the 2010 week was still available. 

It would be a bummer to buy it and end up having to pay those 2010 fees when they came due and be stuck without usage until 2011 because the seller got points for 2010.

With being able to use your own closing agent and only the single transfer fee, this would have come out close to if not under what we paid in the end for our recent Harbour Lake purchase.


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## thinze3 (Sep 22, 2009)

*Sorry - I'm a little late to the party.*

This is exactly what happened to me at BeachPlace. The preious owner had already traded their '09 week for points. We didn't find out about it until after closing when I called Marriott and tried to make a reservation. Intervalmax sent me a refund for the '09 MF's. All in all, it worked out better because all the good weeks were already booked for '09.

One good thing about Intervalmax having mistakes in their eBay listings is the fact that the final price is usually a little bit cheaper.  

Congrats on the purchase!


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## Dean (Sep 22, 2009)

thinze3 said:


> This is exactly what happened to me at BeachPlace. The preious owner had already traded their '09 week for points. We didn't find out about it until after closing when I called Marriott and tried to make a reservation. Intervalmax sent me a refund for the '09 MF's. All in all, it worked out better because all the good weeks were already booked for '09.
> 
> One good thing about Intervalmax having mistakes in their eBay listings is the fact that the final price is usually a little bit cheaper.
> 
> Congrats on the purchase!


The same happened with me with another seller and it also worked out to my advantage with a full refund of the dues.  I was given 3 options, cancel, look for another week in their inventory or a refund of the fees I'd paid and pick up with the next years week.  The latter was by far the better option for me and it likely helped me get the unit cheaper than I would have had the listing included the accurate information.


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## kjd (Sep 24, 2009)

When you purchase anything that is a resale, aren't the property conditions factored into the price?  It would seem to me that they are unless the buyer was unaware.  It's no different than buying a car with a bad transmission or a house with a leaking roof.

Most of the ads on Ebay that I have seen list the first usage of the unit.  In any event it is still a "buyer beware" problem and the helpful examples cited are a good primer for those looking to buy.  It's another reason to belong to TUG.


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## Dean (Sep 24, 2009)

kjd said:


> When you purchase anything that is a resale, aren't the property conditions factored into the price?  It would seem to me that they are unless the buyer was unaware.  It's no different than buying a car with a bad transmission or a house with a leaking roof.
> 
> Most of the ads on Ebay that I have seen list the first usage of the unit.  In any event it is still a "buyer beware" problem and the helpful examples cited are a good primer for those looking to buy.  It's another reason to belong to TUG.


Certainly assuming all is on the up and up.  However there is little way to protect yourself against hidden risks including a late deposit or exchange by the seller, a delayed closing which affects the value and options of a week you need to reserve or even frank misinformation that is difficult to verify.  Likely the best way to protect yourself is to simply know these are risks and plan accordingly such that if you get bit in these areas it's not too bad.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2009)

*Another Cheap Harbour Lake Week*

Another Harbour Lake week sold on EBay today, this one went for $1250. Wonder what happened to the the market on these? As recent as about 4-6 months ago, these were selling up-wards of $2000.



Dean said:


> Certainly assuming all is on the up and up.  However there is little way to protect yourself against hidden risks including a late deposit or exchange by the seller, a delayed closing which affects the value and options of a week you need to reserve or even frank misinformation that is difficult to verify.  Likely the best way to protect yourself is to simply know these are risks and plan accordingly such that if you get bit in these areas it's not too bad.



I think this is one of the main reasons Ebay auctions tend to sell for less than one would normally expect to pay through a broker or private listing outside of Ebay.


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## Dean (Sep 25, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> Another Harbour Lake week sold on EBay today, this one went for $1250. Wonder what happened to the the market on these? As recent as about 4-6 months ago, these were selling up-wards of $2000.


I agree that the ebay risk and uncertainty affects prices.  I actually think the $1250 is not that great or at least about right at the present time for a Gold HL week.  I don't see it as a bargain unless one will use it consistently.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 13, 2010)

*Great Example*

I promise I am not looking to buy more  , but I still check E-Bay every now and then. This MSE (lock off) sold on E-Bay for only $42. Even having to pay 2010 MF and the exorbitant closing costs, it still is a good cheap week for flexchange. With 2010 usage almost over though, paying those 2010 fees would be painful.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370316544134

Something else I noticed, has E-Bay removed the language at the end of their real estate auctions about them being non binding?


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