# Cape Cod TS owners



## channimal (Sep 4, 2013)

Need your advice.  Finally, life has settled down and DW and I are interested in acquiring a Cape TS .. inventory doesn't seem to be too great.. and of the really good stuff (Brewster Green) the prices for "high" season aren't bargains.

I briefly looked at Innseason Vacation Club, saw some points for sale on redweek, but the MF on the points and with what I am sure is a complicated scheme for even being able to see/find availability leaves pure points holders stuck with non-summer studios.  Although the ability to use in NH, ME is attractive.  I don't really know if any other pure points systems have a good selection in the NE and can pull prime time 1/2 br?

So.. what is out there that is worth owning? We absolutely love going to Ptown and the state beaches just outside town there... and having the convenience of good eats and not having to battle Rt6/28 traffic to get back and forth from midcape.  Anything in ptown worth owning?  From what I am reading sandcastle is facing some issues so I think they are off the list for now.


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## Holly (Sep 5, 2013)

*Cape Winds*

Good little resort.  Trades fantastic.  In Hyannis, but not on the water.  I own two weeks there - one of the few with full kitchens too.  I'm thinking of getting rid of one week just because we bought a house in the country and now I just have too many timeshares.  Not sure though because they are such good traders.  

Very important - If you do get a TS in Cape Cod - make sure it's a summer week.


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## Holly (Sep 5, 2013)

Just saw that you wanted Ptown...as far as I know there is only one timeshare there.  I've heard good things about it but never been.  

Remember, most everything in Cape Cod is older.  You will most likely not find a "resort" ala Marriott or Starwood.  Something to keep in mind.


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## schiff1997 (Sep 5, 2013)

We own a 1 bedroom at Cape Winds week 34.  Still in weeks never converted.  Gets TPU's around 40.  Also considering selling.  We are really only hanging onto it as it s the only unit we own that trades for DVC but everyone is now getting older.


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## channimal (Sep 5, 2013)

Holly said:


> Good little resort.  Trades fantastic.  In Hyannis, but not on the water.  I own two weeks there - one of the few with full kitchens too.  I'm thinking of getting rid of one week just because we bought a house in the country and now I just have too many timeshares.  Not sure though because they are such good traders.
> 
> *Very important - If you do get a TS in Cape Cod - make sure it's a summer week*.



Yup.. that is a definite. I learned from Tugg and am buying on the cape: 1. I can drive there.. and someplace family would love to go every year, 2. only summer (or in weeks 26-36).  As much as DW and I love the cape.. we don't plan to be there when the water is cold and the wind is blowing a stiff 45F


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## Fayeoctober (Sep 5, 2013)

I don't own a timeshare on Cape Cod, but I wonder about your listing of summer weeks including Week 35 and Week 36?  Not sure how many families with kids in school go to the Cape, but schools are back just about everywhere by Week 35.  

In the South even Week 34 doesn't get as much business.


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## channimal (Sep 5, 2013)

those "shoulder" weeks give us Labor day or the week after and still great weather and warm water.. and a little bit less traffic   It would be DW and I use mostly or in-laws who want to join us for the week.. so no kids


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## theo (Sep 5, 2013)

*Some correction / clarification necessary here...*



Holly said:


> Just saw that you wanted Ptown...as far as I know there is only one timeshare there.  I've heard good things about it but never been.



There are actually *three* timeshare facilities in Ptown. I'd stay far away from the ongoing Sandcastle mess, but Eastwood is o.k. and Harbor Hill is also o.k. too, although Harbor Hill units have no a/c, when last I knew.

IMnsHO, Brewster Green (obviously _not_ in Ptown) beats any and all other Cape Cod timeshares, hands down (...no, I don't own there), but BG summer weeks always command high prices, when even available at all.


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## channimal (Sep 5, 2013)

yeah.. BG is actually our first choice.. DW rented an apt at Ocean's Edge for a couple of years while going to school.  Central enough to make it not too bad of a drive to the beach up by ptown but still have options if we didn't want to do beach.  Besides, DW favorite cape bakery is right across the street from the BG entrance off 6a 

Just no 26-35 at a price which I can afford


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## Joe33426 (Sep 5, 2013)

channimal said:


> yeah.. BG is actually our first choice.. DW rented an apt at Ocean's Edge for a couple of years while going to school.  Central enough to make it not too bad of a drive to the beach up by ptown but still have options if we didn't want to do beach.  Besides, DW favorite cape bakery is right across the street from the BG entrance off 6a
> 
> *Just no 26-35 at a price which I can afford*



Yeah, tell me about it.... I'm looking for a couple of weeks in early June and there just isn't any inventory and what's available isn't cheap.  I think that there's only 56 units in the Association, so that's a factor and prime summer weeks are likely used or rented.  

You saw the week 26 in the marketplace, right?

I think I'm done with e-bay for awhile and have a plan for snagging some weeks at BG, I just need some time to implement my plan.   If I see any summer weeks in my travels, I'll send you a message.


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## Bill4728 (Sep 5, 2013)

Be careful with point based TS plans in the Northeast. Several TS systems advertise that their point system lets you use your pts  to reserve any time of the year. BUT most of the summer weeks are not in the pt system and can not be reserved with points.


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## channimal (Sep 5, 2013)

Joe33426 said:


> Yeah, tell me about it.... I'm looking for a couple of weeks in early June and there just isn't any inventory and what's available isn't cheap.  I think that there's only 56 units in the Association, so that's a factor and prime summer weeks are likely used or rented.
> 
> You saw the week 26 in the marketplace, right?
> 
> I think I'm done with e-bay for awhile and have a plan for snagging some weeks at BG, I just need some time to implement my plan.   If I see any summer weeks in my travels, I'll send you a message.



yup.. saw the 26 and the *firm* price   Honestly,, I think DW and I would actually be happier with a week 35 due to less traffic .. long weekend and those ferocious greenheads are gone :whoopie:


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## GrayFal (Sep 5, 2013)

Bluegreen Vacation Club has two properties on Cape Cod 

The Breakers
http://bluegreenonline.com/explore/resortDetail.aspx?ResortID=118
And
The Soundings Seaside Resort
http://bluegreenonline.com/explore/resortDetail.aspx?ResortID=109

You can reserve at 11 months out - the points required will be on pages I referenced above.

Gives you flexibility for length of stay and unit size.


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## e.bram (Sep 7, 2013)

If you are going to the Cape, look for a TS ON the beach. Why else go?


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## MOXJO7282 (Sep 7, 2013)

At the end of the day sometimes you have to pay a premium for a premium product.  I've been faced with this decision in the past and would wait forever for the right deal to save a few grand but then realized that few grand is easily made up in the convenience and extra enjoyment you receive from the premium unit, the potential extra rent you could get if renting and the retention of resale value most premium units maintain.

So in the long run the extra you pay should be easy to recoup in one fashion or another.


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## Luvstotravel (Sep 7, 2013)

e.bram said:


> If you are going to the Cape, look for a TS ON the beach. Why else go?




to bike the Shining Seas bike trail.
take a whale-watching boat trip
visit a lighthouse
shop at funky art dealers
buy some cool jewelry from local artisans
tour local wineries
visit a museum


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## Luvstotravel (Sep 7, 2013)

We like going to Cape Cod, but honestly, I'm there to visit my daughter.  We live 8-9 hours away.  

We're going there in a few weeks.  We plan to spend time on a beach, but only a fraction of our visit will be about beach-time.  Frankly, we get bored sitting on a beach.  *yawn*  

We want to get to know the area a little bit.  Sitting and staring at waves gets really old, really fast.  Yeah, I know, I could read.  I drove 9 hours to read?  And my husband isn't a reader.  Ok, so we've sat on the beach and watched waves.  I read a few chapters.  Now what?  I know, let's go DO SOMETHING!!  Lol.


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## NKN (Sep 7, 2013)

See the list in post #16 plus:
1.  Plimouth plantation
2.  Drive to New Bedford and/or Newport
3.  Drive to casinos in eastern CT
4.  Is there a train/metro to Boston?
5. Any museums ?


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## tonyg (Sep 7, 2013)

Did anyone mention whale watching ?  We like the Cape and the main reason I like it is the great fish and chips at Clancy's and Chapin's in the Dennis area. I also suggest staying away from InnSeasons points, but InnsSeasons does have some nice resorts (and they have resales at many of them), tho many of them are in the Falmouth area which is about as far as you can get from Ptown. Just remembered another thing to do - Woods Hole.


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## channimal (Sep 7, 2013)

All great points.  DW loves ptown beaches...but she hasn't been to the Hyannis beach yet.  For us either a Hyannis ts or Brewster Green would be a great home base.  IMHO, Brewster Green is the nicest ts facility on the cape.  I've heard good things about Captain's Quarters.   As far as the notion of sometimes having to pay a premium for week/location that you absolutely want is valid.   TUG has taught me though to try and find the best deal always ;-)


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## Joe33426 (Sep 7, 2013)

channimal said:


> All great points.  DW loves ptown beaches...but she hasn't been to the Hyannis beach yet.  For us either a Hyannis ts or Brewster Green would be a great home base.  IMHO, Brewster Green is the nicest ts facility on the cape.  I've heard good things about Captain's Quarters.   As far as the notion of sometimes having to pay a premium for week/location that you absolutely want is valid.   TUG has taught me though to try and find the best deal always ;-)



I also read that Bluegreen is also do a major renovation at the Soundings Seaside in Dennisport.  I started to look into Bluegreen, but there was too much to read and there are definitely differences between resale points and developer points and there is only one "authorized" reseller.... Way too much information, thought my head was going to explode.  The resort is right on the water in Dennisport.


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## e.bram (Sep 7, 2013)

While waves can be boring, I enjoy watching them with my morning coffee
and my evening glass of wine from my oceanfront terrace. Also like  going to sleep with sound of the surf in the background. Watching sun rises and sunsets over the water is amazing. The TS has to be ON the beach for this.


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## Luvstotravel (Sep 7, 2013)

e.bram said:


> While waves can be boring, I enjoy watching them with my morning coffee
> and my evening glass of wine from my oceanfront terrace. Also like  going to sleep with sound of the surf in the background. Watching sun rises and sunsets over the water is amazing. The TS has to be ON the beach for this.



Meh.  To each their own.  

Just curious, do you ever go to a timeshare that's NOT on a beach?  And if so, why?


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## nerodog (Sep 8, 2013)

*cape*

It appears to me that the Cape has become more of a three season vacation spot.. summer, fall and spring. I own a  mid APril week at BG and a mid May week at Seamist. I never have probs exchanging these weeks and have good trading power with RCI for European exchanges or Caribbean even.   Both are nice resorts with lots to do around the surrounding areas.


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## twinmommy19 (Sep 8, 2013)

To us, the quality of the resort and units is more important than the property being on the beach.


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## GrayFal (Sep 8, 2013)

Joe33426 said:


> I also read that Bluegreen is also do a major renovation at the Soundings Seaside in Dennisport.  I started to look into Bluegreen, but there was too much to read and there are definitely differences between resale points and developer points and there is only one "authorized" reseller.... Way too much information, thought my head was going to explode.  The resort is right on the water in Dennisport.



Resale and developer points are used to reserve time at the resorts in the same manner at 11 months out from check-in.

One of the big differences between the two is that if you are a resale owner, you can only reserve bonus time at the resort where u r deeded.
I have owned for 3 years and have never used bonus time (booking for cash 45 days out) so this would not be a problem for me. If you did want to use bonus time at a particular resort, you would just make sure to buy your resale deeded at that resort.

It is a lot of information but once mastered, it is a very user friendly system. that does not nickel and dime the owners with fees. 

The resorts on the cape have been renovated and are very nice (friend stayed there this past year)


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## tonyg (Sep 9, 2013)

Whether you like being on the beach or not, there is no doubt that beachfront trading power will be higher.


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## SMHarman (Sep 9, 2013)

tonyg said:


> Whether you like being on the beach or not, there is no doubt that beachfront trading power will be higher.



Summer School weeks on the Cape are about as good as it gets TP wise. Beach front or inland which is never far from a beach. 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


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## ahdah (Sep 12, 2013)

We own three weeks at Brewster Green 22, 23 and 24 because with 7 grandchildren in MA, graduation is always week 22, so it has worked out for us.  We bought them all through Michele who works in the BG office.  We found it very easy to work with her and the staff at BG.  For several years we traded to the Cape, but we were never able to get BG in the summer.  After going to BG and looking at the property, we decided that it was the timeshare for us.  Our Marriott timeshares have decreased in value but not our BG. If we were to buy again on the Cape, it would be at BG.  The weeks that Michele has available are not on line, so worth a call, if she doesn't have what you want she will call you when she does.  BG is a well run timeshare.  Excellent manager and staff. There is week 26 available on TUG.  Good luck.


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## channimal (Sep 12, 2013)

ahdah said:


> We own three weeks at Brewster Green 22, 23 and 24 because with 7 grandchildren in MA, graduation is always week 22, so it has worked out for us.  We bought them all through Michele who works in the BG office.  We found it very easy to work with her and the staff at BG.  For several years we traded to the Cape, but we were never able to get BG in the summer.  After going to BG and looking at the property, we decided that it was the timeshare for us.  Our Marriott timeshares have decreased in value but not our BG. If we were to buy again on the Cape, it would be at BG.  The weeks that Michele has available are not on line, so worth a call, if she doesn't have what you want she will call you when she does.  BG is a well run timeshare.  Excellent manager and staff. There is week 26 available on TUG.  Good luck.



thanks! I'll give her a call.  I've been indoctrinated the TUG way so I am leery of buying from developer/retail


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## theo (Sep 13, 2013)

*Clarification...*



channimal said:


> thanks! I'll give her a call.  I've been indoctrinated the TUG way so I am leery of buying from developer/retail



Michele does not represent the developer; Brewster Green is fully sold out anyhow.
She is instead a licensed realtor who is also affiliated with a local real estate office.
That much being clarified, you'll still have to pay top dollar (...including her commission).


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## channimal (Sep 13, 2013)

theo said:


> Michele does not represent the developer; Brewster Green is fully sold out anyhow.
> She is instead a licensed realtor who is also affiliated with a local real estate office.
> That much being clarified, you'll still have to pay top dollar (...including her commission).



ouch


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## ahdah (Sep 13, 2013)

I would give her a call anyway, it is a point on the curve. That doesn't mean you have to buy from her, and you can see what is out there.  We found the price for the weeks reasonable.


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## SailBadtheSinner (Sep 28, 2013)

ahdah said:


> I would give her (Michelle) a call anyway, it is a point on the curve. That doesn't mean you have to buy from her, and you can see what is out there.  We found the price for the weeks reasonable.




Don't know if anyone is still interested in owning at the Brewster Green, but just got back from a week at BG, and here is the scanned list of resales Michelle is offering - 





SBtS


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## channimal (Sep 28, 2013)

Thank you very much! This is helpful!


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## NKN (Sep 29, 2013)

What are approx maintenance fees?


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## Joe33426 (Sep 29, 2013)

Thanks for posting the list!  Very helpful.  

I see one week on the list that I might be interested, but not sure if I want to pay the asking price.  I wonder how negotiable they are on the prices.  

Funny thing on the sheet says very high TPUs, which is true for the high red weeks, but not so much for the shoulder months.  Just one of the weeks on the sheet has high TPUs and even then the TPU/MF ratio is around $17, not a super traded, but good for someone looking to go to the Cape in the summer every year. 




NKN said:


> What are approx maintenance fees?



Around $700


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## e.bram (Sep 29, 2013)

IMHO. Basically all weeks on the Cape except for Summer weeks are worth $0.00 or less(neg value). This might effect the viability on all of them in the future.


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## NKN (Sep 29, 2013)

I just went online at RCI.  Brewster currently has about 75 units for exchange from now through 2015.  All off-season or shoulder season, ranging from 6-20 TPU's.

But I only have a total of 30 TPU's available to use, so if a unit was worth more than 30, I might not see it.

Also, it is really hard to tell what Brewster summer weeks would go for on RCI, since we almost never see prime summer weeks listed, historically.


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## Joe33426 (Sep 29, 2013)

NKN said:


> I just went online at RCI.  Brewster currently has about 75 units for exchange from now through 2015.  All off-season or shoulder season, ranging from 6-20 TPU's.
> 
> But I only have a total of 30 TPU's available to use, so if a unit was worth more than 30, I might not see it.
> 
> Also, it is really hard to tell what Brewster summer weeks would go for on RCI, since we almost never see prime summer weeks listed, historically.



I see this week 31 when I search (it requires 47 TPUs)

2 Bedrooms	 6 (6)	 Full	 Fri 31-Jul-2015	 Fri 07-Aug-2015	Exchange Fee 47


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## NKN (Sep 29, 2013)

That's always been my worst complaint about RCI.  If you don't have enough points or quality or whatever, they don't let you see "everything".


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## Joe33426 (Sep 29, 2013)

NKN said:


> Also, it is really hard to tell what Brewster summer weeks would go for on RCI, since we almost never see prime summer weeks listed, historically.



Since it's a small place (56 units or something like that) I think most summer week owners either use the week or rent them, so summer trades are probably going to be tough.  

Perhaps some deposits are picked up by ongoing searches.  The resort is also listed in the points program, so some deposits might show up in points, but are probably picked up quickly with folks with VRI group preference.


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## SailBadtheSinner (Sep 29, 2013)

NKN said:


> What are approx maintenance fees?




For our 2 bedroom unit (sleeps 6), paid $675.00.


SBtS


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## wackymother (Sep 29, 2013)

NKN said:


> That's always been my worst complaint about RCI.  If you don't have enough points or quality or whatever, they don't let you see "everything".



Now they do--you just have to check the box that says "Show all available exchanges."


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## persia (Oct 19, 2013)

Just got Brewster Green Week 23 in 2014 from RCI trade.


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## ProfPaul (Feb 11, 2014)

theo said:


> There are actually *three* timeshare facilities in Ptown. I'd stay far away from the ongoing Sandcastle mess, but Eastwood is o.k. and Harbor Hill is also o.k. too, although Harbor Hill units have no a/c, when last I knew.



There is no more "Sandcastle mess." A few complainers are still lingering, but the vast majority of owners there are perfectly happy with the way things have changed over the years.  

Without dredging up any old arguments, most of which went nowhere, let me say that we have been owners at Sandcastle for over 10 years, and we love the place--in fact, we just bought another week. The costs have gone up, yes, but that's because the previous management let everything go to hell, including the association's finances. So the new management had a big hole to dig themselves out of, and that required money--which came from them as investors, and from the owners.

It is now running well in the black, and there have been significant physical improvements. Despite the yowling from a few people, management has shown many times that everything they're doing is legal and above board. It's still not a Marriott, but it's a very sweet place to stay, and for Provincetown it's a great bargain.


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