# Opinions on purchasing ts in gatlinburg



## ehambrick (Jun 13, 2007)

i am considring purchasing a 2bedroom in gatlinburg, tn at the crown park resort.  the cost is 20k for an every year red.  the crown park is a goldcrown in the rci points system.  any input is appreciated.  thanks, eric
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## riverdees05 (Jun 13, 2007)

Pretty high cost, have you considered the resale market.  I own one that is a floating non summer and have done OK with it.  My resort trades both RCI and II.   Gatlinburg is really busy at times and it is becoming more and more a place that folks visit 9 - 10 months out of the year.


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## Spence (Jun 13, 2007)

ehambrick said:


> i am considring purchasing a 2bedroom in gatlinburg, tn at the crown park resort.  the cost is 20k for an every year red.  the crown park is a goldcrown in the rci points system.  any input is appreciated.  thanks, eric


Forget it!  Read this BBS and this BBS for a month and you'll know why and know what to do.


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## dougp26364 (Jun 14, 2007)

There is no way under the sun I would purchase a 2 bedroom at Crown Park for that price. 

I doubt you will find resale for Crown Park easily as it's still a relatively new resort. However, there are other, older resorts that can be found resale much cheaper than $20,000. I'd be looking at Gatlinburg Town Square, which is right next door to Crown Park.

Crown Park has a decent location if you want to be close to the Parkway (downtown) Gatlinburg and is a short drive from the Smokey Mountain National Park. However, it's never going to have much of a view IMO.

If I was looking to buy in Gatlinburg I would be considering resale on Gatlinburg Town Square, Bluegreens Mountain Loft and maybe even Westgate's resort (can't recall the name off the top of my head).

I would like to think that the I.I. Gatlinburg resorts would have better trading value than RCI resorts. My thinking is only because I.I. has pretty limited supply of units in Gatlinburg and RCI seems to quite a few more resorts to choose from. However this is only an opinion and I have no data to back it up.


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## geekette (Jun 14, 2007)

Fellow Hoosier, you might consider Bluegreen points to get to Mountain Loft and the other BG properties. 

Many are within easy driving distance.  If you happen to live near Indy, you can go to the preview center to learn all about it, THEN, buy on the resale market.  

bluegreenonline.com gives you an idea of the resorts/locations.

You do not need to spend 20k to get a lifetime of good vacations.


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## teachingmyown (Jun 14, 2007)

Yikes!  20K?  EOY?  Ok, at $1000 a week (medium price for nice vacation in Gatlinburg) that would take you 40 years to get close to recouping the price, never mind taxes, fees, and yearly maintenance!  

Or, considered another way, 20K per week times 104 weeks means you are purchasing the equivalent of a $2,080,000 CONDO.  For that kind of money I'll offer up my house!


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## dougp26364 (Jun 15, 2007)

teachingmyown said:


> Yikes!  20K?  EOY?  Ok, at $1000 a week (medium price for nice vacation in Gatlinburg) that would take you 40 years to get close to recouping the price, never mind taxes, fees, and yearly maintenance!
> 
> Or, considered another way, 20K per week times 104 weeks means you are purchasing the equivalent of a $2,080,000 CONDO.  For that kind of money I'll offer up my house!



Thus the standard TUG advice of purchasing resale. A Gatlinburg timeshare could probably be purchased on the resale market for around $1,000 to $3,000 rather than the $20,000 developer price tag.


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## SFCJD (Feb 14, 2008)

[_Message deleted. Advertising is not permitted on these forums. Please read this "how to sell" article for guidance on setting a price and advertising._ Dave M, BBS Moderator]


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## rod (Feb 14, 2008)

Yes, you can do MUCH better than $20,000 for a Gold Crown resort in Gatlinburg.

During the past 5 years I have been watching the sales of timeshare weeks at Tree Tops Resort, which is a RCI Gold Crown Resort, in Gatlinburg on eBay.  The fixed weeks there are weeks 22 through 35 (Memorial Day through Labor Day) and weeks 40 through 43 (leaf peeping season).  During the time I have been watching, the average price for a one bedroom fixed week is $1,053 and the average price for a two bedroom fixed week is $1,971.  These average prices do include the closing costs, which several sellers recently have been inflating in order to increase their profits.

The other weeks at this resort float, and are selling for an average of $1,117 for a one bedroom and $1,691 for a two bedroom.  No, you are not seeing things; the floating one bedroom weeks are selling for more than the fixed one bedroom weeks.  I attribute this to timeshare rookies who haved learned about buying resale and resort quality, but don't yet understand all the other ins and outs of timesharing.  At this resort the maintenance fee is the same regardless of unit size, and the floating weeks are definitely shoulder weeks and off-season weeks for exchange purposes, even though April, May, and September are good months to visit the area.


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## Dave M (Feb 14, 2008)

For those who consider posting here....

Note that the questions raised in this thread are *eight months old*!!


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 14, 2008)

*How The Time Flies.*




Dave M said:


> Note that the questions raised in this thread are *eight months old*!!


Shux, that's plenty enough time to amass a humongous portfolio of (resale) timeshares in Gatlinburg & Orlando & Williamsburg & Las Vegas & Cabo & I don't know where-all -- weeks & points _mox nix_. 

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


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## lprstn (Feb 14, 2008)

You can do much better resale.  Heck with my Wyndam Smokey Mountain is dirt cheap.  Keep looking.


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## sfwilshire (Feb 14, 2008)

rod said:


> No, you are not seeing things; the floating one bedroom weeks are selling for more than the fixed one bedroom weeks.  I attribute this to timeshare rookies who haved learned about buying resale and resort quality, but don't yet understand all the other ins and outs of timesharing.  At this resort the maintenance fee is the same regardless of unit size, and the floating weeks are definitely shoulder weeks and off-season weeks for exchange purposes, even though April, May, and September are good months to visit the area.



I would disagree that all the floating weeks are off-season. Gatlinburg has become a year round destination. I've owned at Tree Tops since 1996 and after I joined TUG and learned the truth about trade power, I started reserving Thanksgiving week every year. This is a very high demand time for the shoppers. I've had excellent trades through the years. There are other desirable times of the year, depending on whether you are interested in skiing and winter activites or warmer times.

Another factor is the number of Tree Tops owners that stay there year after year. It's a pretty high percentage. Not everyone wants to be there in the heat and humidity of summer or the chaos of October. Ironically, the weather seems to have changed in the last few years and the early November floating weeks may offer better leaf peeping than the fixed October ones.

Sheila


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## applegirl (Feb 15, 2008)

No WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please read these bbs boards for a while, then purchase resale. 20K for EOY is outrageous.


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## Bernie8245 (Feb 17, 2008)

The original post states that it is an every year red week not every other year.
Bernie


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## teachingmyown (Feb 18, 2008)

Bernie8245 said:


> The original post states that it is an every year red week not every other year.
> Bernie




Wow...you are right about that.  I for one totally misread that the first dozen or so times through!   But it's really moot, imo.  20K is just too much to spend on one week, even if it is every year.  The only way I'd consider it to be approaching reasonable is if it included maintenance fees for the next 25 years or so...


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## DConner (Feb 24, 2008)

Bernie8245 said:


> The original post states that it is an every year red week not every other year.
> Bernie



Bernie, you're missing the point...this is Crown Park Resorts...I would be very skeptical of any information, quotation or represtentation that this company makes.   

Attached is a link for my experience:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-34108.html


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## bccash63 (Feb 25, 2008)

I bought a resale at Tree Tops on ebay for less than $500.  The prior owners were members of the AVC that includes Tree Tops in Gatlinbug, Oakmont in Pigeon Forge, Casa del Mar in Ormond Beach, and Alhambra at Poiciana in Orlando.  The week you reserve at your home resort--in my case Tree Tops converts to 'points' in the Amber Vacation Club.  The points roll-over one year if you wanted to plan a longer vacation or use a larger unit or several units for a shorter period of time.  You can book from 1 day, 1 week etc in any unit size from a studio to a 3br pedestal.  Dawn


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