Best quality trader purchase in timeshares today IMO is ....

[ondeadlin]

With the way Hyatt weeks have come down in price, and with the uncertainty surrounding the trading potential of Marriotts in the future, I'd argue that your best quality resale trader purchase right now is a 1300 point Hyatt week.

That's the points equivalent of a 2-bedroom trade a year in II with if not the highest trading power in the system, certainly among the highest. MF around $1,000 a year depending on where you buy.

Purchase price? Around $3,500 all in (fees included) if you're patient.

There's a Coconut Plantation week on eBay right now with a $2,200 buy-it-now that would fit that description.

Plus the points give you a ton of flexibility - you could break it up into three red-season studio deposits in II (430 points per deposit) or even five(!) flex-time trades (260 points per deposit and a MF-per-deposit of about $200 per week).

There are obviously cheaper weeks to buy into, but I think the trading power and flexibility can't be beat.

 

[yumdrey]

How about puerto ricco? I saw several hyatt resales in PR (on ebay) and it was cheaper than $3000. Maybe I am missing something?

 

[Larry]

How about puerto Rico? I saw several Hyatt resales in PR (on ebay) and it was cheaper than $3000. Maybe I am missing something?

Hyatt PR has many problems primarily because it was built with the hotel amenities of the Hyatt Cerromar hotel and the Hyatt Dorado that no longer exist and have been torn down leaving the timeshare a stand alone "ghost town" with no Casino, no hotel restaurants, no lazy river pool etc. etc. So right now it is basicaly a couple of timeshare buildings, with a nice beach and an Olympic pool with nothing else there or even nearby other than the old hotel golf course and clubhouse.

There are plans for a new Ritz Carlton and another hotel (Fairmont?) but no one knows what if anything will be arranged for timeshare owners to use.

In addition you must use a PR closing company aAttorneyourney to close which could add over $1,000 in extra closing fees and takes months to complete.

 

[heathpack]

Ond, totally agree but it is wrong to refer to the 260 pt weeks as flextime weeks. They are super-off season time, mud weeks or hurricane season weeks. There is no discount in the Hyatt system for last minute exchanges.

Consider in your math as well that each week generates an XYZ week, you slice your Hyatt up pretty easily to generate 6-10 weeks in II.

SFX can you great access to other resorts.

Right now I have booked weeks at Grand Mayan Los Cabos April, Royal Islander Cancun (wedding gift to give), and Westin Kierland all booked for this year. Plus I have 2 bonus weeks coming to me in SFX. And still have a ton of points left over.

Totally agree that Hyatt is the best trader out there right now.

Hacienda del Mar remains a troubled place to own, however, still a no-buy in my opinion.

The EBay Coconut Plantation week, what season is it, Ond?

H

 

[heathpack]

BTW, I personally think the best Hyatt buy is an 1880 pt (gold) week, buying an underlying resort and week and unit that works for you.

I haven't been watching prices, but I believe the going rate right now is around $7000.

IMO, you get the best balance between points per year, MF (which are the same no matter what season you buy), and initial investment. My thinking is that the biggest piece of this pie over 10-15 years is the MF, and I want the most points per MF.

Ond, what is your logic behind the 1300 pt week as your rec?

H

 

[travelguy]

Another super-trader to consider is HGVC. You can find the lowest price MF within the system and still have the trading power of HGVC within RCI AND II with a dual-affiliated affiliate. And trading within the HGVC system might be the best "mini-system" right now. And SFX seems to have an affinity toward HGVC deposits which adds another option.

Hyatt and HGVC are especially great traders if you want to trade into high quality resorts for week-to-week trades.

YMMV

 

[heathpack]

Another super-trader to consider is HGVC. You can find the lowest price MF within the system and still have the trading power of HGVC within RCI AND II with a dual-affiliated affiliate. And trading within the HGVC system might be the best "mini-system" right now. And SFX seems to have an affinity toward HGVC deposits which adds another option.

Hyatt and HGVC are especially great traders if you want to trade into high quality resorts for week-to-week trades.

YMMV

I think the point with Hyatt is that you can exchange for both quality & quantity, not just week for week. You can pretty easily take a single Hyatt gold week and trade for 7 weeks of top quality resorts in good seasons.

I don't know enough about HGVC to know how many weeks you can trade your weeks for.

H

 

[Rent_Share]

I think the point with Hyatt is that you can exchange for both quality & quantity, not just week for week. You can pretty easily take a single Hyatt gold week and trade for 7 weeks of top quality resorts in good seasons.

H

Maybe not the place - but can you explain please, or point me to a thread

 

[heathpack]

Sure I can explain it.

Hyatt gold week yields 1880 pts in HVC. MF around $1000.

Book a Platinum studio week and deposit with SFX. 680 pts, plus a $160 exchange fee gets you a 1 BR unit if you are Platinum member $100/yr.

SFX will then give you 2 one BR bonus weeks, one for $350 & the other for $400.

Now you have 3 1 BR weeks for $160 + $100 + $350 +$400 or $1010.

Then deposit your remaining 1200 points with Interval.

Book a peak season 1 BR unit for 870 points and 1 exchange fee $160.
Get a 1BR XYZ unit for just the price of the exchange fee $160.
Then book an off-season studio for 260 points plus exchange fee $160.
Then get another studio XYZ exchange for just the exchange fee, $160.

Now you have 2 more 1 BR units & 2 studios for $640.

Plus have 70 points leftover that are good in interval for 2 years.

Total cost $1000 (MF) + $1010 SFX + $640 Interval = $2650
Yields 7 weeks, under $400 each.

You can actually do WAY better than that once you learn the systems. But that is Hyatt trading 101.

H

 

[stevedmatt]

How well would this work if I actually needed 2 BR units?

 

[heathpack]

How well would this work if I actually needed 2 BR units?

If you need 2BR units, add $300 more to the costs thru SFX. You then have three 2BR units for $1310.

Then deposit with interval and book a 2BR yellow week for 1100 pts plus $160 exchange fee.

Then get a 2BR XYZ week for $160.

Yield is 5 two BR weeks for $1000 MF + $1310 SFX + $320 Interval = $2630 or $525/week.

You will have 100 points left in Interval for next year.

H

 

[heathpack]

If you need 2BR units, add $300 more to the costs thru SFX. You then have three 2BR units for $1310.

Then deposit with interval and book a 2BR yellow week for 1100 pts plus $160 exchange fee.

Then get a 2BR XYZ week for $160.

Yield is 5 two BR weeks for $1000 MF + $1310 SFX + $320 Interval = $2630 or $525/week.

You will have 100 points left in Interval for next year.

H

Next year you can use that left over 100 pts in combo with your new points to book a 2BR red week. So every other year you'd be alernating between red and yellow weeks in Interval.

 

[stevedmatt]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[ondeadlin]

My post was purely directed at II trading - I don't have the familiarity with SFX to offer an opinion on Heathpack's strategy. One question, though: I thought SFX doesn't accept studios? Wouldn't that impact the strategy?

Here's my own thought on an 1880 week vs. a 1300 week. The 1880 week is going to cost you about $3,500 to $4,500 more, and it's not going to get you that much more trading power in II (IMO). On the other hand, the extra money is a one-time sunk cost, so I could see the opposing argument.

My advice is only directed toward the week from a II trader perspective. An 1880 week will obviously get you more within the actual Hyatt system, but if I'm thinking I'm going to use the week for Hyatt, I'm buying a diamond week for $9,000 to $10,000 and getting maximum trading power.

 

[heathpack]

SFX will take really good studio weeks. A Beaver Creek studio ski week works, but you'd have to ask them to be sure before you booked. They also like Sunset Harbor. Aspen I'm sure they'd take.

There is no difference in trading power in II between a 1300 pt Hyatt week and an 1880 point week. They are the same, your specific week is not getting deposited anyway. The only difference in II is how many points you actually have to use.

I ran the numbers on your 1300 pt week. Assuming zero residual value to your week, the 1300 pt week beats the 1880 pt week for the first approx 10 years of ownership, then the 1880 week pulls ahead value-wise and never looks back. Of course, ten years in timesharing is a long time, everything could change by then.

So if 1300 points is enough (mostly because studios work for you) and you intend to hold 10 years or less, the cheaper Hyatt week is indeed a good buy. However, I think the 1880 pt week has a better chance of retaining some residual value and in the long run is your better buy, if you can stomach the bigger cash outlay.

H

 

[ondeadlin]

Nothing I can disagree with there.

 

[Rent_Share]

Sure I can explain it.Hyatt gold week yields 1880 pts in HVC. MF around $1000. Book a Platinum studio week and deposit with SFX. 680 pts, plus a $160 exchange fee gets you a 1 BR unit if you are Platinum member $100/yr.SFX will then give you 2 one BR bonus weeks, one for $350 & the other for $400. Now you have 3 1 BR weeks for $160 + $100 + $350 +$400 or $1010. Then deposit your remaining 1200 points with Interval.Book a peak season 1 BR unit for 870 points and 1 exchange fee $160. Get a 1BR XYZ unit for just the price of the exchange fee $160. Then book an off-season studio for 260 points plus exchange fee $160. Then get another studio XYZ exchange for just the exchange fee, $160. Now you have 2 more 1 BR units & 2 studios for $640. Plus have 70 points leftover that are good in interval for 2 years. Total cost $1000 (MF) + $1010 SFX + $640 Interval = $2650 Yields 7 weeks, under $400 each. You can actually do WAY better than that once you learn the systems. But that is Hyatt trading 101.

H

Too complicated for me But thanks for trying

 

[cbm32]

Too complicated for me But thanks for trying

I agree....after doing all that freakin math one would need several vacations to recover

 

[heathpack]

I agree....after doing all that freakin math one would need several vacations to recover

Fortunately, because you took 3 minutes to do the math, you can take SEVEN vacations.

Oh wait, no you can't, because that would be way too much time to spend(?).

Whatever, to each his own. One week of vacation is nice too.

 

[janej]

Sounds interesting! Do all Hyatt resort trade with II? Is there any other fee(s) on top of the maintenance fee? Is II membership fee included?

When you trade with II, do you have to decide how many points to deposit before you make an exchange? With Wyndham, I can play online with different sizes of units and even put an exchange to pending confirmation before deposit points to II.

Thanks,

Jane

 

[heathpack]

Sounds interesting! Do all Hyatt resort trade with II? Is there any other fee(s) on top of the maintenance fee? Is II membership fee included?

When you trade with II, do you have to decide how many points to deposit before you make an exchange? With Wyndham, I can play online with different sizes of units and even put an exchange to pending confirmation before deposit points to II.

Thanks,

Jane

All Hyatts trade in II. No other significant fees- all fees are $50 or less. There is a split week cleaning fee, there is a fee to move your points to club use, there is a fee to make a reservation in the Hyatt system, there is a fee to cancel a reservation, and a fee to get a guest certificate. If you are trading in II, you avoid most of these fees.

II membership is included in MF. The MF are per unit, not point, which is why the gold, platinum or diamond weeks can be better values- more points for the same MF. The trade-off is the gold, platinum or diamond weeks cost more to buy.

In order to trade in II, you must deposit your points first. There is a chart that tells you how many points you need per unit size and season (the season is based on the TDI for the week and that is very clearly defined in advance).

H

 

[Talent312]

The nice thing about HGVC for external trading is that for RCI, you get Hilton's corporate trading power, and a special point schedule with which you can reserve either points (nights) or weeks, without depositing anything in advance. Also, you can do it all online thru a dedicated RCI portal. Its almost "hotel" like.

Downside: No access to II unless at an 'outside' resort which is a mere affiliate of HGVC.
Also, you don't get your own personal RCI account.

 

[janej]

Thanks a lot for the information. Can you use the Hyatt II account for other weeks you own? Is deposit to II considered a transaction with fee attached? Where would you look for Hyatt timeshare? I don't see them too often on ebay. Is there a simple guideline on how much to pay for each gold, platinum or diamond point? What is a good MF/point ratio?

I am thinking about selling my DVC and trade for Hyatt. DVC is extremely easy to use and rent. But we have not used our points recently.

 

[ondeadlin]

Unfortunately, you cannot use your Hyatt II account for your other weeks (or a non-Hyatt account for your Hyatt weeks) - you must keep them separate.

Hyatt weeks are actually frequently for sale on eBay.

I would look at Sedona if I were buying again, because it has some of the lowest MF in the system.

As far as what points "should" cost, it would really depend on your desired use. If you want to use your points within the Hyatt system, I would hold out for a 2,200 point week, which you can get for $10,000 all-in, if you're patient.

If you just wanted to trade in II, I would buy a 1300 point week and try to get my costs below $3,000. The middle option would be an 1880 week, which could be had for $6,000 or less, if you're patient. An 1880 would give you more flexibility in II for the same MF, but would not allow you to reserve a 2 bedroom in the Hyatt system during the highest demand times (like winter ski or summer beach).

 

[JeffW]

.. An 1880 would give you more flexibility in II for the same MF, but would not allow you to reserve a 2 bedroom in the Hyatt system during the highest demand times (like winter ski or summer beach).

True, but an 1880 points would get you into almost any Hyatt resort at any time of the year. Probably at least a 1br, and likely even a studio at Carmel (think costliest resort). 1300 points REALLY limits you.

And just to add, although the OP is talking about 'back-trading' into II, I think, if you're going to buy a t/s that's part of it's own internal exchange network (Marriott, Hyatt, Starwood, etc), your'd really want to at least get a week that will work well in it. How M/H/S resorts trade to II can vary, but typically you should be in decent shape getting a trade within your own vacation club.

Jeff