Recommended Resale Brokers

[gleiser1965]

Hi everyone; I'm new here. I've spent hours reading the very useful and sometimes depressing) information. This is the most comprehensive site for timeshare owners. However, I've found it difficult to find updated information from past owners, info that could help current owners who need help resellling their units. I'm not sure if past owners don't come to the site anymore after selling their units. Anyways, if you are around, could you recommend a broker who has helped you in selling your timeshare? I've found hundreds of companies, many with similar names but, when googled, most are associated with scams. Thanks.

 

[DeniseM]

Hi and welcome to TUG!

Have you done any research to see what your timeshare is actually selling for on the resale market? Unfortunately, most timeshares are selling for 0-10% of original retail on the resale market.

To find what yours is selling for:
Go to ebay - http://www.ebay.com/sch/items/Timeshares-for-Sale_?_catref=1&_sacat=15897
Search for your resort by exact name
From the menu on the left click on "completed auctions"

That will tell you if any have sold recently on ebay and the selling price. (Be sure you look at SELLING prices, not just asking prices.)

There are definitely some reputable brokers out there, but most of them charge a commission of $1,000+, so unless you own a timeshare worth thousands of dollars, it's more cost effective to sell it yourself.

Here is an article to get you started: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44

If you find your timeshare has no resale value, you may want to consider giving it away: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132509

What ever you do, NEVER, EVER pay an upfront fee, no matter what they call it! REPUTABLE Brokers always charge a commission AFTER the sale!

 

[Carolinian]

eBay is the bargain basement of timeshare, a great place to buy, but a terrible place to sell. It will tell you the firesale price of your timeshare, but not the real market price. If the local tax collector obtains verified sales data on weeks sold where the timeshare is located, that gives you a much better idea of the broader market.

Also look at www.myresortnetwork.com , a reputable internet sales site as to completed sales.

As to brokers, try and see if there is a local one which specializes in timeshare where the resort is located, like Outer Banks Resort Rentals for the NC Outer Banks. That will probably be your best bet.

Timesharing Today magazine organized an association of reputation timeshare brokers who do not charge upfront fees, and you might see if any of their members will market your week. Many of them are very specialized as to what they sell.

Sometimes resorts themselves have a resale portal, whether a resale board onsite at the resort or a website page.

 

[Rent_Share]

Also look at www.myresortnetwork.com , a reputable internet sales site as to completed sales.

Do they update from "Asking PRICE" to actual "SOLD PRICE" ? They do charge $14.95 for the information

 

[DeniseM]

I am not suggesting the eBay is a good place to sell - but it's a realistic place to check resale value.

 

[csxjohn]

Do they update from "Asking PRICE" to actual "SOLD PRICE" ? They do charge $14.95 for the information

Good question. You pay $15 for each resort's report you want and may just see what was being asked. How would they know the final sale price?

 

[jefffudge]

Type in LTRBA (Licensed Timeshare Resale Brokers Association) on your computer. There you will find timeshare resale brokers who are licensed real estate companies specializing in various resort systems. Go to the Member Directory.

 

[Ron98GT]

eBay is the bargain basement of timeshare, a great place to buy, but a terrible place to sell. It will tell you the firesale price of your timeshare, but not the real market price. If the local tax collector obtains verified sales data on weeks sold where the timeshare is located, that gives you a much better idea of the broader market.

Also look at www.myresortnetwork.com , a reputable internet sales site as to completed sales.

As to brokers, try and see if there is a local one which specializes in timeshare where the resort is located, like Outer Banks Resort Rentals for the NC Outer Banks. That will probably be your best bet.

Timesharing Today magazine organized an association of reputation timeshare brokers who do not charge upfront fees, and you might see if any of their members will market your week. Many of them are very specialized as to what they sell.

Sometimes resorts themselves have a resale portal, whether a resale board onsite at the resort or a website page.

For the TS's that SOLD, do you know if the actual sold price is indicated, or the last asking price at the time if sale?

 

[Rent_Share]

You would be the third person to ask the same question in TUG

Do they update from "Asking PRICE" to actual "SOLD PRICE" ? They do charge $14.95 for the information

Good question. You pay $15 for each resort's report you want and may just see what was being asked. How would they know the final sale price?

For the TS's that SOLD, do you know if the actual sold price is indicated, or the last asking price at the time if sale?

 

[Ron98GT]

You would be the third person to ask the same question in TUG

And Drum Roll Please

And so, What is the Answer

 

[hvsmith2]

Do they update from "Asking PRICE" to actual "SOLD PRICE" ? They do charge $14.95 for the information

Not a chance, I'd say. I was speaking with a different reseller (also very reputable imo) earlier who told me it would be a disservice to all sellers to update offer prices to executed prices for all to see.

This seemed to me to be quite a pragmatic and not at all surprising stance. It's what I expected to hear.

 

[Rent_Share]

Not a chance, I'd say. I was speaking with a different reseller (also very reputable imo) earlier who told me it would be a disservice to all sellers to update offer prices to executed prices for all to see.

This seemed to me to be quite a pragmatic and not at all surprising stance. It's what I expected to hear.

Especially if he is charging for his listings and the yield is less than the ad costs

 

[vacationtime1]

Do they update from "Asking PRICE" to actual "SOLD PRICE" ? They do charge $14.95 for the information

How would MRN even know the final sales price (and terms)?

I have sold a couple there and rented out a bunch; I have never been asked for the real number at the end of the transaction.

Also, because no sale date is shown, unless MRN has a method of showing the date of the transaction to those who pay $14.95, it would be impossible to know how stale the data is.

(Note: I like MRN and use it a lot, but it is what it is and it is no more than that.)

 

[bogey21]

As to brokers, try and see if there is a local one which specializes in timeshare where the resort is located, like Outer Banks Resort Rentals for the NC Outer Banks. That will probably be your best bet.

I don't know the situation today but years ago I had a lot of success both buying and selling Weeks on HHI using local brokers. Seller always paid commission but it wasn't all that high.

George

 

[swaits]

eBay is the bargain basement of timeshare, a great place to buy, but a terrible place to sell. It will tell you the firesale price of your timeshare, but not the real market price.

Absurd!

A week is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. This is basic Econ101 price theory.

There is no better way to determine an equilibrium price than on an open, free (as in free market, not free from fees), and transparent marketplace, just like eBay.

 

[csxjohn]

Absurd!

A week is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. This is basic Econ101 price theory.

There is no better way to determine an equilibrium price than on an open, free (as in free market, not free from fees), and transparent marketplace, just like eBay.

+1 for that.

eBay is viewed by the whole world. If not one person will bid $1 on a timeshare, that is its true value.

 

[hvsmith2]

Absurd!

A week is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. This is basic Econ101 price theory.

There is no better way to determine an equilibrium price than on an open, free (as in free market, not free from fees), and transparent marketplace, just like eBay.

I tend to agree with swaits although one thing that is becoming apparent to me is that timeshare weeks do not have a well-defined value that is the same to all participants.

What I think is clear is that if weeks sell for a nominal sum on, say, eBay then it's really not plausible that they are "worth" a great deal more. There is going to be a range though - in such a fragmented market where it is hard to get comfortable with the market participants.

If it were possible to actually see the full range of prices achieved, that would be a very interesting set of data. I suppose the timeshare companies do have that information because all the trades have to be disclosed to them but they obviously would never make that public - it would be quite damaging to their primary sales business.

 

[Rent_Share]

How would MRN even know the final sales price (and terms)?

The could ask if they wanted their "Market Value Report" to be of any Value, instead of a way of churning chump change

 

[bogey21]

Absurd!

A week is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. This is basic Econ101 price theory.

Agree, but the market is a whole lot larger than Ebay.

George

 

[bogey21]

+1 for that.

eBay is viewed by the whole world. If not one person will bid $1 on a timeshare, that is its true value.

Ebay is not the whole market. Back when I was liquidating my old casino chip collection I would sometimes get bids for a chip on Ebay in say the $100-$200 range and later sell the chip at a trade show or by word of mouth for over $2,500. If I would have limited myself to Ebay, I would have left thousands of dollars on the table.

George

 

[Rent_Share]

When was the last time you heard of a trade show for timeshare sellers and willing buyers ?

 

[lcml11]

When was the last time you heard of a trade show for timeshare sellers and willing buyers ?

E-Bay is a great place for a flipper (PCC or otherwise). These are all distressed sales from the perspective that they are being sold in a very short sales window. The normal customer is not going to sit and watch E-Bay 24 hours 7 days a week to find what they want.

This is where a re-seller can go to buy timeshares to fill "holes" in their inventory at the better resorts then re-sell them in other outlets. A good example is what I think is happening at Smokey Mountain and Myrtle Beach. Note the selling price on E-Bay and the asking prices by the re-sellers on their sits for the same Wyndham Point contracts at the same resorts.

If there is no market for a resort, alas, E-Bay probally will not save the day, nor the re-sellers who apparently are making market for the re-sale properties.

 

[csxjohn]

... The normal customer is not going to sit and watch E-Bay 24 hours 7 days a week to find what they want...

Really no need to sit at the computer to check TS auctions. They usually run for 5 to 7 days so if you check in twice a week you probably won't miss what you are looking for.

 

[RX8]

Ebay is not the whole market. Back when I was liquidating my old casino chip collection I would sometimes get bids for a chip on Ebay in say the $100-$200 range and later sell the chip at a trade show or by word of mouth for over $2,500. If I would have limited myself to Ebay, I would have left thousands of dollars on the table.

George

Agree.

Not every TS shopper is looking at eBay for a purchase.

Just because a TS sells for a dollar on eBay doesn't make that the true value for that TS across the board. Even on eBay I see a TS go for no sale at a $1 only to be relisted, get multiple bids and sell for a few hundred dollars.

It all depends who is in the market at that time for that particular resort and how badly they want it.

 

[Carolinian]

I am not suggesting the eBay is a good place to sell - but it's a realistic place to check resale value.

About to the same extent that only checking foreclosure auctions would be realistic as to the broad market price of houses. It is where you check the firesale price, not the broad market price.