is my plan correct

[1965]

I just won on ebay moments ago
Marriott Grande Cheateu Las Vegas NEvada 2 bedroom+ 2 bathroom
Platinium season Bianuual lock off first year use 2015
I paid $1125 and no closing costs

Pls confirm the following in my plan
* I Pay $1125 for the MGC 2x2 platinium biannual lock off (2015) today
* I get past marriott ROFR or get my $1125 Back in next 30 days
* I close and get recognized in marriott vacation club System in (4) months about October 1,2013.
* I pay marriott for my 2014 annual dues in December,2013
* I book a (2) bedroom + (2) Bathroom at the marriott grande Cheateu in
March,2015 (NCAA March Madness week) in March,2014.
* I lock off the Marriott Grande cheateu 2 bedoom+ 2 bathroom March,2015 week with Marriott Vacation club in March,2014
* I deposit the Studio with Interval marriott
* I Deposit the one bedroom with Interval Marriott
* I get (2) Interval marriott trades between March,2014 to March 2017
* I Pay marriott for my 2015 annual dues in December,2014

 

[GregT]

I just won on ebay moments ago
Marriott Grande Cheateu Las Vegas NEvada 2 bedroom+ 2 bathroom
Platinium season Bianuual lock off first year use 2015
I paid $1125 and no closing costs

Pls confirm the following in my plan
* I Pay $1125 for the MGC 2x2 platinium biannual lock off (2015) todayYes, you will make some/full payment to the closing agent now -- I've paid $500 - $1,000 at signing and the balance at closing, and I've also paid the full amount at signing (when full amount approximated $1,000)
* I get past marriott ROFR or get my $1125 Back in next 30 days You will sign the purchase agreement and send to closing agent. They will submit the ROFR waiver request to Marriott and you should hear within 30 days. If it gets exercised, I assume the $1,125 comes back to you quickly, but not had that happen.
* I close and get recognized in marriott vacation club System in (4) months about October 1,2013. The closing agent will need to get the deed recorded in your name, and will send to the signed, notarized documents to the county recorder in Nevada. Once the deed is recorded in your name, then they will send to Marriott to record new owner name. The deed may be recorded prior to the ROFR waiver request, I've seen it done both ways. Once received by Marriott, they typically take 2-4 weeks to transfer the week into your name
* I pay marriott for my 2014 annual dues in December,2013 Yes, you will pay in December or January, for the 2014 MFs (half of your total MF bill)
* I book a (2) bedroom + (2) Bathroom at the marriott grande Cheateu in
March,2015 (NCAA March Madness week) in March,2014. yes, you will make a reservation -- subject to availability -- 12 months out
* I lock off the Marriott Grande cheateu 2 bedoom+ 2 bathroom March,2015 week with Marriott Vacation club in March,2014 Yes, you can pay the lock-off fee and have your 2BR broken into the two deposits
* I deposit the Studio with Interval marriott
* I Deposit the one bedroom with Interval Marriott You will have needed to open an II account, and have the Marriott week registered with II. If you already have an II account, you have to pay a fee to have the week registered with II.
* I get (2) Interval marriott trades between March,2014 to March 2017 Yes, that is correct
* I Pay marriott for my 2015 annual dues in December,2014Yes, you pay the balance of your MFs in December 2014/January 2015

Congrats on your purchase!

Best,

Greg

 

[ronparise]

Sounds like a plan.

The only iffy part will be...will the March Madness week you want be available. This will no doubt be a high demand week, and you wont be the only one going for it.

 

[jdunn1]

You seem to have a very good understanding about this. Just wanted to let you know that II changed the rules a bit (nothing formally announced) a couple years ago and a Marriott studio will no longer pull 2 bedrooms outside of flex and way off season. Getting a one bedroom with a studio is more of a long shot these days, too. I'm not saying you can't get a one or two bedroom with just a Marriott studio deposit any longer, but you definately need to be within flex or going for an off season week at most resorts.

When I first got into the Marriott game, a studio would pull just about anything but a little while ago II made it so you can only trade up one size. The good news is that your one bedroom deposit should pull just about any Marriott deposit out there, even two bedrooms but the studio will have much less pull in II.

I have a lock off unit and I no longer lock it off becuase the studio can't pull anything larger than a studio during red season weeks, even in Orlando.

I just wanted to let you know that while yes, you will get two Marriott trades with your lock-off unit, you really have to plan or be lucky in flex time to get anything larger than a studio when you are using your studio deposit for a trade. Some people do very well with studio deposits and they may chime in to give you advise, but I wanted you to know about the trade restrictions II will place on your studio deposit.

Welcome to Marriott.

 

[bazzap]

Lock off studios pulling anything more than studios through II may be getting mor difficult but they are definitely still working for us every year.
Perhaps this is because we usually exchange into resorts which only have 2 bed units and tend to avoid main peak season?
It is still possible though fortunately.

 

[NJMOM2]

I have a lock off unit and I no longer lock it off becuase the studio can't pull anything larger than a studio during red season weeks, even in Orlando.

I just wanted to let you know that while yes, you will get two Marriott trades with your lock-off unit, you really have to plan or be lucky in flex time to get anything larger than a studio when you are using your studio deposit for a trade. Some people do very well with studio deposits and they may chime in to give you advise, but I wanted you to know about the trade restrictions II will place on your studio deposit.

I only have a 1BR and the studio of my Harbour Lake on deposit to use for test exchanges. I did a test search from August 1, 2013 (outside of flexchange) up to 2 years from now for all Marriott timeshares. Yes, my 1BR sees ALOT more 2 and 3 BR Marriotts than my studio. However there are plenty of 1 and 2 BR available using the studio. The past few months I even saw some 3BR's in Orlando for summer of 2013 outside of flexchange - I wasn't looking for anywhere else. I was surprised to see Imperial Palms and a 3 BR at Grande Vista pop up using the studio during the summer.

Any up trade should not be expected. They are still available, less now than in the past according to some more experienced TUGers. I just started playing with lockoffs last year. Depending on where and when you want to travel both half of your week can each find up trades. Don't expect hard to get resorts in prime seasons. Orlando is almost always available. I had to wait until January 2013 to start seeing 2 BR and 3BR in Orlando during the summer of 2013 with my studio even though I was able to see them with the 1BR before then. You will be happy just always think of using the studio as a bonus.

Welcome to Marriott!

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Didn't I learn on TUG that if your first year of usage is 2015 -- that MF payments prior to that year should be the responsibility of the current owner?
(Of course, all things are negotiable)

 

[dougp26364]

Sounds like a plan.

The only iffy part will be...will the March Madness week you want be available. This will no doubt be a high demand week, and you wont be the only one going for it.

We've never had a problem BUT:

We've always reserved very early in the year and, we haven't booked a March Madness week since the DC came into play. I could see a situation where partial weeks from those wanting to go for a specific timeframe could bust up full week availablity, making it more difficult in the future. Lately we've been converting our MGC week to DC points, so we haven't had the opportunity to book our typical March stay.

 

[dougp26364]

You seem to have a very good understanding about this. Just wanted to let you know that II changed the rules a bit (nothing formally announced) a couple years ago and a Marriott studio will no longer pull 2 bedrooms outside of flex and way off season. Getting a one bedroom with a studio is more of a long shot these days, too. I'm not saying you can't get a one or two bedroom with just a Marriott studio deposit any longer, but you definately need to be within flex or going for an off season week at most resorts.

When I first got into the Marriott game, a studio would pull just about anything but a little while ago II made it so you can only trade up one size. The good news is that your one bedroom deposit should pull just about any Marriott deposit out there, even two bedrooms but the studio will have much less pull in II.

I have a lock off unit and I no longer lock it off becuase the studio can't pull anything larger than a studio during red season weeks, even in Orlando.

I just wanted to let you know that while yes, you will get two Marriott trades with your lock-off unit, you really have to plan or be lucky in flex time to get anything larger than a studio when you are using your studio deposit for a trade. Some people do very well with studio deposits and they may chime in to give you advise, but I wanted you to know about the trade restrictions II will place on your studio deposit.

Welcome to Marriott.

I have to disagree with the part about trading up. In our personal experience we haven't noticed any more of an issue recently than in the past. A couple of months ago we did a re-trade of a replacement week (was a December deposit originally) for a 2 bedroom September week at Desert Villa's 2. Yes it's off season but I wouldn't consider it way off season.

We also had to cancel an exchange of a Branson 1 bedroom we had exchanged for a Avon, CO 2 bedroom in July. This was definately a trade up in size in quality (silver leaf for golden laurel or whatever designation I.I. is using now).

Granted we are using more points based programs than in the past but, we still have the occasion to look for larger units with smaller units. For us the results have been very similar to the past 14 years of ownership. Some years are better than others but, on a whole I can't say I've seen a lot of difference. It just takes patience, frequent checking and learning what's typically doable and what's a really long shot. We tend to trade up in the same area's of Colorado and/or Missouri. It's never the very highest of high seasons but it's usually not the lowest of low either.

 

[dougp26364]

I only have a 1BR and the studio of my Harbour Lake on deposit to use for test exchanges. I did a test search from August 1, 2013 (outside of flexchange) up to 2 years from now for all Marriott timeshares. Yes, my 1BR sees ALOT more 2 and 3 BR Marriotts than my studio. However there are plenty of 1 and 2 BR available using the studio. The past few months I even saw some 3BR's in Orlando for summer of 2013 outside of flexchange - I wasn't looking for anywhere else. I was surprised to see Imperial Palms and a 3 BR at Grande Vista pop up using the studio during the summer.

Any up trade should not be expected. They are still available, less now than in the past according to some more experienced TUGers. I just started playing with lockoffs last year. Depending on where and when you want to travel both half of your week can each find up trades. Don't expect hard to get resorts in prime seasons. Orlando is almost always available. I had to wait until January 2013 to start seeing 2 BR and 3BR in Orlando during the summer of 2013 with my studio even though I was able to see them with the 1BR before then. You will be happy just always think of using the studio as a bonus.

Welcome to Marriott!

In the past couple of years I've seen 3 bedroom ocean front units at our home resort of Ocean Pointe using our studio deposit from Ocean Pointe. Unfortunately we've always been booked up when I've seen that opportunity and that makes me sad. If only because I'd LOVE to brag that I traded our studio back into our home resort for another 3 bedroom unit. That would make my original 3 bedroom into a 2 bedroom ocean front and a 3 bedroom ocean front, all in the same year. I've seen those units far outside of the flexchange opportunity.

I really don't know what criteria I.I. uses. I've found it best not to follow other TUGGERS experience on exchange matters because what they're looking for may be nearly impossible but what I'm looking for may be very doable. Exchanging is always a changing landscape anyway and what's true today may not be true tomorrow. I read the experiences and take them to heart but I still attempt whatever to get whatever it is we want. I've come away with exchanges where the general consensus was it woudl be difficult at best and very unlikely a match would be made.

 

[jimf41]

Didn't I learn on TUG that if your first year of usage is 2015 -- that MF payments prior to that year should be the responsibility of the current owner?
(Of course, all things are negotiable)

Yes, you are correct. But for that price I don't think I'd argue too much.

 

[dioxide45]

* I book a (2) bedroom + (2) Bathroom at the marriott grande Cheateu in
March,2015 (NCAA March Madness week) in March,2014.
* I lock off the Marriott Grande cheateu 2 bedoom+ 2 bathroom March,2015 week with Marriott Vacation club in March,2014

You should be able to perform these two steps at the same time, making it just one step. You really lock off first and then reserve the 1BR and studio separately.

Though if you have booked such a prime week, wouldn't you be better to rent it out for cash. It would only go to waste being deposited in to II and would pretty much be overkill.

 

[dougp26364]

.........
Though if you have booked such a prime week, wouldn't you be better to rent it out for cash. It would only go to waste being deposited in to II and would pretty much be overkill.

You're talking about Vegas, where you're competing with HUGE casino/hotels for rentals and, you're in a market where people prefer to rent a 2 or 3 nights vs an entire week. The rental market for Vegas seems pretty weak when it comes to timeshare. I'm not saying it can't be done. Just that there's a lot of compitition, Vegas travelers prefer short stays and Vegas travelers like to step off the elevator into the casino. Timeshares don't offer that luxury.

We've found the two studio lock-outs we have at Polo Towers, which is a step or two below Grand Chateau in style/comfort, have exchanged extremely well (we don't have a studio unit at Grand Chateau as we own a 3 bedroom). I would expect the studio unit at MGC to trade as well if not a little better than Polo Towers studio units.

I really doubt a Vegas studio at a resort with a very good location and Marriott quality would "only go to waste." Maybe if it were one of the off strip non-branded resorts but Marriott or any timeshare on the strip has good exchange power. Overdeveloped is overstated by to many TUGGERS IMHO.Location and quality of resort are so much more important than how many timeshare units are located within a region. With Vegas, I speak from an experienced view rather than based on theory.

I guess it just bothers me when TUGGERS insinuate that a studio Vegas week automatically is a poor exchanger with I.I. Having used very small studio units (Polo Towers studio's are maybe 300 sq. ft) for exchanges we've had personal experience debunking that myth.

 

[jdunn1]

I told you tuggers would chime in like crazy about how great studios exchange in II but I encourage you to read between the lines of these posts. The up trades are in off season or during flex time. Trading for things like the mountains in the summer or the desert in the fall/summer or even southern Florida in the the fall or late spring (i.e. May) is going to net you fantastic uptrades. But, if you want those resorts during red seasons, you will learn the hard way that a studio just doesn't work. I should add that the uptrade issue is confined to Marriott to Marriott trades. For some reason in II, all you need is a Marriott deposit (even a studio) and you can trade into just about anything else in II, even 2 or 3 bedrooms.

I'm not saying anything dispositve about Marriott studios and how silly for other tuggers to get offended by even the notion of someone trying to give pause to a new owner about the trading power of a studio. Having a Marriott studio deposit in II is fun and will give you fantastic trades but you really need to use that studio for off season trades or in flex to count on uptrades. I had to learn this the hard way. I thought a platinum Marriott studio deposit would get me into any other Marriott week I wanted, even into resorts with only two bedrooms available (i.e. the Carolinas). Not the case for summer weeks or for gold season.

With a Marriott studio deposit, the key to using it for uptrades in II are to go in off season, trade outside of the Marriott family of resort of use the studio for trades just outside of flex. The closer you get to flex, the more your studio deposit will see.

Have fun with your new purchase.

 

[timeos2]

You're talking about Vegas, where you're competing with HUGE casino/hotels for rentals and, you're in a market where people prefer to rent a 2 or 3 nights vs an entire week. The rental market for Vegas seems pretty weak when it comes to timeshare. I'm not saying it can't be done. Just that there's a lot of compitition, Vegas travelers prefer short stays and Vegas travelers like to step off the elevator into the casino. Timeshares don't offer that luxury.

We've found the two studio lock-outs we have at Polo Towers, which is a step or two below Grand Chateau in style/comfort, have exchanged extremely well (we don't have a studio unit at Grand Chateau as we own a 3 bedroom). I would expect the studio unit at MGC to trade as well if not a little better than Polo Towers studio units.

I really doubt a Vegas studio at a resort with a very good location and Marriott quality would "only go to waste." Maybe if it were one of the off strip non-branded resorts but Marriott or any timeshare on the strip has good exchange power. Overdeveloped is overstated by to many TUGGERS IMHO.Location and quality of resort are so much more important than how many timeshare units are located within a region. With Vegas, I speak from an experienced view rather than based on theory.

I guess it just bothers me when TUGGERS insinuate that a studio Vegas week automatically is a poor exchanger with I.I. Having used very small studio units (Polo Towers studio's are maybe 300 sq. ft) for exchanges we've had personal experience debunking that myth.

Doug has (IMO) the correct outlook on this. When you have an area like Vegas that is awash in overall timeshare inventory the QUALITY and unit size become extremely important to the value both as trade and for any rental. You have the quality in GC but studio's don't cut it for most timeshare owners except as a last resort. One of the big draws to timeshare vs hotels is the space & unit features that a studio tends to lack.

A 1 bedroom or 2 would be a great plan - a studio I'm not so sure of.

 

[dougp26364]

Doug has (IMO) the correct outlook on this. When you have an area like Vegas that is awash in overall timeshare inventory the QUALITY and unit size become extremely important to the value both as trade and for any rental. You have the quality in GC but studio's don't cut it for most timeshare owners except as a last resort. One of the big draws to timeshare vs hotels is the space & unit features that a studio tends to lack.

A 1 bedroom or 2 would be a great plan - a studio I'm not so sure of.

For a long time I had the same opinion of studio units as to how desirable they are for exchanges. We won't stay in them anymore ourselves.

Over time I've come to relize my opinion might very well be in the minority everywhere other than on TUG. I've spoken with a good number of timeshare owners that are fine staying in studio units and, in points systems, will choose them over larger units because they can stretch their points. They prefer more time to more space. Most will argue they only use the timeshare to shower and sleep.

Vegas is likely one of those towns where you're out of the timeshare more than you're in it. We've spent countless nights in Vegas and rarely used the kitchen despite the fact one of the advantage of timesharing is being able to prepare your own meals.

Beach resorts can be the same way with guests prefering to spend their time on the beach or around the pool than in the timeshare except for sleeping and bathing.

Cruising is another example of preferences. I know a lot of cruisers who will always book an inside cabin and use it only to sleep and clean up. The rest of the time they're either in port or out and about the ship. Personally we hate to cruise unless it's in a balcony cabin and would never choose one of those very small, dark inside cabins without so much as a window for light.

Never discount the power of a studio unit. We've done pretty darn well exchanging them and there are a lot more people who are more than willing to vacation in a studio unit than what I originally assumed.

 

[PassionForTravel]

I'm in the camp Doug is talking about, I'll gladly trade space for time. Especially at the nicer resorts. All we really need is a bed, couch, microwave, refrigerator and a few utensils and most studios are still superior to a hotel room. Especially in places like like Vegas, Waikiki, or any city environment we would never cook in the room. Of course if I can get a 1bdr for not much more, then I'll take the 1 bd. Just like on a cruise if the upgrade to an outside or balcony isn't much more I'll take that but I'm perfectly happy with an inside.

Ian

 

[dioxide45]

You're talking about Vegas, where you're competing with HUGE casino/hotels for rentals and, you're in a market where people prefer to rent a 2 or 3 nights vs an entire week. The rental market for Vegas seems pretty weak when it comes to timeshare. I'm not saying it can't be done. Just that there's a lot of compitition, Vegas travelers prefer short stays and Vegas travelers like to step off the elevator into the casino. Timeshares don't offer that luxury.

We've found the two studio lock-outs we have at Polo Towers, which is a step or two below Grand Chateau in style/comfort, have exchanged extremely well (we don't have a studio unit at Grand Chateau as we own a 3 bedroom). I would expect the studio unit at MGC to trade as well if not a little better than Polo Towers studio units.

I really doubt a Vegas studio at a resort with a very good location and Marriott quality would "only go to waste." Maybe if it were one of the off strip non-branded resorts but Marriott or any timeshare on the strip has good exchange power. Overdeveloped is overstated by to many TUGGERS IMHO.Location and quality of resort are so much more important than how many timeshare units are located within a region. With Vegas, I speak from an experienced view rather than based on theory.

I guess it just bothers me when TUGGERS insinuate that a studio Vegas week automatically is a poor exchanger with I.I. Having used very small studio units (Polo Towers studio's are maybe 300 sq. ft) for exchanges we've had personal experience debunking that myth.

I am not discounting the trade power of a Vegas MGC studio. My point was that the OP is looking to book a "March Madness" week, I would think that may fetch some good rents. Especially if it were a 2BR for rent. Though perhaps with it being Vegas and the over supply, I am wrong. The point is that it isn't really necessary to book that week to get a great trade, there are probably other great weeks that will do much better and not have the extra competition in booking as a March Madness week would.

 

[Quadmaniac]

I told you tuggers would chime in like crazy about how great studios exchange in II but I encourage you to read between the lines of these posts. The up trades are in off season or during flex time. Trading for things like the mountains in the summer or the desert in the fall/summer or even southern Florida in the the fall or late spring (i.e. May) is going to net you fantastic uptrades. But, if you want those resorts during red seasons, you will learn the hard way that a studio just doesn't work. I should add that the uptrade issue is confined to Marriott to Marriott trades. For some reason in II, all you need is a Marriott deposit (even a studio) and you can trade into just about anything else in II, even 2 or 3 bedrooms.

I'm not saying anything dispositve about Marriott studios and how silly for other tuggers to get offended by even the notion of someone trying to give pause to a new owner about the trading power of a studio. Having a Marriott studio deposit in II is fun and will give you fantastic trades but you really need to use that studio for off season trades or in flex to count on uptrades. I had to learn this the hard way. I thought a platinum Marriott studio deposit would get me into any other Marriott week I wanted, even into resorts with only two bedrooms available (i.e. the Carolinas). Not the case for summer weeks or for gold season.

With a Marriott studio deposit, the key to using it for uptrades in II are to go in off season, trade outside of the Marriott family of resort of use the studio for trades just outside of flex. The closer you get to flex, the more your studio deposit will see.

Have fun with your new purchase.

I would humbly say that everyone has different experiences. I have mentioned previously that the last two years I have been able to get springbreak and the last two years Christmas and New Years in Hawaii. Some have been during flex, some have not. I can not complain about what my studio has been able to pull.

It is matter of how much you search and if you search frequently, many times it is possible.

 

[1965]

it now has been two days since I bought this timeshare from Project
Philanthropy,Inc DBA Donate for a Clause with (1231) Ebay Feedback profile
98.4% Positiive No response after many many emails. If you were me
would you be concerned? what should I do next?

 

[Saintsfanfl]

it now has been two days since I bought this timeshare from Project
Philanthropy,Inc DBA Donate for a Clause with (1231) Ebay Feedback profile
98.4% Positiive No response after many many emails. If you were me
would you be concerned? what should I do next?

Only two days?? It is probably going to take months to complete the transfer so you need to have some patience. They buy and sell hundreds of timeshares. You need to give them a week to get a contract to you. It could be sooner, but two days is not enough time to have any concern. There was no need to send "many many emails". When these companies get a buyer that constantly calls and emails they put them on auto-ignore but continue the 2-4 months transfer process.

The wait is nerve racking, but there is nothing you can do. Just relax.

 

[1965]

Saints Fan
The Ebay auction description said I had to reply in (3) days. I just assumed
they would reply within those same (3) days required of me in the EBAY auction. I guess I will just have to wait and be patient

 

[Quadmaniac]

I just bought from them as well and they had a little problem with getting back to me right away. I think if you had sent them an email on eBay, you should get a response.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

Saints Fan
The Ebay auction description said I had to reply in (3) days. I just assumed
they would reply within those same (3) days required of me in the EBAY auction. I guess I will just have to wait and be patient

They still might since it has only been 2 days but the 3 day response time is one sided. I have purchased from quite a few ebay sellers and even though a few occurrences have been quick, the norm has been extremely slow and painful.

 

[1965]

I finally heard from the seller. It took (6) days. I completed all contracts and made payment in less than 10 minutes. It was all electronic. I will keep everyone up to date. If I get past Marriott ROFR