What should I buy

[bdh23]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Florida or other warm weather destinations but not the same one every year

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time? No maybe 30%

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Any Florida and Vegas

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 6

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
School summer June-August

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? No

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 3-4 stars

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? $20k but see them free or reduced here

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year? $1k - $2k

11) Are you a detail oriented planner? Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do? Yes but RTU points have an end date

 

[geist1223]

If you can not Book 12 months in advance Timeshares may not be for you.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Orlando is a very easy get with exchange, and so is Vegas.

There are so many options for your destinations, but if you are hoping for oceanfront FL during school breaks, it can be a little more difficult.

I will always recommend a resale at Marriott's Willow Ridge, Branson, or Marriott anything in Palm Desert, always platinum season. Palm Desert exchanges get me two great trades every year by paying $95 to lock off.

But my Grand Chateau, Marriott's Vegas resort, is a great option.

You can get a resale Marriott in Palm Desert in platinum season for $4,000 or so, closing included. Willow Ridge is not as expensive.

Be careful, as timeshare can be an addiction. I should know.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Welcome to TUG.

For Vegas and Florida, consider Hilton Grand Vacations (HGVC deeds) which offers multiple resorts. Suggest a Vegas Blvd, or Paradise 2 bdrm platinum 11,200 point unit. These have low maintenance fees (about $1200 including club dues) and can be purchased resale for $5000 - $9000 all in and make great points traders not only for these locations but but Hawaii and other locations. With points that come with these units you are not locked into a week to week trade - you can set several long weekends if desired or make your trip longer than a week.

There are smaller points and lower season for free or lower costs but with your group of 6 you will need at least 11,200 points in the HGVC system to get a 2 bdrm during peak season since your time is limited.

There is plentiful inventory in this system for these locations at 7 months or less unless you are seeking an event week the Formula 1 races or Superbowl.

I would not buy Florida because the MF are high and could go higher with insurance and hurricane risk.

You can learn more by reading the stickys on the HGVC forum.

Good luck!

 

[bnoble]

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? No

This is the part that has me worried.

As mentioned, if by "Florida" you mean "Orlando", then you'll be fine. But if by "Florida" you mean "oceanfront when the kids are out of school" then you may need to plan a little more in advance than you are currently contemplating.

It's not impossible to make it work. Some systems are a little more forgiving. For example, Wyndham's non-home resort bookings don't open until 10 months. If you end up going the weeks-based exchange route, Interval tends to have things come through later than RCI, which might be a better fit for you.

 

[bnoble]

RTU points have an end date

There aren't many of these other than Disney---and that doesn't sound like it would be a good fit for what you are looking for.

 

[SteveinHNL]

There aren't many of these other than Disney---and that doesn't sound like it would be a good fit for what you are looking for.

Plus the RTU expirations are generally pretty far out, so they may be the same as a lifelong payment obligation but hard to offload as the remaining time gets closer.

 

[Volkyro]

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 6

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
School summer June-August

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? No

Others have discussed #6 which I don't think is as big of an issue except when combined with the other two. I don't plan 12 months out, but I have the advantage of a traveling party of 2 and a wide open calendar. Assuming the 6 is a couple and 4 kids, you'll need at least 2bedroom units and probably preferably 3bedrooms. Those aren't too difficult to find outside of prime season. However, you're looking to travel around a school calendar with everyone else which means those units will be rare and costly. Personally, I think the 3 together mean you either need to increase your MF budget (your upfront budget will get you almost anything in resale), commit to a location instead of exchanging, or look elsewhere beyond timesharing.

Looking at something a bit more specific, you can currently get a 3bedroom at Tuscany Villas next summer for 48 TPU. Vacation Village Parkway is 22 TPU for a 2bedroom, and HGVC Seaworld is 60 TPU for a 3 in that timeframe. I'd expect most of the trips you'd like to do will be closer to that 50 TPU range for a week. TPU have WILD range of backing weeks and therefore value. I personally view the backing cost of mine around $40 each putting you into the $2,000 a year MF range to get a good week. That's not crazy, but it will take some hunting. Others have suggested HGVC which is a great brand, but I've always found the cost of entry to be too pricey.