Kierland Low vs High Season Resale for Staroptions

[sherakay]

Hello,

I've been reading these forums for weeks now trying to absorb as much info as I can and while I think I understand what the 'smart financial' choice is I just want to be sure before I pull the trigger.

We currently own two DVC resorts and thought using the RCI option for cash reservations would make up for other vacations but the availability hasn't been great for what we're looking for.

Vistana seems to offer the resorts in the locations we want to go. Based on research I know to get a mandatory resort and have been looking at SVV vs Kierland. I see Kierland low season 1BR annual 25,800 SO practically being given away on Redweek and wonder, if these staroptions can be used anywhere and we travel in the shoulder season anyway, and would only need 3-5 nights at a resort in a 1BR or studio, is this not a good buy since we don't need a lot of points anyway?

Then I see high season 1 BR EOY being given away but the ad doesn't list the SO. Is that something that was accidentally left off, or are there no SO with that listing? Why would the listings for all of Kierland properties not include SO amounts if that is where the value is and info buyers want to know?

Thanks so much!

 

[alwysonvac]

25,800 SO may not be enough depending on where you want to go.
Keep in mind some folks may not know how SO works or their SO might be extremely low that they don’t bother mentioning it.

Here’s a link to the StarOptions chart - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?attachments/staroptions_value_chart-2018-pdf.5429/

I would first figure out where you want to go using StarOptions (destinations, time of year, length of stay & unit size/type) then use the chart to determine how many StarOptions you will need. Remember you can bank and borrow.

Brief summary of banking & borrowing with Vistana

• You have to bank your SO by July 1 and you have two years to use it. Just like DVC, once banked it can't be borrowed back.
• If you miss the banking window, the only option is to bank your week with Interval International before the end of the year (and it requires the full week).
• You can also borrow SOs but it requires you to pay next year's MF and from what I've read on TUG you can't book a reservation online using borrowed points (you have to call in which may put you at a disadvantage if you’re trying to book at a high demand resort)

 

[dioxide45]

The entire resort is mandatory and all weeks at WKV would come with SOs even if the ad doesn't list them. The reason some ads don't include the SOs is because the seller or broker simply doesn't understand what they are selling. Yes, it would probably sell for more if they included the SO amount, HOWEVER, those low season WKV are virtually worthless. Platinum Plus at WKV sells for a very high dollar amount, The 2BR-LO would go for around $15,000. The 1BR perhaps $7,500. The Gold Plus weeks at WKV are closer to the same prices as Sheraton Vistana Villages Platinum weeks. Don't waste your time on the gold weeks.

Here are all the SO costs for WKV

Platinum Plus 2BR-LO - 148,100
Gold Plus 2BR-LO - 81,000
Gold 2BR-LO - 56,300

Platinum Plus 1BR Premium - 81,000
Gold Plus 1BR Premium - 44,000
Gold 1BR Premium - 30,500

Platinum Plus 1BR - 67,100
Gold Plus 1BR - 37,000
Gold 1BR - 25,800

The problem with lower seasons as an SO generator is that you pay the same MFs for the same size unit regardless of the season. As you see, you would pay the same fee for Platinum Plus 2BR-LO as you would for the Gold season, but you get less than half the SOs. For an SO generator it is all about the MF to SO ratio.

As for the above, the units in red are by far are one of the best MF to SO ratio in the Vistana system. They sell for a hefty purchase price to, both because of this ratio and the rental value they can command during spring training in Arizona. The ones in orange are somewhat comparable to the Platinum season at Sheraton Vistana Villages, but not quite as good. They still hold some resale value but don't have great rental value because they can't book during spring break. Really, if you are considering Gold Plus season at KWV as an SO generator, look at SVV instead. The ones in green would have to be given away, along with perhaps giving away a free use year and some other bonus just to get rid of it. Don't buy any of the weeks that are in green, you may not be able to easily sell it again.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I keep thinking I want one of those Kierland 2 bed lock platinums, but I honestly don't think I need it.

 

[VacationForever]

Here are all the SO costs for WKV

Platinum Plus 2BR-LO - 148,100
Platinum Plus 1BR Premium - 81,000
Platinum Plus 1BR - 56,300
Gold Plus 2BR-LO - 81,000
Gold Plus 1BR Premium - 44,000
Gold Plus 1BR - 30,500
Gold 2BR-LO - 67,000
Gold 1BR Premium - 37,000
Gold 1BR - 25,800

The Platinum Plus 1BR is 67,100
The Gold Plus 1BR is 37,000
The Gold 2BR LO is 56,300
The Gold 1BR Premium is 30,500

Everything that says Platinum Plus is good, followed by Gold Plus. Gold is out.

 

[grrrah]

The entire resort is mandatory and all weeks at WKV would come with SOs even if the ad doesn't list them. The reason some ads don't include the SOs is because the seller or broker simply doesn't understand what they are selling. Yes, it would probably sell for more if they included the SO amount, HOWEVER, those low season WKV are virtually worthless. Platinum Plus at WKV sells for a very high dollar amount, The 2BR-LO would go for around $15,000. The 1BR perhaps $7,500. The Gold Plus weeks at WKV are closer to the same prices as Sheraton Vistana Villages Platinum weeks. Don't waste your time on the gold weeks.

Here are all the SO costs for WKV

Platinum Plus 2BR-LO - 148,100
Platinum Plus 1BR Premium - 81,000
Platinum Plus 1BR - 56,300
Gold Plus 2BR-LO - 81,000
Gold Plus 1BR Premium - 44,000
Gold Plus 1BR - 37,000
Gold 2BR-LO - 56,300
Gold 1BR Premium - 37,000
Gold 1BR - 25,800

The problem with lower seasons as an SO generator is that you pay the same MFs for the same size unit regardless of the season. As you see, you would pay the same fee for Platinum Plus 2BR-LO as you would for the Gold season, but you get less than half the SOs. For an SO generator it is all about the MF to SO ratio.

As for the above, the units in red are by far are one of the best MF to SO ratio in the Vistana system. They sell for a hefty purchase price to, both because of this ratio and the rental value they can command during spring training in Arizona. The ones in orange are somewhat comparable to the Platinum season at Sheraton Vistana Villages, but not quite as good. They still hold some resale value but don't have great rental value because they can't book during spring break. Really, if you are considering Gold Plus season at KWV as an SO generator, look at SVV instead. The ones in green would have to be given away, along with perhaps giving away a free use year and some other bonus just to get rid of it. Don't buy any of the weeks that are in green, you may not be able to easily sell it again.

Even the Green 1BR platinum+ (56k SO)? I was sorta thinking about going for one of those..

 

[Ken555]

Even the Green 1BR platinum+ (56k SO)? I was sorta thinking about going for one of those..

Anything Platinum Plus is good in terms of MF:SO. Ignore these colors as they're incorrect. Also, the SOs are also wrong...the small 1BR Platinum Plus includes 67,100 SOs (the small and large beds total 148,100; 67,100 and 81,000).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[dioxide45]

Anything Platinum Plus is good in terms of MF:SO. Ignore these colors as they're incorrect. Also, the SOs are also wrong...the small 1BR Platinum Plus includes 67,100 SOs (the small and large beds total 148,100; 67,100 and 81,000).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I fixed the colors to be inline with the SO chart. I got them all mixed up. This might just be easier.

 

[sherakay]

Thank you so much everyone and especially dioxide45 for explaining the key part I was missing! That you pay the same MF for what size unit you own NOT how many staroptions you get. I mistakenly thought it was similar to DVC that you pay MF based on how many points you own but I realize now that Vistana works differently.

Because we already owned two DVC properties in Orlando, I didn't want to purchase another Florida property which is why I was looking at Kierland. I honestly have no interest in Arizona at all but with a two year old and another on the way, a warm place to relax and have them splash at the pool was what I was looking for during the cooler months here in Seattle in Sep/Oct as they can't do much else for a couple of years save for our Disneyworld trips which we already have covered thanks to DVC.

With DVC you get Extra Vacations and Last Call cash reservation resorts in RCI but it's mostly Worldmark, Vacation Village and Hilton Grand Vacations, no Vistana since they use II. I'm so torn, we spent $19k buying in to DVC last year so I don't want to spend much more on Timeshares at the moment, BUT we do wanna travel small trips 2-4 nights one to three times a year in addition to our yearly DVC travels and/or cruises. A small amount of points for cheap seemed to be the best way to fill that gap.

Based on the values charts Gold Plus weeks 36-49 are the times my family would want to travel and thus are most valuable to us. Redweeks 1-21 are when kids are out of school and thus anywhere you go is way too crowded. I'm a flight attendant and we fly for free, but that also means that I've been trained to avoid flying during times kids are out of school if we want a chance at an empty seat on the airplane. Feb-April is usually spring break, April has Easter, the last week of May has Memorial day travelers, first week of January has left over holiday travelers so that really only leaves six-eight weeks out of five months that it's safe to standby travel. I also know that we wouldn't rent the weeks out for Spring Break in Arizona because we are buying because we need more vacation lodging to use for ourselves throughout the year. I could see us trying Kierland out for ourselves if we owned there at least once but it honestly looks boring for kids under 5 though.

Thank you for steering me clear of the Gold weeks entirely as I would hate to pay the same price for 11,200 less SO for the same amount of MF. This is an amazing site!

 

[sherakay]

Based off this info does this mean that it is not worth it to buy Gold Plus at SVV even if it can be had for cheap or free and/or if it's EOY?

 

[DeniseM]

It's not worth it - because you get far fewer Staroptions - which limits what you can reserve, and you have to pay the same maintenance fee that you would pay for a Plat week.

For instance: 2 bdm. lock-off:

Plat = 148,100 Staroptions
Gold Plus = 81,000 Staroptions (this is the equivalent of a 1 bdm.)

 

[dioxide45]

Based off this info does this mean that it is not worth it to buy Gold Plus at SVV even if it can be had for cheap or free and/or if it's EOY?

Gold Plus at SVV actually isn't that bad. Not as good as Platinum however. Gold Plus will not have as good of a MF to SO ratio, but they can be had for close to nothing and you may even find some units for sale that will include the current use year for free. If you only plan to own one week as a SO generator, I would not go for the EOY option. The problem with those are that you will pay the $150 VSN fee every year and it really pushes up the MF to SO ratio on the SOs that you only get every other year.

 

[dioxide45]

Thank you so much everyone and especially dioxide45 for explaining the key part I was missing! That you pay the same MF for what size unit you own NOT how many staroptions you get. I mistakenly thought it was similar to DVC that you pay MF based on how many points you own but I realize now that Vistana works differently.

Because we already owned two DVC properties in Orlando, I didn't want to purchase another Florida property which is why I was looking at Kierland. I honestly have no interest in Arizona at all but with a two year old and another on the way, a warm place to relax and have them splash at the pool was what I was looking for during the cooler months here in Seattle in Sep/Oct as they can't do much else for a couple of years save for our Disneyworld trips which we already have covered thanks to DVC.

With DVC you get Extra Vacations and Last Call cash reservation resorts in RCI but it's mostly Worldmark, Vacation Village and Hilton Grand Vacations, no Vistana since they use II. I'm so torn, we spent $19k buying in to DVC last year so I don't want to spend much more on Timeshares at the moment, BUT we do wanna travel small trips 2-4 nights one to three times a year in addition to our yearly DVC travels and/or cruises. A small amount of points for cheap seemed to be the best way to fill that gap.

Based on the values charts Gold Plus weeks 36-49 are the times my family would want to travel and thus are most valuable to us. Redweeks 1-21 are when kids are out of school and thus anywhere you go is way too crowded. I'm a flight attendant and we fly for free, but that also means that I've been trained to avoid flying during times kids are out of school if we want a chance at an empty seat on the airplane. Feb-April is usually spring break, April has Easter, the last week of May has Memorial day travelers, first week of January has left over holiday travelers so that really only leaves six-eight weeks out of five months that it's safe to standby travel. I also know that we wouldn't rent the weeks out for Spring Break in Arizona because we are buying because we need more vacation lodging to use for ourselves throughout the year. I could see us trying Kierland out for ourselves if we owned there at least once but it honestly looks boring for kids under 5 though.

Thank you for steering me clear of the Gold weeks entirely as I would hate to pay the same price for 11,200 less SO for the same amount of MF. This is an amazing site!

If you are just starting out, I think an SVV Platinum 81K week is really a good option. You can get your feet wet for little upfront cost. Expect to spend $1500-$2000 these days. They used to sell at or below $1200, but prices have been ticking up lately. Must be sure you are buying Key West or Bella phases at SVV as they are the only two mandatory phases of the resort that come with SOs.

 

[Biglou1228]

What is a good MF to SO ratio??

 

[vacationtime1]

What is a good MF to SO ratio??

Using that metric alone, I think the most favorable is the 67100 Kierland unit (small side; platinum season; MF's = $596).

But that metric ignores the purchase price, the annual SVN fee which varies depending on how many VSE units one already owns, and the rental value of the unit (being able to rent a unit at a profit is a substantial benefit).

 

[Ken555]

and the rental value of the unit (being able to rent a unit at a profit is a substantial benefit).

Only if you intend to rent and possibly in support of the resale price. I've owned for 13 years and never rented.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[hurnik]

Sorry to "resurrect" a semi-old thread (not sure it's really been necrod-haha).

Anyway:

I found this thread very informative (thank you).

There's some "bargain" deals for WKV, but they appear to be gold season, which seems to be not terribly desirable (according to this thread).
https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index...las-mandatory-resort-with-staroptions.281389/


I think there's also an SVV listed on the marketplace as well that's asking $500 (Key West 1Bedroom/1Bath, Platinum Floating Week).

Currently I only own HGVC, which is great, but has some shortcomings (no II access, nothing on Maui/Kaui, Caribbean, etc.)

I debated about buying a Marriott resale, but by the time you add on the "penalty", it was a bit much.

What I'd like:
Something to be able to trade into II. I'm also perfectly fine with "internal" trading (Sheraton to Sheraton) as I plan ahead.
BUT, in the event I can't trade/etc. would like to be able to rent out and at least cover my MF. I'm not sure if the SVV Key West would do that (orlando doesn't rent much, unless you can snag a Christmas week--but unsure about how Sheraton works that way).

The WKV would probably rent quite easily, but $12-13k is way more than what I want.

I kinda got the impression that to "get my toes wet" it may still be preferred to go with say, the SVV (Key West phase).

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[dioxide45]

Sorry to "resurrect" a semi-old thread (not sure it's really been necrod-haha).

Anyway:

I found this thread very informative (thank you).

There's some "bargain" deals for WKV, but they appear to be gold season, which seems to be not terribly desirable (according to this thread).
https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index...las-mandatory-resort-with-staroptions.281389/


I think there's also an SVV listed on the marketplace as well that's asking $500 (Key West 1Bedroom/1Bath, Platinum Floating Week).

Currently I only own HGVC, which is great, but has some shortcomings (no II access, nothing on Maui/Kaui, Caribbean, etc.)

I debated about buying a Marriott resale, but by the time you add on the "penalty", it was a bit much.

What I'd like:
Something to be able to trade into II. I'm also perfectly fine with "internal" trading (Sheraton to Sheraton) as I plan ahead.
BUT, in the event I can't trade/etc. would like to be able to rent out and at least cover my MF. I'm not sure if the SVV Key West would do that (orlando doesn't rent much, unless you can snag a Christmas week--but unsure about how Sheraton works that way).

The WKV would probably rent quite easily, but $12-13k is way more than what I want.

I kinda got the impression that to "get my toes wet" it may still be preferred to go with say, the SVV (Key West phase).

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

I wouldn't count on SVV renting well, perhaps not even well enough to even cover MFs. In years you can't use it, just plan on spending the $99 to bank the points for two years. If you want something you can trade in II but perhaps also have some flexibility, you could consider a 97,500 2BR lock off at SVV. These are a little harder to find, but they lock off in to two 1BR units. You can use the SOs from one half in network and trade the other half in II. The MF is higher than the 2BR dedicated 81K units, but the MF ratio isn't much more.

The 1BR SVV Key West unit would only come with 44,000 SOs. That really isn't a lot to get you anywhere. It won't get you in to Hawaii for a week. It may work depending on where and when you want to travel, but it also carries a $150 VSN fee which tends to make these not the best week to own on their own. They are a good add on week to an existing VSN membership.

WKV is a for sure renter that will more than cover your MFs, but as you said, the initial investment is significant. There is really no perfect answer, you just need to determine which works best for your budget.

 

[hurnik]

I wouldn't count on SVV renting well, perhaps not even well enough to even cover MFs. In years you can't use it, just plan on spending the $99 to bank the points for two years. If you want something you can trade in II but perhaps also have some flexibility, you could consider a 97,500 2BR lock off at SVV. These are a little harder to find, but they lock off in to two 1BR units. You can use the SOs from one half in network and trade the other half in II. The MF is higher than the 2BR dedicated 81K units, but the MF ratio isn't much more.

The 1BR SVV Key West unit would only come with 44,000 SOs. That really isn't a lot to get you anywhere. It won't get you in to Hawaii for a week. It may work depending on where and when you want to travel, but it also carries a $150 VSN fee which tends to make these not the best week to own on their own. They are a good add on week to an existing VSN membership.

WKV is a for sure renter that will more than cover your MFs, but as you said, the initial investment is significant. There is really no perfect answer, you just need to determine which works best for your budget.

Thank you for the information. I'll keep looking then. It sounded like a 1 BR Platinum SVV would be "OK" (earlier in the thread). Thanks again!

 

[alwysonvac]

Sorry to "resurrect" a semi-old thread (not sure it's really been necrod-haha).

Anyway:

I found this thread very informative (thank you).

There's some "bargain" deals for WKV, but they appear to be gold season, which seems to be not terribly desirable (according to this thread).
https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index...las-mandatory-resort-with-staroptions.281389/


I think there's also an SVV listed on the marketplace as well that's asking $500 (Key West 1Bedroom/1Bath, Platinum Floating Week).

Currently I only own HGVC, which is great, but has some shortcomings (no II access, nothing on Maui/Kaui, Caribbean, etc.)

I debated about buying a Marriott resale, but by the time you add on the "penalty", it was a bit much.

What I'd like:
Something to be able to trade into II. I'm also perfectly fine with "internal" trading (Sheraton to Sheraton) as I plan ahead.
BUT, in the event I can't trade/etc. would like to be able to rent out and at least cover my MF. I'm not sure if the SVV Key West would do that (orlando doesn't rent much, unless you can snag a Christmas week--but unsure about how Sheraton works that way).

The WKV would probably rent quite easily, but $12-13k is way more than what I want.

I kinda got the impression that to "get my toes wet" it may still be preferred to go with say, the SVV (Key West phase).

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Perhaps try an EOY Mandatory SVV to get your feet wet.



BUT think about where you want to stay within Vistana’s family of resorts and then determine how many StarOptions you’ll need. See the StarOptions Chart link provided in this thread.

For example you mentioned Maui and Kauai.

Internal Vistana trading for the Westin resorts in Maui/Kaui requires the following number of StarOptions:





NOTE:The internal Hawaii resorts have one season all year. Also the Westin Hawaii studios have a Kitchenette along with a full washer and dryer (see photos in this thread).
​

https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...rence-between-voluntary-and-mandatory.192674/

Similar to RCI exchanges with HGVC, you’ll need to be flexible for Interval International trades with your Vistana week.

Take a look at the TUG Sightings forum to get an idea of what has been sighted online in Interval International. Again similar to RCI, high demand destinations and/or peak travel dates will be snatch up within minutes so it’s best to setup an ongoing request.

Interval International (II) exchanges with Vistana is based on unit size. Ongoing exchange requests can be setup for a trade into a similar size unit or smaller. II recently added a new feature this year that allows you to trade into a larger unit (for an additional fee) via an ongoing request. https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/new-ii-ogs-search-feature-for-larger-units-than-deposit.276052