• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

1st Post: Interested in buying 2 Elara units

emoneybug

Guest
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
61
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Resorts Owned
Disney - Saratoga Springs 365pts (resale)
Hi all,
I'm interested in buying 2 Elara units:

1) 7000 or 7800 HGVC Points with the under $900 MFs to use to most likely trade and stay at other HGVC Resorts.

2) There is currently on ebay a 2bedroom platinum with $1246 MFs (Even Years). Use to split stay 3 days and the 4 days. Or if we can't go try to rent it out to recoup the MFs for the year. It's listed for $1

Questions:
1) I think I've seen some posts that a good price for the 7000points is $6,300 and $7,800points is $7K. Is that correct? Also, assuming closing and transfer type costs are around $1K. Typically on these purchases for HGVC points, who is paying (buyer or seller) ?

2) For the giveaway Elara units: a) if you own platinum, can you book a gold week? b) Typically who is paying the closing & transfer type costs (buyer or seller) ? c) Any pitfalls that I don't know about to this Elara giveaway unit? --I'm basically "renting" a 2 bedroom for $1,246 every other year ...right?

I've been a DVC Owner since 2012 so looking to try out Hilton then maybe Marriott down the road. For us DVC folks, welcome home :)
 

PigsDad

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
10,072
Reaction score
7,076
Points
898
Location
Colorado and SW Florida
Resorts Owned
HGVC Elite: SeaWorld, Surf Club, Charter Club, Valdoro
2) For the giveaway Elara units:
Be very careful here -- Elara was originally built by Westgate, and there a few Westgate deeds out there. Those deeds are completely separate from HGVC cannot be enrolled in / converted to HGVC and are usually given away for free. I wouldn't touch those with a 10-foot pole. Almost all HGVC deeds at Elara will be sold for some amount (not free), except some small-point, lower season deeds. Again, I wouldn't recommend those since the MF will be too high for the points you get.

Kurt
 

Sandy VDH

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,848
Reaction score
4,227
Points
648
Location
Houston, TX
Resorts Owned
Wynd VIP Plat GF, HGVC Elite, WM, HICV, +
Not all Elara units are HGVC. Make sure that you don't end up with a Westgate Unit. HGVC will not let Westgate units convert to HGVC.
 

ocdb8r

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
1,543
Reaction score
754
Points
473
Also be careful grabbing EoY units (that you can actually enroll in HGVC) as you will pay HGVC dues every year (even in the off years you don't get points).
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
3,945
Reaction score
3,401
Points
349
Location
The Land of Ice and Snow
Resorts Owned
HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
Hi all,
I'm interested in buying 2 Elara units:

1) 7000 or 7800 HGVC Points with the under $900 MFs to use to most likely trade and stay at other HGVC Resorts.

2) There is currently on ebay a 2bedroom platinum with $1246 MFs (Even Years). Use to split stay 3 days and the 4 days. Or if we can't go try to rent it out to recoup the MFs for the year. It's listed for $1

Questions:
1) I think I've seen some posts that a good price for the 7000points is $6,300 and $7,800points is $7K. Is that correct? Also, assuming closing and transfer type costs are around $1K. Typically on these purchases for HGVC points, who is paying (buyer or seller) ?

2) For the giveaway Elara units: a) if you own platinum, can you book a gold week? b) Typically who is paying the closing & transfer type costs (buyer or seller) ? c) Any pitfalls that I don't know about to this Elara giveaway unit? --I'm basically "renting" a 2 bedroom for $1,246 every other year ...right?

I've been a DVC Owner since 2012 so looking to try out Hilton then maybe Marriott down the road. For us DVC folks, welcome home :)

1) Is there a reason you are looking to buy Elara? The Boulevard standard platinum 2 bedroom has very similar MF’s (falls in between the 2 you list above) and is easier to find than the Elara Grand and Grand Plus units. The closing costs and Hilton Fees are more than $1000 (depending on the resort). The Hilton fees alone are $1018, though $609, along with the $176 club dues are billed later. You can negotiate with the seller on the fees. I paid for all of the fees on my purchase, but my purchase proving was fairly low. I also purchased title insurance on my purchase as well and that increased my costs too.

2) I would stay away from that unit. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s a Westgate unit and you will not be happy with that. You will still pay HGVC club dues, but have no access to the system. You can only book what you own and renting for MF’s in Vegas is very difficult. So many cheap places to stay gives way too much competition. When you decide to get rid of it, Wastegate makes it very difficult to sell and you will be stuck with it. Any time you purchase a timeshare, make sure it’s one that you can get rid of if you have to. Your option 1 is pretty to. Option 2? Not so much.
 

terces

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
311
Reaction score
84
Points
238
Location
Alberta
Resorts Owned
HGVC LVB x3, Sandos Mexico for RCI points
Hi emoneybug - first of all if you join TUG for a few dollars you will get access to lots of good info.
Your first point of MF's under $900 conflicts with your point number 2 where MF's are $1,246 and probably more accurate.
I highly doubt HGVC would ever let a true 7000 point platinum go for $1, no way.
What you have at the Elara is it is partially under a different ownership by Westgate and it is not a legitimate HGVC. Some brokers try to sell it as HGVC and you should get more information and clarity on this before going down that road. For me, and I have a deep background in commercial real estate, the waters at Elara were too murky so I opted for ownership at Las Vegas Boulevard. Even at other HGVC resorts there are the ones developed by HGVC and then there are affiliates. As you will be able to see from many different posts, the affiliates are much less secure of a risk - some of them just up and leave the system. It would be advisable to slow down and only jump in after doing lots of research. There are many units for sale and a continuous supply of resale, so you are not going to miss out on a "deal". These 7000 point units sell at about $44,000 at full retail. For a low MF unit you will probably spend in the $7000 range if you buy at an HGVC developed resort. If you buy at an affiliate you can get it for less, but you assume much more risk in my opinion. At $7k for a $44k unit you will pay about $0.16 on the dollar. Not a bad deal. The best part is that if you buy the very best you will be able to get rid of it when the time comes.
 

RX8

TUG Member
Joined
May 5, 2011
Messages
4,107
Reaction score
4,454
Points
449
Resorts Owned
HGVC and DVC
To add a bit more. With HGVC you are really only allowed to rent out your home week. There is no way you are going to rent a Vegas week anywhere close to almost $1,300 so don’t count on that option.
That said, have other Vegas owners made a club reservation elsewhere (like Hawaii) and rented that out? Probably...but it is written in the rules that you cannot do that so there is some risk in doing so.
 

SmithOp

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
7,610
Reaction score
3,403
Points
499
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
Resorts Owned
HGVC King's Land 2BR Premier 23.040K Points.
HGVC doesnt have split 3/4 stays for home weeks so that is a dead giveaway this is an orphan Westgate deed.

If you want to exchange within Westgate system they limit resale owners to 60 day window.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

TheTimeTraveler

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
5,952
Reaction score
2,858
Points
648
Location
Florida
Hi all,
I'm interested in buying 2 Elara units:

1) 7000 or 7800 HGVC Points with the under $900 MFs to use to most likely trade and stay at other HGVC Resorts.

2) There is currently on ebay a 2bedroom platinum with $1246 MFs (Even Years). Use to split stay 3 days and the 4 days. Or if we can't go try to rent it out to recoup the MFs for the year. It's listed for $1

Questions:
1) I think I've seen some posts that a good price for the 7000points is $6,300 and $7,800points is $7K. Is that correct? Also, assuming closing and transfer type costs are around $1K. Typically on these purchases for HGVC points, who is paying (buyer or seller) ?

2) For the giveaway Elara units: a) if you own platinum, can you book a gold week? b) Typically who is paying the closing & transfer type costs (buyer or seller) ? c) Any pitfalls that I don't know about to this Elara giveaway unit? --I'm basically "renting" a 2 bedroom for $1,246 every other year ...right?

I've been a DVC Owner since 2012 so looking to try out Hilton then maybe Marriott down the road. For us DVC folks, welcome home :)
 

TheTimeTraveler

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
5,952
Reaction score
2,858
Points
648
Location
Florida
You definitely want to avoid any Westgate unit at Elara as others have advised.

With that said, maybe you should take a look at Marriott's Grand Chateau.

Welcome to TUG.






.
 

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
9,747
Reaction score
8,273
Points
498
Location
California
Resorts Owned
HGVC, MVC Vistana
If the OP is only interested in points to go elsewhere, then Flamingo and Paradise 7k point units should also be considered as those are wholly owned by HGVC.

Although Marriott Grand Chateau is across the street from Elara, the MF is about $300 - $400 more per year and doesn't come with points to trade. Only option is trading in II for weeks. Enrolling in the MVC DC system to trade points would cost thousands if not ten thousand or more.
 

emoneybug

Guest
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
61
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Resorts Owned
Disney - Saratoga Springs 365pts (resale)
Thanks to all for the Feedback so far. Sounds like a major red flag/thumbsdown to the Westgate Elara Timeshares, thanks in advance for saving me on that.

2 HGVC I see for low entry right now. 4800point Flamingo $943 MFs and buyer pays closing, not sure if it well get bid up but if it doesn't, sounds like a solid deal to me. If I was cash poor today but wanted to get into HGVC, this seems like a good 1st purchase. Feedback?

The other is a 5000point Seaworld $1101 MFs and buyer is paying closing, also not sure if it well get bid up but if it doesn't this sounds really good in terms of not much upfront cash. Feedback?
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
3,945
Reaction score
3,401
Points
349
Location
The Land of Ice and Snow
Resorts Owned
HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
Thanks to all for the Feedback so far. Sounds like a major red flag/thumbsdown to the Westgate Elara Timeshares, thanks in advance for saving me on that.

2 HGVC I see for low entry right now. 4800point Flamingo $943 MFs and buyer pays closing, not sure if it well get bid up but if it doesn't, sounds like a solid deal to me. If I was cash poor today but wanted to get into HGVC, this seems like a good 1st purchase. Feedback?

The other is a 5000point Seaworld $1101 MFs and buyer is paying closing, also not sure if it well get bid up but if it doesn't this sounds really good in terms of not much upfront cash. Feedback?

Not a fan of the 1 bedroom units at the Flamingo. The MF per point ratio is very high, almost $0.20 per point. My Flamingo 2 bedroom MF’s are $0.15 per point (and that’s on the high side of acceptable). Be patient. As people get antsy about next years MF’s, the prices, and potentially the ROFR prices will start to drop. It’s a perpetual buyers market so you can afford to be picky.
 

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
9,747
Reaction score
8,273
Points
498
Location
California
Resorts Owned
HGVC, MVC Vistana
Check with the brokers listings too. I just saw a listing for 7K Paradise for $8000 with Carl Thoms at Paradise Resale www.timeshare-resale.com He is a reputable broker.
 
Last edited:

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
4,278
Reaction score
2,755
Points
598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
Be patient. As people get antsy about next years MF’s, the prices, and potentially the ROFR prices will start to drop. It’s a perpetual buyers market so you can afford to be picky.

It is a little early but yes I agree. I also think that it is a great time to start looking and be ready to purchase a TS. I use next year MFs to my advantage.
 

pianodinosaur

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
1,965
Reaction score
239
Points
273
Location
Texas
Resorts Owned
HGVC SeaWorld x 2, HGVC Las Vegas Strip x 2, MVC Mountain Valley Lodge, MVC Legend’s Edge
We stayed in a 2 bedroom unit at The Elara in 2015. It was very nice. However, we avoided the Westgate black tower of doom prior to the HGVC conversion. We really miss the Las Vegas Hilton. When we stayed at The KAREN Avenue property we could use all the Las Vegas Hilton facilitates and bill the meals an shows to our room. We could really earn a lot of HHonors points while timesharing. Too bad it is now a Westgate property.
 

topdog

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2005
Messages
258
Reaction score
35
Points
388
Location
Florida
Hilton Bay Club Waikoloa is cheap. PM me about mine if you like.
 

PigsDad

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
10,072
Reaction score
7,076
Points
898
Location
Colorado and SW Florida
Resorts Owned
HGVC Elite: SeaWorld, Surf Club, Charter Club, Valdoro
Hilton Bay Club Waikoloa is cheap. PM me about mine if you like.
Bay Club may be cheap to buy, but it is certainly not cheap to own. MFs are pretty high compared to most HGVC properties.

Kurt
 

SabresFan

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
109
Reaction score
37
Points
238
Location
Buffalo, NY
Hi emoneybug - first of all if you join TUG for a few dollars you will get access to lots of good info.
Your first point of MF's under $900 conflicts with your point number 2 where MF's are $1,246 and probably more accurate.
I highly doubt HGVC would ever let a true 7000 point platinum go for $1, no way.
What you have at the Elara is it is partially under a different ownership by Westgate and it is not a legitimate HGVC. Some brokers try to sell it as HGVC and you should get more information and clarity on this before going down that road. For me, and I have a deep background in commercial real estate, the waters at Elara were too murky so I opted for ownership at Las Vegas Boulevard. Even at other HGVC resorts there are the ones developed by HGVC and then there are affiliates. As you will be able to see from many different posts, the affiliates are much less secure of a risk - some of them just up and leave the system. It would be advisable to slow down and only jump in after doing lots of research. There are many units for sale and a continuous supply of resale, so you are not going to miss out on a "deal". These 7000 point units sell at about $44,000 at full retail. For a low MF unit you will probably spend in the $7000 range if you buy at an HGVC developed resort. If you buy at an affiliate you can get it for less, but you assume much more risk in my opinion. At $7k for a $44k unit you will pay about $0.16 on the dollar. Not a bad deal. The best part is that if you buy the very best you will be able to get rid of it when the time comes.
Is there any listing some place that indicates which resorts are Affiliates and which are HGVC developed resorts?
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
3,945
Reaction score
3,401
Points
349
Location
The Land of Ice and Snow
Resorts Owned
HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
Is there any listing some place that indicates which resorts are Affiliates and which are HGVC developed resorts?

Its a little more complicated than that. There are resorts that HGVC (or Hilton before the spin off) developed themselves, there’s resorts that were built in conjunction with a third party, there are those that were built before HGVC started managing them and there’s some that were built before and now HGVC has added on to them, sort of like a hybrid.

Here’s a list of the properties and their designation by HGVC: link

A developed property, I believe, are ones resorts HGVC owns outright. They may have been built by Hilton/HGVC or they were built before and HGVC/Hilton purchased them. Fee-for-Service are properties that were joint ventures, mostly funded by a third party (Blackstone Capitol and Strand Capitol have worked with HGVC on numerous resorts). Collection properties are resorts that are managed and intervals sold by HGVC. A true affiliate is a resort that isn’t owned or managed by HGVC but still can be booked with in the system.
 
Last edited:

terces

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
311
Reaction score
84
Points
238
Location
Alberta
Resorts Owned
HGVC LVB x3, Sandos Mexico for RCI points
Is there any listing some place that indicates which resorts are Affiliates and which are HGVC developed resorts?
Yes there is. The best place is the horses mouth so to speak. Go to the HGV corporate website, you can find a bunch of good information on the "Investor" Tab. The latest news is good as is the most recent 10Q (quarterly report) or 10K annual report. I can't remember exactly where I saw the list but it is definitely there and definitive.
 

SabresFan

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
109
Reaction score
37
Points
238
Location
Buffalo, NY
Its a little more complicated than that. There are resorts that HGVC (or Hilton before the spin off) developed themselves, there’s resorts that were built in conjunction with a third party, there are those that were built before HGVC started managing them and there’s some that were built before and now HGVC has added on to them, sort of like a hybrid.

Here’s a list of the properties and their designation by HGVC: link

A developed property, I believe, are ones resorts HGVC owns outright. They may have been built by Hilton/HGVC or they were built before and HGVC/Hilton purchased them. Fee-for-Service are properties that were joint ventures, mostly funded by a third party (Blackstone Capitol and Strand Capitol have worked with HGVC on numerous resorts). Collection properties are resorts that are managed and intervals sold by HGVC. A true affiliate is a resort that isn’t owned or managed by HGVC but still can be booked with in the system.
Thanks - unfortunately that link is not working for me.
 
Top