Deciding what to do with deeded week.. thoughts appreciated

[meggleton13]

Hi group.. newbie here. My parents gifted us their week at Marriotts Harbour Point ..in HHI.. fixed week 8 in feb. .. we’ve had good luck with exchanges through II, even getting a 2 br unit in Barony Beach for this August. The week was given to us so it doesn’t owe us anything. The week only converts to 650 DPs so not worth enrolling.

We recently purchased 2,000 DPs. We like the flexibility of the DP program. When we bought the points we were a little concerned about having 2 maint fees and having more weeks/points that we’d be able to use. My husband is a teachers and we have two young kids, so we’re tied to the school calendar. Marriott offered to take our Harbour Point week back from us after the 2019 usage.

We are happy with our DP purchase and will probably purchase more in the future.

I am currently torn on whether to give my week back to Marriott or to keep it. Financially we can swing it but I worry that I won’t be able to rent the unit in feb (HHI in feb) on years we can’t take two vacations. I don’t want to regret keeping the week that I can easily deed back right now.

Any opinions?

 

[tschwa2]

Are there years when you take 3 vacations to balance out the years when you only take one? If so I might see if there is any free enrollement offers you can take advantage of. That way when not using (you aren't going to be able to rent a Feb non ocean front resort for even half your MF's) you can deposit in your included II account and exchange to another Marriott for no exchange fee. At this point the offer to take back weeks isn't a limited time offer but that could change. I would think you can keep track of reports on TUG and if people start reporting that Marriott is no longer accepting deed backs you can bail at that point and hopefully it won't be too late.

 

[jpc763]

When you purchased the additional 2000 DP's were you offered an option to enroll your week? That is usually an incentive. Also, what size is your deeded week? 650 is a very low amount of DP.

 

[vacationhopeful]

It is a DEEDED Marriott fixed week in February in Florida. YOU can NOT buy that week ... and giving it back to Marriott is almost a SIN for any Snowbird bound retiree. Yes, Orlando is OVERBUILT .. but you could do PRIVATE trades some years , deposit it into II (or an independant trade group) or rent it out WHEN not using it.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

It is a DEEDED Marriott fixed week in February in Florida. YOU can NOT buy that week ... and giving it back to Marriott is almost a SIN for any Snowbird bound retiree. Yes, Orlando is OVERBUILT .. but you could do PRIVATE trades some years , deposit it into II (or an independant trade group) or rent it out WHEN not using it.

It is South Carolina, not Florida.

 

[silentg]

Hilton Head is popular in February, I would keep the week and rent it.
Silentg

 

[Ricci]

I also own a February week at Harbour Point. I always deposit it with Interval and get pretty fantastic trades with it. We aren't tied to the school calendar though.

 

[Panina]

Hi group.. newbie here. My parents gifted us their week at Marriotts Harbour Point ..in HHI.. fixed week 8 in feb. .. we’ve had good luck with exchanges through II, even getting a 2 br unit in Barony Beach for this August. The week was given to us so it doesn’t owe us anything. The week only converts to 650 DPs so not worth enrolling.

We recently purchased 2,000 DPs. We like the flexibility of the DP program. When we bought the points we were a little concerned about having 2 maint fees and having more weeks/points that we’d be able to use. My husband is a teachers and we have two young kids, so we’re tied to the school calendar. Marriott offered to take our Harbour Point week back from us after the 2019 usage.

We are happy with our DP purchase and will probably purchase more in the future.

I am currently torn on whether to give my week back to Marriott or to keep it. Financially we can swing it but I worry that I won’t be able to rent the unit in feb (HHI in feb) on years we can’t take two vacations. I don’t want to regret keeping the week that I can easily deed back right now.

Any opinions?

Being your questioning whether to keep it means it doesn’t exactly meet your needs. I was in a similar situation recently with an hgvc week. I could have easily rented it out for more then my mf . Ultimately I gifted it to another tugger. I believe why keep something that is not exactly what you want. There are no guarantees renting will cover mf’s in the future or you will keep getting the trades you want. It is actual an expensive trader. If you plan to actually use it 1/2 the time then I would say keep it. You are happy with your dp purchase and said you will probably purchase more in the future, that seems be be exactly what you want.

 

[JIMinNC]

I see both sides of this argument, and am not 100% sure what we would do in the same situation.

I agree that, on the surface, trying to seek out a free enrollment offer (through an Encore package or the webinar that some have said got them free enrollment) seems like a no-brainer versus a deed-back. By enrolling, the OP would still be able to use their week or deposit it in II as always, but they pick up a third option, electing for 650 DPs. Their 2000 current DPs aren't a lot to have to take prime time vacations, so having access to up to 2650 would be a little better.

Having said that, given that Harbour Point's maintenance fee is $1385/year, those 650 DPs would cost over $2/pt in maintenance fees versus $0.55/pt for regular DPs. That's not a very cost efficient use of that week.

Hilton Head is popular in February, I would keep the week and rent it.
Silentg

As far as the suggestion to rent, looking at Redweek, even summer weeks at Harbour Point don't seem to rent for that much over maintenance fees, and a number of summer weeks seem to rent for well under maintenance fee cost. So, I'm not sure that is a winning strategy for a February week in Hilton Head. Based on what I see on Redweek, I would guess renting for $1300 in Feb might be unlikely to impossible.

We're not fans of II trading, so if we were in the situation that the OP is - where getting a good II trade is the best way to maximize use of the week - we would probably do the deed-back. Converting to DPs is just not an attractive usage option at HP's mf/point cost if you wind up doing that a lot. But it sounds like the OP is fine with II trading, and the things we hate don't bother them. In that case, it might make sense to seek out a free enrollment offer, as long as most years they think they will be able to use their points AND trade their HP week for a second trip. If every once-in-a-while they find that they can't take two trips, then they have the option to convert the week to DPs and take a little better vacation with the DPs. As long as that is a fairly infrequent occurrence, the poor DP conversion value may not be a deal breaker. I just wouldn't want to be in a situation where I was spending $1385 in mf for 650 DPs on a frequent basis.

 

[VacationForever]

I think it is a shame to give it back but if OP cannot use it, then it is a hard call and maybe to give it away or deedback is the best option.

HOWEVER, enrolling the week for free is a no-brainer since OP now is already paying DC dues. After enrollment, trades in II to other Marriott resorts are free.

 

[meggleton13]

There are years we take 3 trips.. I was also thinking if there’s a year to only take 1 trip I could bank my DPs and have more to work with the following year.

 

[meggleton13]

When you purchased the additional 2000 DP's were you offered an option to enroll your week? That is usually an incentive. Also, what size is your deeded week? 650 is a very low amount of DP.

The unit is a 2bed 2bath. At the time or purchase we had our minds set to deed back so never planned to enroll, but now are second guessing. I did get an email to do a webinar and get free enrollment though so that’s another option.

 

[Fasttr]

Having said that, given that Harbour Point's maintenance fee is $1385/year, those 650 DPs would cost over $2/pt in maintenance fees versus $0.55/pt for regular DPs. That's not a very cost efficient use of that week.....

I just wouldn't want to be in a situation where I was spending $1385 in mf for 650 DPs on a frequent basis.

The unit is a 2bed 2bath. At the time or purchase we had our minds set to deed back so never planned to enroll, but now are second guessing. I did get an email to do a webinar and get free enrollment though so that’s another option.

JIMinNC's comments are spot on regarding the MF burden on this week.

Much cheaper to rent the needed additional DC points than pay $1385 annually for 650 of them when you could easily rent them for $400,

Unless you see yourself trading via II to get trades that you would normally use that have a value to you of at least $1385 annually, I would go the deed back route. The MF's are just too much of a burden if your usage ends up being primarily DC point conversions or direct usage of the fixed week.

If trading via II provides you the value to cover your MF's, then I would look to enroll it in the DC for free, just to be able to have the free II account, retrades, etc, etc.

 

[tschwa2]

And even if you want to stay in HHI in February you can typically get getaways through II for that time of year from $600-$800.

 

[Dean]

For me it might depend on the unit type. For an A or B I'd likely keep it and rent is/trade it. For a C I'd be on the fence and for a D, I'd likely try to get out from it without paying anything. They will trade the same but they will rent and sell differently. If I kept it, I'd try to enroll so I could trade for free through II and get free change/cancelations. In some ways it's not worth the underlying fees but since you already own it and have been trading it, there is some added value there IMO.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

Hilton Head is popular in February, I would keep the week and rent it.
Silentg

Not really enough to make renting a viable option. Of the 8 Marriott's on HHI, it is the easiest to trade into and the cheapest to rent. You can also get an II getaway in Feb for half the annual fees. Even for the July 2019 summer weeks it was not difficult this year to snag an exchange into Harbour Point.

 

[meggleton13]

JIMinNC's comments are spot on regarding the MF burden on this week.

Much cheaper to rent the needed additional DC points than pay $1385 annually for 650 of them when you could easily rent them for $400,

Unless you see yourself trading via II to get trades that you would normally use that have a value to you of at least $1385 annually, I would go the deed back route. The MF's are just too much of a burden if your usage ends up being primarily DC point conversions or direct usage of the fixed week.

If trading via II provides you the value to cover your MF's, then I would look to enroll it in the DC for free, just to be able to have the free II account, retrades, etc, etc.

I would not plan to convert them to points. I realize it’s a terrible value at 650 points. I would only plan to trade with II if I keep it.

I traded this unit this year through II
And am staying in a 2 bed 2 bath at Barony Beach Club in a few weeks. That week with points is 3500.

That’s what makes it hard to let go. I do get some awesome trades. I am just not 100% sure I want to commit to two trips per year.

One thought I had was to bank my 2000 DP on years we don’t have the time and then have 4000 DP the following year which can get us some great resorts in prime times.

 

[MOXJO7282]

Hi group.. newbie here. My parents gifted us their week at Marriotts Harbour Point ..in HHI.. fixed week 8 in feb. .. we’ve had good luck with exchanges through II, even getting a 2 br unit in Barony Beach for this August. The week was given to us so it doesn’t owe us anything. The week only converts to 650 DPs so not worth enrolling.

We recently purchased 2,000 DPs. We like the flexibility of the DP program. When we bought the points we were a little concerned about having 2 maint fees and having more weeks/points that we’d be able to use. My husband is a teachers and we have two young kids, so we’re tied to the school calendar. Marriott offered to take our Harbour Point week back from us after the 2019 usage.

We are happy with our DP purchase and will probably purchase more in the future.

I am currently torn on whether to give my week back to Marriott or to keep it. Financially we can swing it but I worry that I won’t be able to rent the unit in feb (HHI in feb) on years we can’t take two vacations. I don’t want to regret keeping the week that I can easily deed back right now.

Any opinions?

Deed it back if you can't get value every single year. Whatever it would get you in a trade would be easily rentable otherwise at close to MF or even below and the years you can't use it likely won't rent, winter weeks don't rent for MF, and you'll be down more than you're up when you can use and trade for something good. So deed it back, rent what you want the years you take 2 vacations and the year you don't you're not scrambling not to lose money.

 

[JIMinNC]

One thought I had was to bank my 2000 DP on years we don’t have the time and then have 4000 DP the following year which can get us some great resorts in prime times.

That would be a very workable solution to the one vs. two vacations per year conundrum. Since it seems you are comfortable with trading, you can get your best value there, as your August Barony trade attests. You can then do a lot more with 4000 DPs in the other year than you can with 2000.

We have a similar - although not quite as extreme - situation with a higher-than-ideal MF cost per point with our Silver Barony week - $1351 for 1625 electable points. We decided not to elect for points and deposit into II instead for our 2017 and 2018 weeks for the very reason that we could get considerably more value that way, but all that did was reinforce how much we really detest the deposit/search/wait II trading game. So, despite the poor MF/points ratio, we went ahead and elected our 2019 week for points and have already even elected for 2020. It's not a great value, obviously, but we knew that going in, and we bought that week as part of a week/points bundle mainly because it was an inexpensive up-front way to get a few more points to "test drive" the DP system when we first bought back in 2014. If and when we add to our point ownership with some more economically-efficient points, we may try to sell the Barony week. We'll just play it by ear. In the meantime, we're paying about a $450 premium every year for those points, which while not ideal, it isn't the end of the world either. And if you compare our cost/point to the cost of point rentals of around $0.63, the differential is only about $327, so not that bad in the scheme of things.

 

[Fasttr]

I would not plan to convert them to points. I realize it’s a terrible value at 650 points. I would only plan to trade with II if I keep it.

I traded this unit this year through II
And am staying in a 2 bed 2 bath at Barony Beach Club in a few weeks. That week with points is 3500.

That’s what makes it hard to let go. I do get some awesome trades. I am just not 100% sure I want to commit to two trips per year.

One thought I had was to bank my 2000 DP on years we don’t have the time and then have 4000 DP the following year which can get us some great resorts in prime times.

That makes good sense. Keep in mind, you can also rent out your unused DC points if you find that in those every other years, 4000 is more than you need.

Just to circle back to this point, as its a $$ saver for you, if you can enroll your HHI week for free, do so. That will put your HHI week into the same account (assuming same ownership on week and points) for the same DC dues you are paying now, which will provide you with availability to using II without having to pay additional II membership fees like you are now, allows for free re-trades, etc, etc. Worth doing in my opinion if you plan on keeping it.

 

[AlmostRetired]

If you give it up.
The 1300 MF will allow you to rent about 2000 points each year. This is not enough to get you a premium week when school is out. So you have to add to it to travel when school is out to travel more than once.

What can you do with your week if you keep it.
My guess is that the unit in February will not get you back your MF so renting doesnt seem to be a good use of that week. Getting back a MF is an important gauge for me to rent.

Trading into II
You can bank a week in II and have two years to use this. Tied to a school schedule means Christmas week, February break, spring break and summer. This tends to be premium weeks so when you trade a non premium week you tend to set studio or 1 bedrooms in the trade. August in HHI tends to be an exception because the later in the month you go the less crowded it is Somthe location is premium but most of the south starts school August 1st or close to it hence more availability. Also there are no lock offs so when someone gives it up, they give up the whole unit.

The question unanswered is what type of vacations do you enjoy taking and the locations. This will provide a better gauge if you can consistently get what you are looking for from II. The best way to do this is to be flexible in where you go and be comfortable in traveling close in to when you want to leave.

We tried to travel 2 weeks with our kids in the summer and a week during spring break when they were growing up. We did as much outside of timeshares as we did using timeshares. This included US and Europe. I point this out because with AirBNB, unlike 15 years ago (my kids are 30 and 27), there are other options to timeshares.

 

[meggleton13]

Great points! We are usually very flexible in summer dates! I’m lucky that I can take almost any week off from my job without a problem. We love the beach but also love to explore new places. I currently have a request in for HHI, Myrtle Beach, Cape Cod, and VA beach for next summer. We did Williamsburg (2 bedroom not at the Marriott) and Gatlinburg (took a studio and paid to upgrade through the resort) last summer on II exchanges. We live in NY so driveable on the east coast is a plus. HHI in later August works perfect for us so if I could keep getting a week for an exchange there each year I’d be thrilled.

 

[hangloose]

My 2 cents. First, while HH can be nice in February, I think you will struggle to rent for MFs. You might get slightly more one year, slightly less another year...but it will never be a money maker on a consistent basis. I'd be worried about breaking even as to not lose money. Second, enrolling for free is an option with your webinar it sounds like. But, your week is a horrible MF vs DC Pts ratio. At $1350+ in MF for only 650 DC pts, it just doesn't make sense. As someone else stated, you can rent DC Pts for much less instead of paying annual MFs. Only value in enrolling your week...is really to cover II fees (including retrades into MVC resorts)....and maybe have the ability to use DC as a third option in years your existing 2k DC Pts is slightly short of your need. In reality, 2k DC Pts does not go very far....especially if trying to follow traditional school calendars (spring break, summer, christmas/nye). Lastly, best reason to keep would be if you wanted to exchange through II. Even then, MFs are high for value...and HHI Feb at a non "big 3" HHI Marriott will not in general trade well into higher demand period consistently.

Hard to say what I would do. I think I would either get rid of it completely....or enroll the week for free with the idea of using it to trade via II attempting to use free re-trades as a way to get into nicer locations.

 

[meggleton13]

Also.. we booked Aruba next July with our DPs so looking for another later August exchange with our deeded week.

 

[meggleton13]

My 2 cents. First, while HH can be nice in February, I think you will struggle to rent for MFs. You might get slightly more one year, slightly less another year...but it will never be a money maker on a consistent basis. I'd be worried about breaking even as to not lose money. Second, enrolling for free is an option with your webinar it sounds like. But, your week is a horrible MF vs DC Pts ratio. At $1350+ in MF for only 650 DC pts, it just doesn't make sense. As someone else stated, you can rent DC Pts for much less instead of paying annual MFs. Only value in enrolling your week...is really to cover II fees (including retrades into MVC resorts)....and maybe have the ability to use DC as a third option in years your existing 2k DC Pts is slightly short of your need. In reality, 2k DC Pts does not go very far....especially if trying to follow traditional school calendars (spring break, summer, christmas/nye). Lastly, best reason to keep would be if you wanted to exchange through II. Even then, MFs are high for value...and HHI Feb at a non "big 3" HHI Marriott will not in general trade well into higher demand period consistently.

Hard to say what I would do. I think I would either get rid of it completely....or enroll the week for free with the idea of using it to trade via II attempting to use free re-trades as a way to get into nicer locations.

My 2 cents. First, while HH can be nice in February, I think you will struggle to rent for MFs. You might get slightly more one year, slightly less another year...but it will never be a money maker on a consistent basis. I'd be worried about breaking even as to not lose money. Second, enrolling for free is an option with your webinar it sounds like. But, your week is a horrible MF vs DC Pts ratio. At $1350+ in MF for only 650 DC pts, it just doesn't make sense. As someone else stated, you can rent DC Pts for much less instead of paying annual MFs. Only value in enrolling your week...is really to cover II fees (including retrades into MVC resorts)....and maybe have the ability to use DC as a third option in years your existing 2k DC Pts is slightly short of your need. In reality, 2k DC Pts does not go very far....especially if trying to follow traditional school calendars (spring break, summer, christmas/nye). Lastly, best reason to keep would be if you wanted to exchange through II. Even then, MFs are high for value...and HHI Feb at a non "big 3" HHI Marriott will not in general trade well into higher demand period consistently.

Hard to say what I would do. I think I would either get rid of it completely....or enroll the week for free with the idea of using it to trade via II attempting to use free re-trades as a way to get into nicer locations.

I totally agree with the renting dilemma.. I would only look to break even on the years we don’t deposit and exchange with ii and I don’t know if that would happen. If I decide to keep it I’ll only use it to exchange with ii.