Help me choose please.

[sublimagic]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?

Yes, Disney world area but not dvc we already ruled it out due to high buy in costs for relative small accommodation type.

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?

Yes

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

4 including my wife and me and our two children boy aged 12 and girl aged 4

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?

Anytime but we prefer september time, usually every 3 years to Disney world

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?

YES

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

2 weeks every 3 years, so looking for a TS where we can borrow or bank points from other years to give us our vacation time

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

Atleast a 3 star

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?

Under 5k is prefered

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?

1500k

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

For sure after years of Disney world holidays lol

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?

I do


Thanks guys.

 

[dayooper]

I would suggest a HGVC interval. They have four very nice resorts in Orlando. They are readily available in September and that’s in the gold season (2 bedroom would be 5000 points, 3 bedroom would be 5800 points). Since you want to go 2 times over 3 years, I would suggest a 4800 point 1 bedroom platinum at the Boulevard or Paradise, both in Las Vegas. The MF’s are around $650. I suggest the Vegas unit because you don’t need the home week booking advantage and the MF’s are considerably less (about $200 less per year). You would need 10,000 points for your 2 years and you would receive 14,400 over that time. You may save and borrow your points, though saving them is a fee.

Good luck!

 

[Braindead]

I would recommend checking Wyndham out.
Go to the Wyndham forum and search Outrigger Resorts or ORC
I would buy resale at one of the Wyndham resorts that has Outrigger Resort benefits.
You’ll own in Hawaii for early booking privilege at a few Wyndham resorts in Hawaii and they usually have a lower MFs per 1,000 points
Wyndham also has a great resort by Disney World called Bonnet Creek

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Welcome to Tug.

For HGVC I would recommend a 7000 point unit so you get a 2 bedroom with a boy and a girl. Many resorts do not have rollaways in the units anymore. You will want the space as they grow and although it may cost you a bit more now, you won't be faced with transaction costs of selling and buying a bigger unit/more points in a few years. You might also consider the HGVC Orlando units.

Also check out Sheraton Vistana Village Bella or Key West units only. Those are "mandatory" so tradeable into the Westin Hawaii properties. The other Vistana buildings are Florida only and not as easy to trade. Not sure if the MF fits your budget but you can get these units for < $5k on Ebay and Redweek if you shop. Check out Vistana thread on Mandatory vs. voluntary for details.

Since you mentioned 3* is okay, also check out the Vacation Village. I don't know much about them but they seem to have low MF and are good traders in RCI. They have different locations in-system so depends on where you want to go.

Congrats on researching your purchase. You are ahead of 95% of timeshare buyers and will save a ton of money for great quality resorts. Good Luck!

 

[vacationtime1]

If your primary purpose for buying a timeshare is to visit Orlando, don't. Rent instead.

There is an oversupply of timeshares in Orlando, meaning availability is good and rental prices are low. No need for the financial commitment of purchasing.

 

[DeniseM]

+1 - Especially in September, you can rent a nice timeshare in Orlando for less than $1,500.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

+1 on rental. I got the impression you wanted to also trade to Hawaii. If trading for Hawaii or other expensive rental location is in your future, then buying makes more sense. Run the numbers using Redweek or Tug comparables.

 

[jjking42]

Good advice if you want to own than you need to want to go places other than Orlando. For Orlando just rent. I have owned HGVC, Marriott, Wyndham and a few independents . Never owned a Westin property but have stayed in them. Look at the MF compared to the rental prices. You want to be able rent the unit for a profit if you decide not to trade it. I always bought HGVC 5000 point 2 bedroom gold weeks. When I did the math I assumed that I wont hang on to them longer than ten years. I found the overall 10 years cost better on the gold weeks. It might be different now but compare the total cost over ten years assuming no value at the end.

I focused on HGVC Marco Island affiliated resorts. That way I could trade them outside of HGVC if I wanted. I sold all the Marriott and HGVC weeks when the MF went over 1,000.00. I only have one Wyndham and one independent left.
The two bedroom thing is important if you have kids you want at least 5000 points if doing HGVC.

My old formula went like this
Purchase price 4000.00 x 1= 4,000
MF 900.00 x 10= 9,300
Cost over 10 years 13,330 or 1,330 per year for 10 years

If the unit did not rent for at least 1330.00 a week than I would rather rent than own. Others will have different formulas and count on some residual vale at the end of 10 years. For me any residual value at the end is profit but I don't count it. Then there is the lost opportunity cost to consider. What would that 4,000.00 be worth if I invested in and then added 900.00 principal to it each year. compared to the 10 year rental income.

The Wyndham was my first timeshare and the only one I have kept longer than 10 years. Make it a financial decision and not an emotional one.