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My Survey - Looking for Advice

maximus18

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

Not really — but I would anticipate coastal Florida, Hawaii, and perhaps VT/CO to become frequented destinations.

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?

At this point, my wife and I want variability. Trade >50%.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

Flexible, as above per no 1 but we do have bucket list trade locations which would include Greece and Australia.

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

Just us, but we have family planning in-mind and would not be averse to bringing family if it was something we could afford to do reasonably.

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

With 3-6 months advanced planning, any time. This will change in 5-6 yrs with rugrat creation.

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

Sometimes.

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

Usually

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

3-4 usually. Marriott Courtyard, Hyatt Place, Hilton, Doubletree...

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

Not much but anything financed can be paid down rapidly in 2-3 years as my earnings will increase 5-10x within that timeframe barring injury or illness.

10) How much can you afford to spend everyyear for a maintenance fee that will come dueright after Christmas, and increase each year?

Can this be made in installments? With planning/saving, probably maxing around 2k initially but again much more after that.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

Depends, but typically I obsess over vacation planning. During residency this has been more difficult due to obscene hours.

12) Do you understand that once you buy atimeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, untilyou do?

Not frightened by permanency.

Has anyone ever tried willing the timeshare back to the company upon their death?
 

taterhed

TUG Member
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Location
Virginia
Resorts Owned
Westin WKORV OFD
Marriott's Grande Vista
Worldmark x2
SVV Bella 81k
ps: Mod's bumped this out of the other thread so you could get all the attention it deserves.......

In answer to your question: No one is required to accept a 'willed' or un-willed timeshare upon the death of the deeded owners. If someone 'wills' or bequeaths you a (legally/wholly owned)timeshare in their will....you should exercise caution before accepting. You may accept or refuse as you choose. Estates might be responsible for dues etc.... but it's unlikely that a resort would refuse/contest a deed-back/surrender from a deceased owner(s).
 

silentg

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
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Central Florida
Resorts Owned
Fitzpatrick's Castle Holiday Homes,
Enchanted Isle.
The best advice I can give is buy where you want to stay, by that I mean find a resort that you like and time that you like and if you never traded it you would be happy just staying there. Join TUG and you will find many weeks for next to nothing . Check the Maintenence fees and read the reviews. TUG members are very honest in their reviews they can be critical or exemplary. This is the best site for timeshare advice and opportunity for ownership at a reasonable price!
Silentg
 

taterhed

TUG Member
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Resorts Owned
Westin WKORV OFD
Marriott's Grande Vista
Worldmark x2
SVV Bella 81k
So, to start, her is the link to the advice articles on TUG: http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/free-timeshare-owner-advice-articles.html
These are really good articles to read and scan and read again. Lots of information and lots of questions answered. Resort-brand specific articles included.

Next, here is a comparison of the major timeshare systems in an easy to read format: http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html
This chart will give you the '30,000 foot' overview of the different systems.

I'll reply to your survey, but wanted to give others a chance to respond first....
 

jlp879

TUG Review Crew: Expert
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Since you mentioned that you couldn't buy right now without financing, my advice to you would be to use the next 2-3 years to rent other's weeks to see if timesharing is a fit for you. It's easy to rent a week from TUG marketplace, eBay, Redweek and Craigslist. Pick somewhere you want to go, rent a timeshare week and check out the area/resorts in person. You'll get an idea if the concept fits your needs, and you can talk to owners around the resort rather than the sales staff. Best way to kick tires.

Also, in answer to your question about maintenance fees, most timeshares expect them in a one time lump sum payment.
 

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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+1 on the advice to rent until such time as you can pay cash for a resale. It will also give you time to test-drive different systems. You might find that you like Hilton or Marriott quality better than Courtyard or Doubletree. Or you might find that Wyndham's monthly payments and plethora of resort locations and no extra cost access to RCI trumps the somewhat higher luxury scale of the aforementioned.

So for now, cool your jets, and get some sleep, doc.

Jim
 

maximus18

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+1 on the advice to rent until such time as you can pay cash for a resale. It will also give you time to test-drive different systems. You might find that you like Hilton or Marriott quality better than Courtyard or Doubletree. Or you might find that Wyndham's monthly payments and plethora of resort locations and no extra cost access to RCI trumps the somewhat higher luxury scale of the aforementioned.

So for now, cool your jets, and get some sleep, doc.

Jim

I am not jet-coolable. Always been this way. I have owned it by now!

But seriously, just rescinded in writing/mail (as specified by contract) with fedex and delivery confirmation and via fax (as specified by customer service) to Vistana. Was excited about the plan but it's obviously not the best value. Plus I don't think I'm a big fan of the vistana system.
 

Passepartout

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I am not jet-coolable. Always been this way. I have owned it by now!

But seriously, just rescinded in writing/mail (as specified by contract) with fedex and delivery confirmation and via fax (as specified by customer service) to Vistana. Was excited about the plan but it's obviously not the best value. Plus I don't think I'm a big fan of the vistana system.
Good first step. Far, FAR better to find a system you ARE a fan of before you buy something that drops in value by 95% before the ink is even dry. It's fine to be type 'A' impatient, want-it-all-NOW, but sometimes it's better to be an informed consumer. If you JUST CAN'T WAIT, go up to the Marketplace in the dark blue stripe above here and troll through the rentals. Pick one. Shoot off a Private Message to the owner (click their blue username) and start planning your next vacation. You'll feel better and so will they.

Jim
 

Mosescan

TUG Member
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Location
Canada
Resorts Owned
HGVC - Vegas Blvd, Craigendarroch lodges x 2
Disclaimer - I own HGVC.

I think it is a system that you should consider. It does not have nearly as many properties as some of the others but it is expanding. They do have a lot of properties in Hawaii and Florida as well as Vegas. They have some ski locations and Myrtle beach and NYC and DC.
My bias, since I started with HGVC is that I believe it is one of the easier systems to understand and use. You buy a given property at a given resort and what that gets you is a certain amount of points that you can then use to book any of the resorts any time of year in any room size. There is a minimum of 3 nights but that is it. Short notice you can pay cash for the rooms, minimum 2 night stay. For example, I started with a 5000 point Vegas unit that I used to stay in Hawaii, Myrtle Beach and Vegas. I've paid cash to stay in Scotland on short notice. With membership you also get access to RCI and although I've not taken advantage of this yet, it does let you book anywhere in the world through their system using your HGVC points. The advantage I see to this over some of the other systems is you don't have to worry about what value the time share you are buying will have as a trader, this can vary greatly from one unit to the next and even changes depending on when you deposit it to trade. With HGVC the number of your points required to trade, never changes so you always know what you can get as it's solely based on the unit size that you are getting.

The downside is that the units you can get really cheap are not the units you want to own. Maintenance fees are based on unit size, not season. My 5000 point Vegas unit is a 2 BR during gold season and has the same maintenance fees as a 2 BR Platinum season which gets 7000 points. You can expect to pay around $1/point for the initial purchase and maintenance fees of $800-$1600 depending on where you buy and what size unit you buy. Vegas units generally have the lowest maintenance fees and Hawaii some of the highest. There is a list here on the HGVC page that lists all the maintenance fees as well as the top 30 with the best point to maintenance fee ratios.

I would suggest you start with a 7000 point platinum unit as this is a decent number of points for 1-2 weeks of vacation a year. If you wanted to stay in a studio then you could get 3 weeks as they are 2200 points per week. If you enjoy the system and want to expand in the future, you simply buy another property to add points to your portfolio. Then you can get larger units for when you have kids.

Cheers,

Vic
 

JohnPaul

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
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Sacramento, CA
Resorts Owned
Vacation Internationale, HGVC - NYC, Worldmark, Shell Vacations, Sedona Pines, RCI Points, Starwood (Avon, CO)
Just a note on HGVC. If you want to stay in NYC or DC you can only book within 45 days of your stay unless you own there. Great if you live nearby but tricky if you need airfare.
 

Mjasp

TUG Member
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Messages
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Location
Florida
Resorts Owned
Sheraton Broadway Plantation
Disclaimer - I own HGVC.

I think it is a system that you should consider. It does not have nearly as many properties as some of the others but it is expanding. They do have a lot of properties in Hawaii and Florida as well as Vegas. They have some ski locations and Myrtle beach and NYC and DC.
My bias, since I started with HGVC is that I believe it is one of the easier systems to understand and use. You buy a given property at a given resort and what that gets you is a certain amount of points that you can then use to book any of the resorts any time of year in any room size. There is a minimum of 3 nights but that is it. Short notice you can pay cash for the rooms, minimum 2 night stay. For example, I started with a 5000 point Vegas unit that I used to stay in Hawaii, Myrtle Beach and Vegas. I've paid cash to stay in Scotland on short notice. With membership you also get access to RCI and although I've not taken advantage of this yet, it does let you book anywhere in the world through their system using your HGVC points. The advantage I see to this over some of the other systems is you don't have to worry about what value the time share you are buying will have as a trader, this can vary greatly from one unit to the next and even changes depending on when you deposit it to trade. With HGVC the number of your points required to trade, never changes so you always know what you can get as it's solely based on the unit size that you are getting.

The downside is that the units you can get really cheap are not the units you want to own. Maintenance fees are based on unit size, not season. My 5000 point Vegas unit is a 2 BR during gold season and has the same maintenance fees as a 2 BR Platinum season which gets 7000 points. You can expect to pay around $1/point for the initial purchase and maintenance fees of $800-$1600 depending on where you buy and what size unit you buy. Vegas units generally have the lowest maintenance fees and Hawaii some of the highest. There is a list here on the HGVC page that lists all the maintenance fees as well as the top 30 with the best point to maintenance fee ratios.

I would suggest you start with a 7000 point platinum unit as this is a decent number of points for 1-2 weeks of vacation a year. If you wanted to stay in a studio then you could get 3 weeks as they are 2200 points per week. If you enjoy the system and want to expand in the future, you simply buy another property to add points to your portfolio. Then you can get larger units for when you have kids.

Cheers,

Vic

So, HGVC trades points with RCI? and it doesn't have trade power of where you own and which week?
 

Mosescan

TUG Member
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HGVC - Vegas Blvd, Craigendarroch lodges x 2
So, HGVC trades points with RCI? and it doesn't have trade power of where you own and which week?
No. It’s a straight points swap 3400 HGVC points for a 1 BR RCI unit. Where your points come from doesn’t matter.
 

Mjasp

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Sheraton Broadway Plantation
What benefits do you lose by buying resale?
 

Mosescan

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HGVC - Vegas Blvd, Craigendarroch lodges x 2
What benefits do you lose by buying resale?
With HGVC you can’t count your resale points towards elite status. Elite status is generally seen not to be of great value unless you get to the top tier “elite premiere”. That level requires 34000 annual points and would cost several hundred thousand dollars from the developer. What you save buying that many points resale would likely pay for the elite perks you get for a hundred years so definitely not worth developer costs.

Otherwise you are treated the same as anyone who purchased from HGVC.

Actually you you also have one benefit over people who buy direct. Once the salespeople realize you are a resale buyer and not going to buy from them they tend to leave you alone.
 

Mjasp

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Sheraton Broadway Plantation
With HGVC you can’t count your resale points towards elite status. Elite status is generally seen not to be of great value unless you get to the top tier “elite premiere”. That level requires 34000 annual points and would cost several hundred thousand dollars from the developer. What you save buying that many points resale would likely pay for the elite perks you get for a hundred years so definitely not worth developer costs.

Otherwise you are treated the same as anyone who purchased from HGVC.

Actually you you also have one benefit over people who buy direct. Once the salespeople realize you are a resale buyer and not going to buy from them they tend to leave you alone.

That is AMAZING! Can you use your HGVC points to rent a few 3 night stays from RCI or does it have to be a week? Heading over to the HGVC forum.
 

Mosescan

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HGVC - Vegas Blvd, Craigendarroch lodges x 2
I’m not sure as I’ve never actually used RCI but I believe there is a nightly point rate as well as a weekly point rate so probably. I may try some of their last call bargains this year.
 
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