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Charlie-dawg

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Hello everyone,

I love this forum, and am so glad I found you all.

We have been considering the purchase of a timeshare for a number of years, but have only been aware of the "hard sell" presentations by the developers. We have sat through the sales presentations for Disney Vacation Club and Holiday Inn Vacation Club, but decided to do more research. We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort in Gatlinburg, TN.

We would love to hear from any HIVC owners about their experiences... as we are considering / looking for an aftermarket purchase.

Thanks!


1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Prefer in the southeast area (esp. Tennessee, Georgia, or Carolinas)

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? Prefer to trade more than half the time. And would like a flexible point system.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Texas, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia

4) How many people do you usually travel with? 2 (or sometimes 4)

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Most of the time

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

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? Prefer 4 or 5 stars

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? We can afford $15,000 but looking for less.

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? We can manage $1,100 but would like to lower fees.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner? Yes

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? Yes, I understand.
 

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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Welcome to TUG. I don't see any real big obstacles. $1,000 annual fees will be a good round figure for MF. Look at resales. The TUG Marketplace, or eBay or Redweek are good places to look for resales Generally the hotel branded TSs are perceived to be better quality, but more expensive. There are some very nice owner-controlled independent resorts and mini-systems that are great values. We'd suggest that you rent a few times in different systems before you settle on one. This exchanging business, while possible is neither free nor as easy as picking up a phone and reserving lodging- hotel style. Timeshares- especially the better ones are fully booked nearly a year ahead.

So hang around TUG for a while. Do a lot of reading in the forums and systems that interest you. Ask questions and use the search function.

Again, Welcome and have fun.

Jim
 

WalnutBaron

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Hyatt Highlands Inn, Hyatt Pinon Pointe
Welcome to TUG! You're going to love it here. As Jim said, I think you're well-suited for timeshare ownership: you have a realistic purchase and annual MF budget; you know where you want to visit; you have the ability to plan ahead; and you can travel at pretty much anytime of the year. You pass the test! I'm not too familiar with the Holiday Inn system, so will yield to others here who know more about it, but you might also consider Wyndham, which has a large number of resorts in the Southeast. The quality of their resorts is mixed, but I would recommend you spend a small amount of $$ to join TUG so that you can have direct access to the TUG reviews--all from verified members, and all from people who have stayed at those resorts.

You might also consider the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, which has locations in South Carolina and Florida (but not Georgia or Tennessee). Both Wyndham and HGVC are points-based systems, so you have flexibility to stay in resorts within their systems, and you also become members of their external trade systems. For HGVC, they use RCI. Not sure which system is affiliated with Wyndham.

I also recommend reading the stickies at the top of each of the forums for Wyndham and HGVC. The stickies will explain how the systems work, how many points you will need to get the kinds of vacations you want, and other recommendations.

You can find good resale listings on the following sources: TUG Marketplace (you have to be a member to get access); Redweek; and myresortnetwork.com. And though there are some good deals from time to time on Ebay, I recommend staying away from it until you know more about how the whole timeshare gig works. There are both scrupulous sellers on Ebay and unscrupulous ones, so don't take the chance. Buy from a trusted source when you make your first resale purchase.
 

pedro47

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Welcome to TUG, First, I would suggest you read TUG: Free Timeshare Advice Articles & Timeshare 101.

Please purchase resale and saved some big dollars in your wallet and that is my very humble opinion and advice. Wishing you happiness and good health.
 
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Panina

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Hgvc Anderson, Blue Ride Village Resort
Hi, welcome to Tug. I wish everyone who went to a presentation left and researched like you.

Being you prefer 4 to 5 star accommodations and a point system Hilton Grand Vacation Club (HGVC) would fit your parameters.

Look into the affiliate members of hgvc which I prefer as it gives me more flexibility in trading. Some of the affiliates are members of interval International which have higher end resorts then RCI that HGVC uses as its exchange company.
 

Passepartout

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You can find good resale listings on the following sources: TUG Marketplace (you have to be a member to get access); Redweek; and myresortnetwork.com. And though there are some good deals from time to time on Ebay, I recommend staying away from it until you know more about how the whole timeshare gig works. There are both scrupulous sellers on Ebay and unscrupulous ones, so don't take the chance. Buy from a trusted source when you make your first resale purchase.
One does not need to be a member to use the TUG Marketplace, only to see and post reviews. Guests are welcome to all the ads for sale and rentals. However the $15 to see and be able to compare timeshare properties is a valuable perk for membership.

I'd still encourage the OP to not rush into ownership. There are so many great resort rentals at near and even below the underlying MF cost, with ZERO buy-in cost, that never actually buying may well make the most sense.

Jim
 
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