New to Timeshares

[WanderingCrab]

Hi all! My wife and I just got back from a wonderful Disney trip. We stayed at one of their DVC resorts (Bay Lake), but paid the cash price as we are not timeshare members. On the way home, my wife was saying that we should consider joining DVC. However, after getting home and finding this site, it seems like that may not be such a great idea. We are both in our 40s and I'm really not sure that we are going to want to go to Disney every year for the next 20-30 years and based on its expense, I've read that it is near impossible to find similarly valued locations in the exchanges. So, with that in mind, here is my survey. I'd really like some feedback!

One final thought, we really don't want to be badgered by sales people every time we go on vacation, so that would be a major consideration as well.


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

Not specifically, although my wife would say Disney

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?

Mostly trade

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

Hawaii, Florida, Hilton Head, Las Vegas, international locations

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

Just my wife and I

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

Anytime (we prefer traveling when places aren't too busy unless the weather is an issue)

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

Not used to planning that far out, but probably could.

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?

We really prefer higher end hotels (4 to 4.5 stars).

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

$25k

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?

$1500

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

Not usually

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

 

[WalnutBaron]

First, welcome to TUG! You've found a great resource, filled with tons of information that will help you make the right decision about what to purchase. Based on your responses, I would recommend you consider Hilton Grand Vacations Club. It checks quite a few of your boxes. For example:

• The Hilton timeshare locations include Hawaii (Big Island and Waikiki); many locations in Florida including the east coast, Orlando, and the Gulf side; Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, SC; Las Vegas; and several international locations including Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal and others.
• The Hilton locations are very nice--definitely 4 star.
• You can buy in at a price much lower than your budget. I recommend you consider buying your home resort in Las Vegas, since annual maintenance fees are the lowest there. HGVC allows you to use your points to easily trade into most any of the other resort locations. I recommend you buy a minimum of 8,400 points. This will get you a very nice 2BR unit for one week per year or a 1BR unit for two weeks. It is not enough to get you premium view units at some locations, but definitely enough to get you started, see how you like the HGVC system, and then let you determine if you want to buy more points later.
• Ongoing MF's in Vegas should be below your budget for 8,400 points.

I think you're well-suited for timeshare ownership, and I'm guessing you'd really love the HGVC system.

 

[WanderingCrab]

First, welcome to TUG! You've found a great resource, filled with tons of information that will help you make the right decision about what to purchase. Based on your responses, I would recommend you consider Hilton Grand Vacations Club. It checks quite a few of your boxes. For example:.

Thank you, I will definitely check HGVC out! How are the sales people at the resorts? Do they leave you alone or are they constantly trying to get you to buy more?

 

[Passepartout]

Thank you, I will definitely check HGVC out! How are the sales people at the resorts? Do they leave you alone or are they constantly trying to get you to buy more?

Owners at most resorts become used (hardened) to the ubiquitous 'Update' which is a thinly veiled sales session. Generally, a firm, 'NO' will at least slow them down. Often they'll throw in an incentive- show discounts, $100 gift cards, points toward future vacations, breakfast buffet. Sometimes, if they detect interest these things can get really lengthy and bothersome, but most TUGgers have the strategies down pat to shorten or end the squeeze outright.

I have to agree, that HGVC is one of the better TS 'families'. Another worthwhile candidate would be WorldMark- though it's a cousin to Wyndham, there are enough differences to make it worth more than a glance.

With ANY TS there is a learning curve, and that goes doubly if one wants to 'trade'. Or as we say, 'Exchange'. That adds another layer of complexity and cost- especially if one wants to trade outside their own TS 'family'.

Our usual suggestion is to cool your jets. Keep your money in your pockets. Rent a few times- in different systems at different locations. A good place to look is in the TUG marketplace up in the blue stripe at the top of this (and every) page on TUG.

You have much to learn, and it's more than just Disney. Much more.

So happy reading!

And Welcome to TUG!

Jim

 

[WanderingCrab]

Thanks for the great advice Jim!

 

[silentg]

My advice is buy where you want to stay. Find the week and place you want and as Jim mentioned try renting first to see what resorts you want to own. We have 6 timeshare weeks in areas we like to visit. Even if we didn’t exchange at all would be happy with our timeshares. All but one of them were resales purchased from other TUG members. Check Marketplace for Bargain Deals or Rentals.
Welcome to TUG.
Silentg

 

[Mosescan]

First, welcome to TUG! You've found a great resource, filled with tons of information that will help you make the right decision about what to purchase. Based on your responses, I would recommend you consider Hilton Grand Vacations Club. It checks quite a few of your boxes. For example:

• The Hilton timeshare locations include Hawaii (Big Island and Waikiki); many locations in Florida including the east coast, Orlando, and the Gulf side; Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, SC; Las Vegas; and several international locations including Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal and others.
• The Hilton locations are very nice--definitely 4 star.
• You can buy in at a price much lower than your budget. I recommend you consider buying your home resort in Las Vegas, since annual maintenance fees are the lowest there. HGVC allows you to use your points to easily trade into most any of the other resort locations. I recommend you buy a minimum of 8,400 points. This will get you a very nice 2BR unit for one week per year or a 1BR unit for two weeks. It is not enough to get you premium view units at some locations, but definitely enough to get you started, see how you like the HGVC system, and then let you determine if you want to buy more points later.
• Ongoing MF's in Vegas should be below your budget for 8,400 points.

I think you're well-suited for timeshare ownership, and I'm guessing you'd really love the HGVC system.

+1

I agree, you are a good match for HGVC. I have owned HGVC for 7 years. We have done trips to Hawaii, Myrtle beach, Las Vegas and Scotland. I originally owned just in Vegas but now also own some units in Scotland. The point system is very flexible. you can use your points to stay at any of the locations and can book anywhere from 9 months to 1 day in advance. You can book your home resort 12 months out but only exactly what you own in the season that you own. for example if you own a 2 BR platinum week worth 7000 points then that is what you can book 12 months out. This would use your entire allotment of points for the year. If you wait until the 9 month mark then you could book a studio for 2200 points for a week and get 3 weeks out of your points. That is the flexibility of the system.

As far as sales people go with HGVC. IF you go to a sales presentation, called an "owners update" then expect them to try to convince you and they are pretty good. I bought twice from them before I discovered TUG. That being said, you never have to do an owners update if you don't want to. They will give you free stuff if you want to waste 90 minutes of your time to try and get you to go but you never have to go. From what I understand if you do go simply let them know that you bought resale...which they will already know from their system....and tell them you are just there for the free stuff and they tend to end it pretty quick if they know they won't get a sale. I have picked up some good info from these owners updates and I don't mind spending a bit of time, but that's just me.

Over all, I love the flexibility of the system and think it's great. There are systems with more resorts but if you're happy with the HGVC selection then I think you'll enjoy it. Buy platinum weeks as the maintenance fees are based on unit size not season so a 2 BR Gold with 5000 points has the same maintenance fees as a 2 BR Platinum with 7000 points.

Cheers,

 

[WanderingCrab]

Mosescan,

Your info about the sales experience is very valuable to me! When researching the Wyndham program I saw over and over again people complaining about how aggressive they are. I really don't want to have to deal with that sort of stress when I'm on vacation. Your details will go a long way in helping to form my decision.

Quick question, if I were to purchase 10k points at a resort for an EOY/E week, can I pull forward and/or bank half of the points into the odd year or can I only use points in the even year?

Thanks!

 

[Mosescan]

You can both bank and borrow points. Banking pushes this years points forward into next year...for a fee. Borrowing let’s you use next years points this year...no fee. So technically you could bank points forward a year and then during that year borrow points and have access to two years points.

Here’s the problem with eoy deeds. You only have to pay your maintenance fees eoy but you have to pay your Hilton membership every year. You will buy one cheaper but not as easy to resell. Always better to borrow from the years ahead instead of banking forward as no fees that way.

I always advise people to start with a 7000 pt platinum week but that depends on how much vacationing you want out of your points. That would be enough for 1 week in a studio and 1 week in a 1 BR each year.

 

[Braindead]

Mosescan,

Your info about the sales experience is very valuable to me! When researching the Wyndham program I saw over and over again people complaining about how aggressive they are. I really don't want to have to deal with that sort of stress when I'm on vacation. Your details will go a long way in helping to form my decision.

Quick question, if I were to purchase 10k points at a resort for an EOY/E week, can I pull forward and/or bank half of the points into the odd year or can I only use points in the even year?

Thanks!

Don’t kid yourself Hilton sales can be just as aggressive. Wyndham actually has become less aggressive in the last year in my opinion. It all depends on who you get as a salesman. Also personality has a lot to do with how your treated by sales. Bring up resales and TUG. If you buy resales first they won’t spend much time on you

 

[Mosescan]

Don’t kid yourself Hilton sales can be just as aggressive. Wyndham actually has become less aggressive in the last year in my opinion. It all depends on who you get as a salesman. Also personality has a lot to do with how your treated by sales. Bring up resales and TUG. If you buy resales first they won’t spend much time on you

+1
That’s why the best way to get through an owners update/TS sales presentation is to not go!
You are on your vacation using your points. No one can make you go. Enjoy your vacation.
That’s the downside to those packages where you get a week at a good price to try it out. They come with a mandatory presentation. Owners don’t have to do that.

 

[WalnutBaron]

+1
That’s why the best way to get through an owners update/TS sales presentation is to not go!
You are on your vacation using your points. No one can make you go. Enjoy your vacation.
That’s the downside to those packages where you get a week at a good price to try it out. They come with a mandatory presentation. Owners don’t have to do that.

Exactly. We at TUG call the timeshare developer sales force "sales weasels" for a reason: they habitually lie, prevaricate, exaggerate, tell half-truths, and lie. By the way, they also lie. A lot. So ask all of your questions here on TUG where you'll find friendly advice and counsel. And read the stickies on each of the timeshare family forums: Marriott, HGVC, Vistana/Starwood, Wyndham, Hyatt. Reading those will stimulate questions which you can ask on those forums. Over time, you'll feel as if you know each system--and that will help you choose which system will fit you best. There's no hurry; as others have said, timeshare resales are not increasing in price, so relax, read, ask, and enjoy. You're in safe hands here at TUG.

 

[WanderingCrab]

Thanks everyone, this is has been extremely helpful. I appreciate you all taking the time to answer my questions and add insights into the conversation!