Newbie in need of guidance.

[Mac & Allie]

I am looking to buy a timeshare, but I am lost! I called Mariott Vacation Club and they wanted to charge me $55k for 4k points, a $1890 maintenance fee, and a yearly fee of $195. Then they give you 4k points for signing up and another 4k points after 2 years financing, it sounds crazy to me to pay almost 20k in finance charges just to get some additional points.

After doing a bit of research I came upon SMTS.com and saw the resale timeshares for a fraction of the cost. I spoke with the salesperson and was also told I could buy the Mariott points from them for around $27k for 4k points, but I wouldn't get the bonus points. Also, the points were around $14k but Mariott charges $3 per point in a transfer fee, hence it ended up being $27k+/-.

Can someone explain the pros vs. cons of buying a resale vs. new plan with Mariott?

From what I gather, Mariott and Interval International are the more southern Caribbean destination handlers, right or wrong?

Please help I have no one to ask but the sales people, who at the end of the day make more $$ for the more I spend.


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

A.) Caribbean

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?

A.) Equal

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

A.) Aruba, Bahamas, Italy, Tahiti, Caribbean in general

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

A.) 2-4

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

A.) anytime, but we are not really full week vacationers, usually 4-5 days max, obviously if it were a European trip then the 7 days would be a minimum

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

A.) yes

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

A. not always

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

A. Is that a trick question? 5

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

A.) 5k, more if worth the effort

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?

A.) 1000-1800

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

A.) 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?

A.) yes

 

[TUGBrian]

welcome to TUG, here is a faq of the marriott points program...would suggest reading it before shopping for them on the resale market as it will save you money =)

https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/faq-mvc-destinations-points-program.197346/

 

[Mac & Allie]

welcome to TUG, here is a faq of the marriott points program...would suggest reading it before shopping for them on the resale market as it will save you money =)

https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/faq-mvc-destinations-points-program.197346/

Thanks for putting me in the right place and sending me the link, there is a lot of information, however it is not he same as advice, I am new to this and really would like to know the pros vs. cons of buying a resale timeshare vs. from Mariott/Wyndham etc. and what I should be looking for.

 

[RNCollins]

Hi Mac and Allie,

Welcome to Tug!

You may want to visit the Marriott Timeshare Resort Systems to get help with your questions about Marriott. There is also a section for Wyndham.
https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?forums/marriott-vacation-club.29/

This a chart that compares several timeshare systems:
https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html

I own a couple timeshares in the Caribbean. One thing you need to consider are the hurricanes. If one hits your resort you may get a special assessment, along with your maintenance fee.

Here are some brokers who sell resale Marriott:

Judi Kozlowski - http://www.judikoz.com/
Diane Nadeau - http://timesharebrokersales.com/
Seth Nock - http://sellingtimeshares.net/

These are listing sites that many have used in the past:

Redweek - http://redweek.com/
Myresortnetwork - http://myresortnetwork.com/
Tug Marketplace - tug2.com/timeshare-resales/
Ebay - https://www.ebay.com/
Sumday - http://sumdayvacations.com/timeshare-transfer/

 

[taterhed]

Thanks for putting me in the right place and sending me the link, there is a lot of information, however it is not he same as advice, I am new to this and really would like to know the pros vs. cons of buying a resale timeshare vs. from Mariott/Wyndham etc. and what I should be looking for.

Here's a quick post: (I'd post more, but can't sit here all day!!!)

• There are very few reasons to buy directly from the developer. Very few. You would need to fully understand the ins/outs of the programs and determine what they offered that you couldn't possibly get by purchasing resale. Let me save you the trouble: probably nothing.
• If money is no object to you....then buy from the developer. Woops. Reading your post/survey above, I see that you list $5000 as a purchase price and under $1800 a year for MF's. So, you just answered your own question: You WON'T be purchasing from the developer, because you couldn't buy from the developer for 5x times the purchase price you listed. So, that was easy. (I exaggerate a bit, but not much)
• You talk about 5* accommodations and then mention Marriott and Wyndham. Marriott is 3-5* and their exchange system, Interval International, has many similar resorts (and some that are lower quality as well). Wyndham is NOT known as a '5* resort' kind of system. They have very nice properties, but many would consider them to be on the 2-4* scale. Those 4* resorts are also quite expensive (points) to book. Additionally, the exchange system--RCI--is known for having Disney and HGVC (nice resorts--hard to get and 3-5*) but most RCI resorts are more of the 2-4* quality as well. So, Interval has higher quality, less resorts. RCI has more resorts (more INTL as well) but lower quality. You are mixing and matching here.
• Based on your cost estimates above, you are NOT a candidate for Marriot points--resale or developer. They are too expensive in purchase cost and in maintenance fees. You are a candidate for Marriott resale legacy weeks and for Wyndham resale points as well.
• Bad news: Italy and Tahiti are not the best destinations for timeshares. There are some, but you'll find they don't fit the timeshare model very well. I search Italy quite a bit, and there are some good resorts, but I think you could VRBO/AirBNB or just reserve and be better off most of the time.
• Good news: the Caribbean is chock full of timeshares. They are pretty easy to exchange for and Marriott has some great ones. I can honestly say that, based on my experience, if you're willing to travel in shoulder season, there is no need to purchase a Caribbean timeshare; you can exchange via Interval (with a Marriott) and get something very nice.
• Marriott legacy weeks are a great value. They have special preference for trading to other Marriotts on Interval (II). You can buy a lock-off and split the unit--turning it into two weeks of vacation for the price of just more than 1.

So, welcome to TUG. Consider buying a very good Marriott trader. If you can afford the purchase cost of a resort in an area you would use (Aruba, St Kitts, etc...) then that would be icing on the cake. Keep in mind, that buying an 'island' timeshare subjects you to foreign costs for purchase (special closing and fees) and charges for hurricanes etc....

Advice? I would consider buying a legacy Marriott timeshare week, lockoff, from a trusted broker that will give you good advice.

cheers.

 

[GetawaysRus]

I am looking to buy a timeshare, but I am lost!

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

A.) anytime, but we are not really full week vacationers, usually 4-5 days max, obviously if it were a European trip then the 7 days would be a minimum


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

A.) 5k, more if worth the effort

Those 2 answers stuck out when I read them. Here's a few things to think about.

Regarding #9: you're going to have to buy resale. Buying direct from a developer is quite expensive and will be out of reach. But you should be at peace with that because there is a lot of value you can get from a resale purchase. Don't assume that you must buy direct from a developer to get all the goodies.

Regarding #5: Before purchasing our timeshare, I would have also thought it unlikely that I would want to spend more than 4-5 days in one location, especially in the USA. When visiting Paris or Rome, sure, we found plenty to do for a week. But how could we find a full week of to-do's in the USA? Now, however, we don't like to spend less than a week at a timeshare property, and often the week seems over too quickly.

Now, we take 2 very different types of vacations. There are the big international trips where we typically end up staying in a small hotel room. The flights are long and we exhaust ourselves running around trying to see all the major sights. And then there are our timeshare vacations, which allow us to slow down and enjoy larger and more luxurious accommodations. (We are Marriott owners and usually find the Marriott resorts to be high quality.) With a one week timeshare trade, day 1 is check-in day, and you usually can't get checked in until the early to mid-afternoon. Also on day 1 we need to go shopping for some supplies to stock the fridge so that we can enjoy a leisurely breakfast in our room for most of the rest of the week and maybe buy a few items to grill for dinner. So a 1 week timeshare stay feels more like a 6 day stay to us, and that's not much of a leap from your estimate of a 4-5 day vacation.

Also, your comment of "we can vacation any time" works in your favor. When trading our timeshare unit, it always seems to us that summer trades are much more difficult. Demand is high. The kids are out of school in the summer, and many people like to travel then. We find trading in the spring and fall much easier, I think because demand is less, and we enjoy spring and fall travel because our destinations don't seem as crowded.

There is a lot to learn about timesharing. Don't expect that you'll learn everything all at once, or at the outset. We bought our first unit in 2004 and there are still things I'm learning here on TUG.

 

[taterhed]

Sorry, I missed the 4-5 days comment.

If you want 4-5 days (why would you fly somewhere for 4-5 days?) then just get the week and use the days you want.
The concept of using 'points' to book for less than a week works much better in theory than in reality. At least at your price level.