Teresa
TUG Member
Background: At one point we had 13 timeshares. All in Florida (bulk of them in Daytona). We owned a whole ownership condo on the beach in Daytona and I used the Daytona timeshares as back-up inventory. We sold the condo in 2017 so my 'marketing' was gone. I had started giving away timeshares earlier. I had offered them on this website. I offered them to friends and family. Sometimes I offered them directly to the resorts and I even offered them to other owners at the resorts. I offered them to the people who had rented them from us (one guy rented the same resort every year - 2-3 units at a time). I started out trying to get just a few bucks for them. I ended up paying the transfer taxes on nearly all of them as I wanted to make sure they transferred. One I did sell - for $2,000. And that was sort of a fluke (see below).
The bulk of them I gave away on Craigslist. Most of the ads got tagged (I don't know who tagged them but some 'disappeared' from Craigslist in a few hours). Often, people called because they thought I was giving away a free vacation rather than giving away the deeds (maybe that's why they got tagged). I was very upfront and told them in the ads that these were timeshare deeds and if they didn't know anything (or enough) about timeshares they should do some research or ask me how they work. I told them that 'this timeshare' (whichever one it was) was either fixed or floating and what the mfs were last year. And still some thought I was giving away a week vacation. Because I wanted people to know what they were 'getting into' I sorta 'interviewed' them to make sure they understood. If they said they wanted 'it' (or 'them' in three cases) I would get a deed (deeds) signed, send to the county for recording then send to new owner after I got it/them back. In one instance I had to pay the resort to transfer ownership (what a scam).
One I had given to a family with a disabled son who loved the place. They owned the same fixed week at the resort I had and wanted a second unit there to give them more room. A feel good moment for sure.
Apple Valley in Ohio went belly up and they took the deed back (they prepared, had us pay the transfer fees - about $16).
The fluke timeshare was at Ocean Beach Club in New Smyrna Beach (this was my favorite). I had already created the deed for someone who 'really wanted it' from a Craigslist ad a few years ago. She then accused me of scamming her after a friend of hers did research and saw that I had transferred a lot of timeshares in and out (when I bought them, when I gave them away). I asked her how I was scamming her since I wasn't asking her for any money. She got flustered. I told her that I wasn't going to force the timeshare on her - it was her loss. Done. I offered it to the management at Ocean Beach Club for free too. Nope. Last January I got an email from the Board stating they had taken the resort management back from Exploria (I think) and the mf bills would be late AND if I wanted to list our unit for rent or sale I could do it for free on the website. So I put it up for $2K thinking someone would offer me something lower and I'd take it (since I was previously willing to give it away). I got a full price offer about 6 weeks into the ad (and I thought that was a scam - ha ha ha - joke was on me). They (that company trying to get control of older, small resorts) sent a check with a prepared deed. We cashed the check then sent the signed deed back.
Current story: These last two timeshares were little studios at Ocean Landings (Cocoa Beach). I got a call from the guy I gave our Seagull unit (Cocoa Beach) to. They had just used the week at Seagull (they had used it last year too) and had a great time and wanted to know if I had any more to give away. Just the Ocean Landings units. Told him to call the resort to find out whatever he wanted. He sent me an email and said he wanted both. We signed a new deed, sent it to him and he got it recorded (he lives in Cocoa). He said he looked forward to many happy vacations with his family.
Moral of the story? I guess that offering them on craigslist was the way for me to go. I was pretty low-key when I was talking to people about them - 'take 'em or not - do what's best for you.' Fortunately, they were all red weeks. I find it 'satisfying' to have someone who I had given a timeshare to (a 'stranger from Craigslist) ask for more - and that he either kept my contact information or had to look for it. Timeshares can be a marvelous tool for families to go (be forced to go, in some cases) on vacation. We used them (both as rentals and as vacations for us). They became a drag financially and we didn't use them as much as we had - so it was time for them to go. I don't regret having them (some regret for holding onto so many for so long maybe). I don't regret passing them on (sold or given). I will NOT miss the mf bills - at all! I will probably look at these boards just to see what's going on (as I have in the past). And I'll see if there is a bargain rental I can pick up now and then. And, as a side note - my 29 year old daughter bought a timeshare last year - retail (Ugh). And life goes on.
The bulk of them I gave away on Craigslist. Most of the ads got tagged (I don't know who tagged them but some 'disappeared' from Craigslist in a few hours). Often, people called because they thought I was giving away a free vacation rather than giving away the deeds (maybe that's why they got tagged). I was very upfront and told them in the ads that these were timeshare deeds and if they didn't know anything (or enough) about timeshares they should do some research or ask me how they work. I told them that 'this timeshare' (whichever one it was) was either fixed or floating and what the mfs were last year. And still some thought I was giving away a week vacation. Because I wanted people to know what they were 'getting into' I sorta 'interviewed' them to make sure they understood. If they said they wanted 'it' (or 'them' in three cases) I would get a deed (deeds) signed, send to the county for recording then send to new owner after I got it/them back. In one instance I had to pay the resort to transfer ownership (what a scam).
One I had given to a family with a disabled son who loved the place. They owned the same fixed week at the resort I had and wanted a second unit there to give them more room. A feel good moment for sure.
Apple Valley in Ohio went belly up and they took the deed back (they prepared, had us pay the transfer fees - about $16).
The fluke timeshare was at Ocean Beach Club in New Smyrna Beach (this was my favorite). I had already created the deed for someone who 'really wanted it' from a Craigslist ad a few years ago. She then accused me of scamming her after a friend of hers did research and saw that I had transferred a lot of timeshares in and out (when I bought them, when I gave them away). I asked her how I was scamming her since I wasn't asking her for any money. She got flustered. I told her that I wasn't going to force the timeshare on her - it was her loss. Done. I offered it to the management at Ocean Beach Club for free too. Nope. Last January I got an email from the Board stating they had taken the resort management back from Exploria (I think) and the mf bills would be late AND if I wanted to list our unit for rent or sale I could do it for free on the website. So I put it up for $2K thinking someone would offer me something lower and I'd take it (since I was previously willing to give it away). I got a full price offer about 6 weeks into the ad (and I thought that was a scam - ha ha ha - joke was on me). They (that company trying to get control of older, small resorts) sent a check with a prepared deed. We cashed the check then sent the signed deed back.
Current story: These last two timeshares were little studios at Ocean Landings (Cocoa Beach). I got a call from the guy I gave our Seagull unit (Cocoa Beach) to. They had just used the week at Seagull (they had used it last year too) and had a great time and wanted to know if I had any more to give away. Just the Ocean Landings units. Told him to call the resort to find out whatever he wanted. He sent me an email and said he wanted both. We signed a new deed, sent it to him and he got it recorded (he lives in Cocoa). He said he looked forward to many happy vacations with his family.
Moral of the story? I guess that offering them on craigslist was the way for me to go. I was pretty low-key when I was talking to people about them - 'take 'em or not - do what's best for you.' Fortunately, they were all red weeks. I find it 'satisfying' to have someone who I had given a timeshare to (a 'stranger from Craigslist) ask for more - and that he either kept my contact information or had to look for it. Timeshares can be a marvelous tool for families to go (be forced to go, in some cases) on vacation. We used them (both as rentals and as vacations for us). They became a drag financially and we didn't use them as much as we had - so it was time for them to go. I don't regret having them (some regret for holding onto so many for so long maybe). I don't regret passing them on (sold or given). I will NOT miss the mf bills - at all! I will probably look at these boards just to see what's going on (as I have in the past). And I'll see if there is a bargain rental I can pick up now and then. And, as a side note - my 29 year old daughter bought a timeshare last year - retail (Ugh). And life goes on.