[ 2008 ] SVO eBay Sales

[DanCali]

your right it was ODD years WKORV that sold for US $4,850.00, but that still means every year would sell for less than $10K

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360244472225&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

That's pretty much the price these days on eBay for an Island View. An OV may sell for around $15K.

The thing is that when the news regarding the Maui tax came out last year everyone knew prices would tank but they had a 4-5 month window before the news got fully priced and MFs became public to sell for 50% more. Most people get anchored to what they bought for and refuse to take a large loss, but sometimes taking a large loss is better than taking a larger loss... (or effectively paying $8K for the 2010 vacation).

I wish I could see the light at the end of the tunnel for the WKORV/N resorts. Getting Jeff on the board would have been a great start...

 

[DeniseM]

WPORV EOY 2 bdm. Buy it now - $8,500

WPORV EOY 2 bdm. L/O Buy it now - $8,500 4/13/10

http://cgi.ebay.com/Westin-Princevi...dZViewItemQQptZTimeshares?hash=item414e7b4012

Usage starts this year. They are asking for the 2010 MF - but not 2009 (in other words, you'd get to use 2010 for half the MF.)

 

[RLOGO]

WPORV EOY 2 bdm. L/O Buy it now - $8,500 4/13/10

http://cgi.ebay.com/Westin-Princevi...dZViewItemQQptZTimeshares?hash=item414e7b4012

Usage starts this year. They are asking for the 2010 MF - but not 2009 (in other words, you'd get to use 2010 for half the MF.)

I know this is a Starwood board but for comparison, this 2BR Marriott Maui EOY sold for ($16,000), double or 3X what the WKORV are selling for. Starwood is self destructing with the high MF's.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Timeshare-at-Ma...dZViewItemQQptZTimeshares?hash=item25596ad909

 

[amundson]

I thought WKV was a sought after resort because just 2 months back the platinums were selling for $17k and $19k. But, this auction just recently closed and there were no takers even for a dollar.

Granted the buyer would have had to pay 2009 Maintenance fees, but still 81,000 staroptions for a dollar and the lowest ongoing MFs at a mandatory resort.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350336288361&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[RLOGO]

Granted the buyer would have had to pay 2009 Maintenance fees, but still 81,000 staroptions for a dollar and the lowest ongoing MFs at a mandatory resort....

It is the 2010 MF's but you still have use for this year.

 

[Ken555]

I thought WKV was a sought after resort because just 2 months back the platinums were selling for $17k and $19k. But, this auction just recently closed and there were no takers even for a dollar.

There's a big difference in value between Platinum and Gold weeks at WKV. The savvy buyer won't buy a 2-bed Gold week unless the intent is to use in that season at that resort. The best value for 81K SOs at WKV is a Platinum small large 1-bed.

And the occasional eBay listing can't be used as an indication of the market in general. If this is the start of a trend and we see a number of auctions end with no bidders like this, even though this particular auction has some negatives, then it would be a different matter.

 

[DavidnRobin]

I concur with Ken (except the value is more for the large 1Bd). WKV Gold is not of high value - especially compared to Platinum. It is very hard to find reasonably priced WKV 1Bd Prem (large)/Plat - I have watched for them for years (not extensively) - I own two of them - and not many pass thru the major resale sites (note - I said reasonably priced). Someone did find a super deal on one from eBay (but they failed to list it was a Westin).

I say the large 1bd (Prem) is a better value than the small 1Bd (Dlx) because it comes with 81K SO (vs. 67.1K SO) - and as a SO amount has more options within SVN - and this allows for SVN exchange into a 1Bd in HI (vs. a studio). The eBay price difference between the small and large 1Bd reflects this.

If you buy WKV resale - I would recommended Plat only, and a minimum of 81K SO. btw, SVO does not have a ROFR for WKV.

 

[amundson]

I am buying WKV right now. It is building 4. 2 BR/LO. 148,100 Staroptions. annual use, platinum.

I thnk I am getting a good deal. Buying from craigslist from a guy named Brandon Hill, using JRA Services out of Florida. Any experience with either of them?

I have been watching WKV 2BRs on eBay for about a year and found this on Craigslist by accident one day...

 

[jarta]

My suggestion is to get an estoppel letter concerning this purchase. That document will show who the HOA and Starwood show as the "owner of record" of the week and whether the MF are current.

Price is up to you. But, if the week is a 2-br lockoff at WKV in Platinum season, I would recommend purchasing title insurance to protect your investment. GLTY. ... eom

 

[amundson]

$16,500. i am thinking i will do title insurance and let JRA do the rest. I saw some other posts on here saying they were reputable and even recommending them so I am not too worried. sound right to you jarta?

 

[Ken555]

I concur with Ken (except the value is more for the large 1Bd).

Oops! Corrected, thx.

 

[jarta]

amundson, ... $16,500 is a good price today. I paid $3,500 more on eBay about 2 years ago.

Today's good price can be tomorrow's very good price. It can also be tomorrow's bad price.

I buy TS for the vacation enjoyment. Worrying about whether $16,500 or $15,000 is the best price or about the money I have "lost" by buying at WKV is something I just do not do.

Buy where you want to go in the season you want to visit there and never, ever overbuy. If you proceed that way, the price you pay can include some wiggle-room.

Even if you are only getting 2011 first use, it's time to have the buyer call for a reservation you want. Right now we are in week 14. Time's a wastin' for making Platinum 2011 reservations at WKV. Don't wait to reserve until you actually are the owner. However, as soon as you are, call Starwood to make your own reservation or to be sure the name change has not triggered a cancellation of the 2011 reservation made for you (usually it does not - at least right away).

If you have never been to WKV, I am sure you will love it when you get there. If you have been there before, you know what I am talking about. I was there 4 weeks ago. GLTY. ... eom

 

[jarta]

Ken, ... How the heck do you get the overstrike to work for corrections? TIA. ... eom

 

[DavidnRobin]

$16,500. i am thinking i will do title insurance and let JRA do the rest. I saw some other posts on here saying they were reputable and even recommending them so I am not too worried. sound right to you jarta?

I am of the opposite mind when it comes to Title Insurance (this is different than a Title Search), but that of course depends on the circumstances. If it looks clean-cut, then TI is expensive for the value added. You can look at the Mariposa County Recorders Office for the Title History, and SVO Title can tell you about outstanding loans and MFs. TI is only as good as the Insuring Company. YMMV and JMO

JRA is reputable - discuss TI with them.

 

[brigechols]

Ken, ... How the heck do you get the overstrike to work for corrections? TIA. ... eom

Look at your tool bar for the icon ABC to overstrike selected text.

 

[jarta]

Thank you. ... eom

 

[DanCali]

I thought WKV was a sought after resort because just 2 months back the platinums were selling for $17k and $19k. But, this auction just recently closed and there were no takers even for a dollar.

Granted the buyer would have had to pay 2009 Maintenance fees, but still 81,000 staroptions for a dollar and the lowest ongoing MFs at a mandatory resort.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350336288361&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Even a Gold 2BR is worth about $4K these days.

The reason you see zero bids is because the seler ended the auction early... The highest bid at the time was $2550.

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=350336288361

The auction was supposed to end at 9:40pm (I know this from the eBay new items alert email I got) but the seller ended it about 30 minutes early.

 

[DanCali]

i am thinking i will do title insurance and let JRA do the rest. I saw some other posts on here saying they were reputable and even recommending them so I am not too worried. sound right to you jarta?

I wouldn't hesitate to get title insurance for this purchase price. It should cost you about $300-$350... (about 2% of purchase price)

 

[DavidnRobin]

WKORVN 2Bd OF (EY) - $8989

WKORVN 2Bd OF (EY) - $8988.88 (4/9/10)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390177424398

ouch...

however - seller (vaca4life2) rating is low (93.9%)
This eBay ad style looks like the typical Resort Closings Inc. (Tarpey Bros.) TS offer - not sure they would use one of their poorer seller ratings eBay IDs on this auction?

The auction has a few flaws (normal for these guys) - the resort and address in the Items Specifics (top of ad) is wrong - listed as Kaanapali Beach Club. The ad description has the correct address for WKORVN.

The unit is listed as deeded as 5317/19 - this is not a OF villa.

[comment deleted.]Not surprised that the eBay seller rating is low - what does it take to get teh auction info correct - 5 minutes?

These are good reasons to be careful when buying on eBay - this auction will return (mark my words...).

2010 usage and associated MFs still to be used.

 

[PamMo]

WKORVN 2Bd OF (EY) - $8988.88 (4/9/10)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390177424398

ouch....

Sale was cancelled. It was island view and I really want at least oceanview. Oceanfront at that price would have been great, though!

Pam

 

[timesharepro]

WKORVN 2Bd OF (EY) - $8988.88 (4/9/10)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390177424398

ouch...

however - seller (vaca4life2) rating is low (93.9%)
This eBay ad style looks like the typical Resort Closings Inc. (Tarpey Bros.) TS offer - not sure they would use one of their poorer seller ratings eBay IDs on this auction?

The auction has a few flaws (normal for these guys) - the resort and address in the Items Specifics (top of ad) is wrong - listed as Kaanapali Beach Club. The ad description has the correct address for WKORVN.

The unit is listed as deeded as 5317/19 - this is not a OF villa.

[comment deleted]
Not surprised that the eBay seller rating is low - what does it take to get teh auction info correct - 5 minutes?

These are good reasons to be careful when buying on eBay - this auction will return (mark my words...).

2010 usage and associated MFs still to be used.

Dear DavidnRobin,

Please accept my apologies on behalf of the new sales agent that we have. Everyone makes mistakes. It was his second listing, and I will take responsibility for the error, as I was in charge of looking over the listings. The negative feedback was from a sales person, before the most recent, that did not work out (lasted a little over a month). Training is continuing with the new agent and I am making sure his auctions are up to your standards.

[comment deleted]
We do make mistakes, and we do everything in our power to correct those mistakes when they happen. I personally have been selling on ebay for 27 months and there are still properties that I do not know everything about. Some people are gracious when they know more about the property and let me know. Others are not... and those few people generally are not sold to following their comments. We know much about many resorts, but know everything about very few resorts. We strive to make everything as correct as possible, as that makes our job easier, buyers happier, transfers done quicker. However sometimes things happen.

[comment deleted]
In the future, if you (or anyone reading this) see a mistake on any of our auctions (ebay ids: timesharepro2, snownsun4ever, vaca4life2) please let us know.

Right now, I am going to put some ads up on ebay, and go breathe some clean Montana air.[comment deleted]

John Kushman (timesharepro2, snownsun4ever)
on behalf of Keith Hart (vaca4life2)

 

[DeniseM]

I have edited 2 posts in this thread that had comments that were not courteous. Please let it go now.


John - please be very careful not to promote your company on TUG. We have a very strict no-advertising rule. I know you were responding to a specific post, so I will cut you a little slack, but usually, posting your eBay ID's would violate our no-advertising rules.

 

[Fredm]

I wouldn't hesitate to get title insurance for this purchase price. It should cost you about $300-$350... (about 2% of purchase price)

Gee, that seems high for TI.

Max, it should not be more than $250 for a purchase under $70,000, if not padded by the broker or escrow company.

Most of our transactions come in between $180-200, with Chicago or Stuart Title underwriting.
California is a bit higher, but not over $250.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Dear DavidnRobin,

Please accept my apologies on behalf of the new sales agent that we have. Everyone makes mistakes. It was his second listing, and I will take responsibility for the error, as I was in charge of looking over the listings. The negative feedback was from a sales person, before the most recent, that did not work out (lasted a little over a month). Training is continuing with the new agent and I am making sure his auctions are up to your standards.

[comment deleted]
We do make mistakes, and we do everything in our power to correct those mistakes when they happen. I personally have been selling on ebay for 27 months and there are still properties that I do not know everything about. Some people are gracious when they know more about the property and let me know. Others are not... and those few people generally are not sold to following their comments. We know much about many resorts, but know everything about very few resorts. We strive to make everything as correct as possible, as that makes our job easier, buyers happier, transfers done quicker. However sometimes things happen.

[comment deleted]
In the future, if you (or anyone reading this) see a mistake on any of our auctions (ebay ids: timesharepro2, snownsun4ever, vaca4life2) please let us know.

Right now, I am going to put some ads up on ebay, and go breathe some clean Montana air.[comment deleted]

John Kushman (timesharepro2, snownsun4ever)
on behalf of Keith Hart (vaca4life2)

wow - I seem to have hit a sore spot.

I did send an email to the seller regarding the inaccurate aspects of an auction (most importantly that it was not OF and the resort address was wrong) - as I will sometimes do when I see glowing inaccuracies in an eBay auction. Some sellers are appreciative - most do not respond, or respond to tell me that I am wrong (lol). First time one showed up here to bash me for doing so. I have no obligation to contact the seller - as my purpose is to inform Tuggers (number 1) in cases such as Ebay ads gone astray (in an eBay sales thread that I started). I have sent messages before to your sellers about inaccurate auctions for WSJ.

As a Tugger - I was letting my TUG colleagues know in case they were looking at bidding (which one did apparently...). This is something that will not stop while I contribute to TUG whether (or not) I feel compelled to notify the steller (given the timing and effort - and clear lack of gratitude - lol)

I welcome you joining TUG discussion (although DeniseM will make you follow guidelines) - your group could learn a lot here - as well as us from you (hopefully). We have 2 well-informed TS brokers here on the SVO forum (Fred and James) and they are great contributors and well as learning from us as well (and I assume get a few leads here and there from TUG).

btw - it may be good to tell your sales people to post a question on TUG if they are unsure - to get an answer quickly (w/o promoting of course) - in this case... "What is the view catagory for villa xxxxx at WKORVN?" Two mins of time for a VOI valued at$1000s may be worthwhile...

btw - I bought a WSJ TS from your group (Donate-for-a Cause, Go Vacations, Resort Closings) that had an inaccurate descriptions - luckily that worked out for me due to the likelihood that it lowered the bid.

PS to Denise M - I am not sure of what comment I made (on the fly) that was not following TUG guidlines for courtesy. Please let me know next time and I will happily edit. I was not intending to offend - I was merely stating an observation based on years of perusing eBay ads for Westin VOIs.

 

[mkfisher]

DavidnRobin- I believe you are seeing this issue correctly and I appreciate your value-added contributions!