Tri west is one of the if not THE only exceptions to the no upfront rule we have...as their upfront fees are specifically to pay certain fees that california levies against them.
ie, they follow all the laws and do it right, and doing so costs them that money they charge upfront. They are HUGE supporters of doing things the right way to avoid the possible nightmares you can encounter when using unlicensed and uneducated sales/closing/transfer people in some of these fly by night operations.
Mario has been a long time friend of my father, and a long time supporter of TUG. (he also gets furious when we always say never pay an upfront fee)...so im sticking my neck out as thanks to him in this instance.
I believe Mario will treat you right at tri-west, he is a good guy (know him personally). If not, you let me know and I will make it right.
I dont suspect you will need that however, as they are good people.
Fact is, if it were just a "fee" that went into their pocket to sell your timeshare...they would fall into the categories with the rest of the upfront fee companies, that is not the case here. Ask them specifically what the $195 goes to, and you should get an answer!
Tri West want $195 up front fee. Everything I have read says NO NO NO. Tri-West appears to be a leader in timeshare resales. Can anyone give me some advice. Thanks
I am a timeshare owner and I had listed my timeshare for sale thru Tri-West and they took my money and did nothing for me. In fact, once they take your money you never hear back from them - except for a copy of your listing once a year. No calls, no follow-up, etc. Don't do it!
I would tend to take the advice of our Moderator over that of a 1-time poster (probably an upfront company shill, etc)
just my 2 cents.
softballdad: Mario and his company have been around for over 20 years in the timeshare business. As Bocabum stated, he has a large client base and is well respected in the industry. Personally I would rather have a company with that kind of record than a no fee company in business for less years.
This may be a very honest company but after all this time having warned of these companies are we now saying except in this case because Brian knows him?![]()
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. of course, but as far as recommendations on TUG, you do understand that Brian is the owner of TUG, right? He has a vested interest in making sure that all recommendations on TUG are for reputable companies.
Brian, I asked the question hoping to get a wide range of feedback both pro and con. I value your comments not only because you know Mario but supported his fee in spite of TUG's position. Considering all of the responses only one was negative. The others were positive.
I also did a BBB check and Tri-West has a 4 star rating and no complaints.
While it troubles me a little to front load a listing I'm gong to do it. I will keep you and the others posted on how it goes.
Thanks again for your input
I agree with Brian that Mario's reputation in the industry is sterling. Also, be aware that some type of upfront fee isn't that uncommon any longer with brokers (even those that advertise as "no upfront fees" often have some type of upfront fee product, upgrade, or referral system to a marketing site)..
Good luck on your sale.