Any downsides to owning an EOY week?

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I’m thinking about adding an EOY 2 bedroom lock off/trader for II. I already have an EY week. Are there any weird downsides to an EOY I should know about (extra fees because it’s not every year, etc?)
Thanks in advance!

I’m assuming the maintenance fees are just half the corresponding maintenance fees for an EY for the same unit size, is that correct?

 

[jmhpsu93]

I think it's been noted elsewhere but make sure you buy a unit where you get usage the first year you pay maintenance fees.

 

[dioxide45]

Buying again so soon? The only real issue is that you pay the same closing costs as if you bought an annual week. There are no additional fees but as alluded to above, MVC billed for EOY weeks differently than most other brands and timeshares. When they start billing a new direct buyer they collect the first half of the MF in the use year and the second half in the year after. So for 2025 usage, they consider the 2025 and 2026 fees to cover 2025 use. In reality when buying/selling an EOY week when MFs and usage starts for the buyer is negotiable, but it could mean you buy a 2026 first use but have to pay 2025 maintenance fees. This isn't necessarily an issue until you go to sell and sell, for example, 2035 usage and the buyer starts paying the fees in 2035. You effectively overpaid fees by half a year.

This oddity in MF cycle also means you pay a little more in fees than an annual owner would pay for the same usage. That is fees are going up, which they always seem to do. Say, in 2025 the EOY fees are $1,000. An annual owner pays $2,000. Your usage is odd; 2025. In 2026, where you get no use, the fees are now $2,100 for annual. That makes your EOY fee $1,050. You've now paid $2,050 for the 2025 use when the annual owner only paid $2,000.

 

[noreenkate]

I’m thinking about adding an EOY 2 bedroom lock off/trader for II. I already have an EY week. Are there any weird downsides to an EOY I should know about (extra fees because it’s not every year, etc?)
Thanks in advance!

I’m assuming the maintenance fees are just half the corresponding maintenance fees for an EY for the same unit size, is that correct?

After reading up here on tug thats exactly what i picked up for trading, an EOYO platinum 2 bdr lock off @ Willow Ridge, only problem I had was add-on- ittis.
I know some tuggers aren’t fans of EOY but I am big on do what works for you.

The plan was deposit both sides and book both sides separately using the paid room upgrade option through II if necessary. My intention was to supplement what we already had along side the other various timeshare clubs we have. The thing is we don't usually need more than a 1bedroom most of the time. Its just the 2 of us so most of the time the lock off & deposit works out…

We did add another EOYE at gold MGV, this one is not intended for trading but actually occupying - again I was advised against it & but so far it’s working as i intend lol this is the first year I may actually have DVC points to bank vs borrowing.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Buying again so soon? The only real issue is that you pay the same closing costs as if you bought an annual week. There are no additional fees but as alluded to above, MVC billed for EOY weeks differently than most other brands and timeshares. When they start billing a new direct buyer they collect the first half of the MF in the use year and the second half in the year after. So for 2025 usage, they consider the 2025 and 2026 fees to cover 2025 use. In reality when buying/selling an EOY week when MFs and usage starts for the buyer is negotiable, but it could mean you buy a 2026 first use but have to pay 2025 maintenance fees. This isn't necessarily an issue until you go to sell and sell, for example, 2035 usage and the buyer starts paying the fees in 2035. You effectively overpaid fees by half a year.

This oddity in MF cycle also means you pay a little more in fees than an annual owner would pay for the same usage. That is fees are going up, which they always seem to do. Say, in 2025 the EOY fees are $1,000. An annual owner pays $2,000. Your usage is odd; 2025. In 2026, where you get no use, the fees are now $2,100 for annual. That makes your EOY fee $1,050. You've now paid $2,050 for the 2025 use when the annual owner only paid $2,000.

Thank you as always for this useful information. Yeah we have done really well with trading into DVC and Marriott so far and we have the itch…

 

[BJRSanDiego]

One of the BENEFITS of owning an EOY is that it is less likely to fail the ROFR.

I own 2 weeks EOY on Maui. For me that is perfect because we use the unit outselves and if we're flying that far, we might just as well stay for 2 weeks. Leaving after only one week seems too short of a vacation.

 

[ljmiii]

No weird downsides, just the fact that when you buy and sell the costs are amortized over 1/2 as many years.

We own a bunch of EOY dees for the simple reason that I knew we would be in Hawaii every other year. And so we own EOYE in Hawaii and now own a pair of EOYO weeks in the USVI.

I do confess it is a bit odd to me that you know you will want to trade through II once every two years. But it’s your nickel!

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

No weird downsides, just the fact that when you buy and sell the costs are amortized over 1/2 as many years.

We own a bunch of EOY dees for the simple reason that I knew we would be in Hawaii every other year. And so we own EOYE in Hawaii and now own a pair of EOYO weeks in the USVI.

I do confess it is a bit odd to me that you know you will want to trade through II once every two years. But it’s your nickel!

My thought is, given the amount of time in advance you can deposit a week, and given how long you can use it for once deposited (it’s two years, right?) one two bedroom EOY lock off can effectively be used every year with one side’s deposit being booked each year as a exchange. Am I making an error with that strategy?

We already have a 2 bedroom EY Lockoff so my thought was a 2 bedroom EOY lock off would net us 3 weeks a year if we always lock off.

We take 5-6 trips per year so my thought is that’s three weeks, I can get two weeks out of Wyndham, and another week out of DVC.

 

[dioxide45]

There can be bigger downsides if it is your only week in II. Thus you need to maintain an annual II account but really only use the week every other year.

 

[noreenkate]

My thought is, given the amount of time in advance you can deposit a week, and given how long you can use it for once deposited (it’s two years, right?) one two bedroom EOY lock off can effectively be used every year with one side’s deposit being booked each year as a exchange. Am I making an error with that strategy?

We already have a 2 bedroom EY Lockoff so my thought was a 2 bedroom EOY lock off would net us 3 weeks a year if we always lock off.

We take 5-6 trips per year so my thought is that’s three weeks, I can get two weeks out of Wyndham, and another week out of DVC.

That‘s almost exactly the way we use it in II-
we also have a EOY in RCI weeks that we do the same thing- got a total of 7 weeks this year across the different companies.

 

[Dean]

The only other downside I can think of is that if one is paying closing that makes the week far more costly on a per use basis than an EY week. Plus they often aren't that much cheaper in price. Just pay attention to price and closing costs. For those needing the 13 month window to match up with other reservations it can be a challenge on the off years.

 

[WorldT]

My thought is, given the amount of time in advance you can deposit a week, and given how long you can use it for once deposited (it’s two years, right?) one two bedroom EOY lock off can effectively be used every year with one side’s deposit being booked each year as a exchange. Am I making an error with that strategy?

We already have a 2 bedroom EY Lockoff so my thought was a 2 bedroom EOY lock off would net us 3 weeks a year if we always lock off.

We take 5-6 trips per year so my thought is that’s three weeks, I can get two weeks out of Wyndham, and another week out of DVC.

I own a 4 bedroom EOY at the Colonies that can be locked off and deposited separately.
For example, for use year 2026 (it is EYOE), the lock-offs became available to deposit in II exactly two years from the check in date (after week 25 this year). I deposited sides A and B separately for 2026 and already picked up an exchange for spring next year. I am debating whether to use the second side for a late summer/fall trip next year or a jan/feb winter trip in 2026.
The other thing is that I have till 2028 to use the second side so no rush.
As long as the resort allows you to deposit it 2 years ahead then your plan is solid. II has no problems with that.

 

[jbman]

We bought an EOYE Grand Chateau last year as our first timeshare, I can confirm it has worked out perfectly, you just pay half the maintenance fees each year and is easy enough to lock off and deposit and use one half one year and the other half the next.

I can also confirm what the others have said is true, it was a bit more expensive to get then an Annual week, we have had to account for the full cost of the interval membership fee each year for just one week, and we certainly got addonitis. Since we travel mainly in the off-season, we decided to pick up an annual week at Vacation Village at Williamsburg, so that gives us three weeks a year now for just a bit more than if we got an annual week (this is new so I'm not sure at this point if the trade power will be enough, but it seems like it will work for Orlando or travelling in the Fall).

One thing to consider is that the Studio and the 1 BR have different trading power, so if you want to use it for a specific purpose each year, it may not work, ie, if you wanted to go to Hawaii every year, the 1 BR may work one year and the Studio may not the next.

On the other hand if you were going to use it each year for something the Studio will pull and don't need the trading power of the 1 BR, you might be able to get away with an even lower cost trader like Vacation Village at Williamsburg or Colonies or other lower cost trader.

But if you just wanted another week a year to use for various vacations, ie Hawaii one year and Orlando the next, or whatever comes up then it is great.

Not including the Interval membership, I work out our GC week to be about $1,150 per week, the VVW is about $770 per week.

The other alternative that I am considering and see as a reasonable alternative to the lock off traders is to get a Phuket Beach Club week, maintenance fee thread has it as $1,150 and the only added cost is $164 for a trade, so just over $1,300, which is pretty reasonable if you are going to go for tougher trades on a regular basis, and it has a stellar MF/point ratio if you ever retro in the future.

(all the numbers are based on trading into 2 bedroom units, VVW and PBC don't have upgrade fees, but GC becomes cheaper if you trade into studios or 1 BR's)