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Buying Charter Club to gain Access to Sanibel

icydog

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I traded my DVC points with a HGVC owner and stayed at the Sanibel Beach Cottages at the end of February '06. We absolutely loved it there. We were thinking of buying HGVC points so we could vacation there but then I saw an ad on Redweek for two Charter Club weeks (5K points each) for sale. The price for the two weeks would be $10,000 but I am not sure if that is negotiable or not. This would be cheaper than buying into either HGVC or buying the Sanibel week directly.
Is this the way into Sanibel Cottages or am I deluding myself. I am familar with points since Hilton and DVC work very much the same way.


What is the cheapest and most expedious way to join HGVC? Are the affliates the way in?

Thanks for your ideas
 

JLB

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Unless you own at an HGVC Sanibel resort, the week you want to be there, there is no certain way of getting it Weeks 1-16. HGVC likely gets more weeks than RCI, but that's not saying much.

Most owners seem to use their weeks, or rent them.
 

rfb813

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I agree with JLB, relatively few Sanibel weeks come available for exchange and particularly in the peak season weeks 5-16 and even in the week 25-30 time. If you want Sanibel, buy Sanibel.
 

Steve

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You will not be successful trying to exchange into Sanibel during peak winter season using HGVC points...especially if you desire to stay at Sanibel Cottages. If you are willing to take any winter week at any Sanibel resort, you may get lucky some year and actually get something. But don't count on it...and definitely don't count on getting your first choice of resort or week.

Steve
 

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As a former HGVC owner, I agree. Unlike the owners of other HGVC timeshares, it is optional for the southwest west Florida HGVC "affiliated" timeshare owners to join "the club". Those peak winter/spring season owners buy to use; those who don't can rent their weeks at good rates, they do not need to use "the club" (and I believe most do not even belong to the club); oftentimes those HGVC points they could get in exchange aren't anywhere as valuable for them as renting or using. Unless those particular weeks' owners decide to (a) join HGVC in the first place, and (b) turn a particular year's points into HGVC in exchange for HGVC points, the weeks you want may *never* get into the HGVC bank for internal exchanges. Also, even if the weeks you want get into HGVC for an internal exchange, it is hard to grab those weeks because, unlike DVC, HGVC doesn't have an internal wait list system (unless things have changed) -- so you'll have to count on extremely good luck with respect to when you check for availability. What are the odds? If you want Sanibel during peak weeks, buy there; otherwise you'll be disappointed.
 

JLB

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Let me put it this way, if you have not followed my January in SW Florida study, I have been searching availability through RCI almost every day for ten years and I have recorded the results since March 27, 2002.

Two days ago I confirmed our first Sanibel exchange, for 12/28/08, and that was just pure good fortune (and clean living :D ).

So, if you don't mind searching every day, perhaps once every ten years you will come up with something. :doh:

If you want to be in that area that time of year, there are some comfortable lesser resorts for a lot less money, and they, too, are mostly used by owners.
 
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icydog

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Let me put it this way, if you have not followed my January in SW Florida study, I have been searching availaibility through RCI almost every day for ten years and I have recorded the results since March 27, 2002.

Two days ago I confirmed our first Sanibel exchange, for 12/28/08, and that was just pure good fortune (and clean living :D ).

So, if you don't mind searching every day, perhaps once every ten years you will come up with something. :doh:

If you want to be in that area that time of year, there are some comfortable lesser resorts for a lot less money, and they, too, are mostly used by owners.


I wonder how the man I exchanged with got the last week in February. It is platinum time, but maybe not all that requested???

I hear you. Thanks for the advice. I thought by buying the two Charter Club weeks I had found a cheap way to join HGVC. But my main reason for owning HGVC would be the SW Florida Resorts.

Is the Charter Club up to par with the Sanibel Cottages, Hurricane House etc? It is still in the South West Florida area, isn't it?

If I wanted to join HGVC for the other resorts what would be the cheapest way to do it? Would it be to buy an affliate resort??? Just thinking out loud here. The lady selling the weeks uses her weeks to go to Costa Linda in Aruba each year.
 

PigsDad

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If I wanted to join HGVC for the other resorts what would be the cheapest way to do it? Would it be to buy an affliate resort??? Just thinking out loud here. The lady selling the weeks uses her weeks to go to Costa Linda in Aruba each year.

I think either Seaworld or a Vegas property is one of the more cost effective ways to get into HGVC when you look at total ownership cost. You can purchase non-platinum weeks for less $$, but be aware that the maintenance fee is based on the size of the unit, not the season. So you may get a 2BR silver season dirt cheap, but you will be paying the same MF for your 3500 points that a platinum owner pays for their 7000 points, every year.

Kurt
 

wrxdoug

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If you like sanibel why don't you look for sanibel there are many resale sites to look at such as www.casaybelresort.com and http://www.casaybel.com/other_db.htm which is an owner resale and rental site for casa ybel, sanibel ,and it has some other sanibel hgvc resorts as well. www.redweek has postings for resale for sanibel weeks hgvc resorts listed. www.jpeters@hgvc.com is the resale person for shell island on sanibel a hgvc resort. Casa ybel also has a hgvc resale agent which is Mary Lou or Rita at the casa ybel resort 239-472-1531. Sanibel cottages also has an on site agent for resales if you call them as does Tortuga and Hurricane house. Some of those have flex weeks for sale not just fixed weeks. Good luck. Doug
 
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JLB

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We've had this conversation many times, as to what a high-season Sanibel week, say Weeks 5-15, costs resale. It is high, not for the faint of heart. I'm not saying you can't beat $15-$20K, because I have seen them, but expect that kind of price.

By contrast, we almost purchased a week two at a lesser resort in SW Florida--a plain little place with just 26 units, but on the water, near a great beach, with a great pool, hot tub, gas grills, and a wonderful sunset deck--for $2500. It was even our favorite unit. Someone beat us to it. Owners there have been grabbing up Weeks 52-16 as they become available.

High season weeks at SW Florida resorts often do not make it onto really public resale markets, like Internet sites, but go to other owners or friends, or owners' friends, as they put together their snowbird vacation weeks at relatively low prices in light of the high SW Florida real estate prices.

A person could put together 4-8 weeks for, say, $2500 to $7500 per week.

The great thing about the SW Florida TS resale market is that it pretty much represents a true market, what supply and demand creates, rather than the super-hyped developer markets of places like Orlando.

The Mouse doesn't make much of a footprint in SW Florida. ;)
 

wrxdoug

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We bought our spring weeks at shell island sanibel for $11,000.00 We recently sold a fall week casa ybel for $5,000 which is what we paid to a friend and that week we have traded back into sanibel for summer weeks, and spring weeks if we were wide open on our dates. Often the spring weeks we accessed through rci trades directly (not hgvc member point system) and they were late spring May and another time in Feb. but she is primarily trading her fall week for summer until she retires. The owner site listed above has some fall weeks for under $9,000 and you can always make an offer. If you plan on ever joining hgvc than you might want to look for a gold week at 5,000 points rather than a silver week at 3,500 points. I think casa ybel and shell island have the lower maintenance fees right now for hgvc sanibel resorts and sanibel cottages may be one of the highest. However they are all above $650.00 a year for a 2 bedroom. Doug
 

icydog

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I own at Sanibel Cottages. Never traded it. Never will.
That's my problem. If you sit by the pool everyone knows each other. It is a private club that is hard to infiltrate.
 

Bxian

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We are in the process of purchasing a floating resale week (1-2 and 17-50) at the Charter Club. We visited Marco Island last April for the first time and stopped to take a look at the Charter Club while we were there. While the exterior of the building is somewhat dated, the units have all been redecorated in the last year. New landscaping has also been added. The units have amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico. The Charter Club gets good reviews on TUG.
While we were mulling over whether or not to purchase there, I e-mailed a few Tuggers who were listed in the TUG review section who indicated that they would be willing to answer questions. It turns out that one of the owners that I contacted is someone that I know professionally (also a fellow Tugger) . He has owned there for 5 years and loves it-said that the sunsets are amazing.! I am happy to know that we will have the same wonderful view as the people who will buy the soon to be built Marriott timeshare next door-at less than 1/10th the price :)
The Marco island beach is great for long walks. We also liked the fact that Naples and its good variety of restaurants is only about a half hour away.
 
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