Buying Resale Timeshare- What questions to ask?

[kitcatsju]

My husband and I are interested in buying timeshare on the resale market, but the whole process seems overwhelming. What questions should we be asking sellers before we purchase? We are looking into purchasing Wyndham Club Points. It seems like it offers a lot of flexibility in it's plans. Is there a way to figure out how many points we would need to start? If we bought one resale timeshare, then needed more points, could we buy those as resale also and combine them? How many points do resorts typically cost for a week in a 1BR?

Sorry for all of the questions, I am super new at this, and want to do it right.

 

[wjappraise]

You will plenty of pointers.

Before you contemplate purchasing, have you stayed at numerous Wyndham resorts? If not, do so first. It’s easy to rent Wyndham units from many owners. It will give you a great feel for the product before you invest time and money in purchase. There is no hurry. Inventory of resale contracts is robust.

 

[chapjim]

There's no really simple answer to this. The cost in points for a 1BR unit varies widely depending on the resort and time of year. 154,000 points is a frequently-seen contract and will get you a 1BR in most resorts in most seasons. That's probably what I'd shoot for to start. Try to find a resort with relatively low maintenance fees even if it costs more initially. There are lots of discussions about low maintenance fees here on TUG.

The good thing is you can combine subsequent purchases into a single account by providing your account number to the seller's closing company.

It's good to be interested for a while before stepping out and buying something. You're right. The whole thing can be daunting so do a lot of research. You found TUG, which is the best place to start.

Consider renting from owners to be sure timesharing appeals to you. (But don't go to the sales presentations. They are better at selling than we are at saying no and they are sometimes not too much into truth-telling.) Don't get in a hurry and make a mistake. TUG is full of people who made a rash, compulsive purchase. Most of us still think timeshare ownership can be worthwhile when approached properly.

There's a section on TUG called "New to Timesharing" and one of the stickies is a bunch of questions compiled by Denise. Spend some time with those questions. There are a lot of things to consider.

 

[chase79]

I would also take a look at the CW Directory (link below). It lists how many points each resort costs at different times throughout the year. You can use this to plan how you would use your points in a typical year and buy accordingly.

I just bought my first timeshare (waiting on the transfer), but my in-laws are long-time Wyndham Owners, and we've been their guest a number of times and like it.

If it helps, my rationale was that I was spending about $1800 a year on a deluxe hotel at Disney where we had 2 adults and 2 kids in a standard size room. Through Wyndham, my maintenance fees will be about $1500 a year, and I will get either a 1br and 2br suite (with the kids in a separate room) plus 3-4 other weekend / short getaways a year. I also have family in DC and can stay at Old Town rather than a random Hilton Garden Inn, saving money there as well. It was a no-brainer for me. And since I bought very inexpensively on the resale market, I can unload in a few years without losing much money if it doesn't work out.

https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/the-new-directory-is-here.275450/