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Can someone chime in on whether this is a good deal?

faithcee

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So I have been researching resellers for HGVC (recently rescinded a direct purchase - phew!). It sounds like Platinum points would be ideal since we have school-aged children and the plat season would allow us to go over peak periods like Spring Break, Winter Break, etc. Now question comes to 1 bed vs 2 bed vs 3 bed. If points are points (I have no intention of ever staying at the resort I purchased my points for), why would I EVER buy a > 1 bedroom or studio as it seems the MF are always higher? To that end, would the smartest option be to buy the highest possible Platinum points I can afford, with the lowest MFs regardless of # of beds/baths?

If that's the case - would this be considered a decent deal? The MFs are slightly higher than say, a studio in Elara, but for 7200 plat points, might be worth it?


Thanks in advance!
 

SteelerGal

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Trump has the highest MF. If you search threads, the suggestion is to purchase at the other LV HGVC, Elara/Paradise/The Blvd, resorts instead.
Yes, you should be looking for a minimum of 7k points and the highest season possible which is often Platinum. Since you are needing to buy in 7k, there isn't an one bdrm option that will give you 7k. So, 2bd would be optimal.
 

dayooper

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@faithcee If the MF’s are what they say on the listing (~$1275) 7200 points would run $0.175 a point. That’s a little high. An Elara 1 bedroom Grand (7000 points) would be roughly $0.13 a point, or $350 more a year. I’m assuming you are looking at the unit for $2500, so the price is pretty good. Those MF’s can be better for a 1 bedroom at Elara or even a two bedroom at The Flamingo, Boulevard or Paradise. If you look hard enough, you should find a great deal with great MF’s.

It all depends on what you want and how much you can afford up front.
 

Panina

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So I have been researching resellers for HGVC (recently rescinded a direct purchase - phew!). It sounds like Platinum points would be ideal since we have school-aged children and the plat season would allow us to go over peak periods like Spring Break, Winter Break, etc. Now question comes to 1 bed vs 2 bed vs 3 bed. If points are points (I have no intention of ever staying at the resort I purchased my points for), why would I EVER buy a > 1 bedroom or studio as it seems the MF are always higher? To that end, would the smartest option be to buy the highest possible Platinum points I can afford, with the lowest MFs regardless of # of beds/baths?

If that's the case - would this be considered a decent deal? The MFs are slightly higher than say, a studio in Elara, but for 7200 plat points, might be worth it?


Thanks in advance!
Being you have children and will need to go during peak times there is no guarantee you will get what you want as others with children will be looking like you.

Is there a hgvc Resort you could see your family going to more often to? I would consider looking for a unit there so If you can’t find something else you have somewhere to go that you like.
 

GT75

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So I have been researching resellers for HGVC (recently rescinded a direct purchase - phew!). It sounds like Platinum points would be ideal since we have school-aged children and the plat season would allow us to go over peak periods like Spring Break, Winter Break, etc. Now question comes to 1 bed vs 2 bed vs 3 bed.
Where/When do you see yourself traveling? Also, give us a little background about family size. (similar to @Panina post)
 

faithcee

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Thanks for everyone's feedback! Sounds like I should be looking for a 1bd or studio with low MFs (e.g. Elara) to get the most bang for my buck. We have pretty flexible schedules so the option of Platinum would be nice (with or without kids, since the kids will be in college in a few years). When we were at the timeshare speech, I really liked the Last Call/Last Minute option where we can potentially grab full weeks for a couple of hundred bucks. If it is as easy as it seems then it would be great to use that option on summer months with the kids.
 

faithcee

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Where/When do you see yourself traveling? Also, give us a little background about family size. (similar to @Panina post)

2 adults, 2 or 3 kids (blended family). We live in the Midwest, and with such a large family, we prefer somewhere driveable. We don't have a fixed place we like to go so we are open to anywhere really. We would love to utilize the RCI exchange and get the family to Mexico, but depending on the deals they have, we are better off buying direct from Apple etc for those types of all inclusive deals (esp if it's just for 2 adults).
 

dayooper

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Thanks for everyone's feedback! Sounds like I should be looking for a 1bd or studio with low MFs (e.g. Elara) to get the most bang for my buck. We have pretty flexible schedules so the option of Platinum would be nice (with or without kids, since the kids will be in college in a few years). When we were at the timeshare speech, I really liked the Last Call/Last Minute option where we can potentially grab full weeks for a couple of hundred bucks. If it is as easy as it seems then it would be great to use that option on summer months with the kids.

Those Last Call weeks can be great if you can travel during off seasons. These are weeks that didn’t book and many of them are in undesirable times and/places. The salesman really push those as an added benefit, but it’s really hard to get a good week that way, especially if you are a school schedule. I wouldn’t purchase into HGVC for RCI benefits. If you are using RCI as an add on every once in a while, it’s a great benefit. Otherwise, the value for your MF’s just aren’t there.
 

faithcee

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Trump has the highest MF. If you search threads, the suggestion is to purchase at the other LV HGVC, Elara/Paradise/The Blvd, resorts instead.
Yes, you should be looking for a minimum of 7k points and the highest season possible which is often Platinum. Since you are needing to buy in 7k, there isn't an one bdrm option that will give you 7k. So, 2bd would be optimal.

So if I am willing to settle for less points (and lower MFs and upfront cost), how does this deal sound:

 

terces

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So if I am willing to settle for less points (and lower MFs and upfront cost), how does this deal sound:

This sounds like it could be a dangerous one. Notice there is no mention of HGVC points and yet it is billed as a Hilton. This sounds like a Westgate with minimal or no HGVC association. You should insist on getting your hands on the Estopple Certificate ahead of doing a deal and copy and post it here for some advice.

For comparison, right now you should be able to buy a 2 bdrm Platinum at the Boulevard with 2020 points available and already paid by seller, for a price of $7500. The fees on this unit are $904 per year. So it comes down to buying for about $1 per point, give or take; and fees of $0.13 per point, give or take. You can do slightly better than this, but always keep in mind whether you can get rid of it at some point in the future. So in other words if you buy a cheap unit with higher fees it could be an albatross. If you pay a bit more and have lower MF's these are the units that resell.
 

SmithOp

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So if I am willing to settle for less points (and lower MFs and upfront cost), how does this deal sound:


The Flamingo looks better, and no ROFR.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

terces

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GT75

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So if I am willing to settle for less points (and lower MFs and upfront cost), how does this deal sound:

Honestly, to me the MFs are too high, but maybe I am thinking longer term than the OP.

There is a new HGVC resort in Chicago which I have never been to which should be drivable from the mid-west. I honestly don't have much interests in this location. HGVC also has resorts in Colorado, Mrytle Beach & Hilton Head Island (I have been to all of these locations several times usually each year) which would probably be a two-day drive from most mid-west locations.

I also agree with @dayooper and wouldn't recommend purchasing HGVC for RCI nor open season nor RCI last calls. These are all side benefits that can be taken away or priced out due to additional fees. I recommend purchasing based only upon the basic benefits.
 

dayooper

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Honestly, to me the MFs are too high, but maybe I am thinking longer term than the OP.

There is a new HGVC resort in Chicago which I have never been to which should be drivable from the mid-west. I honestly don't have much interests in this location. HGVC also has resorts in Colorado, Mrytle Beach & Hilton Head Island (I have been to all of these locations several times usually each year) which would probably be a two-day drive from most mid-west locations.

I also agree with @dayooper and wouldn't recommend purchasing HGVC for RCI nor open season nor RCI last calls. These are all side benefits that can be taken away or priced out due to additional fees. I recommend purchasing based only upon the basic benefits.

Driving from SE Michigan, we only need one night on the road to get to Myrtle Beach.

Interestingly enough, my wife and our daughter are going to Chicago at the end of the month. They are staying at The Doubletree off of the Miracle Mile. It’s not the HGVC portion, but the Hilton Hotel. They pulled off ~$130 a night for Thursday - Sunday. They are going to poke around a bit and see what the HGVC portion looks like!
 
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