Cheapest/Lowest Maintenance Fees/Dues for 2-BR lockout?

[JudyS]

Hello TUG'ers,

Like my username suggests, I'm cheap . And I'm told I can split a 2-BR lockout into two weeks.

So my question is: Who has the lowest maintenance fees for a 2-BR lockout unit?

I know the cheap stuff won't get me much in a trade. But I'd still prefer to go cheap . Any suggestions?

Thanks!

If you plan to trade in RCI, then what matters is the number of "Exchange Credits" (in the RCI Weeks system) or Points (in the RCI Points system) per dollar of annual fee. You don't necessarily need a lockoff to get a lot of credits or points (although it generally doesn't hurt.)

If you plan to trade in II, then yes, lockouts are nice--but you really want one that locks off into two one-bedrooms, not a one-bedroom plus a studio.

There are different ways to get costs down when timesharing. What would work best depends on where and when you want to vacation.

 

[tlguinn_2000]

As you may know RCI points owners can use their points to reserve RCI weeks resorts 45 days ahead of check in for 9000 points or less (Florida resorts come in at 7500)

Is this still true? After the changes I see most of the 30 days ahead that look more like the one below
I think they move most of them to "Last Call" so that they can charge a little more.

Step 2: Select your desired unit
For dates 05-Nov-2011 to 12-Nov-2011 ( 7 Nights ) Sort By: Unit Type Max Occupancy Private Occupancy Kitchen Type Price Priority


2 Bedrooms


Max Occup
(Privacy) : 6 (6)
Kitchen : Full


Points: 43,000

 

[tschwa2]

Is this still true? After the changes I see most of the 30 days ahead that look more like the one below
I think they move most of them to "Last Call" so that they can charge a little more.
Step 2: Select your desired unit
For dates 05-Nov-2011 to 12-Nov-2011 ( 7 Nights ) Sort By: Unit Type Max Occupancy Private Occupancy Kitchen Type Price Priority
2 Bedrooms
Max Occup
(Privacy) : 6 (6)
Kitchen : Full
Points: 43,000

They still do BUT it is now generally 30 days and as always it has to be in a weeks only resort and it only shows online if the tpu's for the week have dropped to 11 or below on the weeks side. Sometimes if the tpu is higher you can call and get a VC to give it to you for 7500-9000 but not always.

 

[rod]

To address the OP's original question, "Who has the lowest maintenance fees for a 2-BR lockout unit?":

French Lick Springs Villas (RCI # 1788, II # FLS), where units 96 through 115 are lockouts, had a 2011 annual maintenance fee for a 2-bedroom lockout of $440. Units 1 through 95 are 2-bedroom non-lockout units with the same annual maintenance fee. While this may not be the cheapest, it should be relatively low.

Other maintenance fees I have seen are:

Eagle Trace at Massanutten, 2-br lockout, $490 in 2011
Woodstone at Massanutten, 2-br lockout, $540 in 2011
Wyndham Pagosa, 2-br lockout, $650 in 2011
Wyndham at Fairfield Mountains, 2-br lockout, $853 in 2011

All the maintenance fees listed here include property taxes, and none of the resorts listed here seem to have special assessments in the immediate future.

 

[Steve NH]

To Original Poster
We currently own a 4 bedroom lockout (2 up, 2 down) at Massanutten.
Main fee is 715

Replying to....Away We Go...
"Floating lock-off timeshares I can understand. Make 2 separate reservations. Take a week now in the "A" unit & save the "B" unit for later, or vice versa, or use part & bank part, or rent'm out (either or both), etc., whatever you want, subject to availability -- i.e., wait too late to reserve timeshare floating week(s) & nothing might be left to reserve."

Our Massanutten unit we have to take both sides up-down for the same week...
Past 6 years we reserve our week well in advance - get exact week we want (Early Aug) and lately have been renting out the bottom unit at very reasonable rate.
It's a weeks unit and RCI gives up 2 bonus weeks a year (we do not have to deposit the weeks to get them)
Can't say much on trading power since we haven't traded it in at least 7-8 years

 

[abdibile]

Not only have I seen a 92,500-point triennial (at Vacation Village At Parkway), but as of this evening I won an eBay auction for 1.

Are you sure this week is in RCI Points and not just a normal week?

I really do not understand people buying "better" units with the intention of giving "poorer" units away afterwards.

Did you really need the additional points or did you already have enough or way too many points?

 

[AwayWeGo]

There's No Such Thing As Too Many Points -- Or Is There ?

Are you sure this week is in RCI Points and not just a normal week?

It's points. (I think.) That is, the eBay seller says it's points. All the details of the triennial points value (92,500) & the annual points delivery (30,833) are spelled out in the eBay item description. If that's wrong, then (a) shux upon the eBay seller & (b) we won't be going through with the eBay purchase.

I really do not understand people buying "better" units with the intention of giving "poorer" units away afterwards.

Did you really need the additional points or did you already have enough or way too many points?

It's not too many points for doing straight-points exchanges.

As it happens, however, we mostly use RCI Points for Instant Exchange. Used that way, 30,833 points are good for four -- 4 -- week-long USA Instant Exchange reservations, with points left over.

More recently, as the Instant Exchange window has narrowed (thereby reducing Instant Exchange choices & availability), we've been doing Instant Exchange less & Last Call more. Last Call is cash only -- zero points -- further reducing the need to accumulate lots of points.

Regarding trading up (buying units with more points & shucking off units with fewer points), that makes sense only because maintenance fees are all the same for all the 2BR units at that timeshare regardless of high-medium-low demand season & thus regardless of the corresponding points values (92,500 - 74,000 - 55,500).

The way we got into this was seeking out an eBay replacement for a super-dinky points timeshare (15,000 annual points) that we deeded back to the resort because of sky-high maintenance fees. The triennial replacement ($162 on eBay) was 18,500 annual points for a much lower fee. Plus, it came with free closing & free resort transfer & 3 years of free points.

Before long, we caught on to the existence of triennials with more points for the same fees, & the rest is history -- or, to be more exact, history in the making as we offer the dinky & semi-dinky points units el freebo.

And if there are no takers, then I suppose we'll end up with too many points. In that case, I guess we'll just have to take more vacations.

Is this a great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Millisara]

Cheap TS/LOW MF=hard to sell?

Will the TSs that are cheap or that have very low MF be the same ones that you will not be able to give away in the future? For example in Wyndham I read that points are points. If you pick up one for $1 now you might not be able to even give it away tomorrow. That would mean that you may be paying the MF well after you have finished using the points. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Good Question. We'll See, Eh ?

Will the TSs that are cheap or that have very low MF be the same ones that you will not be able to give away in the future? For example in Wyndham I read that points are points. If you pick up one for $1 now you might not be able to even give it away tomorrow. That would mean that you may be paying the MF well after you have finished using the points. Any thoughts?

No thoughts here about Wyndham. I've heard the system is good -- plenty of availability in desirable locations. But we have zero experience with Wyndham other than exchanging into 1 of their resorts via RCI 1 time.

When we took the RCI Points plunge (2005), timeshare values had not totally tanked & we saw enough value in the points system to make us willing to pay nearly $1,000 for our dinky points toe-hold (eBay price of $152.50 + closing & resort transfer & RCI fees & 1st year of maintenance fees).

The value we saw was mainly the opportunity for Instant Exchange reservations -- 9,000 points (maximum) + exchange fee for whatever was left in RCI Weeks 45 days before check-in (now 30 days before).

Fees at our dinky points timeshare escalated so high that we would not have been able to dispose of our minimal points unit if the resort had not agreed to deedback. They did & we did, so that's that.

Meanwhile, even though Instant Exchange opportunities are diminished under current rules, it's still worth being in RCI Points to have a shot at Instant Exchange now & then. And the dinky & semi-dinky points timeshares we are offering as giveaways are both useful for that & both have reasonable fees. Maybe that will be enough to attract takers, I don't know.

If not, we'll keep'm & keep on using'm -- possibly even for straight-points exchanges. (Wouldn't that be something?)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[funtime]

All this energy and Cheap Dad does not appear to have returned to this post. Funtime

 

[CheapDad]

I'm still here

To address the OP's original question, "Who has the lowest maintenance fees for a 2-BR lockout unit?":

French Lick Springs Villas (RCI # 1788, II # FLS), where units 96 through 115 are lockouts, had a 2011 annual maintenance fee for a 2-bedroom lockout of $440. Units 1 through 95 are 2-bedroom non-lockout units with the same annual maintenance fee. While this may not be the cheapest, it should be relatively low.

Other maintenance fees I have seen are:

Eagle Trace at Massanutten, 2-br lockout, $490 in 2011
Woodstone at Massanutten, 2-br lockout, $540 in 2011
Wyndham Pagosa, 2-br lockout, $650 in 2011
Wyndham at Fairfield Mountains, 2-br lockout, $853 in 2011

All the maintenance fees listed here include property taxes, and none of the resorts listed here seem to have special assessments in the immediate future.

Thank you! I'm still here . And I appreciate the input everyone.

 

[bum1952]

Short bookings are now 30 days and if you book online you only have a 3 week window.

 

[kathiecee]

Cheap Maint fees

We have a 2-bedroom lockout at Palace View by Spinnaker in Branson--II Premier Resort (gold logo). Maintenance fees were $405 in January 2011. We split it last year for two one-bedroom units. Doubles the fun for very little cost.

We traded one 2010 week for Orlando and we are headed to St. Maarten on Friday for the other one.

Note: We bought it on EBay for $1, no closing costs, and a $50 transfer fee.

 

[Chicagoland]

Instant Exchange opportunites?

Meanwhile, even though Instant Exchange opportunities are diminished under current rules, it's still worth being in RCI Points to have a shot at Instant Exchange now & then.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Alan - I am new to the Points system - currently looking for a Points timeshare so I would like your input...

How have opportunities with Instant Exchanges diminished under current rules? Please explain...

Anyone else, please chime in as well. Thank you.

 

[timeos2]

Will the TSs that are cheap or that have very low MF be the same ones that you will not be able to give away in the future? For example in Wyndham I read that points are points. If you pick up one for $1 now you might not be able to even give it away tomorrow. That would mean that you may be paying the MF well after you have finished using the points. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

The $1 and / or low fee vs eventual "even give away problem" is no more likely to occur with a GOOD $1 timeshare than a $30K "premium" name brand (as the low fee part won't likely apply there). ANY resort that you decide to take or buy, if it is in demand for both location and use period will still be good for that $1 down the line (assuming fees don't go insanely high in the interim).

A poor week/resort that can only command $1 today and isn't in the higher demand seasons (or even a nice resort that isn't in high demand time) is a problem to unload today & will still be years down the line.

Retail/Resale price at purchase means ZERO when you decide to sell. Unless it's already at $1 it will likely be downward from the purchase price ulntil it gets to zero. The beauty of today's $1 purchase, again with a good resort & use time, is tomorrow you'll likely get your dollar back! Pay anything more and kiss it goodbye in 99% of the cases. A giveaway timeshare today in an area & use time you can USE with a reasonable fee can be a good "buy". When done give it away again to some else that can use it as you did. It's just harder to find those takers if the week is off the high demand season use almost no matter where it is or what the resort quality.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Instant Exchange Window Has Narrowed.

How have opportunities with Instant Exchanges diminished under current rules? Please explain.

It used to be that the Instant Exchange window opened 45 days before check-in -- i.e., 45 days ahead of the check-in date, anything still available in the week-for-week trading system could be reserved by points members for no more than 9,000 points + exchange fee.

That irked some die-hard week-for-week advocates, who decried Instant Exchange as Raiding The Weeks Inventory.

The fact that there is no reduction in points values for short-notice straight-points exchange reservations just rubs it in.

Lately -- about the time RCI introduced the TPU system for straight-weeks timeshare deposits & exchanges -- RCI also narrowed the Instant Exchange window to 30 days, limiting the opportunity to score nice Instant Exchange reservations.

I won't say flat out that the Instant Exchange offerings diminished in number. (Maybe they did, but I don't know & I don't do research.) But I will say that the opportunity for actually making Instant Exchange reservations was cut by 1/3.

Because of that, we're doing Instant Exchange less & Last Call more. Last Call means cash only -- zero points -- so our dinky triennial points timeshares are generating all the points we need & then some, so much so that we're offering 2 of those as giveaways. Click here & here for the specifics.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County) Virginia, USA.​