Considering first timeshare purchase

[Skieasybeachfreezy]

Hi TUG community,

My family of 3 has stayed in a timeshare outside a national park about 3 hours drive from our house and we loved the amenities and plan to go back every year. We are considering purchasing a timeshare from this resort (well actually it’s a free timeshare on the resale market). I’m looking to get advice from the smart folks here to make sure we aren’t missing something. We rented a 1 bedroom unit for 5 days off Airbnb and it was $775. Our idea here if I’m doing the math right is that we could go to this resort every year plus Hawaii once every other year and end up saving money compared to the total cost of just renting.

This timeshare is a bit unique in that you get 4 weeks a year (one in each season). These 4 weeks are rolling so they are never exactly the same weeks. We are looking at a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom unit and we would likely use our summer week every year and the winter week some years with the fall and spring week always going into RCI or II the resort does both but only via the weeks programs not points. I attempted to utilize a family members RCI account to check the point values in RCI but couldn’t get the calculator to work. But what I found as far as listings available for exchange in RCI was the 1bedroom, 1 bathroom units are worth 17 TPU in the spring and fall.

My questions to the TUG community. Is a MF of $1905 a year reasonable for an estimated 68 TPU? I’m basing the TPU on trading in all 4 weeks in the year with the lower 1 bedroom numbers since I don’t know the 2bedrooom TPU. I’m basing the MF on the actual MF of the 2 bedroom unit.

Based on that MF/TPU ratio should we instead just book this place once a year and find a lower TPU cost resort? If you think this is the right option I’d love to get some ideas on what resorts have good MF/TPU ratios.

 

[sponger76]

Hi TUG community,

My family of 3 has stayed in a timeshare outside a national park about 3 hours drive from our house and we loved the amenities and plan to go back every year. We are considering purchasing a timeshare from this resort (well actually it’s a free timeshare on the resale market). I’m looking to get advice from the smart folks here to make sure we aren’t missing something. We rented a 1 bedroom unit for 5 days off Airbnb and it was $775. Our idea here if I’m doing the math right is that we could go to this resort every year plus Hawaii once every other year and end up saving money compared to the total cost of just renting.

This timeshare is a bit unique in that you get 4 weeks a year (one in each season). These 4 weeks are rolling so they are never exactly the same weeks. We are looking at a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom unit and we would likely use our summer week every year and the winter week some years with the fall and spring week always going into RCI or II the resort does both but only via the weeks programs not points. I attempted to utilize a family members RCI account to check the point values in RCI but couldn’t get the calculator to work. But what I found as far as listings available for exchange in RCI was the 1bedroom, 1 bathroom units are worth 17 TPU in the spring and fall.

My questions to the TUG community. Is a MF of $1905 a year reasonable for an estimated 68 TPU? I’m basing the TPU on trading in all 4 weeks in the year with the lower 1 bedroom numbers since I don’t know the 2bedrooom TPU. I’m basing the MF on the actual MF of the 2 bedroom unit.

Based on that MF/TPU ratio should we instead just book this place once a year and find a lower TPU cost resort? If you think this is the right option I’d love to get some ideas on what resorts have good MF/TPU ratios.

If you trade in II it would be weeks not TPU. But less than $500 per week is quite good, and even after exchange fees it would still be good, assuming they are able to pull good exchanges.

 

[Skieasybeachfreezy]

If you trade in II it would be weeks not TPU. But less than $500 per week is quite good, and even after exchange fees it would still be good, assuming they are able to pull good exchanges.

Thanks for the reply. Correct me if I am wrong but my mom has RCI weeks and she still get TPU. My understanding is it’s just different than a points account in that the TPU is a much smaller number 17 TPU for weeks vs. 17000 points if in a points account.

 

[jp10558]

So if I get this right, you're getting 4 weeks for about $2k MF. The trading power is about 17 per week that you might trade. It's not horrible, but I also think 17TPU isn't that amazing. You could watch for sales though, sometimes they show up for 1-10TPU so that would be worth it. But for planned trades I kinda doubt you'd get that much.

 

[Skieasybeachfreezy]

So if I get this right, you're getting 4 weeks for about $2k MF. The trading power is about 17 per week that you might trade. It's not horrible, but I also think 17TPU isn't that amazing. You could watch for sales though, sometimes they show up for 1-10TPU so that would be worth it. But for planned trades I kinda doubt you'd get that much.

Thanks for the reply. I would likely put three weeks into RCI (we would stay one of the 4 weeks at the resort) and pay the $249 combine fee which would give us 51 TPU. My question is for $200MF is 51TPU a good deal or not really?

 

[Skieasybeachfreezy]

Wait to above $2000MF for 51 TPU.
Also the week we would use we just recently rented off Airbnb and spent $775 but only for 5 days.

 

[WorldT]

Wait to above $2000MF for 51 TPU.
Also the week we would use we just recently rented off Airbnb and spent $775 but only for 5 days.

I think you can do better in terms of a trader. One unit with a high TPU or points. But you didn't mention the location especially since you plan on driving to and staying at the resort too. The more information you give, the better the recommendations you will get.

 

[GrayFal]

What resort is it? What area?
In interval, quality matters much more in terms of what you can get but have a 2BR deposit is also good.

Interval publishes a demand chart ranging from 50-150.
This can help you see what sort of trading power your week would have.
I will post an example

 

[GrayFal]

Interval membership is $99 a year, $257 for three years.
Exchange week for week is $239 and EPlus which allows you to retrade up to three times is $89.
Deposits are good for three years, an August 2026 week deposited August 2025 is good until August 2028

RCI also $99? With multi year discount as well
Exchange fee is $299 per week and you lose that if you cancel or want to retrade.
You already posted the combination fee ( I think?) and it is good for up to one year.
My last few years with RCI I found myself spending a lot on combination and extension fees.m

 

[Skieasybeachfreezy]

Interval membership is $99 a year, $257 for three years.
Exchange week for week is $239 and EPlus which allows you to retrade up to three times is $89.
Deposits are good for three years, an August 2026 week deposited August 2025 is good until August 2028

RCI also $99? With multi year discount as well
Exchange fee is $299 per week and you lose that if you cancel or want to retrade.
You already posted the combination fee ( I think?) and it is good for up to one year.
My last few years with RCI I found myself spending a lot on combination and extension fees.m

Thanks for the information the resort is called Snowater in Glacier, WA. I am less familiar with interval because my family has RCI. I do like RCI because we go to the bay club by hilton in Hawaii every few years and I hope to trade into that, they have lots of options on RCI. The equivalent area in interval from what I saw on my friends account was only the Marriott and no availability so I am not sure how likely it is we would ever be able to trade into the Marriott Waikoloa resort.

If we could trade one week for one week in Hawaii on interval that’d be amazing. We do only get 4 weeks of vacation a year so that’d be maxing out our vacation days which is great. One think I do also see us doing with RCI is using the last minute deals which are low points. I noticed on the coast of Oregon and WA as well as in Idaho there are a lot of resorts that don’t get filled and seem to be offered for less points frequently as well as being a drive away from us so not difficult travel destinations for us.

 

[jp10558]

Thanks for the information the resort is called Snowater in Glacier, WA. I am less familiar with interval because my family has RCI. I do like RCI because we go to the bay club by hilton in Hawaii every few years and I hope to trade into that, they have lots of options on RCI. The equivalent area in interval from what I saw on my friends account was only the Marriott and no availability so I am not sure how likely it is we would ever be able to trade into the Marriott Waikoloa resort.

If we could trade one week for one week in Hawaii on interval that’d be amazing. We do only get 4 weeks of vacation a year so that’d be maxing out our vacation days which is great. One think I do also see us doing with RCI is using the last minute deals which are low points. I noticed on the coast of Oregon and WA as well as in Idaho there are a lot of resorts that don’t get filled and seem to be offered for less points frequently as well as being a drive away from us so not difficult travel destinations for us.

If you're at all interested in the TPU game / low points / cash stays / more locations and availability - RCI is the right call IMHO. II is mostly one week for one week, though you could with the right resorts do lock-offs (and some specific resorts do use II Gold which I just learned about is a sort of points system). If the resorts you want to go to are in RCI, do RCI.

I don't have any exposure to TPU and can't really comment on if that's a good amount of TPU for the MF combined, or how much it costs to combine multiple weeks. I think if you want to stay at that specific resort - you can trade into it sometimes, but not wide open availability, so if you're constrained on that, you probably have to buy there for that access. If you just want a trader, I think there are likely better deals out there.

 

[GrayFal]

Thanks for the information the resort is called Snowater in Glacier, WA. I am less familiar with interval because my family has RCI. I do like RCI because we go to the bay club by hilton in Hawaii every few years and I hope to trade into that, they have lots of options on RCI. The equivalent area in interval from what I saw on my friends account was only the Marriott and no availability so I am not sure how likely it is we would ever be able to trade into the Marriott Waikoloa resort.

If we could trade one week for one week in Hawaii on interval that’d be amazing. We do only get 4 weeks of vacation a year so that’d be maxing out our vacation days which is great. One think I do also see us doing with RCI is using the last minute deals which are low points. I noticed on the coast of Oregon and WA as well as in Idaho there are a lot of resorts that don’t get filled and seem to be offered for less points frequently as well as being a drive away from us so not difficult travel destinations for us.

If your goal is the Hawaii Hilton's than RCI is your best bet. In your area it seems only the summer has higher denand in II so that would be against you for an ii exchange. And the Marriotts and Westins in Hawaii have a " preference " period from 21-24 days where only other Mar/Wes can see those resorts.
Become a paid member here ($15) and you can access the Sightings Forum. You will be able to see when and how Hilton deposits units and how many TPUs you will need.

Glad you are doing your research.
Welcome to TUG!

 

[sponger76]

Thanks for the reply. Correct me if I am wrong but my mom has RCI weeks and she still get TPU. My understanding is it’s just different than a points account in that the TPU is a much smaller number 17 TPU for weeks vs. 17000 points if in a points account.

II and RCI are two completely separate exchange companies with different systems. Weeks in RCI get assigned a number of TPUs that represent it's exact trade pwer.. Weeks in II have a TDI based on the resort's location, but TDI does not equal exact trade power. TDIs of the same number but for different regions are not equal, and there is no way to know for sure what the exact trade power of a specific week is relative to other deposits in II. Points in II are another thing entirely and work differently than Weeks do.

 

[GrayFal]

Thanks for the reply. Correct me if I am wrong but my mom has RCI weeks and she still get TPU. My understanding is it’s just different than a points account in that the TPU is a much smaller number 17 TPU for weeks vs. 17000 points if in a points account.

RCI Weeks and RCI Points are two different systems.
RCI week deposits are assigned TPUs that are use in the RCI Weeks system to reserve week units usually only in 7 day increments. Highest Amount of TPUs are 60. Exchange fee $299.

RCI Point ownership can see both week and point inventory.
Points resorts can be booked from two to 14 nights with different exchange fees assigned based on length of stay. And yes, the amount of points given for a particular ownership is in the tens of thousands. This ownership allows for greater flexibility as you don’t need to reserve in 7 day increments

 

[WorldT]

and there is no way to know for sure what the trade power of a specific week is in RCI.

I think you mixed it up there for a minute.

You can tell the trade power of a specific week in RCI whether it is in points or TPUs.

 

[sponger76]

I think you mixed it up there for a minute.

You can tell the trade power of a specific week in RCI whether it is in points or TPUs.

Yeah, I meant II. Fixed it.

 

[lotus921v]

Thanks for the reply. Correct me if I am wrong but my mom has RCI weeks and she still get TPU. My understanding is it’s just different than a points account in that the TPU is a much smaller number 17 TPU for weeks vs. 17000 points if in a points account.

That and with tpu you’re generally restricted to 7 day stays and with points you have more flexibility

 

[lotus921v]

RCI Weeks and RCI Points are two different systems.
RCI week deposits are assigned TPUs that are use in the RCI Weeks system to reserve week units usually only in 7 day increments. Highest Amount of TPUs are 60. Exchange fee $299.

RCI Point ownership can see both week and point inventory.
Points resorts can be booked from two to 14 nights with different exchange fees assigned based on length of stay. And yes, the amount of points given for a particular ownership is in the tens of thousands. This ownership allows for greater flexibility as you don’t need to reserve in 7 day increments

The two best RCI point to MF ratio resorts are the high season Grandview in Vegas that gets 122k points and the massanutten regal vista high season that gets 178k points

 

[Skieasybeachfreezy]

Thanks all for the information. Based on what I’ve read so far sounds like RCI is going to be the better way to go for us. As posted previously this is for a resort named Snowater in Glacier, WA. This resort only does the weeks program not the points program. We are currently in the process of getting a 2bedroom, 2bathroom unit. We would get 4 weeks per year each week in RCI would have a TPU of 17. Total TPU when combined assuming we traded all 4 weeks in would be a total of 68TPU for a MF $1903per year.
Does anyone know what the MF and weeks TPU is for Grandview in Vegas or Massanutten regal vista?

I know we would use one week a year at Snowater but with the other three weeks potentially just being traders I want to make sure im not totally missing the boat when it comes to trading value MF/TPU ratio. Snowater doesn’t have a lot of units in RCI or II but that’s because a lot of folks just use Airbnb and they get booked that way. We would rather have the ability to trade for vacations rather than use Airbnb just to cover our MF yearly.