Developer owner considering buying additional resale at Westgate

[DBMankow]

Hello,
My wife and I, perhaps naively in our younger years, now own a 4-bedroom lockout at Westgate Smoky Mountains. We assumed it would accommodate our large family gatherings in the Smoky Mountains each year. We're contemplating purchasing a resale true 4-bedroom 'villa' at Westgate, but I've come across numerous negative reviews about Westgate's treatment of resale owners. I'm curious about the experience of mixed resale and developer owners. As 'Platinum' members, we're interested in hearing from anyone who has owned both.

 

[dioxide45]

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tugbbs.com

You may have a hard time finding information here on TUG about Westgate and Westgate resale ownership. Much of it is guessing and hearsay. There aren't a lot of Westgate owners on TUG. I suggest you also search for some Westgate owner groups on Facebook.

 

[Patri]

Hello,
My wife and I, perhaps naively in our younger years, now own a 4-bedroom lockout at Westgate Smoky Mountains. We assumed it would accommodate our large family gatherings in the Smoky Mountains each year. We're contemplating purchasing a resale true 4-bedroom 'villa' at Westgate, but I've come across numerous negative reviews about Westgate's treatment of resale owners. I'm curious about the experience of mixed resale and developer owners. As 'Platinum' members, we're interested in hearing from anyone who has owned both.

I think the lockout feature is perfect. Personally I’d just stick with that. It is more flexible for using half/renting half or depositing as two units if you belong to an exchange company. It gives people some privacy. A four bedroom might be harder to get rid of down the road. Sounds like now having a large space works well for your family. But at some point you may like to have the choice of a smaller space.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

There are better timeshare resort systems in Smoky Mountains that you can also get for free resale than Westgate.
Here’s one for example that has 4 bedroom units: https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinat...ssee/sevierville/club-wyndham-smoky-mountains

The points required for the 4 bedroom presidential unit there range from 203k-300k. I’m not sure what the maintenance fees are for that resort, the last update on the TUG thread had them at $6/k in 2022, but even if they went up to like $7/k, with the programming fee you’re looking at $7.72 per thousand, or $1,567 - $2,316 per year for a week in a 4 bedroom presidential depending on what time of year you go. And you could also use those resale points at all of the other Wyndham resorts in the system.

Best of all, Wyndham is not impossible to get rid of (they have a free deedback program) whereas Westgate will literally charge you thousands to take a deed back.

Edit: Here’s the other Wyndham property in Smoky Mountains: https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinat.../sevierville/club-wyndham-great-smokies-lodge

For that one the point chart for the 4 bedroom is a little steeper (I think that resort is a little nicer with an indoor water park). 300k-500k points for a week. You could purchase Club Wyndham Access to get ARP for both of them.

There may also be other options with other resort systems. Westgate is just a terrible system to own resale by all accounts.

 

[DrQ]

I made this post in 2018, so I assume the cost has increased:

Westgate resale restrictions

This has issue has come up in another thread and I thought that I would take the points of how Westgate eviscerates the rights of buyers of Westgate Properties on resale. Fees Westgate has a three tier fee system. One for Developer Purchased Online(Retail), Developer Purchased Agent(Retail) and...

tugbbs.com

Our resort went bankrupt and was purchased by Westgate. They make us feel as comfortable as the red headed child nobody talks about at family gatherings.

Your resale purchase will be severely limited. If you do buy, buy the unit/time slot you want to use forever.

 

[Vacay0606]

Curious if Westgate Smokey Mountains 4 bedroom units are lockoffs that break down to four 1 bedroom units?