DVC vs. Marriott; Contract end vs. Unlimited ownership

[jkomoros]

We recently bought points at Boardwalk. We're interested in being able to use our points for trips other than just Disney. I know from reading TUG and other boards that II trades probably make more sense with a time share like Marriott than with DVC. We're both close to 60, so we actually like the fact that with DVC, our maintenance costs come to an end at some point. Do owners of other time shares not worry about indefinite deeds with no end date (other than resale)? Does anyone else worry about being stuck with a property years from now with high maintenance costs/older buildings with little trade/resale value?

 

[CapriciousC]

We looked into DVC before we bought Marriott, and the fact that the ownership was time-limited was one of the main reasons we didn't buy there. We expect that there will come a time when we no longer use our week (we own on Kauai and are planning to move there when we retire in 20 years or so), but we've always figured that we'll give our week (or weeks, we're planning to buy another one) to our daughter. If she had trouble paying the maintenance fees we would pay them for her. We have no plans to sell our timeshare at any point, so I'm not very concerned about resale value, either. I don't know if we're typical, though.

 

[ljmiii]

I am a current DVC (Beach club) and soon to be Marriott owner.

As you point out, DVC points are best used for DVC properties - banking for a later vacation (perhaps with friends and/or family) will usually be 'cheaper' than trading.

As for the fear of getting stuck with paying maintenence on aging properties - nothing is ever certain and there are 'worthless' timeshares out there but you should be safe with any of Marriott's more popular resorts. If this is a serious concern to you than I would stick with resorts where the land itself has significant value (e.g. Hilton Head, Hawaii).

 

[laxmom]

We looked at both DVC and Marriott when we purchased 8 years ago. We chose Marriott because of the expiration of DVC points. We just recently purchased a small DVC contract at HHI. We like the flexibility of the points but prefer the deeded, nonexpiring Marriott when it comes to week long vacations. We have no intention of selling our Marriott's so resale isn't on our minds. Family vacations long into the future are!

 

[Janette]

We have owned 10 timeshares at one time and always bought deeded weeks. We own 7 at the present with 3 being Marriott and 300 Disney points. We are retired, live near HHI and enjoy Orlando with our grandkids. The expiring has always bothered us until we stayed on Disney property. We are satisfied with the price we payed and the years we have left on our contract. I don't even know if our kids want our deeded weeks. They don't like to plan a year in advance and have the means to rent what they want . We get day passes with our Marriott weeks and still enjoy spending weeks on HHI so we'll keep those weeks. We head to Houses at Summer Bay this Sat so we'll be back in Orlando. This is an adult trip so it will be relaxing.

 

[lprstn]

Well me and my DH are a fairly young couple, and therefore the limited time period of the DVC didn't appeal to my DH (I would buy DVC in a heartbeat cause I am a Disney Addict). We have 4 TS, one is within 1 hour of our home and we have day priveledges there & a cabin every 5 years with housing for our RV year around as well as we can stay on property up to 9 months a year consecutively (which is deeded), the others are Sheraton Vistana which is Deeded, and Wyndam Bonnet Creek (and Nashville) which are deeded. When we cannot use them we will give our kids the choice to purchase, if they don't then we will sell them. If our lives expire before we sale than the beneficiary of our will will give the kids a choice. We just prefer to have a deeded TS because at least we feel like we own true real estate interest in something we are paying for every year.

 

[abcmanzer]

Own both DVC Boardwalk and Starwood Harborside, and like having both expiring contract and permanent deed.

When Boardwalk expires, DS will be old enough, with own family - maybe - to decided if Disney is something that he wants to continue on his own.

With Harborside, as long as Atlantis use privileges remain, I think this will be made use of by someone in the family or outside of it.

 

[littlestar]

There are pros and cons to both. On our regular deeded forever timeshares, we bought two EOY's (so it's really like we only own 1 actual regular week). I was starting to get nervous about our 150 DVC points that were going to expire in 2042, so we sold those with the plan to add on at another DVC resort with a longer ending date for the kids. I don't have that worry with our two regular EOY timeshares - but I do have the worry with them of watching their value/condition and knowing when to sell them as I get older. Probably the only thing I will actually keep into old age will be the DVC points and then sign them over to the kids.

 

[laxmom]

I agree, Littlestar. I have read so many things about management companies stepping away from timeshares that I won't take anything for granted more than 2-3 years in advance. In particular, about HOA's getting tough with Marriott and Marriott threatening to step away. I prefer to enjoy the moment and not worry that much about 2042. We bought all of our TS's, points and weeks, to enjoy with our family not as an investment. We are paying for our vacations up front, IMHO, with both. Who knows what shape my Barony or Grande Vista will be in in 2042!

 

[Dave M]

Do owners of other time shares not worry about indefinite deeds with no end date (other than resale)? Does anyone else worry about being stuck with a property years from now with high maintenance costs/older buildings with little trade/resale value?

One could say the same about a primary residence, which also carries significant maintenance costs. But we don't usually ask those questions about our home because we live in the home, we stay tuned to what's happening to property values and maintenance costs and we make the decision to sell if the formula doesn't work for us any more.

The same should be true for a timeshare. Buy either (or both) deeded or limited-life timeshares, expecting that you are buying future vacations. If the formula ceases to make sense, then sell.

If you buy a high-season week at any one of the Marriott resorts that Marriott built, you will have a lot of value today. Even if Marriott dumped that resort, it would still have significant value and you could dispose of it if you choose. As long as you think it's a great timeshare, don't you think there will be someone else who thinks the same way - to buy from you?

Why limit yourself today because of some unknown adverse event that might happen decades from now? We only go around once. Enjoy life to its fullest and buy the timeshare that fits your needs.

 

[jkomoros]

Thanks to all for your thoughtful replies.

In thinking this through, I wasn't so much worried about resale itself, as wondering what happens say 20 years down the road, when my DH is almost 80, and we're still paying maintenance on a deeded property that may not be worth very much (assuming property is aged, etc.). I'm hesitant to saddle my "kids" with recurring maintenance costs for a potentially elderly property that they inherit from us. Do other folks assume that if the location is desirable, that's the only thing that matters?

 

[timeos2]

RTU ends but is that really so good?

Thanks to all for your thoughtful replies.

In thinking this through, I wasn't so much worried about resale itself, as wondering what happens say 20 years down the road, when my DH is almost 80, and we're still paying maintenance on a deeded property that may not be worth very much (assuming property is aged, etc.). I'm hesitant to saddle my "kids" with recurring maintenance costs for a potentially elderly property that they inherit from us. Do other folks assume that if the location is desirable, that's the only thing that matters?

If you buy resale to start your upfront cost will be low enough that at 80 you can sell for very little and still feel you got your value out. You don't have to leave it to your heirs unless they say they want it. If they do want it a deeded ownership is likely to have a much better value to them. Also remember that most deeded ownerships have owner controlled Boards that will watch out for the owners. Most RTU's stay under the thumb of the developer - in fact they may be in line to get the property back when the RTU ends - so they are motivated to keep ongoing fees high right to the end so the property is in top shape when they have it to sell again. And of course you/your heirs get nothing back when the RTU ends. The long term costs of a RTU are likely to be much higher than a deeded ownership. A steep price to pay to be "done with it" on 20XX.

 

[jkomoros]

Good points. This discussion will help with my husband, who is less likely than I to want a deeded time share. This discussion will help a lot when I talk to him.

 

[SDKath]

I for one love the fact that my Disney will end someday. Disney does a fantastic job of keeping the resorts looking great (see OKW!!). But there is a point where I think owning in an older resort becomes more of a liability than it's worth.

I am perfectly happy if I can get 15-20 good vacation years out of a nice resort. I am under no delusion that my 8 year old daughter will want to vacation with her future family in a resort built by Starwood in 2005! I'd rather have the good time end and be able to buy something different in a couple of decades than be hit by special assessments and increasing MFs just to keep an aging resort up.

Katherine

 

[Eli Mairs]

I agree with you. Katherine. I will be happy when our membership ends in 2042. If I live that long, I will be ninety-five and my kids will be seniors, and probably won't care. We bought in 1992, and have had fifteen wonderful years to date. We have recouped our initial investment several times, so it is all gravy now. We declined the option of extending for another fifteen years.

We also own four weeks at another rtu property, which was for forty years, and we have now used twenty of those years.

We own two Marriott weeks, which I feel is enough to leave to our kids. We would not want to saddle them with eight deeded timeshare weeks in the future. They may not be interested in using them, and it would be a hassle for them to dispose of them.

I may be the exception, but I'm happy that the resort owner has a vested interest in maintaining the property, and we are assured that it will be kept to a high standard for the duration of the lease.

 

[PA-]

We recently bought points at Boardwalk. We're interested in being able to use our points for trips other than just Disney. I know from reading TUG and other boards that II trades probably make more sense with a time share like Marriott than with DVC. We're both close to 60, so we actually like the fact that with DVC, our maintenance costs come to an end at some point. Do owners of other time shares not worry about indefinite deeds with no end date (other than resale)? Does anyone else worry about being stuck with a property years from now with high maintenance costs/older buildings with little trade/resale value?

In my opinion, deeded vs. Right to Use is over-rated. Not many deeded weeks have better resale than Disney, despite RTU.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

In my opinion, deeded vs. Right to Use is over-rated. Not many deeded weeks have better resale than Disney, despite RTU.

And it really comes down to staying onsite at Disney or not. Disney made the business decision to only sell RTU. If you want to book directly onsite, this is your only choice. -- Suzanne

 

[Seth Nock]

If you are going to trade through II, you are better off with Marriott, as you would have an advantage trading for other Marriotts. If you want more European travel, or International, you may want to go with Hilton as they are one of the top traders in RCI. Maintenance fees tend to be less at Marriott and Hilton, than at Disney. Many of my buyers have set up trusts or businesses to hold their ownership. If you have a good resort, you should have no problem selling it. However, if you own your unit in a trust or business, it may not be an issue, but you would need to talk to your accountant or a lawyer about that.

 

[jkomoros]

When I look at the top 30 resorts in the TUG database, I didn't see any Hilton resorts, as I remember. What makes Hilton a better trade for international stays than Marriott?

 

[ciscogizmo1]

When I look at the top 30 resorts in the TUG database, I didn't see any Hilton resorts, as I remember. What makes Hilton a better trade for international stays than Marriott?

There are more international timeshares listed with RCI than II. Hilton trades in RCI therefore has better access to the international timeshares in RCI.

Marriott has serveral international properties. You should check them out at vacationclub.com

 

[icydog]

We have owned 10 timeshares at one time and always bought deeded weeks. We own 7 at the present with 3 being Marriott and 300 Disney points. We are retired, live near HHI and enjoy Orlando with our grandkids. The expiring has always bothered us until we stayed on Disney property. We are satisfied with the price we payed and the years we have left on our contract. I don't even know if our kids want our deeded weeks. They don't like to plan a year in advance and have the means to rent what they want . We get day passes with our Marriott weeks and still enjoy spending weeks on HHI so we'll keep those weeks. We head to Houses at Summer Bay this Sat so we'll be back in Orlando. This is an adult trip so it will be relaxing.

Have you stayed at the Houses at Summer Bay before. The houses are fantastic. They are bigger than my home in NJ. Call now and reserve a home with a hot tub. They will put one aside for you. Have a great time. How many folks are going? The house easily sleeps 6.