Has Trump name affected HGVC desirability in Las Vegas

[Cyberc]

Most of Judi's listings are always overpriced (she once tried to convince me that $9K is the right price for Flamingo 2 BR Platinum when I had one from a different broker available for $4.5K but ended up purchasing privately for $3.9K). It's a "get a foot in the door tactic" just to acquire listings and list high, so it won't sell, and over time, have owners reduce their ask. This deed will not sell at that price, and it will be reduced to $500 - $1000, and then advertised as "hot deal" on FB resale group by Judi, and then it will go. I heard Judi charges $1500 for listing and handling if listing sells, so this aligns with my point ("owner gets nothing").

And yes, it's not a great deed. It's an "okay" starter deal if you're not yet sure if you want to invest into HGVC, or just get a feel of it at a lower cost but not the best MFpp. Still acceptable, but not "good".



Don't expect much from brokers. They're known for providing sloppy information. That's most likely 2021 MF.

EDIT: you read it wrong. The listing is clear:

Maintenance 970.56
Taxes 31.43

Total $1001.99, consistent with my report.

$1,500 commission she should only get 5-10% of the sale price. $1,500 that's ridiculous

 

[Cyberc]

Ebay. Facebook groups.



No. Closing company does ROFR, escrow, etc, not the broker. Closing company like LT Transfers.

Broker is a salesman. Closing company is the actual doer. Moreover, when you use a broker, they withhold some information from you, and it's not unheard of that people hear "ROFR passed" from their broker but never see the actual estoppel documents. This never happens with LT Transfers, who is extremely transparent at every stage of the process.

By using a broker, you pay more and get less.

I like LT transfers I have used them more than once and they are great.

 

[brp]

Politics aside, I personally would NOT purchase a unit at Trump tower because of the risk of not being able to “get out” if I wanted to. Like @1Kflyerguy mentioned, there’s a reason the sales team is sometimes hesitant to offer these units (to avoid potentially offending someone). This alone would keep me away, killer deal or not.

Of course, while there is a contingent of folks who would NOT buy because of the name, there is likely also a contingent who might find this MORE desirable than another unit because of the name. Perhaps the name impact could turn off some, turn on others and, of course, not impact a large contingent.

All things being equal, I'd likely look at this. But, given the location relative to other properties, all things are not equal.

Cheers.

 

[Cyberc]

Of course, while there is a contingent of folks who would NOT buy because of the name, there is likely also a contingent who might find this MORE desirable than another unit because of the name. Perhaps the name impact could turn off some, turn on others and, of course, not impact a large contingent.

All things being equal, I'd likely look at this. But, given the location relative to other properties, all things are not equal.

Cheers.

If the price is right I would consider Trump as SAP but I would most likely not stay there because of the location.

 

[dayooper]

If the price is right I would consider Trump as SAP but I would most likely not stay there because of the location.

If possible, we would always stay at Elara. Best of the HGVC Vegas properties.

 

[Cyberc]

If possible, we would always stay at Elara. Best of the HGVC Vegas properties.

Agree Elara is an excellent location.

 

[Nowaker]

Dropping that kind of money, you want the piece of mind you are purchasing what you signed on for.

LT Transfers offers escrow, therefore "the piece of mind". And estoppel sent back by HGVC ensures "you are purchasing what you signed on for", and LT Transfers will return your escrow if the estoppel comes back to something that you didn't sign up for.

So you don't need a broker to achieve these two. Maybe for something else, sure, but not for these two. Broker isn't needed.

 

[dayooper]

LT Transfers offers escrow, therefore "the piece of mind". And estoppel sent back by HGVC ensures "you are purchasing what you signed on for", and LT Transfers will return your escrow if the estoppel comes back to something that you didn't sign up for.

So you don't need a broker to achieve these two. Maybe for something else, sure, but not for these two. Broker isn't needed.

Sure, but how many high priced deeds have you seen on Facebook groups. Many of the higher priced deeds ($10,000 and up) you won’t find on Facebook or even here on TUG. The people selling these want someone to maximize their exposure. They sell with a broker.


I have used LT Transfers and they are awesome. I have recommended them up, down, left and right. I have written a recommendation in the Timeshare business forum here on Tug. That being said, there are certain deeds that are better found through a broker than on Facebook or eBay. There have been numerous eBay scammers that have stolen money and have gotten away with it. A deed that you are spending a high amount on, some may want the security of a licensed broker that can have some sort of accountability in not misrepresenting what they are selling.

You are correct, for most transactions, a broker isn’t needed. There are some that it makes easier to do so.

 

[Nowaker]

That being said, there are certain deeds that are better found through a broker than on Facebook or eBay

I agree with that statement.

You are correct, for most transactions, a broker isn’t needed.

Bingo! "most" is a very important keyword here.

 

[brp]

Sure, but how many high priced deeds have you seen on Facebook groups. Many of the higher priced deeds ($10,000 and up) you won’t find on Facebook or even here on TUG. The people selling these want someone to maximize their exposure. They sell with a broker.


I have used LT Transfers and they are awesome. I have recommended them up, down, left and right. I have written a recommendation in the Timeshare business forum here on Tug. That being said, there are certain deeds that are better found through a broker than on Facebook or eBay. There have been numerous eBay scammers that have stolen money and have gotten away with it. A deed that you are spending a high amount on, some may want the security of a licensed broker that can have some sort of accountability in not misrepresenting what they are selling.

You are correct, for most transactions, a broker isn’t needed. There are some that it makes easier to do so.

Very well-stated, @dayooper. Different situations have different needs. I've done it both ways and it worked for what I needed. No one-size fits all.

Cheers.

 

[alwysonvac]

Most of Judi's listings are always overpriced (she once tried to convince me that $9K is the right price for Flamingo 2 BR Platinum when I had one from a different broker available for $4.5K but ended up purchasing privately for $3.9K)…..

ok, I completely understand why you’re not happy with your experience with Judy.
You shared a great example of why it’s important to shopping around vs the other misleading info you provided in this thread such as

1. “It's a "get a foot in the door tactic" just to acquire listings and list high, so it won't sell, and over time, have owners reduce their ask.“
2. “Don't expect much from brokers. They're known for providing sloppy information.“
3. “By using a broker, you pay more and get less.”

For newbies, the take away is that you need to be an informed buyer.
It’s always best to spend time doing some research and comparison shopping before buying to know what’s an excellent deal vs good deal vs fair deal. Everyone’s situation is different. Some buyers are willing to accept a fair deal instead of continuing to look for the absolute best deal. Also some sellers, just want out and will simply give their ownership away or pay someone to take it in order to get rid of it. Keep in mind, that brokers (including the frequently recommended brokers) are sales folks too so they’re going to push what they have.

Okay. Understood. Without trying to offend here, brokers have to make money too. who or where do you suggest prospective buyers go to buy secondary market? Aren’t you paying for the services of knowing your sale is going to go through ROFR properly and escrow is smooth and estoppel is correct? Boy, if you get screwed on a sale once, you’re gonna wish you had purchased through a broker.

I'm just saying, while no one wants to pay brokerage fees or points or commissions on anything we buy, we'll be glad there’s someone to turn to when the sale goes South, no? Do you feel safe purchasing through eBay or Redweek or just dealing directly with the seller? I would be curious to know where Tuggers go to buy secondary market TS.

You can sometimes find rock bottom prices on eBay.
Some are sold by Postcard Companies (PCCs), who charged previous owners thousands of dollars to get rid of their timeshare. Just be careful. Like anything else that is advertised for sale on EBay, Craigslist, Facebook, etc, there are scammers.

The problem with eBay in the past, is that eBay feedback is often given before the transfer has completed. In 2009, TUG created a forum called “ Ratings of Timeshare Related Businesses” (link) to help buyers avoid some sellers (some were scammers, some were taking months/years to process a transfer, some were careless with documentation, etc).

Seller feedback threads can also be found on the TUG “Buying, Selling & Renting Timeshares” forum (link)

Here’s a link to a recent discussion regarding brokers vs ebay

Discussion of Trusted HGVC brokers and buying from Ebay

Received deed this weekend (Dec 3) on a 5k Boulevard vegas property that we bought through Diane Nadeau (Time share Broker sales. The docs were provided by TRS, Inc. Received email this am (Dec 6) with our contract number. 5K points/$1500 price tag/$899.23 MF Total transaction fees prior to...

tugbbs.com

 

[PigsDad]

LT Transfers offers escrow, therefore "the piece of mind". And estoppel sent back by HGVC ensures "you are purchasing what you signed on for", and LT Transfers will return your escrow if the estoppel comes back to something that you didn't sign up for.

So you don't need a broker to achieve these two. Maybe for something else, sure, but not for these two. Broker isn't needed.

While I agree that LT Transfers does a perfectly good job for the actual transfer, sometimes a broker is the only place you will find exactly what you are looking for. A broker does much more than just arrange the transfer; they can help you search for exactly what you want, and advise you on the what would work best for you.

For example, we know we wanted a fixed week 51 at the Charter Club to go along with our week 52 at The Surf Club. We searched for two years -- ebay, TUG, Facebook and even the on-site RE rep who handles many of the resales (who said those deeds were very rare) without luck. Of course, we were also monitoring a few of the broker sites as well, and when one deed did show up on Judi's site (for a fantastic price -- much lower than similar holiday weeks), we grabbed it. And Judi made her commission -- so what? In our eyes, she deserved it.

Similar situation with the 1BR Plus, fixed ski week at Valdoro we picked up. We got a prime ski week (on a holiday weekend, most years), in the size we wanted, and it was one of the rare 1BR Plus units, which meant our MF/point ratio was much better than most of the Valdoro deeds. Again through Judi, and again at a price that, frankly, I still can't believe and I haven't seen any similar deed offered for anywhere close to what we paid.

Sorry you had a bad experience w/ Judi, but many people have been well served by her and other brokers. And in the case of a newbie, I would highly recommend an experienced, well respected broker.

Kurt

 

[brp]

The problem with eBay in the past, is that eBay feedback is often given before the transfer has completed. In 2009, TUG created a forum called “ Ratings of Timeshare Related Businesses” (link) to help buyers avoid some sellers (some were scammers, some were taking months/years to process a transfer, some were careless with documentation, etc).

Seller feedback threads can also be found on the TUG “Buying, Selling & Renting Timeshares” forum (link)

Here’s a link to a recent discussion regarding brokers vs ebay

Discussion of Trusted HGVC brokers and buying from Ebay

Received deed this weekend (Dec 3) on a 5k Boulevard vegas property that we bought through Diane Nadeau (Time share Broker sales. The docs were provided by TRS, Inc. Received email this am (Dec 6) with our contract number. 5K points/$1500 price tag/$899.23 MF Total transaction fees prior to...

tugbbs.com

Thanks for these resource links @alwysonvac . I have used these both for ore-purchase information and to share after-the-fact feedback about sellers and found them invaluable for navigating eBay purchases.

Cheers.

 

[dioxide45]

$1,500 commission she should only get 5-10% of the sale price. $1,500 that's ridiculous

The same work is involved with selling a $1000 contract vs a $10,000 contract. Most, if not all, timeshare brokers have a minimum. In residential real estate, the percentage commission works because sales prices are high enough to support it. In most timeshares, they simply are not. No broker is going to work for a $150 commission on a $1500 sale.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

While I agree that LT Transfers does a perfectly good job for the actual transfer, sometimes a broker is the only place you will find exactly what you are looking for. A broker does much more than just arrange the transfer; they can help you search for exactly what you want, and advise you on the what would work best for you.

For example, we know we wanted a fixed week 51 at the Charter Club to go along with our week 52 at The Surf Club. We searched for two years -- ebay, TUG, Facebook and even the on-site RE rep who handles many of the resales (who said those deeds were very rare) without luck. Of course, we were also monitoring a few of the broker sites as well, and when one deed did show up on Judi's site (for a fantastic price -- much lower than similar holiday weeks), we grabbed it. And Judi made her commission -- so what? In our eyes, she deserved it.

Similar situation with the 1BR Plus, fixed ski week at Valdoro we picked up. We got a prime ski week (on a holiday weekend, most years), in the size we wanted, and it was one of the rare 1BR Plus units, which meant our MF/point ratio was much better than most of the Valdoro deeds. Again through Judi, and again at a price that, frankly, I still can't believe and I haven't seen any similar deed offered for anywhere close to what we paid.

Sorry you had a bad experience w/ Judi, but many people have been well served by her and other brokers. And in the case of a newbie, I would highly recommend an experienced, well respected broker.

Kurt

This. We are also searching for a unicorn at a decent price and I have a broker looking for it.

We also should remember that many TUGers are DIY and willing to put in the time and research effort. People get scammed on Ebay and elsewhere. I recognize that there is one seller on EBay I would trust (tochoa), however their prices are a bit higher than others.

The other factor to consider is the time to close a resale deal which can take months.

For these reasons, I believe it is safer to send most newbies to a broker even if they pay a bit more. And to put in perspective - they are saving tens of thousands over retail so paying a thousand or more is diminishing returns. We need brokers in the timeshare world and they need to make a living. If the buyers are DIY types or willing to spend a year or more researching to save that $$, then they can tread into deeper Ebay waters.

FWIW all of our resales have been through a broker or HGVC Scotland. I don't have the time or patience to scour Ebay for deals and worry whether the broker or estoppel is legit.

 

[dioxide45]

We also should remember that many TUGers are DIY and willing to put in the time and research effort. People get scammed on Ebay and elsewhere. I recognize that there is one seller on EBay I would trust (tochoa), however their prices are a bit higher than others.

I haven't dealt with that seller for an actual purchase, but have contacted them a few times. They come across rather crass but I have asked for an estoppel prior to bidding and it was sent. From what I understand though, they do deliver on what they are selling. What makes it so you wouldn't trust them?

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@dioxide45 I would trust tochoa because I believe they are legit. However they have never had the inventory I wanted so have no first-hand experience.

 

[dioxide45]

@dioxide45 I would trust tochoa because I believe they are legit. However they have never had the inventory I wanted so have no first-hand experience.

Sorry, not sure how I read "wouldn't" instead of would...

 

[magmue]

We bought our very first timeshare deed from Tochoa on eBay - 2 weeks at Bay Club. We bid on our way home from an HGVC 5 day stay with sales pitch at Kingsland! I had already discovered TUG and started researching before we went, so had our heads on straight. We found Tochoa rather abrupt, but responsive, and the sale went smoothly after we had our questions answered.

Earlier this year, we bought an EOY week at a non-affiliated resort on eBay from buyandselltimesharecom. After some initial communication glitches, the sale piece went smoothly. The closing has been very slow, but communication has been responsive, and I would buy from them again if the property was right.

 

[JohnPaul]

I guess I’m being political. The name puts me off and I would never own or stay there.

 

[JTurner538]

While I won’t turn the post political, I would never buy there based on the name and who will profit from our maintenance fees.

There’s an argument to be made that there’s a portion of America that would want to own there because of the name. To me, though, why purchase anywhere that will instantly turn off a chunk of the potential market later down the road? The baggage is hard to predict 10 years from now, but I wouldn’t want to open myself up to the chances. I’d go for a more neutral property.

 

[Msb1102]

While I won’t turn the post political, I would never buy there based on the name and who will profit from our maintenance fees.

There’s an argument to be made that there’s a portion of America that would want to own there because of the name. To me, though, why purchase anywhere that will instantly turn off a chunk of the potential market later down the road? The baggage is hard to predict 10 years from now, but I wouldn’t want to open myself up to the chances. I’d go for a more neutral property.

My guess is, if things got too toxic or started to hurt business, they would just change the name.

I assume HGVC got a killer deal on a floor of units when Trump Vegas was having a hard time moving them and Vegas was (still is) overbuilt.

From a non-political aspect, I wish HGVC would buy out/sell their interest in Trump and use money/transfer ownership to a location in which they aren't overbuilt.

I assume that Trump is super unpopular with owners because it is the only resort that I am aware of that has a 90 day open season window. Why else open it so early, otherwise?

 

[brp]

I assume that Trump is super unpopular with owners because it is the only resort that I am aware of that has a 90 day open season window. Why else open it so early, otherwise?

I can think of three reasons other than name: Location, Location, Location.

I do know that, if I owned there, I'd be less-than-eager to reveal the name of the place to friends:

"I own one of the Vegas properties, the one that's off-Strip and not Karen Avenue. The other one..."

Cheers.

 

[Msb1102]

I can think of three reasons other than name: Location, Location, Location.

I do know that, if I owned there, I'd be less-than-eager to reveal the name of the place to friends:

"I own one of the Vegas properties, the one that's off-Strip and not Karen Avenue. The other one..."

Cheers.

Yeah, I work for a major software company and would never mention the name directly. I'd have to explain the nuance of it and it just isn't worth the hassle. Plus, I enjoy career advancement.

 

[GT75]

I can think of three reasons other than name: Location, Location, Location.

The biggest reason for me is that the MFs are much too high. The ONLY reason that I would purchase in LV is for cheap MFs.