Help me understand

[Sweetlion7]

Looking to buy a timeshare from eBay. What should I buy? I am a snow bird from Canada so I mainly travel from January to March for two months. I am open to different locations and every other year to Florida as driving is cheaper than flying.
What are Marriott and Hilton vacation club as opposed to buying a specific resort?
I was thinking odd year as I could use Getaways other times. I see Panama City, Florida for maintenance fee 860. How come that is cheaper in maintenance fee than other Marriott resorts? Yes, I would mainly like to use it for trading. I don’t like to vacation at the same place any time.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Your best bet may be to keep your hands in your pocket until you can establish what system you really want to buy into. With that said, try renting a few timeshare weeks to see if it presses your buttons and meets your needs. Using this method may show you what you like and more importantly what you do not like (and want to avoid).

Enjoy your test drive.



.

 

[RX8]

I agree with timetraveller. You can also follow the instructions in the link below and you will get specific advice based on your wishes/expectations.

"What to Buy" Questions for New Timeshare Owners

Here are some questions you can answer to focus your timeshare wants/needs. Suggestion - copy the questions below, and start a new thread entitled "My Survey" or "What should I buy?," or something similar, and answer the questions in a NEW thread. 1) Is there a vacation destination you wish...

tugbbs.com

 

[Sweetlion7]

I have stayed with Interval back in 2019 using a friends account. I purchased guest certificates for three weeks. Stayed at Star island, Westgate towers and Blue tree resort in Orlando, they were all mediocre resorts. The quality was ok. The kids were small and we enjoyed the amenities. We would like two bedroom with kitchen.

 

[moonstone]

From a fellow Canadian, I would think that to buy/obtain enough weeks or points to get you 8 weeks of stay in Florida in the prime snowbird season, especially if you need a 2 bedroom unit, will cost more in maintenance fees than what you would pay to rent a modest home or single/double wide inland (much cheaper than at either coast).
We gave up on waterfront (or nearby) rentals in FL years ago and have been paying $650 US /mo (electric & water included) for a 1 bedroom apt on the water in Belize for the 6 winters up until 2021. We had to stay at home this past winter due to a medical issue. We bought a condo in St. Augustine in 2010 and it has been rented full time (annual lease) ever since. We are not renewing the lease and taking it over this fall for our own & family members winter use. We will use our St. Augustine timeshare week and maybe some of our points to book weeks for additional space for family to stay in town while we are there.

~Diane

 

[Sweetlion7]

Nice. Happy Canada Day.
Thankyou. That helps, listening to another snow birder. We thought about buying a town home in Florida and renting it but yes that is the issue, will we have it when we need.
St Augustine is a wonderful area, we loved it, the vibe is fabulous there. We don’t mind any location in Florida as we can do days drive and visit other places.
The Interval resorts were on and different resort each week as it was nice to see new resorts andenjoy the amenities.
I would think decent Airbnb would be expensive and it would not be possible to rent an apartment for only three months.
The Marriott resort I looked at had 800 biennial maintenance which gives me only a week. But yes there would be fees for trading the unit.

 

[dioxide45]

Those weeks you see with a ~$850 MF might be every other year where you pay half the maintenance fee each year.

 

[Passepartout]

The Marriott resort I looked at had 800 biennial maintenance which gives me only a week. But yes there would be fees for trading the unit.

I'd bet that the $800 MF is annual for an every-other-year reservation. Not a great deal (imo).

 

[Sweetlion7]

Nope already verified. 800$ biennal. But this Panama City Florida, is it high crime rated or least desirable