Help - Timeshare in Berkshires

[suekap]

We are wondering how good a timeshare in Berkshires, Mass. would be to trade to orlando 2 bedroom? It is a RCI gold crown, red week, 2 bedroom. Does anyone have any input?

 

[sfwilshire]

Almost anything will trade into nice Orlando resorts if you can go in the off-season. Christmas and Spring break are a different story. Usually summers aren't too tough, especially if you can go in the shoulder season like early June and mid to late August.

Sheila

 

[suekap]

Thank you, we usually go the beginning to middle of August due to college and football practice. Do you think we can get into a fairly good resort?

 

[grest]

You shouldn't have any trouble.
Connie

 

[suekap]

I just found out that it is not a gold crown, it is a hospitality. So, I don't know what to do now.

 

[sfwilshire]

I wouldn't be discouraged. By mid-August, most of the southern schools are back in session. I think you'll be fine. The only way to know for sure is to try.

Sheila

 

[suekap]

As you can tell I am new at this, since it would be floating, I have to pick a week with resort and then bank it. Once banked I can look to trade for something somewhere. What I am confused about is that does someone have to want my property so I can trade to something else? As you can read I don't know very much about this stuff.

 

[sfwilshire]

RCI takes all properties from their affiliated resorts, whether anybody ultimately wants them or not. That's why they wind up with a lot of off-season weeks to rent out in various ways.

Once you have deposited your week, you will be able to search on line or by calling in. Your week is assigned a trade value. That is based, in part, on how many people want to go to that area and that resort in that season. A good week in a great resort trades better than a bad week in a crappy resort, but all that is a big mystery.

The best thing to do IMO is to deposit your week and then do a lot of online searches to see exactly what it will pull. As stated earlier, Orlando is a pretty easy trade because of the great number of units there. It's hard to get Christmas and Spring break and the middle of summer is tougher than the rest of the year, but it's usually pretty available.

Also, at 45 days before checkin (or maybe it's 60 with RCI .... I get them confused with II) most trading power restrictions are lifted. So a resort/unit size that would not normally be offered to you may be if it's still sitting in the bank.

Speaking of unit size, one bedroom units will typically be easier to get than larger ones, so if that is big enough for your family, you should have little problem in mid-August.

Sheila

 

[JudyS]

As you can tell I am new at this, since it would be floating, I have to pick a week with resort and then bank it....

Sue, Sheila gave you good information!

The most important thing is to try to get a good week from your resort. This will affect your "trade power" (what RCI offers you in exchange for your week) a lot. Fourth of July, which falls in week #26 or #27, is the best summer week. The rest of July is also good. Early August is good, too. June and late August are not as good as July and early August. May and September are much less good than summer, and fall/winter will likely be really bad (except winter may be good if there is skiing in the area.)

You will need a week from summer 2007 or early summer 2008. Don't let the resort give you a 2006 week -- it's too close to the check-in date already, and the week won't be worth much.

Some resorts won't let you pick the week that you want them to deposit; they just deposit whatever week they feel like -- which is often not worth much. Or, maybe the resort will let you pick a week, but all the good weeks are already taken. If you run into problems like this, come back & ask what to do.

If you can get a good week from your resort, you should be fine.

 

[suekap]

I think we are going to buy the pines because low maintenance fees and trade to orlando. The maintenance fees in orlando are high compared to this resort. I just hope if we look far enough in advance we can get a gold crown resort in orlando. I was told the berkshire area is popular in the fall. I guess I will just have to take a chance.

 

[suekap]

Does anyone know what a good week in the Berkshires, Mass would be good to get to use for a trade? When buying we don't have to pay maintenance fees until 2007, the fees for 2006 are already paid, so I will just bank the 2006 week. I appreciate all your help since I am new at this.

 

[Avery]

Does anyone know what a good week in the Berkshires, Mass would be good to get to use for a trade? When buying we don't have to pay maintenance fees until 2007, the fees for 2006 are already paid, so I will just bank the 2006 week. I appreciate all your help since I am new at this.

The only peak time in the Berkshires is summer, July 4th weekend through Labor Day. If you are buying one of the Jiminy Peak resorts, xmas, new year, MLK weekend and President's week are in high demand. Otherwise those weeks are excess inventory and probably don't have a heck a lot of trading power.

When you say the Pines, do you mean Wind in the Pines? A good location for summer, and decent access to Butternut for skiing in winter. Note that b/c of Northeast school schedule, the summer demand in the Berkshires runs later, last week of June through last week of August (including Labor Day weekend). If I were buying to trade I would only buy summer unless I could reserve xmas, new years, or President's Week (week 7). btw, that is NOT a GC resort or anything close (it is a converted motel).

If you want to go to Orlando, why not just rent something? There are a lot of cheap deals down there, even for nice places.

eta: If you are going to buy and must take a fall week, try for the first two weeks of October, that's the best leaf-peeping time up there

 

[suekap]

Thank you for the information on Wind in the Pines, we did buy it.:whoopie:

 

[Jennie]

I hope you bought it via resale and not from the developer.

 

[suekap]

Resale