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How would you spend a $100,000 timeshare budget?

Passepartout

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$100K! Hell, I'd pretend I's NEVER HEARD of timeshares!
 

bizaro86

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Interesting how many people on here are very anti-spending a bunch of money on TS. There are lots of ways to spend $100k on resale TS that are reasonable uses of money, imo. Obviously not talking about money you need to borrow or that will kneecap your retirement savings.

We've looked at buying a 2nd home a number of times (most likely in the Rockies near where we live). But I could live in the WM Canmore year round for not much more than it would cost me to own something comparable after you account for mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, maintenance, insurance, major repairs, cleaning, etc. And the way it works now, somebody else deals with all the issues, and I only pay for it when I actually want to be there.
 

easyrider

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It would have to be a two bedroom condo, in a building that has timeshare inventory, in a desirable year round tourist destination, like on a nice beach, where it doesn't get too cold or hot. The $100,000 is the money down, first years hoa dues and 6 months of mortgage cushion. I'm guessing the loan amount to be near $500,000 so the rent would need to be about $2000 a week to cover the $4,000 mortgage, vacancies and management. After 15 years the condo is worth maybe $1,000,000 or more and is paid off. The rents increased every year as well.

If only it were this easy.

Bill
 

R1964

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I would use the $100,000 as a down payment on a property in Aruba and then rent it out when I'm not using it and have it paid off in full in about 5 years or 6 years.
 

dioxide45

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Interesting how many people on here are very anti-spending a bunch of money on TS.
I heard an analogy on the radio the other day. A wife is nagging her husband about drinking beer. She say if he hadn't spent all his money drinking beer all those years, he would have enough money to buy a small airplane. He asked her if she drank beer, when she said no he asks here "where's your airplane?"

We really shouldn't judge people on how they choose to spend their money.
 

boraxo

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Depends on your travel preferences. Not everyone likes to go to the same location every year, especially multiple times a year, and risk all the fixing it up as things break, insurance, etc, mortgage/renting/etc. $100k you could own dozens of weeks or literally be able to stay a full year in a studio with hgv in several cities and maybe 1 bedroom. I’d much rather drop money on a flexible system like hgv than a single vacation home but some people love doing the same exact things over and over. I easily can afford either one of these options and a vacation home is not even on my top 10 vacation options.

but you can easily buy a good timeshare for a fraction <$100k. With timeshares you are stuck with the program rules which may not meet your needs (particularly those of us who can only travel peak times due to kids in school). Hawaii in the summer? Aspen at Xmas? Good luck trading that $1 week from Branson. Not to mention all the closures in 2020. Putting $100k into an illiquid asset with very restrictive rules doesn’t sound like a good investment to me.

Real estate aka vacation homes are not as liquid as cash but you can always sell a well located vacation property. You can always use it too because it belongs to you. The worst that happened was that some owners were unable to do short term rentals for a few months at the beginning of COVID.

Personally I agree with you - I like to vacation in different places every year which is why I’ve resisted buying either a timeshare or a vacation home as cash has the most flexibility. Many places I go have no timeshares or no timeshares available for trade. But if I had $100k wouldn’t blow it on the former
 

bizaro86

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I heard an analogy on the radio the other day. A wife is nagging her husband about drinking beer. She say if he hadn't spent all his money drinking beer all those years, he would have enough money to buy a small airplane. He asked her if she drank beer, when she said no he asks here "where's your airplane?"

We really shouldn't judge people on how they choose to spend their money.
Oh for sure. I haven't spent anywhere near $100k on TS, but I think its an interesting thought experiment.

I would have expected a more positive reception given this is a timeshare forum, presumably populated by people who like TS.
 

NOLA47

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I too expected more positive and “creative” responses. I was very surprised at the somewhat critical approach from some members.
 

easyrider

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Oh for sure. I haven't spent anywhere near $100k on TS, but I think its an interesting thought experiment.

Just for kicks I tried to figure out how much I spent on timeshares for personal use in the last 20 years. I didn't seem like much but when it is added up with the airfare, car rentals and all the other things I think it has to be way over $100,000. Some of the family trips where we paid for the main expenses included visits to Disney World, Disneyland, Seaside , Hawaii, Mexico and Canada. Good times for sure.

So I guess our timeshare monkey including travel costs are maybe $5,000 a year so far.

Bill
 

CO skier

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I would have expected a more positive reception given this is a timeshare forum, presumably populated by people who like TS.
It could be explained because this timeshare forum is populated by people who KNOW timeshares and their relative value.
 

Jan M.

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We've spent more than $100k and would do it again. We have investments and timeshares are not an investment. They are our reward for working and saving to be able to afford them. We had absolutely no interest in being tied down to a second home nor in owning an RV. With the timeshares we know what our expenses, the maintenance fees, will be for the coming year. We don't have to search out the best product and price of anything that needs replaced. Nor find someone to do any repairs and upkeep we can't do or don't want to do. We didn't retire to have more work and responsibilities nor will be always be young enough to manage them. We've met owners in their late 80's to early 90's who still go to the timeshares. At our home the homeowners association takes care of the yard work and exterior maintenance. We make arrangements for our mail, pack the car, pull the hurricane shutters, turn off the water and off we go. When we get to our destination we bring our stuff in and put it away. There's minimal housekeeping to do during our stays. When we leave we pack our stuff up and start the dishwasher. Living la vida loca.

While we were still working we both had a lot of flexibility in being able to take time off so we've always been the ideal candidates for owning a points based timeshare.

As of May 28, 2021 we will have stayed at the resorts 115 out of 147 nights in 2021. We started out with 37 nights in the same unit at the first resort followed by another 6 nights at a resort 45 minutes away in the same area. This trip is 10, 14, 28, 16 and 4 nights. Of the seven different resorts this year five are resorts we haven't stayed at before. We may consider longer stays in the future at some of the new to us resorts if we like them. This is exactly what we dreamed of doing and we enjoy contemplating where we might want to go next. I particularly enjoy doing the planning. There's still 7 more months of this year so who knows where all we'll go!

.
 
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Ken555

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I find it interesting that all (?) of the previous posts discussed ways to buy many weeks and use the $100k to travel extensively (or find other uses for the $$$). That’s what I would do as well, but there are other options.

Would you invest in a points system like Wyndham, Marriott, Hyatt, Disney?
Would you buy LOTs of cheap weeks? In one region or many different ones?
Would you buy only high end places at peak season?

Yup, high end only in peak season would be advantageous to many...most of whom do not participate on TUG! I know some of these individuals and they don’t care about paying developer prices for a prime fixed week at their resort of choice. For instance, several weeks at Four Seasons Aviara, Westin Ka’anapali (south) ocean front, or even Marriott Timber Lodge weeks (many other examples...). We all know less expensive methods to get those resorts but for those who want fixed week (and perhaps fixed unit...those ocean front WKORV 6th floor units are fantastic) $100k is about right to spend a month in Maui, or less time with a fixed week fixed unit.

I am a Wyndham VIP with over 2 million points and it has worked quite well for me. I estimate that I am "earning" a 20% return. In other words, I am getting $20,000 worth of travel (or rentals) above my MFs. The 60% VIP discount is amazing and most of my travel is booked within 60 days.

I’m curious where you get that $20k in value from...is that the resort rack rate? Actual average rental rate from RedWeek or ebay? Elsewhere? I ask because it’s so easy to artificially inflate value for timeshares or hotels in order to believe points are more valuable. That said, I don’t know much about Wyndham and have intended to look into it again at some point. I surmise that your VIP discount and ability to travel last minute offers additional value that most won’t be able to duplicate.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Bailey#1

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Ten years ago I would have told you to buy DVC Bay lake ($100,000) and rent out all the points for 2.5 times the MF's. Then sell after 20 years. The selling price would be worth double today. But it would be easier to make more money if you bought $100,000 worth of Disney stock in 2011 and sell it today for $350,000.
 

A.Win

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Hi Ken,

There are many posts about how to value Wyndham points. Certainly, my 60% discount and free upgrades plays a big role in maximizing the value of my ownership.

1 million points cost $5,000-$8,000 per year in MFs. The travel value should be $8,000 to $32,000 per year. So you can see that it varies widely, depending on how and when you use them and whether you have VIP benefits. You can probably find a points manager that will buy your points for $6,000 to $8,000.

But if you wait until the points are close to expiration, their value drops significantly to about $3,000. Your options will be limited to travel in early Dec. or costly exchanges through RCI. I have paid about $3,000 to many different owners that have nothing else to do with their points.
 

A.Win

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Ten years ago I would have told you to buy DVC Bay lake ($100,000) and rent out all the points for 2.5 times the MF's. Then sell after 20 years. The selling price would be worth double today. But it would be easier to make more money if you bought $100,000 worth of Disney stock in 2011 and sell it today for $350,000.

My kids just bought some DIS recently. I personally think it is too volatile/risky. I hope that it continues to go up, but there is a reasonable chance that it has reached its peak already. The company lost money the past year even though the share price increased significantly, so let's see what the future holds for Disney.
 
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rpeacock

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I heard an analogy on the radio the other day. A wife is nagging her husband about drinking beer. She say if he hadn't spent all his money drinking beer all those years, he would have enough money to buy a small airplane. He asked her if she drank beer, when she said no he asks here "where's your airplane?"

We really shouldn't judge people on how they choose to spend their money.
Actually she said "No, I chose not to buy a plane. I chose to invest it in stocks and bonds so I could afford to retire 10 years earlier than you."

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

dioxide45

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Actually she said "No, I chose not to buy a plane. I chose to invest it in stocks and bonds so I could afford to retire 10 years earlier than you."

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Or she could have been spending it on lattes and frappuccinos.
 

rickandcindy23

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I have spent that much on timeshare. It was pretty easy, actually. I think we invested a total of $140,000 on our Wyndham, mostly resale. But honestly, I need to give back a bunch of Wyndham points.

Even during 2008's bad economy, Wyndham resale was something I actually bought, paid good money to buy; nothing was free. I wish I could find some examples of what we paid for our additional points we added via ebay. It wasn't free like today, it was costly. But I did buy in places with very low MF's, including Williamsburg (various resorts) and Arkansas.

What has happened to timeshare, some might ask? I think it's the exit companies that have scared people away from timeshare.

If I had unlimited money, I would buy only Marriott or DVC. Getting rid of those Wyndham points that aren't truly Founders, all of the resale points, that would be an ideal situation for us. That would open the opportunity to buy what we love. Wyndham mostly has average resorts. Compare Kingsgate to Marriott in Williamsburg. Marriott is superior. I admit that Bonnet Creek is a top resort and may even surpass most of the Marriott experiences. There is so much competition to get prime dates at Bonnet Creek. We stayed at Lakeshore Reserve, and WOW. But it's not as convenient as Bonnet Creek. Lakeshore Reserve is gorgeous, especially the townhouse our kids got. That was equal to any presidential at Bonnet Creek.

I also love Hyatt. The Maui resort is nicer than anything on Maui. That is my opinion.
 

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How would I spend a $100,000 timeshare budget?

My first inclination would be, I wouldn't. I would spend what I've spent which is under $10,000 for 4 weeks of ownerships, 3 of which we like to use and 1 that we use or trade. So maybe I would simply invest it and use the $100,000 for maintenance fees, airfare, luggage, etc.

But then... what are the goals?

If the goal was to timeshare full time then $100,000 is a great budget for that. I think to keep things simple with that route I might invest all of it into a points program like Worldmark that has lots of options high and low end to stretch out a full year's worth of vacations.

Or for me personally, the goal might be to have a few really fantastic timeshare options so I might splurge on Disney or Marriott etc to be able to do things like 2-3 rooms for 2 weeks in prime season so the whole family can go.

I would not be a landlord type of person, renting out weeks. That's just not for me.
 

travelplus

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Put it towards a Vacation Property that you own and rent it out. With the money you make you can use it as your travel fund!
 

Magus

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Or she could have been spending it on lattes and frappuccinos.

Given the typical retirement balance for the average American household, you are far more likely right than investing that money unfortunately. Men are a bit more likely to save than women but we all, on average, save very little. I generally avoid criticizing anyones spending unless they are going into debt to do so or they can get the same thing for far cheaper (ie buying timeshare resale vs retail)
 

Magus

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Put it towards a Vacation Property that you own and rent it out. With the money you make you can use it as your travel fund!

Most vacation homes just aren't in season enough (and/or the owner wants to use it in season) to make any money after paying a third party manager, commissions (airbnb, vrbo, etc), electricity, internet, TV package, repairs for damages by renters, regular maintenance, insurance, interest and property taxes as well as a lot of vacancy. It does help cover part of the mortgage usually (or if pay all cash, a modest return on investment). You can manage yourself to save a bit on that, but thats a PITA, a lot of hours and you better either be a handy man or know someone you trust with reasonable prices. In order to make money on a second home, most really need to bank on valuations rising to earn anything. Right now that is certainly happening but no guarantee that will be the case in the future. Of course, every situation is different!
 

dioxide45

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Most vacation homes just aren't in season enough (and/or the owner wants to use it in season) to make any money after paying a third party manager, commissions (airbnb, vrbo, etc), electricity, internet, TV package, repairs for damages by renters, regular maintenance, insurance, interest and property taxes as well as a lot of vacancy. It does help cover part of the mortgage usually (or if pay all cash, a modest return on investment). You can manage yourself to save a bit on that, but thats a PITA, a lot of hours and you better either be a handy man or know someone you trust with reasonable prices. In order to make money on a second home, most really need to bank on valuations rising to earn anything. Right now that is certainly happening but no guarantee that will be the case in the future. Of course, every situation is different!
Also with a rental home you own and rent out, you can never have nice stuff in it. It would just get broken or tore up through the constant abuse. Nice couch, ruined. Nice dining room table, scratched.
 

grupp

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I would buy these weeks (estimating purchase price and not including closing cost).

4 Marriott Mountainside Platinum
6 Marriott Canyon Villas Platinum
2 Marriott Newport Coast Gold Weeks

Would consider DVC points, but not at current price levels.
 

Seaport104

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Most vacation homes just aren't in season enough (and/or the owner wants to use it in season) to make any money after paying a third party manager, commissions (airbnb, vrbo, etc), electricity, internet, TV package, repairs for damages by renters, regular maintenance, insurance, interest and property taxes as well as a lot of vacancy. It does help cover part of the mortgage usually (or if pay all cash, a modest return on investment). You can manage yourself to save a bit on that, but thats a PITA, a lot of hours and you better either be a handy man or know someone you trust with reasonable prices. In order to make money on a second home, most really need to bank on valuations rising to earn anything. Right now that is certainly happening but no guarantee that will be the case in the future. Of course, every situation is different!

I crunched the numbers on areas I am interested in and this is exactly why I have not purchased a vacation home. The scenario where I can see it would make sense for me is if I was retirning to that vacation home in 10 years or less and purchase at a great price. Under this scenario, even if I just covered cost, it is at least paying it off until I am able to retire there.
 
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