Is FS Aviara a good trader?

[Lakeshore]

Hello, looking at FS Aviara 2 bdrm which can be locked off for two 1 bedroom weeks. Is it a good exchanger in interval? We own NCV but don’t know anything about FS timeshares.
Thanks so much!

 

[SteveinHNL]

Hello, looking at FS Aviara 2 bdrm which can be locked off for two 1 bedroom weeks. Is it a good exchanger in interval? We own NCV but don’t know anything about FS timeshares.
Thanks so much!

If I recall correctly, FS Aviara can be locked off for one 1BR week and one Studio week. I'm sure it is a good trader, but be careful what you buy and from whom, if you want to do any internal FS trades, I think you have to buy from an authorized reseller to get all the internal privileges.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Given the MFs on FS units, i think there would be better traders out there. You would be better off using FS in FS instead of trading.

 

[HudsHut]

Way too expensive to trade.

 

[zentraveler]

Way too expensive to trade.

I think it depends on where you want to go. I split our FSA 2 bdrn lock off into two weeks/year. MF this year were ~ $3K but we always use them to trade into Hawaii where the MF's or rentals are way more expensive.

If you want a general "good trader", as others have said, there are better options.

 

[Lakeshore]

I think it depends on where you want to go. I split our FSA 2 bdrn lock off into two weeks/year. MF this year were ~ $3K but we always use them to trade into Hawaii where the MF's or rentals are way more expensive.

If you want a general "good trader", as others have said, there are better options.

Thanks for your response! Where and when did you use it to trade into hawaii? And did you do two weeks with the lock off? And through interval?

 

[zentraveler]

Thanks for your response! Where and when did you use it to trade into hawaii? And did you do two weeks with the lock off? And through interval?

We have had our 2 bdrm lock off for 25 years and for 23 of them I have split the unit into a studio and 1 bdrm and deposited them in Interval. We have always matched in Hawaii although this year, for the first time, it was harder to get Jan-March but we are going to Kauai in May. We have been to all of the main islands using our FSA week over the years. We have also been to Mexico and a few other places and have used II's Getaway weeks for some great deals.

The landscape in the TS world has changed with all of the mergers, but a lot of people seem to be divesting their TS since the MF have gotten so high, so who knows how this will play out. Ours have had modest increases over the years (I think last year was around ~$2800) and we are still very happy owning. Ours is deeded week with a simple structure. No points or complicate issues in using it. Simple trading timing depending on the type of week you own (ours is gold). I really love that and it has worked very well.

As many others have said the best idea is to buy where you want to go, but we have gotten fabulous use of ours over all these years (and we bought it from a developer before we knew better). But times have changed so worth researching where you most want to go and the best TS to use if really key.

Addendum: The resort is wonderful and if you want to stay there is a great place and a great reason to own. We have family in SD and bought it to trade into an internal FS lock off system that never materialized (except for Scottsdale). The developers switched away from the lock off unit model to very pricey 3-4 bdrm units, But we still have never regretted owning it and continue to get good value.

 

[phillyflyer]

Aviara has been great to get into EliteAlliance which has some top end properties not on Interval. Plus you can get into Aviara for minimal upfront cost and they are floating weeks not points. MF are high compared to others, but you get what you pay for.

 

[marmite]

If you're talking about exchanging in Interval, what do you want to exchange into? If you want Marriott or Vistana, preference is everything in Interval.

I have 3 different brands in Interval. Marriott is my most useful because I see so much with it. Most of the Elite-rated resorts are Marriott so having Marriott preference gives you access to the largest units about a year before check-in. Vistana gets me preference for the Westin's in Maui (and I can reliably get 2BR Nanea units with even the small 1BR side of SDO). WorldMark I leave for out of preference Marriott/Vistana and "the rest of the best", Four Seasons, Disney, Hyatt etc. I would not discourage someone owning somewhere they want to go, but if you're looking for something good to exchange with in Interval, a Marriott week does the most.

 

[HulaGal88]

Aviara has been great to get into EliteAlliance which has some top end properties not on Interval. Plus you can get into Aviara for minimal upfront cost and they are floating weeks not points. MF are high compared to others, but you get what you pay for.

Would you mind sharing more information about Elite Alliance?

 

[phillyflyer]

Would you mind sharing more information about Elite Alliance?

I would check out their website as have more info. The short of it is, they are higher end Interval. I predominantly use RedWeek, Elite, and ThirdHome when browsing for places to go. The negative for Elite it is difficult to plan far in advance. I have used them mostly for vacations < 3 months, but it has worked out very well. ThirdHome has more properties and individual homes. With any of these sites, as long as you spend some time researching you can find some great places to travel to at a reasonable price.