• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Is there no advantage to buying direct?

RMSG

newbie
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction score
2
Points
1
We literally just signed up today for HGV at the Elara. I admit we were impressed by the offer. We got 8000 pts, and the deal was sweetened with 20,000 points. Cost was around $60k, $1300 MF. We are absolutely new to TS and should have done the research, which we are doing now within the 5 days to rescind. I’m now leaning towards it, but is there really absolutely no benefit to directly buying? From what I read, many people are generally ok with the HGV system, and that buying resale saves money. I get all that. I just really want to know if there are no other advantages in keeping what we got. We are regular vacationers and we intended to use the system to its fullest potential in the coming years. You advice would be appreciated.
 

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
4,276
Reaction score
2,754
Points
598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
So I take it that you purchased 8000 pts with 20000 bonus points for $60000. I would advise you to rescind now while you have the chance. The only thing which you will lose if you don't purchase direct is that will not count towards elite level. The first elite level doesn't start until you have purchased over 14,000 points and not really worth much anyway. You would get all of the other benefits if you purchase a HGVC resale unit. HGVC treats their resale members very well and I believe is a great program.

You also wouldn't get any bonus points but you will save initial cost. The rule of thumb for resale purchase price cost is ~$1/point for an annual platinum season. So I think that is easy math to figure out which will be a better deal.
 

Talent312

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
17,461
Reaction score
7,277
Points
948
Resorts Owned
HGVC & GTS
RESCIND NOW!
Follow the instructions eggsactly as stated in your contract.
Why? Because that price is absurd. You can buy 8400 pts for 80% less.
The only thing you get buying direct is having points count toward elite.
Elite starts at 14K points. The elites here say it's not worth paying retail.
Otherwise, resale gets you everything that direct does.

BTW, those 20K in bonus points will disappear in 2 years...
And then you'll be left with a TS for which you paid far too much.

Here are some "platinum" listings from a reputable broker (Seth Nock)...
Hilton Anderson Ocean Club 2 Bed Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $14,000.00
Hilton Bay Club At Waikoloa 2 Bed Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $6,900.00
Hilton Hawaiian Village – Lagoon 2 Bed Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $18,500.00
Hilton Hokulani Waikiki 1 Bed Premier Annual Platinum 8400 $27,000.00
Hilton I-Drive (Tuscany) 3 Bed Annual Platinum 8400 $8,900.00
Hilton King’s Land 2 Bed Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $8,900.00
Hilton Kohala Suites 2 Bed Plus Fixed Week 51 Platinum 8400 $13,900.00
Hilton Las Vegas Strip 3 Bed Annual Platinum 8400 $18,000.00
Hilton Marbrisa 2 Bedroom Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $8,900.00
Hilton Parc Soleil 2 Bed Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $9,000.00
Hilton SeaWorld 3 Bed Annual Platinum 8400 $12,900.00
Hilton Waikoloa 2 Bed Plus Annual Platinum 8400 $10,900.00
... Smaller packages are available for less.
See: https://www.sellingtimeshares.net/category/listings/hilton/

Aside from pushy TS sales weasels & absurd pricing, HGVC is a good system.
It's resorts are HQ, booking flexible, and it's generally, consumer friendly.
And, from what we've heard, treats resale buyers the best of every system.

Hope this helps.
.
 
Last edited:

RMSG

newbie
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction score
2
Points
1
Thanks. This is consistent with what folks here are saying about the cheaper cost of resale, the good quality of the resale system, and not much benefit of elite status. By doing the resale route, we wouldn’t actually “own”, would we? And do we still need to pay for the TS MF in perpetuity?
 

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
4,276
Reaction score
2,754
Points
598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
we wouldn’t actually “own”, would we? And do we still need to pay for the TS MF in perpetuity?

You will certainly "own" because you will get a deeded week just like buying direct. Yes, you will also be responsible for those MFs until you sell your week. My suggestion is that you rescind now while you have the chance and then take your time and research what is best for you.

My advice in purchasing is always look at the both the buy-in (purchase) cost and yearly MFs. You would like both cost to be low
 

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
4,276
Reaction score
2,754
Points
598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
Now HGVC does have some resorts (like in Scotland) which are not deeded properties. But all of the US HGVC resorts are deeded.
 

RMSG

newbie
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction score
2
Points
1
Thanks again. Is there an added benefit to being in Elite status when you buy retail?
 

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
4,276
Reaction score
2,754
Points
598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
This recent thread also discussed the same question - here
 

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
4,276
Reaction score
2,754
Points
598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
There are also ways to gain elite status by buying resale. One way which you can do that is by buying resale from a HGVC agent at an affiliate such as Florida gulf properties or at Craigendarroch (Scotland).

Another way, is to "trade in" your resale unit and upgrade to a direct purchase during an "owners update". HGVC will usually give you credit of the original sale price for your resale unit. But, you will need to add significant amount of new money in the upgrade purchase.
 

alwysonvac

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
15,915
Reaction score
3,744
Points
848
Location
New Jersey
Resorts Owned
WORLDMARK, HGVC, VISTANA

SOLD (DVC, FSRC)
YOU'LL HAVE ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY FROM THE DEVELOPER BUT ONLY ONE CHANCE TO RESCIND!!

The only difference between HGVC resale and buying direct is Elite Status.

You must own a minimum of 14,000 HGVC points to earn the lowest level status. If you decide two weeks later to sell, these weeks are going for less than $20,000 on the resale market (see pic below). That’s a $40,000 loss for a delayed decision. So, we always tell folks to rescind and research. If after you complete your research and decide that buying direct is still right for you, the HGVC sales team will welcome you with open arms and will still provide you with bonus offers.

Here’s another Elara rescind thread that you might find helpful.
“Rescind or not?” (March 2019) - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/rescind-or-not.287154/

NOTE: You can find similar threads by using search terms such as “RESCIND” or “ELITE”.

Good Luck and Welcome to TUG :thumbup:


From http://judikoz.com/Search.aspx

0462C3FB-548F-4C81-8BA1-EA1B0B1597BF.jpeg
 

RX8

TUG Member
Joined
May 5, 2011
Messages
4,107
Reaction score
4,452
Points
449
Resorts Owned
HGVC and DVC
As others have pointed out all HGVC owners are treated equally (resale and direct). To get the perks offered for Elite you would need to pony up another $40K on top of the $60K they already got from you. The true value of those deeds totaling 14K points is going to be $15K or so meaning you would be paying $85K extra for those Elite perks. The $85K in savings is equivalent to about 450 years of the value of those perks. Assuming the 20,000 bonus points is worth $5,000 (I don’t think they are worth that much) you still have $80K in savings by buying resale.
 

hurnik

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
1,938
Reaction score
667
Points
473
Location
Albany, NY
Another thing a lot of folks don't consider:

Unless you have a LOT of vacation time (or maybe are retired?), the 20,000 bonus points expire in 2 years.
Yes, you can use them to pay MF and cruises and things, but it's not the best use of bonus points, IMO.
 

Nomad420

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2017
Messages
388
Reaction score
99
Points
138
Resorts Owned
HGVC New York Mid Town
The price seems off the hook high for Elara! I love the Elara as does my wife. We previously bought at HCNY from the developer but didn't pay anything near that several years ago. Wanted to buy retail at Elara to split locations and points but sadly found out Elara points couldn't be used in HCNY. Don't want to go through whole story and isssues but personally I wouldn't buy another HGVC property (even retail). Resend while you can as others have noted above.
 

Cyberc

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
2,094
Reaction score
643
Points
223
Location
Denmark
Rescind rescind rescind.

As others have posted you can ALWAYS buy direct but you only get 1 chance of rescinding.

You won’t loose any benefits of buying resale as you are only getting 8000 points.

If/when you rescind you need to follow the instructions to the letter. You can find the instructions in the documents you have been provided. Don’t call the sales office as the salesman will try and convince you that direct is a really good idea.
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
3,945
Reaction score
3,401
Points
349
Location
The Land of Ice and Snow
Resorts Owned
HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
Thanks. This is consistent with what folks here are saying about the cheaper cost of resale, the good quality of the resale system, and not much benefit of elite status. By doing the resale route, we wouldn’t actually “own”, would we? And do we still need to pay for the TS MF in perpetuity?

We bought our Flamingo resale and we have the deed sitting in our safe.

If you haven't rescinded yet, please do so. Once you rescind, start researching not only the HGVC system, but some of the other systems as well. If you want to start with HGVC, take a look at the stick above. It has a wealth of information. @GT75 has a valuable spreadsheet that give the points per MF ratio for the various resorts. The information on the sticky for the resorts really helped us determine what to buy. Lastly, pay the $15 and join TUG. The access to the reviews is well worth the money.
 

AAKC2020

newbie
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Resorts Owned
HGV
Hi HGVC TUG family, I am also a new owner (I bought direct at Marbrisa last week when in Carlsbad) and this forum is super-helpful! How do I join the TUG for $15 so I can access the reviews?

I am a newbie to HGVC but did own Worldmark 16 years ago and sold as we moved to Texas and there were no locations at time. Anyhow, I think I did "OK" with my direct purchase as I wanted very minimal costs and don't plan to travel much with my kids in future. So I purchased 1 Bedroom "Gold" 4200 points, every other year along with 4200 Bonus points. Roughly $14000. MF's <$800 and don't have to pay one portion during the year I don't use. Also, I will be a member of the GPX (not sure if worth anything?)

I plan to buy resale if my kids decide they want to travel more to HGVC locations.
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
3,945
Reaction score
3,401
Points
349
Location
The Land of Ice and Snow
Resorts Owned
HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
Hi HGVC TUG family, I am also a new owner (I bought direct at Marbrisa last week when in Carlsbad) and this forum is super-helpful! How do I join the TUG for $15 so I can access the reviews?

I am a newbie to HGVC but did own Worldmark 16 years ago and sold as we moved to Texas and there were no locations at time. Anyhow, I think I did "OK" with my direct purchase as I wanted very minimal costs and don't plan to travel much with my kids in future. So I purchased 1 Bedroom "Gold" 4200 points, every other year along with 4200 Bonus points. Roughly $14000. MF's <$800 and don't have to pay one portion during the year I don't use. Also, I will be a member of the GPX (not sure if worth anything?)

I plan to buy resale if my kids decide they want to travel more to HGVC locations.

Here is the link to join: https://tug2.com/JoinTUG.aspx

When did you purchase? *never mind, I see it*
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
836
Reaction score
301
Points
223
Location
DVC, HGVC
HGVC Elara is really nice and buying resale is the way to go, BUT make sure it is a REAL HGVC and not a Westgate converted week (some sellers will not disclose this)
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
3,945
Reaction score
3,401
Points
349
Location
The Land of Ice and Snow
Resorts Owned
HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
HGVC Elara is really nice and buying resale is the way to go, BUT make sure it is a REAL HGVC and not a Westgate converted week (some sellers will not disclose this)

A quick look at the estopple will show the difference. A Westgate unit will say 90 where the yearly points are and list the resort as Planet Hollywood. An HGVC one will list the current points and the resort name will be Elara.

Here is a previous post where this was discussed: https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/hgvc-resell.282686/page-2#post-2220494

Elara is a great deal right now. While they do have ROFR, they seem to not be exercising right now. You can get some pretty nice deals on 1 bedroom grands with nice MF's per point ratio.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
836
Reaction score
301
Points
223
Location
DVC, HGVC
A quick look at the estopple will show the difference. A Westgate unit will say 90 where the yearly points are and list the resort as Planet Hollywood. An HGVC one will list the current points and the resort name will be Elara.

Here is a previous post where this was discussed: https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/hgvc-resell.282686/page-2#post-2220494

Elara is a great deal right now. While they do have ROFR, they seem to not be exercising right now. You can get some pretty nice deals on 1 bedroom grands with nice MF's per point ratio.

I was at the Elara 1 bedroom Grand last month and it was Spectacular.....as in really nice. I would gladly return.
 

brp

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
3,931
Reaction score
2,190
Points
598
Location
Bay Area, CA
With all that has been said, the bottom line is:

Yes, there is no advantage to buying direct."

Cheers.
 
Top