Just bought....

[Ogden7]

I hear you when it comes to wanting condo style accommodations to best serve your family.

TUG timeshares for rent, Airbnb/VRBO, redweek.com rentals, extra holidays.com,resortime.com and others offer great condo/timeshare accommodations at good pricing if you scour.

You can sometimes book timeshare accommodations from your chosen resort. IMO, even if the costs are a bit higher than MF, that’s a small price to pay to not be locked into a contract. Many times, I have booked a timeshare resort for LESS than MF.


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Thanks-good reminder.

 

[Fredflintstone]

Also, when I rent a timeshare, I sometimes get hounded for an “update”. Most times I shoo them off. However, in the odd case, I’ll do one if the trinket is well worth it. As an example, I negotiated a 90 minute ahem ..update... for a 500 dollar Visa Card at a Diamond Resort in Hawaii. Since they wanted me to attend so badly, they were gonna pay. I took a cheap timer with me and set it up in front of them and told them when it dings, They are done and time to pay up.


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[Grammarhero]

Thanks-good reminder.

Check out some rental offers here, most of them below costs of MF. https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?forums/timeshare-rentals-offered.45/

 

[Fredflintstone]

Just think of the ahem update as a marriage proposal between you and the resort through a contract.

Hmmmm. Am divorced now...wanna remarry...naw.


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[vacationtime1]

We were told the 2 annual fees combined total (don’t remember what each is called) is $467.

That's the annual fee. You bought every other year, so your cost per use is $934 (plus the capital outlay, however you want to calculate that).

Definitely rescind if you can; as Others have already said, you can do much, much better by buying resale at a mandatory property (SVV Bella, SVV Key West, or Kierland).

 

[Fredflintstone]

That's the annual fee. You bought every other year, so your cost per use is $934 (plus the capital outlay, however you want to calculate that).

Definitely rescind if you can; as Others have already said, you can do much, much better by buying resale at a mandatory property (SVV Bella, SVV Key West, or Kierland).

Also, factor in possible special assessments, yearly MF increases, knowing that the resort now is the boss (check your contract. You will be shocked how many rights are reserved for the resort and not YOU), exchange fees if you exchange, membership fees (RCI, etc), possible housekeeping fees, possible prepay wifi, etc.


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[Fredflintstone]

Oh and the big one in my mind. Your contract language establishes you as a DEBTOR and them a CREDITOR (and in most cases) for life unless you get out through reselling.

I hate being a debtor. I pay cash for my rentals and that’s my only obligation (except perhaps not trashing the place, smoking in the place or having wild parties)


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[jabberwocky]

My notes say the VOI is $322.45 but I know there’s another fee and the 2 total $467.

That sounds about right, although they just recently increased the annual VSN fee to $155 from $145 (the difference between your $467 and $322). The downside to getting an biennial unit as your only timeshare will be that you have to pay the network fee each year even though you can only use once.

This means you would be paying over $900 for the week.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I hear you when it comes to wanting condo style accommodations to best serve your family.

TUG timeshares for rent, Airbnb/VRBO, redweek.com rentals, extra holidays.com,resortime.com and others offer great condo/timeshare accommodations at good pricing if you scour.

You can sometimes book timeshare accommodations from your chosen resort. IMO, even if the costs are a bit higher than MF, that’s a small price to pay to not be locked into a contract. Many times, I have booked a timeshare resort for LESS than MF.


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Renting timeshares works best when you don't need to accommodate more than 2 ppl and you are flexible on your dates.

When you get more than 2, owning wins out because it get a lot easier to book peak school vacations and can be much more cost effective in many locations (but not all). You need to factor in airfare etc for many people. Hard to roll the dice and react to rental opportunities when you have a crowd to plan for.

 

[jabberwocky]

I guess the idea of a bigger space to take along family members that don’t have the $$$ or know-how every few years sounds appealing. The hotel redemptions have a been great, but it’s typically 2 adults with 2 teens in a standard room hoping for an upgrade based on status. I’m not willing to do that with other adult family members or once my kids are on there own. Hotel programs are also constantly being devalued, so although I am willing and able to work the system now that becomes more difficult if I am trying to book multiple rooms for additional family members. I am certainly naive about timeshares; just trying to figure out if it would be useful for vacations with my kids’ families every few years once they are on their own or to take some of our siblings and spouses that would not be able on their own.

This was our primary reason for going with timeshares (we have four kids so we now have to pretty much book two hotel rooms wherever we go). Timeshares definitely have enhanced our vacation experience and we're finding we take more of them. It does take a lot of planning.

Take your time and learn what system suits your travel style best - then buy resale. My advice would be to not just go for the cheapest option just to get into the system as those weeks/points may not give you what you want in the long-run. The easiest target for a timeshare salesperson is an owner who has bought "too small" initially and is thus offered an expensive "upgrade" to allow you to book what you thought you had purchased.

 

[Ogden7]

This was our primary reason for going with timeshares (we have four kids so we now have to pretty much book two hotel rooms wherever we go). Timeshares definitely have enhanced our vacation experience and we're finding we take more of them. It does take a lot of planning.

Take your time and learn what system suits your travel style best - then buy resale. My advice would be to not just go for the cheapest option just to get into the system as those weeks/points may not give you what you want in the long-run. The easiest target for a timeshare salesperson is an owner who has bought "too small" initially and is thus offered an expensive "upgrade" to allow you to book what you thought you had purchased.

Thanks to all who responded. Hubby is on the way to send rescission letter via Fed Ex now. I will take my time as you suggest and look at all the options for resale . At the moment, the only system that I have in knowledge in is the Westin/Sheraton/Vistana. I liked the flexibility of the StarOptions and understand that I can access that through resale at a mandatory resort via resale. Owners: are there any other systems that you recommend particularly before making a resale purchase decision?


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[Fredflintstone]

Renting timeshares works best when you don't need to accommodate more than 2 ppl and you are flexible on your dates.

When you get more than 2, owning wins out because it get a lot easier to book peak school vacations and can be much more cost effective in many locations (but not all). You need to factor in airfare etc for many people. Hard to roll the dice and react to rental opportunities when you have a crowd to plan for.

Just from my past timeshare experiences, I have found renting on prime dates and in condo style accommodations easier. Whenever I tried to exchange through RCI on prime dates, the dates were not available BUT if I was willing to pay cash through extra vacations, it was no problem (basically renting a week versus using points or weeks) Through scouring various sites, I have been consistently successful securing condos on prime holiday times at fairly competitive pricing in the area I wanted to vacation to.

The only exception I had was I had a 2 bedroom timeshare in California with a fixed week 52. In that case, I secured that week as it was my week.


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[jabberwocky]

Thanks to all who responded. Hubby is on the way to send rescission letter via Fed Ex now. I will take my time as you suggest and look at all the options for resale . At the moment, the only system that I have in knowledge in is the Westin/Sheraton/Vistana. I liked the flexibility of the StarOptions and understand that I can access that through resale at a mandatory resort via resale. Owners: are there any other systems that you recommend particularly before making a resale purchase decision?


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I'm biased towards the Vistana system as we've had a long exposure to it (my parents have owned at the original Vistana resort since the mid-1990's). It's an excellent system if the locations are to your liking and relatively easy to understand/book into. They are also fairly owner friendly (when hurricanes hit the Virgin Islands owners there were given a replacement week while repairs were going on. Similarly situated Marriott owners were out of luck.

If you like the flexibility of a points system (and it sounds like this would be best given your travel patterns) I would look at the following:

- Hilton Grand Vacations. You buy a deeded week but each week comes with points that can be used throughout the system. Accommodations are on par with Westin TS. Locations are a bit limited - mainly Hawaii, Las Vegas, Orlando.

- Marriott (DC program - not weeks). Here you buy points in a trust that can be booked into any Marriott. How far the points go depends on demand for the week as well as size/view. It's not cheap both in terms of buy in cost (very high) and maintenance fees - I've personally found Vistana to be a better value for how we book. The accommodations are of high quality. Unused points can also be rented out to other owners which is an attractive feature for some.

- Wyndham. Wyndham owners are fairly enthusiastic about their program. It is quite flexible and offers a wide variety of resort locations. Personally I have felt that the accommodations are always a step or two down from Hilton, Marriott, Westin, Hyatt.

 

[jabberwocky]

@Ogden7 if you are interested in a 44k Adventuras unit there is currently one resale for $199 from a respected eBay seller:

WESTIN AVENTURAS VACATION POINTS, 44,000 POINTS, TIMESHARE | eBay

WESTIN AVENTURAS VACATION POINTS. Size: 44,000 Westin Aventuras Vacation Points. Want to Transfer?. The Westin Los Cabos Resort Villas & Spa. The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort. Enjoy the flexibility to experience a different vacation each Use Year.

www.ebay.com

This would be the same thing you purchased - just without the StarOptions. The annual maintenance fee would also be $155 less per year.

I would still do your research first to see what will suit you. I just thought you would find it interesting to see how much you could save!

No bids so far.

 

[Ogden7]

@Ogden7 if you are interested in a 44k Adventuras unit there is currently one resale for $199 from a respected eBay seller:

WESTIN AVENTURAS VACATION POINTS, 44,000 POINTS, TIMESHARE | eBay

WESTIN AVENTURAS VACATION POINTS. Size: 44,000 Westin Aventuras Vacation Points. Want to Transfer?. The Westin Los Cabos Resort Villas & Spa. The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort. Enjoy the flexibility to experience a different vacation each Use Year.

www.ebay.com

This would be the same thing you purchased - just without the StarOptions. The annual maintenance fee would also be $155 less per year.

I would still do your research first to see what will suit you. I just thought you would find it interesting to see how much you could save!

No bids so far.

Could I ask one more question? So, I understand that if I won the bid for the resale linked above that it would only be worth a studio or 1 Bedroom during certain lower cost weeks at Lagunamar or Los Cabos.

Is Puerto Vallarta not in the Adventuras system?

Also would exchanging something like this be unlikely through Interval?

if I purchased multiple resales are the Options only combinable through Interval at 8 months or if I purchased another Adventuras resale could I combine them at 12 months for stays at the 2 home resorts?

And do resale owners have access to the Getaways through Interval?

How many resale options can you get and at some point requalify with a small developer purchase?

Just wondering if the resale small packages are worthy building blocks or if in the resale market it is better to stay with packages that are larger for preferred units/times etc and perhaps more easily exchanged?


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[jabberwocky]

Could I ask one more question? So, I understand that if I won the bid for the resale linked above that it would only be worth a studio or 1 Bedroom during certain lower cost weeks at Lagunamar or Los Cabos.

Is Puerto Vallarta not in the Adventuras system?

Not at this time. PV is classified as a "Resort Hotel" which means it is not a traditional timeshare. The only resorts which are "home resorts" in Aventuras are Lagunamar (which is a highly regarded resort itself) and Los Cabos.

Also would exchanging something like this be unlikely through Interval?

if I purchased multiple resales are the Options only combinable through Interval at 8 months or if I purchased another Adventuras resale could I combine them at 12 months for stays at the 2 home resorts?

And do resale owners have access to the Getaways through Interval?

Because this unit would not be in VSN you would have to get Interval separately by purchasing your own account (annual membership cost is $89 - you can usually get this discounted with a promo code for multiple years). There is an advantage to having your own interval account in that you can add resale weeks/units from other timeshare systems which use interval (Marriott for example) using the same account.

- It is possible to exchange through interval - just understand that you would only get a full week in return most likely. As shown by the next chart, a 44,000 points would equate to a studio-1BR in low to medium season or a 2BR in low season (you can also pay extra to exchange into a larger size room). Exchanging has to be done well in advance (your request would probably have to be in well before 8 months to get what you want) so that will be something to consider.

- You would have access to Getaways through Interval just like anyone else if you are a member. I've taken advantage of these a few times and they are a nice feature, particularly if you can travel in low periods where you can get fantastic resorts at a rate that is lower than what the maint. fee would be

- I'm not certain on combining options in interval so I'll have to defer to someone else on this. You could combine points from multiple purchases within the Vistana system to get a larger unit/better season at the two home resorts.

- You should read up on exchanging through interval vs. StarOptions. It is a very different experience. Personally I've never exchanged through interval - but it is unlikely that you will get an instant exchange for what you want. The reason why StarOptions are so popular is that you have equal access to any available resort in the system and you will receive immediate confirmation.


Vistana to Interval Exchange Chart

How many resale options can you get and at some point requalify with a small developer purchase?

Just wondering if the resale small packages are worthy building blocks or if in the resale market it is better to stay with packages that are larger for preferred units/times etc and perhaps more easily exchanged?

- The number of options you can get via resale are virtually unlimited; however, you would need a minimum spend for each transaction. Currently that is $10k to requalify one contract and an additional $5k for each subsequent. This means you would need to spend $20k to requalify 3 small contracts. In contrast requalifying a single 148,100 point contract would be $10k (like what you previously purchased.

- As an alternative to requalifying smaller contracts is that Vistana will sometimes take back a unit if you are making a larger purchase and give credit for a portion of what the original purchaser paid. This means you could potentially buy a 100k contract and receive some credit for a smaller 44k contract in exchange (usually 75% of the original purchase price). You would then have one larger developer purchased contract.

- It may takes some time to build up a portfolio this way. I've only seen two Aventuras contracts on the eBay market. Sheraton Flex seems to be coming online fairly frequently. Westin Flex is extremely rare.

A caveat: being able to requalify or trade-up is not guaranteed and seems to depend on the salesperson (I've found central phone sales to be better to deal with than the on site sales departments). There is also speculation that if the Vistana systems are combined with Marriott (as will likely happen at some point) that they may not be requalifying or taking back existing contracts in exchange and that you would have to buy expensive Marriott points.

Since you are just starting out I would strongly recommend getting a mandatory resale unit (one that comes with StarOptions). It's a good way to get your feet wet and much more flexible than trying to work with Interval.

 

[Ogden7]

THANK YOU! I so appreciate the candid advice!


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[CPNY]

Sheraton Flex seems to be coming online fairly frequently. Westin Flex is extremely rare.

I’m wondering if Westin flex is working out well for people since there aren’t many on the resale market, or do you think because it’s newer? If it were easy to get ski weeks at riverfront I’d pick one up resale in the future. Some say due to not much movement in inventory with deeded weeks there, that availability at that resort for ski weeks is difficult even at 12 months. Riverfront ski would be the only advantage to own Westin flex. I can get all over availability at other resorts with my SVV options at 8 months. No desire for Maui.

 

[dioxide45]

I’m wondering if Westin flex is working out well for people since there aren’t many on the resale market, or do you think because it’s newer? If it were easy to get ski weeks at riverfront I’d pick one up resale in the future. Some say due to not much movement in inventory with deeded weeks there, that availability at that resort for ski weeks is difficult even at 12 months. Riverfront ski would be the only advantage to own Westin flex. I can get all over availability at other resorts with my SVV options at 8 months. No desire for Maui.

Sheraton Flex is almost five years old. The trust was created back in March 2015. The Westin Flex trust was created in November 2017 and they didn't start selling it until early 2018 IIRC. I think the only reason you see more Sheraton Flex contracts on the resale market is because it is older and people that bought in early are now wanting out. I see no reason why Westin Flex won't get there in the future also. Just like a new resort, you don't see resale weeks showing up until after a few years, doesn't matter how fancy or drab the resort is.

 

[CPNY]

Sheraton Flex is almost five years old. The trust was created back in March 2015. The Westin Flex trust was created in November 2017 and they didn't start selling it until early 2018 IIRC. I think the only reason you see more Sheraton Flex contracts on the resale market is because it is older and people that bought in early are now wanting out. I see no reason why Westin Flex won't get there in the future also. Just like a new resort, you don't see resale weeks showing up until after a few years, doesn't matter how fancy or drab the resort is.

I figured. I have a short memory and I think I went down this route before. I wouldn’t mind an biennial Westin flex for riverfront ski weeks. I’ve yet to see anything avail at 8 months in late Jan or Feb. the Sheraton is usually available

 

[JimS]

What kind of availability in Flex is there for Vistana Beach Club?