Just joined TUG. Newbie looking for advice in buying first timeshare.

[BanBan]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Yes Whistler BC Canada. My family and I live in north vancouver which is about a 90 minute drive to whistler for us.
2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Only interested in whistler currently. We would prefer a fixed week instead of points.
3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
None
4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
I will be travelling with my wife, 2year old son and hopefully another child in the future. So 3/4
5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
We are locked into the school schedule, my kid will be in school and my wife is a teacher. I am looking at 2 timeshares during week 1 since we will be able to use alot of that time
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes if it is a set week like week 1
7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Mostly, if we cant living only a 90 minute drive away makes it easy to come back early or go back up.
8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
3/4
9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
25k canadian
10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
1200 canadian
11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
no
12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yes

Hello TUGers so I just joined this website because I have been thinking about buying a timeshare in Whistler BC Canada and could really use some advice. My wife and I both love to ski we are in our mid 30s with a 2 year old baby in tow and are hoping to have another baby soon. We both want to get our kids into skiing and the idea of annual trips to stay in whistler and ski as a whole family seems great. We live in north Vancouver BC which is only a 1.5/2 hour drive to whistler so have skied there lots before and love the mountain. We have been renting random air bnbs in whistler for years now and the prices to rent are getting crazy so I thought that a timeshare could actually be much more affordable for our long term usage. My wife is a teacher and we have a kid who will be in the school system soon so that limits us when we can come up. I have found two timeshares for sale during week 1 which would work very well around our school schedules. They are both for sale through SELLMYTIMESHARENOW. I have read some pretty horrible things about this website but it seems like the grief is mostly for people trying to sell on this platform. I was wondering if anyone has experience buying through them? Also I have read lots of the articles on this website now and have an expectation that most secondhand timeshares should be fairly cheap to buy but the two that I am looking at are currently listed for 15k and 27k is that outrageous or is it just because it is whistler prices?

Whistler Timeshare Resales | Search Timeshares for Sale

Whistler timeshare resales available. Find Whistler timeshares for sale by owner - search by price, week or check-in date! Buy Whistler timeshare now.

www.sellmytimesharenow.com

Those are the two timeshares that I am looking at, I am drawn more to the 27k dollar time share because we are hoping to bring our whole family up and like the idea of bringing up friends or extended family as well. That being said it is very very expensive I would expect to offer significantly under that and hopefully they would accept the offer.

If there is anything I am missing please ask away.
Any help is greatly appreciated thanks for reading this long post from a total newbie.

 

[BanBan]

Also I was browsing the TUG marketplace and came across this ad which is also enticing since it is soooooo much cheaper and was wondering how it works if it is a fixed week but also has points?

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search Results - whistler

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search, whistler

www.tug2.com

It is the option for the week 8 timeshare that costs 500$. This cost seems so out of line with the 27k and 15k asked on Sellmytimesharenow

 

[CO skier]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Yes Whistler BC Canada. My family and I live in north vancouver which is about a 90 minute drive to whistler for us.
2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Only interested in whistler currently. We would prefer a fixed week instead of points.
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes if it is a set week like week 1
9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
25k canadian
10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
1200 canadian
11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
no

Points systems are so much more flexible than a fixed week ownership, why do you prefer a fixed week?

You can buy into a points based system and treat it like a fixed week by reserving week 1 every year -- 13 months in advance, in the case of WorldMark.

If you wanted week 51 or 52, then a fixed week would have the advantage of a guarantee every year when there is so much competition. Week 1 is easy to reserve 13 months in advance at the WorldMark Sundance resort. As your children grow, the Loft unit will reap big dividends.

Whistler, BC Resorts: WorldMark Sundance

Book your stay at WorldMark Sundance in Whistler, BC. Hit the slopes or see the sights in Canada's four-season mountain playground.

worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com

A few advantages of a points system:

1) If your plans change during the year, cancel the week 1 at Whistler at no charge and book something else in the system with no exchange fee.

2) WorldMark allows renting-in up to 2 times your ownership, if you want to reserve more than one unit to bring extended family.

3) If you cannot use week 1, you are stuck with the fixed week -- use it, rent it, exchange it (for a fee), or lose it. In WorldMark the credits automatically carryover to the next year at no cost.

4) If you find you need more timeshare in the future, it is easy to purchase additional permanent credits to add to your ownership.


I would suggest 10,000 credits as an entry point for WorldMark. Typical cost would be $1200-1500 USD, with $100/month dues in 2025. Here is an example from a reputable seller on eBay that includes some extra credits.

WORLDMARK BY WYNDHAM, 10,000, ANNUAL, CREDITS, TIMESHARE | eBay

This is a Worldmark policy, not ours. WorldMark by Wyndham. WorldMark also allows traveling owners with families the extra space and privacy, while avoiding the expense, worry, and inconvenience of having to split up the family into two or more rooms.

www.ebay.com

Think of all the "free" vacations you will get by not paying $15,000-27000 for a fixed week.

 

[vacationtime1]

Also I was browsing the TUG marketplace and came across this ad which is also enticing since it is soooooo much cheaper and was wondering how it works if it is a fixed week but also has points?

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search Results - whistler

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search, whistler

www.tug2.com

It is the option for the week 8 timeshare that costs 500$. This cost seems so out of line with the 27k and 15k asked on Sellmytimesharenow

The asking prices on the sellmytimesharenow website are complete fiction. That website works by inducing people to list their timeshares (for a high fee) by suggesting that the timeshares will sell for high prices; often timeshares listed for five figure asking prices are worthless -- or maybe worth $500. The owners of those timeshares likely paid five figures for those timeshares due to lack of information.

 

[davidvel]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Yes Whistler BC Canada. My family and I live in north vancouver which is about a 90 minute drive to whistler for us.
2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Only interested in whistler currently. We would prefer a fixed week instead of points.
3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
None
4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
I will be travelling with my wife, 2year old son and hopefully another child in the future. So 3/4
5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
We are locked into the school schedule, my kid will be in school and my wife is a teacher. I am looking at 2 timeshares during week 1 since we will be able to use alot of that time
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes if it is a set week like week 1
7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Mostly, if we cant living only a 90 minute drive away makes it easy to come back early or go back up.
8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
3/4
9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
25k canadian
10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
1200 canadian
11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
no
12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yes

Hello TUGers so I just joined this website because I have been thinking about buying a timeshare in Whistler BC Canada and could really use some advice. My wife and I both love to ski we are in our mid 30s with a 2 year old baby in tow and are hoping to have another baby soon. We both want to get our kids into skiing and the idea of annual trips to stay in whistler and ski as a whole family seems great. We live in north Vancouver BC which is only a 1.5/2 hour drive to whistler so have skied there lots before and love the mountain. We have been renting random air bnbs in whistler for years now and the prices to rent are getting crazy so I thought that a timeshare could actually be much more affordable for our long term usage. My wife is a teacher and we have a kid who will be in the school system soon so that limits us when we can come up. I have found two timeshares for sale during week 1 which would work very well around our school schedules. They are both for sale through SELLMYTIMESHARENOW. I have read some pretty horrible things about this website but it seems like the grief is mostly for people trying to sell on this platform. I was wondering if anyone has experience buying through them? Also I have read lots of the articles on this website now and have an expectation that most secondhand timeshares should be fairly cheap to buy but the two that I am looking at are currently listed for 15k and 27k is that outrageous or is it just because it is whistler prices?

Whistler Timeshare Resales | Search Timeshares for Sale

Whistler timeshare resales available. Find Whistler timeshares for sale by owner - search by price, week or check-in date! Buy Whistler timeshare now.

www.sellmytimesharenow.com

Those are the two timeshares that I am looking at, I am drawn more to the 27k dollar time share because we are hoping to bring our whole family up and like the idea of bringing up friends or extended family as well. That being said it is very very expensive I would expect to offer significantly under that and hopefully they would accept the offer.

If there is anything I am missing please ask away.
Any help is greatly appreciated thanks for reading this long post from a total newbie.

You undoubtedly will be overpaying if you buy something at that site by a lot. Have you looked at Redweek in addition to here?

 

[easyrider]

If you are looking for something that works pretty good for Whistler or anywhere PNW do what @CO skier said. You will never regret it.

Bill

 

[BanBan]

Hey thanks for the replies, especially that big write up CO skier. I have not looked into the point system very much because it has seemed much more complicated than a fixed week, but I suppose I should take a deeper dive into that system.