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Lagunamar- 2 days left to rescind, good deal?

Tfamily

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So, just got back stateside and diving into whether or not it was worth it.

Here’s what we got:
Westin Lagunamar
$17,400
2bd
EOY
Maintenance: ~$550
81,000 StarOptions

The way we calculated, it would pay for itself in 4-6 trips and utilizing the Interval Deals for extra weeks of vacationing.

During the presentation- We searched eBay for resales, none. We saw great reviews for Westin Vacation Club, all looked good.

Is there anything I’m missing? Can I get into Westin Vacation Club with those numbers on the resale market? We don’t want higher maintenance fees, but if we can fit 81,000 Star Options for way cheaper than it may be worth rescinding this...

Any help/insight/advice would be appreciated!
 

celica7101

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RESCIND!

Are you just looking for a timeshare that will get you into the Vistana network? It's generally accepted on this board that Westin Kierland (Scottsdale, AZ) is one of the best for trading, and you can get a resale unit for WAY cheaper than what you've listed here. Kierland is a "mandatory" resort which means that the developer (Vistana) is obligated to provide you with access to the Vistana timeshare network even if you buy resale. The only thing you don't get is the ability to convert your usage into new Marriott Bonvoy points. Additionally, Kierland does not have ROFR (right of first refusal) on the part of the developer if I am not mistaken.

For example, Redweek is showing a Kierland 2 BR in Gold Season (81k SOs) for $1k. Granted, the MF's are twice as much ($997 EOY), but you're going to be able to pay for a TON more MF's with $16k in savings.

Do you really love Lagunamar that much? This doesn't sound like a great deal; it sounds like what the developer is trying to sell to you. Buy a redweek membership to cruise prices and also a TUG membership. It will pay for itself within a week, even if you don't buy anything, just so you can get a better feel for what the market is willing to bear.

I would rescind your sale immediately. If you really love the deal they offered to you, you can call them back over the phone and the deal will still be there next month.
 

TUGBrian

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congrats, you found TUG in time to save more than 17k!
 

Tfamily

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RESCIND!

Are you just looking for a timeshare that will get you into the Vistana network? It's generally accepted on this board that Westin Kierland (Scottsdale, AZ) is one of the best for trading, and you can get a resale unit for WAY cheaper than what you've listed here. Kierland is a "mandatory" resort which means that the developer (Vistana) is obligated to provide you with access to the Vistana timeshare network even if you buy resale. The only thing you don't get is the ability to convert your usage into new Marriott Bonvoy points. Additionally, Kierland does not have ROFR (right of first refusal) on the part of the developer if I am not mistaken.

For example, Redweek is showing a Kierland 2 BR in Gold Season (81k SOs) for $1k. Granted, the MF's are twice as much ($997 EOY), but you're going to be able to pay for a TON more MF's with $16k in savings.

Do you really love Lagunamar that much? This doesn't sound like a great deal; it sounds like what the developer is trying to sell to you. Buy a redweek membership to cruise prices and also a TUG membership. It will pay for itself within a week, even if you don't buy anything, just so you can get a better feel for what the market is willing to bear.

I would rescind your sale immediately. If you really love the deal they offered to you, you can call them back over the phone and the deal will still be there next month.


Thank you! We’re new to Westin Vacation Club. And new to TUG. Unfortunately, we had purchased a HGVC 8 years ago for top retail dollars but oh well. We’re learning a lesson now!

Didn’t really know about this resale market until I did some googling last night. I’m glad I found this forum. And I’m thankful for your insight.

We do like Lagunamar a lot and see our family going there EOY, but yes we want to buy to be in the network and for flexibility for exchange. The transfer to StarPoints(Bonvoy) was a big perk too because of flexibility but if we’re going to save thousands then we’re okay with buying resale and planning vacations out a little better.

I’ll rescind this and check out the resales to see which would suit our needs best. Thank you for helping me save thousands!
 

DannyTS

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we own Lagunamar resale as well as SVV Bella and we are very happy with the 2. As Lagunamar owners we get priority (or so they say) in getting the best condos, we add few days with Staroptions since we like to travel more than 7 days but less than 2 weeks.
If you intend to go in the low season, buying a SVV Bella or a WKR for the StarOptions is probably the best, gold season does not require a lot of SOs at Lagunamar. If you want to go during the platinum season I think buying Lagunamar resale high season is better. Even if it is not mandatory, Lagunamar is a very good trader in Interval and it has relatively low maintenance fees.
 

DannyTS

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. The transfer to StarPoints(Bonvoy) was a big perk too because of flexibility but if we’re going to save thousands then we’re okay with buying resale and planning vacations out a little better.

You are not going to miss the Staroptions/ Bonvoy exchange. For 81,000 Staroptions i can get one week a 1 bedroom at Lagunamar in prime season and almost 2 weeks in the gold season. An exchange to Bonvoy would only get 126,000 points (i cannot convert because i bought resale), that would not even get me 3 nights in a studio at Lagunamar (50,000 Bonvoy points per night).
 
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