Marriott Trader-Where to buy?

[SteelerGal]

I have 4 accounts now. 3 are corporate and one is my voluntary.

 

[tschwa2]

Interval Membership cost $64 per year plus exchange fees, sometimes they have discounts

interval membership is

unless you get discount codes.

 

[GregT]

I currently only own Vistana, but want to get an inexpensive trader to dip my toe in the Marriott system. From what I can tell, MGC is one of the lowest maintenance traders, is this correct? I was also looking at the Palm Springs/Desert resorts. I would never use a Vegas week, but would potentially use a week in Palm Springs or Palm Desert. Is this something that should be considered? I also would want a lock off unit so I can get two deposits out of a week. My main goal is to exchange to Hawaii, and am flexible on travel dates. I know my current vistana trader (SDO) will see some Marriott studios and one beds, but would like to have a chance at 2 beds that never seem to make it out of M preference. Based on this, what would be my best location to own at? There may be other options out there that may work, so don't hesitate to suggest somewhere else.

Hello Nick,

A long time ago, I wrote the attached post on a dedicated Marriott trader -- I think for the most part it still holds, and please excuse the passage of time on MFs and similar "antiquities". I hope it is useful.

For you, I am extremely curious how the new Vistana preference plays out -- if Vistana's preference is pari passu with Marriott's and not a secondary preference, then SDO just became a very powerful trader. You're already familiar with it as a Vistana trader, now imagine leveraging it across Marriott's larger network of properties. I own an SDO 1-52 for other reasons (Spring Training) but it now has trading potential as well. It will take some time to figure that out -- and I will run a few trade power experiments to see how it does. I have two dedicated Marriott traders (Shadow Ridge Enclaves and Willow Ridge) and will report back to TUG on how the SDO did versus those too.

I'm not sure I would buy anything new right now, because trading world is in flux. One of the things I love most about TUG is that we find the opportunities in the different systems and we share them (and maximize them).

Best,

Greg

 

[Nick66]

Hello Nick,

A long time ago, I wrote the attached post on a dedicated Marriott trader -- I think for the most part it still holds, and please excuse the passage of time on MFs and similar "antiquities". I hope it is useful.

For you, I am extremely curious how the new Vistana preference plays out -- if Vistana's preference is pari passu with Marriott's and not a secondary preference, then SDO just became a very powerful trader. You're already familiar with it as a Vistana trader, now imagine leveraging it across Marriott's larger network of properties. I own an SDO 1-52 for other reasons (Spring Training) but it now has trading potential as well. It will take some time to figure that out -- and I will run a few trade power experiments to see how it does. I have two dedicated Marriott traders (Shadow Ridge Enclaves and Willow Ridge) and will report back to TUG on how the SDO did versus those too.

I'm not sure I would buy anything new right now, because trading world is in flux. One of the things I love most about TUG is that we find the opportunities in the different systems and we share them (and maximize them).

Best,

Greg

Thanks Greg! Yes I am curious how the new preference plays out so I look forward to you and other owners of both systems sharing trading power experiments. I own the same SDO unit so what you can see with it vs your Marriott traders will be very helpful to me. I don't plan to buy right now, but wanted to get the info I need to know what resorts would be the best option so I can watch resales at those resorts.

 

[capjak]

That stinks ... I had no idea

interval membership is
View attachment 16787 unless you get discount codes.

Membership Benefit Details
Correct the price I quoted was for upgrade to gold.
Upgrade Options

Interval Gold	Interval Platinum
$320 5 Year $256 ($64 savings)	$695 5 Year $556 ($139 savings)
$192 3 Year $163 ($29 savings)	$417 3 Year $354 ($63 savings)
2 Year $128 50% Discount	2 Year $278 50% Discount
1 Year $64 50% Discount	1 Year $139 50% Discount

 

[Jwerking]

I also own in the desert. I‘m at Ko Olina now in a 2BR on a manual II trade for my DSV-I lockoff. Will trade for Maui once my manual search gets a hit on the bulk deposit, likely Apr/May or Sep/Oct arrival. I also got into Aruba Surf 2BR Oceanside in June with my 1BR.

I have gotten them through manual searches 10-12 months before check in, November-December. I have seen other months available but did not book due to other considerations.

Have been following this thread and the recent thread on II trades and very intrigued by the successful manual searches for Hawaii. So need to step up my game on the manual searches to see bulk deposits for Marriott HI resorts in addition to my OGS.

I am searching with 2 BR Memorial Day Marriott Barony Beach weeks and looking for 2 br trades for Jan 2021 week at Waiohai or the Maui resorts. Is there bulk deposits for these resorts, if so, how far in advance are they typically made?

Thanks for any comments.

 

[10spro]

Have been following this thread and the recent thread on II trades and very intrigued by the successful manual searches for Hawaii. So need to step up my game on the manual searches to see bulk deposits for Marriott HI resorts in addition to my OGS.

I am searching with 2 BR Memorial Day Marriott Barony Beach weeks and looking for 2 br trades for Jan 2021 week at Waiohai or the Maui resorts. Is there bulk deposits for these resorts, if so, how far in advance are they typically made?

Thanks for any comments.

Manual trades to Hawaii require flexibility, lots of searching and a little luck. I don't look every day, only when I'm interested in booking, or when I think there might be a bulk deposit. I have a few specific properties that I search pretty consistently, and after awhile you'll start to see trends. I also don't typically look for holiday weeks, and have never booked out more than about 6 months. If you don't already, you should monitor the Sightings forum, lots of good trades are shared there.

 

[Steve Fatula]

I would add that airfares can be cheaper too. Sales go on different times of year, can't always predict the airfare. So, when you find choices via manual search and it happens to line up with cheap airfare, it's really nice! When you arrange a year out, you can't know the airfare necessarily. You can wait of course to arrange the airfare, but, you don't know if you will get a deal or not necessarily.

For those of us that do more than a week, by adding on to a week with points, manual also gives me a chance to check if the dates are available to add on to. Perhaps one week earlier or later is. For us, we'll see what's available when we search (all over the place), and then check airfare, availability to extend via points, etc. before we pick. Of course as 10spro says, if you are wanting a specific place, you may have to be flexible with manual, or, you may get lucky. In those cases, if your heart is set on where you want to go, ongoing search may be better (or both).

 

[BostonKingB]

In another thread (the 2020 Marriott fees thread) someone noted that Marriott Grand Chateau annual maintenance fees were only around $700 for a 2BR (pasted below). Is this accurate? It doesn't seem to align with a second post I saw (for a 3 bedroom) and the 2012 post from GregT which noted maintenance fees in the $1000-1200 range for a 2BR at Grand Chateau. Is the #1 below just inaccurate or leaving something out? I'm also looking for a trader week since I really enjoy trying different resorts but want to take on the lowest liability for future HOA fees (but also get the maximum trading power).


Person #1 - posted the following
Marriott Grand Chateau 2br Lock Off Platinum EOY Week

Fiscal Year Description Amount Due
2020 Operating Fee 457.20
2020 Property Tax Fee 27.20
2020 Replacement Reserve 169.23
2020 International Service Fee 17.25
2020 Total 670.94

2019 Total 654.03 Increase 2.59%

Person #2 - Posted the following:
Marriott’s Grand Chateau

3 bedroom
Total program expense $1,444.85
Cash reserve $556.13
Total MF $2,000.98

2 bedroom

Total program expense $984.92
Cash reserve $338.45
Total MF $1,323.37

1 bedroom

Total program expense $729.56
Cash reserve $217.59
Total MF $947.15

approx 2.8% increase

 

[BostonKingB]

In another thread (the 2020 Marriott fees thread) someone noted that Marriott Grand Chateau annual maintenance fees were only around $700 for a 2BR (pasted below). Is this accurate? It doesn't seem to align with a second post I saw (for a 3 bedroom) and the 2012 post from GregT which noted maintenance fees in the $1000-1200 range for a 2BR at Grand Chateau. Is the #1 below just inaccurate or leaving something out? I'm also looking for a trader week since I really enjoy trying different resorts but want to take on the lowest liability for future HOA fees (but also get the maximum trading power).


Person #1 - posted the following
Marriott Grand Chateau 2br Lock Off Platinum EOY Week

Fiscal Year Description Amount Due
2020 Operating Fee 457.20
2020 Property Tax Fee 27.20
2020 Replacement Reserve 169.23
2020 International Service Fee 17.25
2020 Total 670.94

2019 Total 654.03 Increase 2.59%

Person #2 - Posted the following:
Marriott’s Grand Chateau

3 bedroom
Total program expense $1,444.85
Cash reserve $556.13
Total MF $2,000.98

2 bedroom

Total program expense $984.92
Cash reserve $338.45
Total MF $1,323.37

1 bedroom

Total program expense $729.56
Cash reserve $217.59
Total MF $947.15

approx 2.8% increase

Nevermind - I have now learned that EOY = Every Other Year so that's why the fees are so cheap in Post #1 above vs Post #2. I thought it stood for "End of Year" aka CHRISTMAS IN VEGAS or something similar haha. Still getting my feet wet. The idea of an every other year week is an interesting concept to someone who is new and nervous about HOA fees adding up / going up over time.

 

[Ski-Dad]

I am extremely curious how the new Vistana preference plays out -- if Vistana's preference is pari passu with Marriott's and not a secondary preference,

The preference is secondary to Marriott owners. Direct from Vistana is the following:

When you exchange through Interval International, you will receive preferred access when making an Internal Exchange for any
available Marriott Vacation Club resorts or properties. Preferred access means that when you make a reservation request, you enjoy
access before other Interval International members who do not own with Marriott Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, Sheraton
Vacation Club, or other Vistana resorts -- and immediately after those with first priority access such as Marriott Vacation Club Owners [emphasis added]

 

[Quadmaniac]

In terms of traders, I'm still of the same philosophy of getting the CHEAPEST as it is a COMMODITY to trade with and if the commodity is getting you the same, why would you want to pay more for it ? Yes GC and Desert properties trade well BUT do they trade better that you want to spend $3-5K on it with a higher MF to get the same trade WR will get you that you can buy for next to nothing ? As there isn't a huge difference in cost, I always still buy Platinum though and won't even look at gold or silver.

The Desert properties have a MF of between 1600-1700 now plus you pay property tax separately to California each year. I used to own Shadow Ridge and paid a bit to acquire it when I first started into timeshares, but ended up selling it as the property tax pushes the cost even higher. All MF have gone up and they will continue to, but that extra $300-400 you pay each year in MF plus the added amount to acquire them adds up. Maybe I'm just being cheap, but looking forward, consider your costs taking into account increased MF, higher purchase cost and finally the ever increasing cost to trade on II. The cost is going up and up.

The Desert properties are GREAT but, it does not trade any better than WR and I've been to Hawaii on a regular basis multiple times per year, during holiday weeks, doing manual searches and OGS, and thus far there hasn't been any concern of a lack of trading power using studios and 1 br to trade into 2 or 3 br units regularly. For those who say you need a 2br to trade into a 2br, that is simply not so. Consistently 1 br and studios have worked fine and still continue to. Will that change in the future ? Possibly, who knows, but if it comes to that, we always have options to adapt. No need to go overboard based upon fear mongering.

For those suggesting GC 3 br as you want to be able to split it into a 2br and 1br, again think about cost and do you need it to accomplish the task at hand ? Do remember when you split it, you're trading a 2 br and 1 br EVERY year and currently your cost is $2000 MF, splitting is $1000 each side plus trading fees. Even using a 2br GC at about $1325 MF, splitting is $665 per side plus trading fees so $335 less per trade not taking into consideration how much it cost to acquire a 3br vs the 2 br. The cost of acquiring GC is much more than WR. Average 2 br GC might be $2000-3000 vs pretty well free for WR. Many will say $2000-3000 over time is not much and they are right, but better to keep it in my pocket than lose it as we don't know how much we will be able to sell it for in the future. If you really need a 2br to trade, I would sooner trade my whole 2 br on the RARE occasion I am really desperate but that hasn't happened yet. I would rather have to use a $1325 2 br once in 10 years than pay $1000 for each side EVERY year whether I needed it or not.

I did a cost analysis of 3br vs 2 br way back on here when the MF are much lower and looked at the trading costs alone showing the difference and the 2 br came out ahead. If you really think you need it, you are better off buying 2 x 2 br vs a 3 br as the cost would be lower to acquire. Just my personal opinion to it from a purely money/cost standpoint. Some may agree and some may not, but as a long term trader this is my thoughts on it.

Edit : Comparison Chart added

* To make it easier to calculate, I did not account for yearly increases and just used the same value for 10 years and did not add E-Plus or lock off fees.

		WR​	GC 2br​	GC 3br​	DSV​	SR​	GV 2 br​	GV 3 br​
2020 MF		1,300.00​	1,323.00​	2,001.00​	1,696.00​	1,609.00​	1,486.00​	1,930.00​
Property Tax					98.00​	98.00​
Lock off		Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	1 br & 2 br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/2br​
Marriott to Marriott Trade 1		154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​
Marriott to Marriott Trade 2		154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​
Studio to 2br Upgrade		198.00​	198.00​	2br to 2br​	198.00​	198.00​	198.00​	198.00​
1 br to 2br Upgrade		99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	2br to 2br​
Subtotal		1,905.00​	1,928.00​	2,408.00​	2,399.00​	2,312.00​	2,091.00​	2,436.00​
10 year cost		19,050.00​	19,280.00​	24,080.00​	23,990.00​	23,120.00​	20,910.00​	24,360.00​
Purchase Cost		250.00​	2,500.00​	7,000.00​	4,000.00​	5,000.00​	3,500.00​	7,000.00​
Grand Total		19,300.00​	21,780.00​	31,080.00​	27,990.00​	28,120.00​	24,410.00​	31,360.00​
Extra Cost			2,480.00​	11,780.00​	8,690.00​	8,820.00​	5,110.00​	12,060.00​
Per Exchange		965.00​	1,089.00​	1,554.00​	1,399.50​	1,406.00​	1,220.50​	1,568.00​
Extra per Exchange			124.00​	589.00​	434.50​	441.00​	255.50​	603.00​

 

[JudyS]

IF that's your goal, I'd just save up and buy there rather than trying to do an interim step. That is unless you want to own a trader AND Maui and in that case I'd consider limiting my trader choices to WR, GV, HL & the desert resorts that have a Thursday check in.

Dean, what is the advantage of the Thursday check-in?

 

[CPNY]

In terms of traders, I'm still of the same philosophy of getting the CHEAPEST as it is a COMMODITY to trade with and if the commodity is getting you the same, why would you want to pay more for it ? Yes GC and Desert properties trade well BUT do they trade better that you want to spend $3-5K on it with a higher MF to get the same trade WR will get you that you can buy for next to nothing ? As there isn't a huge difference in cost, I always still buy Platinum though and won't even look at gold or silver.

The Desert properties have a MF of between 1600-1700 now plus you pay property tax separately to California each year. I used to own Shadow Ridge and paid a bit to acquire it when I first started into timeshares, but ended up selling it as the property tax pushes the cost even higher. All MF have gone up and they will continue to, but that extra $300-400 you pay each year in MF plus the added amount to acquire them adds up. Maybe I'm just being cheap, but looking forward, consider your costs taking into account increased MF, higher purchase cost and finally the ever increasing cost to trade on II. The cost is going up and up.

The Desert properties are GREAT but, it does not trade any better than WR and I've been to Hawaii on a regular basis multiple times per year, during holiday weeks, doing manual searches and OGS, and thus far there hasn't been any concern of a lack of trading power using studios and 1 br to trade into 2 or 3 br units regularly. For those who say you need a 2br to trade into a 2br, that is simply not so. Consistently 1 br and studios have worked fine and still continue to. Will that change in the future ? Possibly, who knows, but if it comes to that, we always have options to adapt. No need to go overboard based upon fear mongering.

For those suggesting GC 3 br as you want to be able to split it into a 2br and 1br, again think about cost and do you need it to accomplish the task at hand ? Do remember when you split it, you're trading a 2 br and 1 br EVERY year and currently your cost is $2000 MF, splitting is $1000 each side plus trading fees. Even using a 2br GC at about $1325 MF, splitting is $665 per side plus trading fees so $335 less per trade not taking into consideration how much it cost to acquire a 3br vs the 2 br. The cost of acquiring GC is much more than WR. Average 2 br GC might be $2000-3000 vs pretty well free for WR. Many will say $2000-3000 over time is not much and they are right, but better to keep it in my pocket than lose it as we don't know how much we will be able to sell it for in the future. If you really need a 2br to trade, I would sooner trade my whole 2 br on the RARE occasion I am really desperate but that hasn't happened yet. I would rather have to use a $1325 2 br once in 10 years than pay $1000 for each side EVERY year whether I needed it or not.

I did a cost analysis of 3br vs 2 br way back on here when the MF are much lower and looked at the trading costs alone showing the difference and the 2 br came out ahead. If you really think you need it, you are better off buying 2 x 2 br vs a 3 br as the cost would be lower to acquire. Just my personal opinion to it from a purely money/cost standpoint. Some may agree and some may not, but as a long term trader this is my thoughts on it.

Edit : Comparison Chart added

* To make it easier to calculate, I did not account for yearly increases and just used the same value for 10 years and did not add E-Plus or lock off fees.

		WR​	GC 2br​	GC 3br​	DSV​	SR​	GV 2 br​	GV 3 br​
2020 MF		1,300.00​	1,323.00​	2,001.00​	1,696.00​	1,609.00​	1,486.00​	1,930.00​
Property Tax					98.00​	98.00​
Lock off		Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	1 br & 2 br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/2br​
Marriott to Marriott Trade 1		154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​
Marriott to Marriott Trade 2		154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​
Studio to 2br Upgrade		198.00​	198.00​	2br to 2br​	198.00​	198.00​	198.00​	198.00​
1 br to 2br Upgrade		99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	2br to 2br​
Subtotal		1,905.00​	1,928.00​	2,408.00​	2,399.00​	2,312.00​	2,091.00​	2,436.00​
10 year cost		19,050.00​	19,280.00​	24,080.00​	23,990.00​	23,120.00​	20,910.00​	24,360.00​
Purchase Cost		250.00​	2,500.00​	7,000.00​	4,000.00​	5,000.00​	3,500.00​	7,000.00​
Grand Total		19,300.00​	21,780.00​	31,080.00​	27,990.00​	28,120.00​	24,410.00​	31,360.00​
Extra Cost			2,480.00​	11,780.00​	8,690.00​	8,820.00​	5,110.00​	12,060.00​
Per Exchange		965.00​	1,089.00​	1,554.00​	1,399.50​	1,406.00​	1,220.50​	1,568.00​
Extra per Exchange			124.00​	589.00​	434.50​	441.00​	255.50​	603.00​

As far as the WR and The GV2 bed. What have the MF Increases been YOY on average? Which has more power in term of exchanges? If GV2 sees better inventory one may argue the 100+ per exchange may be worth it?

 

[Quadmaniac]

As far as the WR and The GV2 bed. What have the MF Increases been YOY on average? Which has more power in term of exchanges? If GV2 sees better inventory one may argue the 100+ per exchange may be worth it?

In terms of increases, you can search back and look to see how much it has been each year. In general I don't think any resort has increased that dramatically more than the others each year but the best is to go back to do a comparison. When I was first researching the different ones, WR was the lowest and still is the lowest 10 years later so am I too concerned about it ? Not really. Even it is slightly higher than another eventually, it will probably still continue to be one of the lowest and the other attractive thing is the price to acquire it. Together it is a no brainer.

I personally think that all of them generally trade about the same. In certain situations one might see more than others, but is it quantifiable enough saying that this is better than the other, it would be hard to say. I posted my trade history on this subject a number of times and I've had "impossible trades" like Christmas and NY in Hawaii, Spring Break, July 4, etc etc. Between my brother and I, we have been able to trade into Hawaii EVERY YEAR for the last 7 years in Maui or Ko Olina Christmas, NY or both. These are the same ones some say are IMPOSSIBLE to get without trading a 2 or 3 br as it would never be available but I've traded for them numerous times. At that point, is it that I am lucky or am I doing something different ? I'm using WR studios and 1 br and achieving these results. So do I go by actual results or by someone's ASSUMPTION that it can't be done ? I don't have any advantages over anyone else and if I am getting these trades, the question is why are others not ?

I can most definitely boil it down to how much EFFORT one is willing to put into it. At the height of my trading when I could travel more, I would be searching MULTIPLE times a day, in the morning, between clients, lunch, on my way home, after dinner, during dinner, whenever I had a minute to do a search. Will everyone do that ? Maybe, maybe not, but the more times you search the greater probability you will find it. If I found them, anyone can. There is no magic formula.

At the end of the day, if it makes you feel comfortable to pay more for that false sense of security, its your money, but you have someone here who has shown it can be done IF you want to put work into it. The people who seem to not have success are the ones who are not searching multiple times and not using OGS. I use both to accomplish the task. OGS is not infallible as many times I would do a manual search and the week I am looking for is right there, but the OGS was not filled. Sometimes II would be calling me with silly alternatives when I specify this week only and in the Marriott. OGS has its benefits too that sometimes you might not see the inventory and it goes automatically like is should, so I take advantage of every tool to get what I am looking for. Paying more does not guarantee you success, putting the effort to trade does.

If not, you're better off buying where you want to go and you call in each year to compete for that week. Your effort might be less and there is less uncertainties. Trading is NOT for everyone, if you're not prepared to put the work in, your success will be proportional to your effort like everything else in life.

 

[CPNY]

In terms of increases, you can search back and look to see how much it has been each year. In general I don't think any resort has increased that dramatically more than the others each year but the best is to go back to do a comparison. When I was first researching the different ones, WR was the lowest and still is the lowest 10 years later so am I too concerned about it ? Not really. Even it is slightly higher than another eventually, it will probably still continue to be one of the lowest and the other attractive thing is the price to acquire it. Together it is a no brainer.

I personally think that all of them generally trade about the same. In certain situations one might see more than others, but is it quantifiable enough saying that this is better than the other, it would be hard to say. I posted my trade history on this subject a number of times and I've had "impossible trades" like Christmas and NY in Hawaii, Spring Break, July 4, etc etc. Between my brother and I, we have been able to trade into Hawaii EVERY YEAR for the last 7 years in Maui or Ko Olina Christmas, NY or both. These are the same ones some say are IMPOSSIBLE to get without trading a 2 or 3 br as it would never be available but I've traded for them numerous times. At that point, is it that I am lucky or am I doing something different ? I'm using WR studios and 1 br and achieving these results. So do I go by actual results or by someone's ASSUMPTION that it can't be done ? I don't have any advantages over anyone else and if I am getting these trades, the question is why are others not ?

I can most definitely boil it down to how much EFFORT one is willing to put into it. At the height of my trading when I could travel more, I would be searching MULTIPLE times a day, in the morning, between clients, lunch, on my way home, after dinner, during dinner, whenever I had a minute to do a search. Will everyone do that ? Maybe, maybe not, but the more times you search the greater probability you will find it. If I found them, anyone can. There is no magic formula.

At the end of the day, if it makes you feel comfortable to pay more for that false sense of security, its your money, but you have someone here who has shown it can be done IF you want to put work into it. The people who seem to not have success are the ones who are not searching multiple times and not using OGS. I use both to accomplish the task. OGS is not infallible as many times I would do a manual search and the week I am looking for is right there, but the OGS was not filled. Sometimes II would be calling me with silly alternatives when I specify this week only and in the Marriott. OGS has its benefits too that sometimes you might not see the inventory and it goes automatically like is should, so I take advantage of every tool to get what I am looking for. Paying more does not guarantee you success, putting the effort to trade does.

If not, you're better off buying where you want to go and you call in each year to compete for that week. Your effort might be less and there is less uncertainties. Trading is NOT for everyone, if you're not prepared to put the work in, your success will be proportional to your effort like everything else in life.

First let me say, thank you for such an amazing detailed response. I was going by everyone saying GC having the best or one of the best trade value. Sorry for my typo in my orig post of GV2 as I meant GC2. Anyway, I agree with success coming from the amount of effort put in. I do thank you for your reply because it is good to hear from detailed experience. The unknown trading power of II can be frustrating at best. I do think it’s great to have an MVC week since you an score some really great trades, especially now with the buying of VSE. Plus, if there are speculating rumblings of DVC coming back, the clear winner is the MVC owner. If i ever was to look for a trader everyone directed me to SDO, but MVC GC seems to be best in terms of true MVC Access.

I don’t exchange much. But if I did, do you book your week with MVC, then deposit? Or deposit the week you’re deeded? I’ve heard people say, book a high TDI week then deposit the unit. I wonder how much that matter since MVC owns it all an either way they are getting the inventory back. That’s assuming MVC is truly controlling II or if II is operating under its own direction under the MVC umbrella.

 

[CPNY]

In terms of increases, you can search back and look to see how much it has been each year. In general I don't think any resort has increased that dramatically more than the others each year but the best is to go back to do a comparison. When I was first researching the different ones, WR was the lowest and still is the lowest 10 years later so am I too concerned about it ? Not really. Even it is slightly higher than another eventually, it will probably still continue to be one of the lowest and the other attractive thing is the price to acquire it. Together it is a no brainer.

I personally think that all of them generally trade about the same. In certain situations one might see more than others, but is it quantifiable enough saying that this is better than the other, it would be hard to say. I posted my trade history on this subject a number of times and I've had "impossible trades" like Christmas and NY in Hawaii, Spring Break, July 4, etc etc. Between my brother and I, we have been able to trade into Hawaii EVERY YEAR for the last 7 years in Maui or Ko Olina Christmas, NY or both. These are the same ones some say are IMPOSSIBLE to get without trading a 2 or 3 br as it would never be available but I've traded for them numerous times. At that point, is it that I am lucky or am I doing something different ? I'm using WR studios and 1 br and achieving these results. So do I go by actual results or by someone's ASSUMPTION that it can't be done ? I don't have any advantages over anyone else and if I am getting these trades, the question is why are others not ?

I can most definitely boil it down to how much EFFORT one is willing to put into it. At the height of my trading when I could travel more, I would be searching MULTIPLE times a day, in the morning, between clients, lunch, on my way home, after dinner, during dinner, whenever I had a minute to do a search. Will everyone do that ? Maybe, maybe not, but the more times you search the greater probability you will find it. If I found them, anyone can. There is no magic formula.

At the end of the day, if it makes you feel comfortable to pay more for that false sense of security, its your money, but you have someone here who has shown it can be done IF you want to put work into it. The people who seem to not have success are the ones who are not searching multiple times and not using OGS. I use both to accomplish the task. OGS is not infallible as many times I would do a manual search and the week I am looking for is right there, but the OGS was not filled. Sometimes II would be calling me with silly alternatives when I specify this week only and in the Marriott. OGS has its benefits too that sometimes you might not see the inventory and it goes automatically like is should, so I take advantage of every tool to get what I am looking for. Paying more does not guarantee you success, putting the effort to trade does.

If not, you're better off buying where you want to go and you call in each year to compete for that week. Your effort might be less and there is less uncertainties. Trading is NOT for everyone, if you're not prepared to put the work in, your success will be proportional to your effort like everything else in life.

First let me say, thank you for such an amazing detailed response. I was going by everyone saying GC having the best or one of the best trade value. Sorry for my typo in my orig post of GV2 as I meant GC2. Anyway, I agree with success coming from the amount of effort put in. I do thank you for your reply because it is good to hear from detailed experience. The unknown trading power of II can be frustrating at best. I do think it’s great to have an MVC week since you an score some really great trades, especially now with the buying of VSE. Plus, if there are speculating rumblings of DVC coming back, the clear winner is the MVC owner. If i ever was to look for a trader everyone directed me to SDO, but MVC GC seems to be best in terms of true MVC Access.

I don’t exchange much. But if I did, do you book your week with MVC, then deposit? Or deposit the week you’re deeded? I’ve heard people say, book a high TDI week then deposit the unit. I wonder how much that matter since MVC owns it all an either way they are getting the inventory back. That’s assuming MVC is truly controlling II or if II is operating under its own direction under the MVC umbrella.

 

[Quadmaniac]

I’ve heard people say, book a high TDI week then deposit the unit. I wonder how much that matter since MVC owns it all an either way they are getting the inventory back. That’s assuming MVC is truly controlling II or if II is operating under its own direction under the MVC umbrella.

That is the other part of the formula - pick the highest TDI week from Marriott and then deposit that high demand week into II to give you the highest theoretical trading power. I've used multiple high TDI weeks and there has been some variation from one to the other but not enough that I am getting bent out of shape about. I usually pick the same one week from 25-28 for WR and deposit it.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Marriotts, but I want the best value and lowest cost and that is just my criteria for not paying more than I need to. Others may have a different view and if they want to pay more, again it is their money to spend as they wish. I just wanted to present what is possible and can be done without spending more than you need to.

 

[CPNY]

That is the other part of the formula - pick the highest TDI week from Marriott and then deposit that high demand week into II to give you the highest theoretical trading power. I've used multiple high TDI weeks and there has been some variation from one to the other but not enough that I am getting bent out of shape about. I usually pick the same one week from 25-28 for WR and deposit it.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Marriotts, but I want the best value and lowest cost and that is just my criteria for not paying more than I need to. Others may have a different view and if they want to pay more, again it is their money to spend as they wish. I just wanted to present what is possible and can be done without spending more than you need to.

I guess I’d have to look at the TDI calendar for the resort I’d want to buy into, then book it and hit deposit. I guess it’s just easier if I buy the deeded week that has high TDI then I don’t need to worry about “booking”. Next question. If I buy a week in a lesser season, I can’t book a higher season? I’d have to exchange for that week?

 

[Quadmaniac]

I guess I’d have to look at the TDI calendar for the resort I’d want to buy into, then book it and hit deposit. I guess it’s just easier if I buy the deeded week that has high TDI then I don’t need to worry about “booking”. Next question. If I buy a week in a lesser season, I can’t book a higher season? I’d have to exchange for that week?

You can check out the TDI on Interval by selecting the resort and seeing which weeks are the highest demand. For the difference in price between Platinum Gold and Silver, I would always go Platinum for a few reasons.

1) The price difference is usually minor. In WR case, I've purchased ones for $86, yes that isn't a typo $86 total for a platinum. So why bother with gold or silver ?
2) Platinum allows me the highest demand week so I have the highest possible trading power for the resort
3) Eventually as an exit plan, getting rid of a platinum is probably much easier than a gold or silver as it would be more popular or wanted.

For other resorts such as the Desert properties, a gold might be $1500 and a platinum might be $4500. Even though it isn't my first choice to buy, I would still want platinum if I was going down that road. If you buy a lesser season, you can only book during those weeks which will be lower than the top weeks. When you say exchange for that week - only if you intend on going to that resort that week. So lets say I booked week 13 which is low in WR because that is my season, I can exchange to week 26 if I was going to go to WR on week 26. You can not now go and deposit week 26 as this is now an Interval Exchange you received. Week 13 would have been deposited into Interval and that deposit was used to exchange for week 26. You can not now deposit week 26 and get higher trading power, it doesn't work that way.

It's not that a gold or silver week WON'T work, it will and most probably get you most of the same trades, but since the resale market is so low and the price difference is minimal, go platinum so there is higher probability when you eventually sell, it will go easier/faster. Right now my traders owe me nothing as I got them for practically nothing and had great trades from them so even if I have to give it away, I'm not too concerned or bent out of shape about it. I got my money's worth and then some!

 

[Dean]

Dean, what is the advantage of the Thursday check-in?

It allows you to reserve a day earlier than a lot of people.

 

[Dean]

Dean, what is the advantage of the Thursday check-in?

Now that I have more time. Let's say you have a unit at LV & one at Branson and wanted to reserve them 13 months out. If you reserve the Branson week THEN the LV week you can reserve 13 months out from the Thursday start of the check in options but if you reserve the LV week first and the Branson week to follow, you can only reserve at 13 months from the Friday check in. So you get an extra day. In many situations it wouldn't matter but for some getting a days jump can be huge.

 

[CaliSunshine]

In terms of traders, I'm still of the same philosophy of getting the CHEAPEST as it is a COMMODITY to trade with and if the commodity is getting you the same, why would you want to pay more for it ? Yes GC and Desert properties trade well BUT do they trade better that you want to spend $3-5K on it with a higher MF to get the same trade WR will get you that you can buy for next to nothing ? As there isn't a huge difference in cost, I always still buy Platinum though and won't even look at gold or silver.

The Desert properties have a MF of between 1600-1700 now plus you pay property tax separately to California each year. I used to own Shadow Ridge and paid a bit to acquire it when I first started into timeshares, but ended up selling it as the property tax pushes the cost even higher. All MF have gone up and they will continue to, but that extra $300-400 you pay each year in MF plus the added amount to acquire them adds up. Maybe I'm just being cheap, but looking forward, consider your costs taking into account increased MF, higher purchase cost and finally the ever increasing cost to trade on II. The cost is going up and up.

The Desert properties are GREAT but, it does not trade any better than WR and I've been to Hawaii on a regular basis multiple times per year, during holiday weeks, doing manual searches and OGS, and thus far there hasn't been any concern of a lack of trading power using studios and 1 br to trade into 2 or 3 br units regularly. For those who say you need a 2br to trade into a 2br, that is simply not so. Consistently 1 br and studios have worked fine and still continue to. Will that change in the future ? Possibly, who knows, but if it comes to that, we always have options to adapt. No need to go overboard based upon fear mongering.

For those suggesting GC 3 br as you want to be able to split it into a 2br and 1br, again think about cost and do you need it to accomplish the task at hand ? Do remember when you split it, you're trading a 2 br and 1 br EVERY year and currently your cost is $2000 MF, splitting is $1000 each side plus trading fees. Even using a 2br GC at about $1325 MF, splitting is $665 per side plus trading fees so $335 less per trade not taking into consideration how much it cost to acquire a 3br vs the 2 br. The cost of acquiring GC is much more than WR. Average 2 br GC might be $2000-3000 vs pretty well free for WR. Many will say $2000-3000 over time is not much and they are right, but better to keep it in my pocket than lose it as we don't know how much we will be able to sell it for in the future. If you really need a 2br to trade, I would sooner trade my whole 2 br on the RARE occasion I am really desperate but that hasn't happened yet. I would rather have to use a $1325 2 br once in 10 years than pay $1000 for each side EVERY year whether I needed it or not.

I did a cost analysis of 3br vs 2 br way back on here when the MF are much lower and looked at the trading costs alone showing the difference and the 2 br came out ahead. If you really think you need it, you are better off buying 2 x 2 br vs a 3 br as the cost would be lower to acquire. Just my personal opinion to it from a purely money/cost standpoint. Some may agree and some may not, but as a long term trader this is my thoughts on it.

Edit : Comparison Chart added

* To make it easier to calculate, I did not account for yearly increases and just used the same value for 10 years and did not add E-Plus or lock off fees.

		WR​	GC 2br​	GC 3br​	DSV​	SR​	GV 2 br​	GV 3 br​
2020 MF		1,300.00​	1,323.00​	2,001.00​	1,696.00​	1,609.00​	1,486.00​	1,930.00​
Property Tax					98.00​	98.00​
Lock off		Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	1 br & 2 br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/1br​	Studio/2br​
Marriott to Marriott Trade 1		154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​
Marriott to Marriott Trade 2		154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​	154.00​
Studio to 2br Upgrade		198.00​	198.00​	2br to 2br​	198.00​	198.00​	198.00​	198.00​
1 br to 2br Upgrade		99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	99.00​	2br to 2br​
Subtotal		1,905.00​	1,928.00​	2,408.00​	2,399.00​	2,312.00​	2,091.00​	2,436.00​
10 year cost		19,050.00​	19,280.00​	24,080.00​	23,990.00​	23,120.00​	20,910.00​	24,360.00​
Purchase Cost		250.00​	2,500.00​	7,000.00​	4,000.00​	5,000.00​	3,500.00​	7,000.00​
Grand Total		19,300.00​	21,780.00​	31,080.00​	27,990.00​	28,120.00​	24,410.00​	31,360.00​
Extra Cost			2,480.00​	11,780.00​	8,690.00​	8,820.00​	5,110.00​	12,060.00​
Per Exchange		965.00​	1,089.00​	1,554.00​	1,399.50​	1,406.00​	1,220.50​	1,568.00​
Extra per Exchange			124.00​	589.00​	434.50​	441.00​	255.50​	603.00​

Great chart. It looks like there aren't many WR plats on the market these days.

 

[JudyS]

Now that I have more time. Let's say you have a unit at LV & one at Branson and wanted to reserve them 13 months out. If you reserve the Branson week THEN the LV week you can reserve 13 months out from the Thursday start of the check in options but if you reserve the LV week first and the Branson week to follow, you can only reserve at 13 months from the Friday check in. So you get an extra day. In many situations it wouldn't matter but for some getting a days jump can be huge.

Ah, I understand now, Dean. Thanks!

 

[pchung6]

I guess I’d have to look at the TDI calendar for the resort I’d want to buy into, then book it and hit deposit. I guess it’s just easier if I buy the deeded week that has high TDI then I don’t need to worry about “booking”. Next question. If I buy a week in a lesser season, I can’t book a higher season? I’d have to exchange for that week?

Please make sure it is at least Gold or Platinum week. Low TDI week won't get you good return in Interval exchange, especially from studio side.