Hi - my wife and I are new to timeshares and are looking for advice from more experienced folks. We travel regularly to Scottsdale for vacations - they are typically 3-4 day trips and are most frequent in May to September time frames. We have stayed at the Westin Kierland and absolutely loved it and hence started looking at the Villas as a potential time share option. We are now evaluating two options:
1) Buy a Gold Plus, 2 bedroom with 81,000 points and use that for 3 or 4 trips each year but booking a single bedroom unit - again typically May to September. We found a broker online who suggested starting with an offer of $1,750 for the timeshare (annual maintenance is also around $1,750 and another $1,000 or so for closing costs)
2) A few people here have helped me see an alternative where we just try to acquire the lowest 37,500 flex options and then look at booking rental options through the Vistana platform for our additional trips. Likely only $600 or so of annual maintenance and then finding rentals for our additional trips out.
We have typically spent $1,200 or so on lodging for each trip and make 3 to 4 trips per summer to Scottsdale so both options seem very beneficial financially. We really aren't looking at this as an investment or rental opportunity - just a plan to stay at a resort we love with great amenities, restaurants, etc. We don't plan on using the points for other resorts as a priority - really like the Kierland and just want to keep coming back. We don't see this as an investment either - at some point we are buying a house in Scottsdale and the timeshare would be used for our kids to visit. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice.
1) Buy a Gold Plus, 2 bedroom with 81,000 points and use that for 3 or 4 trips each year but booking a single bedroom unit - again typically May to September. We found a broker online who suggested starting with an offer of $1,750 for the timeshare (annual maintenance is also around $1,750 and another $1,000 or so for closing costs)
2) A few people here have helped me see an alternative where we just try to acquire the lowest 37,500 flex options and then look at booking rental options through the Vistana platform for our additional trips. Likely only $600 or so of annual maintenance and then finding rentals for our additional trips out.
We have typically spent $1,200 or so on lodging for each trip and make 3 to 4 trips per summer to Scottsdale so both options seem very beneficial financially. We really aren't looking at this as an investment or rental opportunity - just a plan to stay at a resort we love with great amenities, restaurants, etc. We don't plan on using the points for other resorts as a priority - really like the Kierland and just want to keep coming back. We don't see this as an investment either - at some point we are buying a house in Scottsdale and the timeshare would be used for our kids to visit. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice.