new RCI weeks....

[77marie]

Hi, I am new to timeshare ownership as well as rci. I am planning a vacation to orlando with my sister and her family. We found a unit that we are happy with and plan to rent after she sleeps on it. This is where my question comes in. It rents for $566, which we were happy with. I happened to search with the option of seeing all available units and I saw the same thing was for trade for just 1 trading power higher. Is it possible for me to buy someone else's week they aren't going to use for the purpose of me trading? Do people do this? I saw that there were listings for rentals but I understood this to mean renting that particular unit on that date.

Thanks in advance for any help! I look forward to learning the ropes and many years of vacationing to come.

Ellen

 

[rickandcindy23]

You cannot rent someone else's week and deposit it into your account. I think that is what you are asking.

But you could get a free week on eBay and buy it, commit to the maintenance fees, and then have more points than you have now.

Renting another person's timeshare is always the best option over committing to more maintenance fees forever and ever.

Welcome to TUG!

 

[Carolinian]

I don't know if I am reading your question correctly, but it would appear that what you suggest would run afoul of RCI's rules against people renting out their exchanges.

Yes, I know that RCI itself rents out exchange deposits, but it does not apply that rule to itself.

 

[77marie]

Okay it looks like what I am asking isn't possible then. I was essentially wondering how to get a week deposited in the value of 10 trading power in order to rent the unit I saw available since I am short by 1.

Thanks for the help!

 

[rickandcindy23]

You can pay your maintenance fees ahead for next year and deposit those points into RCI.

Your week doesn't get more than 9 points? Where is it and what season? Even my blue (off-season) Colorado week gets 18 points.

 

[77marie]

My timeshare purchase was a very unpleasant experience so I was just pleased to have gotten it at all. I bought a floating week in south africa that I was led to believe had good trading power and the best thing to buy. I only pay $300 a year in maintenance fees and the timeshare itself was only a couple hundred. I wonder is it possible that if I paid my maintenance fees for next year that I could get a higher trading power.

 

[77marie]

I paid my maintenance in sept and the resort deposited a week for april I think. I am obviously really learning all of this and have no idea what it all means.

 

[Mel]

Your first step should be to look at RCI's deposit calculator and see what RCI would offer right now for a deposit of your next week. You deposited in September, and were given an April week. Was that a previously deposited week from April 2011 that was transferred into your account, or an April 2012 week?

RCI reduces the value of weeks that are deposited less than 9 months ahead, so you might not have gotten the full value of your deposit. The value they give when you deposit is reduced even more, the closer you get to the use date (once it is deposited it won't decrease).

That said, if your base value is about 10, you're going to have to work for your exchanges. You got a good purchase price, but you won't be getting high demand exchanges for 9 or 10 TPU, except closer to the use date.

This rental you are considering - do you have to pay up front, or can you cancel with no loss of money? If you can cancel, I would make the reservation to hold the week, but watch for the TPU cost of Orlando to drop as the week you want gets closer. You didn't say when you want to travel, so it's hard to say what will happen, but maintenance fees are coming due for most resorts this month, and most resorts require the fees to be paid before the weeks are deposited. Thus there may be significant numbers of deposits in January. Those deposits will cause an increase in supply, which usually means a short-term reduction in cost (in either cash or TPU).

 

[aliikai2]

Place and ongoing exchange request

It seems that RCI will match you if you are close during an ongoing search.

But, at $300 in annual fees and $189 in RCI trade fees=$489 are you saving enough to make it worth while?

fwiw,

Greg

Okay it looks like what I am asking isn't possible then. I was essentially wondering how to get a week deposited in the value of 10 trading power in order to rent the unit I saw available since I am short by 1.

Thanks for the help!