• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 31 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 31st anniversary: Happy 31st Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

New Starwood Flex owner - questions

Myrddin12

Myrddin12

Guest
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
46
Reaction score
6
Location
Western PA
Hi all.

My husband didn't listen to me about TUG and really really wanted to buy last time we went to Sheraton Vistana Villages (Starwood) - I know, I know - but it's a done deal at this point, but I do have a few questions I am hoping you can answer. We have the new Flex program which seems like it will work well for us, but we bought in at the low end 40,000 Starpoints, and we are finding very quickly when we travel that the pull out couch just isn't cutting it for our two boys anymore. We realize we will need a 2BR sooner rather than later - and I wasn't sure if anyone knew 1) can you purchase flex in resale and 2) if so, can they be combined so that instead of two separate weeks we can get a larger room? I am assuming so, but just got a bit overwhelmed by all of the "talk" (and I know there are probably others of you out there who did as well) - and just couldn't retain it all. And of course they didn't talk about resale, but about purchasing more through them.

Hope that makes sense! Thanks
 
So far no Flex programs have been seen on the resale market. One would assume it could be bought and sold. It isn't a mandatory program (to use SVN) so that while you might be able to combine them to use for flex properties during the home period but not SVN properties outside of the flex program. If you want something you can use at 8 months with SVN you might as well buy a mandatory SVN.
 
Myrddin12 said:
Thanks. I had checked that out but it didn't quite answer what I was asking. Did give me a few more basics I missed though. :)
Click to expand...

Those are 40,000 FlexOptions (not Starpoints) - important differentiation.

okwiater is our local Flex expert - he may know best route to getting more FlexOptions to combine with your existing FOs

I have a 2 work friends who I sat down - showed them the math of buying resale vs. SVO
AND... they still bought from SVO (based on their spouses desire to buy from SVO). One of them is too busy even too vacation or deal (figure out) with SVO/SVN/II - AND they bought another. 2 years have gone by unused... amazing...

at least you are making best of it.
 
So, if you want a larger unit and book it 8-12 months in advance, you need to buy more FOs. If you are okay in booking 0-8 months, then a mandatory resale unit would do.
 
If only to use at <8 months, then why buy FOs? Buy a M resort (resale), and use the FOs (equal to SOs at 8 months) in combination with SOs (from M resale) reserve anything available in SVN (at least how it exists today).

The MF/FO vs MF/SO is important here (MF = Dues+SVN fee+Tax)
because that is the annual rake.
Also consider value at end of use, and ability to rent.
 
okwiater said:
It doesn't matter how many packages of HomeOptions you own -- the totals are all combined to make your HomeOptions reservations. They work just like StarOptions in that respect.

Here is the FAQ I put together which may someday end up as a "sticky": http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1852560&postcount=20
Click to expand...

I did read that - great summary! Hoping we are able to get the use out if it that we want. I'm thinking we could probably buy more home options and be able to lump together then for bigger room versus longer stay. I will gave to keep my eye out for flex plans in resale because I don't want to buy more through them if it can be helped! Thanks again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top