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New to Time Shares

SKolos84

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Hello All!

I am brand new to the forum so let me introduce myself and see if you may be able to help us out! I'm Stephen, I'm from Jersey and literally live down the street from Marriott Seaview Resort. I am a husband and proud daddy to two beautiful little girls ages 10 and 7 and one great little guy age 5. My wife and I have been toying around with the idea of a timeshare for years! We find ourselves paying thousands a year in vacation costs when renting hotel rooms everywhere we go! We have friends who have deeds in resorts but then have points attached to the deed that they use to vacation at any other destination available to them for less than what we pay for our vacations a year. I understand that there are costs involved with Time Shares, but wondering more about resales... Specifically Holiday Inn Vacation Club and Marriott Vacation Club. Can a resale deed be used as points for stays at other destinations or more to the point, does the property owned have an assigned point value that can be used at other destinations elsewhere throughout the year? If so, can owners borrow from next years points.... I guess the goal is to buy a deed cheap somewhere for the points to get into the club and then buy additional points only at resale as I have read this is the way to do it to keep maintenance fees and transfer fees down to a minimum... Please advise and let me know if I am way off target or at least fishing around the same part of the lake as accurate! Thanks for everyone's help in advance!

Stephen and Family
 

TUGBrian

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welcome to TUG!
 

WinniWoman

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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Short answer to all your questions if YES. But I cannot help you as to the particulars for the resorts/systems you are asking about. I am sure others will soon chime in.

Good luck. You seem to be off to a good start.
 

dayooper

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HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
Hello All!

I am brand new to the forum so let me introduce myself and see if you may be able to help us out! I'm Stephen, I'm from Jersey and literally live down the street from Marriott Seaview Resort. I am a husband and proud daddy to two beautiful little girls ages 10 and 7 and one great little guy age 5. My wife and I have been toying around with the idea of a timeshare for years! We find ourselves paying thousands a year in vacation costs when renting hotel rooms everywhere we go! We have friends who have deeds in resorts but then have points attached to the deed that they use to vacation at any other destination available to them for less than what we pay for our vacations a year. I understand that there are costs involved with Time Shares, but wondering more about resales... Specifically Holiday Inn Vacation Club and Marriott Vacation Club. Can a resale deed be used as points for stays at other destinations or more to the point, does the property owned have an assigned point value that can be used at other destinations elsewhere throughout the year? If so, can owners borrow from next years points.... I guess the goal is to buy a deed cheap somewhere for the points to get into the club and then buy additional points only at resale as I have read this is the way to do it to keep maintenance fees and transfer fees down to a minimum... Please advise and let me know if I am way off target or at least fishing around the same part of the lake as accurate! Thanks for everyone's help in advance!

Stephen and Family

Great Questions! I’m not familiar with Holiday Inn or Marriott, but in the Hilton System, you purchase a deed at one of their resorts and that deed is associated with a certain amount of points. You may use those points at almost any other resort (not the by Hilton clubs). In the Hilton system, you can’t purchase extra points, but you borrow from the next year and, for a fee, bank any unused points from the current year to the next (you can only stretch points to the following year).

Here is a link to a visual of the different points systems: http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html

Different companies treat their resale owners differently than others. Research which ones you are thinking of. Don’t forget to look at being able to easily sell or give them away in the off chance that you may have too.

Lastly, join Tug. Best $15 you can spend researching the different systems. This site offers so much information and knowledge, it helps to give back to the group.
 

Panina

TUG Review Crew: Elite
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Hello All!

I am brand new to the forum so let me introduce myself and see if you may be able to help us out! I'm Stephen, I'm from Jersey and literally live down the street from Marriott Seaview Resort. I am a husband and proud daddy to two beautiful little girls ages 10 and 7 and one great little guy age 5. My wife and I have been toying around with the idea of a timeshare for years! We find ourselves paying thousands a year in vacation costs when renting hotel rooms everywhere we go! We have friends who have deeds in resorts but then have points attached to the deed that they use to vacation at any other destination available to them for less than what we pay for our vacations a year. I understand that there are costs involved with Time Shares, but wondering more about resales... Specifically Holiday Inn Vacation Club and Marriott Vacation Club. Can a resale deed be used as points for stays at other destinations or more to the point, does the property owned have an assigned point value that can be used at other destinations elsewhere throughout the year? If so, can owners borrow from next years points.... I guess the goal is to buy a deed cheap somewhere for the points to get into the club and then buy additional points only at resale as I have read this is the way to do it to keep maintenance fees and transfer fees down to a minimum... Please advise and let me know if I am way off target or at least fishing around the same part of the lake as accurate! Thanks for everyone's help in advance!

Stephen and Family
Welcome to The TUG Family. You have come to the right place to learn everything you need to learn before deciding on a timeshare. Keep your options open, not only the systems you asked about, but to other systems and independent HOA’s too.

Being you want a “deed cheap” you need to understand everything about what you are getting. Whereas the ownership needs to meet you goals for vacations I personally believe it is just as important to own something that you can easily gift to someone else when you no longer want it or decide something else is better for you.
 

GetawaysRus

TUG Review Crew
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Marriott Grand Chateau
I'm a Marriott owner, so I'll fill you in a little about Marriott. The timeshare game can get confusing very quickly....

Your main question is: Can a resale deed be used as points for stays at other destinations or more to the point, does the property owned have an assigned point value that can be used at other destinations elsewhere throughout the year?

An inexpensive way to get into the Marriott system is to buy a desirable week on the resale market. Desirable means either (1) in a location you plan to use yourself or (2) a week that will trade well and enable you to get to locations you want to visit. You can also try to buy resale points. If you are interested in Marriott, you'd want to look into the pros and cons of both approaches. And of course there is direct purchase of points from Marriott, but is more costly.

Here's a few comments to get you started.

Marriott wants to keep tight control on their timeshare system. So:
(1) If you buy a resale timeshare week, you own a deeded week but you do NOT own Marriott Destination Club points. You can either use your week yourself or deposit it to a timeshare exchange company (which would likely be Interval International) and try to trade for a week at another location. (a) If you plan to use the week you own yourself, you simply need to make a reservation far enough in advance so that there is availability. The traditional wisdom around here is that you should buy the week where you wish to travel - that way you can just try to reserve your vacation week and not have to pay exchange fees. (b) If you own a strong trading Marriott week, the "power" of your week to make a trade to another timeshare resort is generally decent. Remember that one problem for you is that you have school-age kids, so you will probably be trying to trade when everyone else with kids is also trying to vacation, so the competition for trades can get fierce. If traveling during popular seasons (such as the summer, for example, when the kids are out of school), many of us will put in our reservation or trade requests well in advance. If you want to play the Marriott points game, you would later attend a timeshare sales presentation at a Marriott resort and try to get your resale week enrolled into the Marriott Destinations Club at the same time you are purchasing some points direct from Marriott.
(2) You can also try to buy resale Marriott Destinations Club points. You will likely pay less than Marriott would charge for a direct purchase of points from Marriott. Understand that Marriott will then likely charge you a per point fee to then enroll your resale points in their Destinations Club and that fee will raise your cost.

If you are interested in the Marriott system, tell us more about where you might like to go and when you would like to travel. You may get more useful responses if you do. Also, are you going to travel with kids or sometimes as adults only?

Stick around at TUG is you are serious about timeshare ownership. There is a ton of info and advice here. And if you are serious about learning and possibly purchasing, consider joining TUG as a member. TUG membership is the best value in the world of timeshares.
 

SKolos84

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Thanks for the info... The problem is, not really sure where we would like to go... My family lives in Pittsburgh, and there aren't really resorts there... My wife on the other had, she is from the LA area, Glendale to be exact, and we would love to visit at least once a year.... I believe LA would be the place to buy. My issue is we would also like to visit my family. Pittsburgh is a rising city and getting quite expensive to visit... Hotels alone for just a couple nights are around $400-$500. I read that I can exchange marriott vacation club for stays at Marriott Hotels as well which is why I was looking at Marriott.... You definitely squashed that thought now knowing that resales don't enroll points automatically. Marriott fees will probably make it not worth it to enroll in the destinations.

At times my wife and I would only be traveling alone.... Whats nice is I am a virtual employee, so my schedule is open. My wife is a nurse, but currently is home and not working since the kids are relatively young.
 

taterhed

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Westin WKORV OFD
Marriott's Grande Vista
Worldmark x2
SVV Bella 81k
Here's my suggestions:

Run the survey (There's a 'newbie survey' that will give you a clue whether timeshares might be right for you and what it might entail to purchase and own resale. Just follow the instructions here--> What to buy (are timeshares right for me) link here!!!!!)

Then, get some suggestions as to what might fit your needs.
After you figure out what resort/system, how many points/weeks etc.... Then get some specific advice about which resort/season/points (etc...) will give you a good combination of purchase price and cost per point on MF's. Yes, it's all about balance.

After you find out what you want....then go shopping. But, before you do, get some advice on trusted (or well-known) sellers on the internet or Ebay. There are many potholes out there. let TUG help you miss a few.

Finally, buying a timeshare on the resale market is a lot like buying a used car. You don't want to just 'wander in the showroom' and see what looks good and sign on the dotted line.
  • Find out what will work for you....at a cost you can afford. For a very long time--or until you sell or give it away.
  • Find out what to expect, how 'easy' is it to use ?
  • Learn about the advantages and pitfalls of different systems, brands and locations
  • Determine whether a timeshare or renting is best for your needs and habits.
AFTER you are armed with the 'facts' and some good pricing information, then go find your perfect resort from a trusted seller. Don't jump into the water before you know exactly how deep (and cold) it might be. Sound good?

Welcome to TUG
 

dayooper

TUG Review Crew
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taterhed

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Westin WKORV OFD
Marriott's Grande Vista
Worldmark x2
SVV Bella 81k

FrankB

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VV at Parkway
Yes... I can vouch that the survey works well. You can also re-post the survey with your answers and others may comment or give advice. It definitely helped me.
 

Fredflintstone

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Hi Stephen. Welcome to TUG. Personally I would rent timeshares first just to be sure you want to dive into ownership. TUG members offer great rentals especially short term. I have found renting best because i get the last cation i want without paying ridiculous RCI or other exchange fees in top of high maintenance bills. If you do decide to buy a timeshare almost everyone here will tell you go resale. Never buy from a developer as you will get gouged.


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GetawaysRus

TUG Review Crew
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Marriott Desert Springs Villas 2
Marriott Grand Chateau
Thanks for the info... The problem is, not really sure where we would like to go... My family lives in Pittsburgh, and there aren't really resorts there... My wife on the other had, she is from the LA area, Glendale to be exact, and we would love to visit at least once a year.... I believe LA would be the place to buy. My issue is we would also like to visit my family. Pittsburgh is a rising city and getting quite expensive to visit... Hotels alone for just a couple nights are around $400-$500. I read that I can exchange marriott vacation club for stays at Marriott Hotels as well which is why I was looking at Marriott.... You definitely squashed that thought now knowing that resales don't enroll points automatically. Marriott fees will probably make it not worth it to enroll in the destinations.

At times my wife and I would only be traveling alone.... Whats nice is I am a virtual employee, so my schedule is open. My wife is a nurse, but currently is home and not working since the kids are relatively young.

Don't give up too fast. Many things are possible with a little creativity. This is a timeshare site, but I'm going to veer off a bit to show you another travel idea. There will be a lot of opinion in this comment, so view this as just one possible idea for the type of travel you desire. And please remember that there is no free lunch. The goal is not to get to zero cost, but rather to save enough money to make this worthwhile.

If I understand, you were thinking that you could use Marriott Destinations Club (DC) points to convert into Marriott Rewards (MR) points and then make hotel reservations. In my opinion, that may not be the best use of Marriott DC points. The cost for you would be the annual fee Marriott charges on the DC points you own. Here's an example from my own situation. I bought my Marriott timeshare week direct from Marriott in 2004 (and before I found TUG). Because I bought direct, I can trade my timeshare usage every other year for 110,000 MR points. In the early years of my ownership, trading for points was useful for me. We used the MR points for Marriott travel packages to get airline frequent flyer miles and a hotel stay. We had some fabulous trips. But there has been category inflation at Marriott hotels, and the hotels we were once able to stay at for a small number of MR points now cost a lot more points. So a few years ago I realized that I was paying my annual timeshare maintenance fee but not getting sufficient dollar value in return if I traded away the timeshare usage and converted into MR points. I no longer trade the timeshare week for MR points. Now I'd rather stay at a timeshare.

Let's first look at visiting Pittsburgh. The new Marriott hotel program is slated to go into effect in August. On this page you will find the points required and the category assignments for Marriott hotels under the new program: https://points-redemption.marriott.com/category-change

If you type Pittsburgh into the search box on the web page I gave you, you will see that EVERY hotel in the Pittsburgh area is initially going to be category 5 or less. Aha! But I used the word "initially" - there could be category inflation in the future, and perhaps some of these properties will move into a higher category. Also, Marriott has told us that in 2019 there will be peak pricing for hotel redemptions using MR points. In other words, the Renaissance Pittsburgh, which is listed as a category 5 hotel (35K points per night) might be 40K points per night if you were trying to reserve a room using points during a peak demand period. (I have no idea when the peak demand periods will be. It would be a shame if you wanted to visit your family at Christmas but that was a peak period. You'll see why I say that in a moment.)

There are a number of credit cards that will reward you with an annual hotel night certificate that you can use for a one night stay at a Marriott hotel that requires up to 35K points per night. These include:
  • the Chase Marriott Premier Plus personal card
  • the Chase Marriott Premier business card (soon to be converted into the Chase Marriott Premier Plus business card)
  • the AmEx Starwood personal card
  • the AmEx Starwood business card
So, let's say you and your wife have separate credit card accounts, and you either already have some of these credit cards or can strategically go about gradually acquiring them. Each card has a $95 annual fee. But in return for the annual fee, what if you could use that annual certificate for a one night stay at a nice (and expensive) hotel in Pittsburgh. For example, if you and your wife had a total of 5 of these credit cards, you would pay $95 x 5 in annual fees, but perhaps you could reserve 5 nights in a row when award pricing is not at peak at your Pittsburgh hotel. I am not promising that this will work, but my wife and I often do this when we travel internationally. This year we had 4 hotel night certificates from Chase. We plan to visit Bangkok later this year. I reserved 5 nights at a Marriott hotel in Bangkok, 2 in my Marriott account and 3 in hers. We covered my 2 nights with Chase certificates. We covered 2 of her nights with Chase certificates and the final night with her MR points. In 2019 we plan to visit the Galapagos, and we will also stay in Quito, Ecuador at the JW Marriott Quito. We will play the same game for Quito, covering our nights at the JW using our annual certificates. I am still effectively paying $95 for each hotel night, but I am saving some money compared to a cash stay. Your savings are of course greater if you can redeem at a hotel with a high cash rate.

I think it might be harder to play this same game in Los Angeles. Go back to the Marriott hotel page I gave you above and type Los Angeles (or a surrounding city you might be interested to visit). Many of the nicer hotel properties come up as higher category hotels. And if it looks like the above credit card idea might not work for LA, maybe you need a different strategy for Southern California visits, possibly with a timeshare purchase. Just understand that the Marriott timeshares in Southern California that you might be able to purchase resale are not in LA proper and not near Glendale. There are several in Palm Desert and there is one in Newport. They are nice properties, but you would have to travel if you want to visit LA (and the traffic is a bear). Again, there is a cost. You will pay an annual maintenance fee for your unit, but in return you will be getting nice accommodations for you and your wife or for your family when you bring the kids.

Anyway, I'm just trying to offer ideas. Maybe a hybrid strategy (credit cards for Pittsburgh nights and a resale timeshare for Southern California or other locations you might wish to visit) might be useful.
 

Fredflintstone

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Your thought is good. I agree with you that hotels are getting pricey. Just for fun check out getting a condo in the LA area through Airbnb. Then, how much to rent a timeshare in the LA area. Then the cost of resale timeshares. I have seen Grand Pacific resort timeshares located in the Carlsbad area in the TUG bargain area here and there. That way, you can get a free timeshare. Grand Pacific is the best one I think in California.

Always factor in your Maintenance fees and exchange fees in your decision to decide if owning is for you or not. Owning does lock you in somewhat whereas renting does not.


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dayooper

TUG Review Crew
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HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
MarBrisa in Carlsbad is both a Grand Pacific and HGVC resort. It has its own entrance to Legoland and a fantastic pool area. It’s maintenance fees are on the higher side, but being able to book into GPX and HGVC gives you a ton of flexibility. The resales for MarBrisa are fairly low and HGVC has no right of first refusal (ROFR) on MarBrisa.

HGVC resorts

Grand Pacific Resorts
 

Fredflintstone

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I have stayed at Marbrisa and I can vouch that it is a lovely resort!


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