Newbie .... Just bought n sdo

[Sloane S]

*
Total Refund:* $353.50
*

I would absolutely take that refund and look for a gold plus. You'll have a lot more flexibility should the trading game someday change, or you want to go when it's not blistering hot.

Did you ask them if they have a 1-52 in their inventory?

 

[DeniseM]

I just checked on RCI to see SDO's TPUs. EVERY WEEK (1, 10, 33, 45, 52) has the same TPUs.

It's not accurate - when people have actually deposited their SDO weeks, there was a difference between seasons. Since Starwood owners can no longer deposit a specific week, you can't use the calculator to find the TPU.

 

[DeniseM]

Total Refund:* $353.50

You dodged a bullet - I would absolutely accept their offer.

When did you win this auction?

If you still want to own at SDO (Plat or Gold Plus only) you may want to ask one more time if they have another week you can buy.

 

[glypnirsgirl]

You bought gold season - A 1-52 floating week is Gold Plus.

eBay auctions for timeshares are not binding. If the deed hasn't been transferred to your name yet, I would do whatever it takes to get out of the deal - including forfeiting the money you've paid.

This week literally has no resale value, and to be quite honest with you, it should have been completely free. You will find that if/when you want to get rid of it, it will be virtually impossible - which means you will be stuck with the yearly maintenance fee whether you want it or not.

I hate to admit this, but when I first decided to purchase weeks, I bought 3 different contracts that i paid for and did not accept the deeds ---. And I am glad that I didn't accept the deeds. I have a super positive ebay score and it was the worth the money I paid to not mess up my score. And it was really worth it to not get the deeds to the property.

elaine

 

[Sloane S]

I hate to admit this, but when I first decided to purchase weeks, I bought 3 different contracts that i paid for and did not accept the deeds ---. And I am glad that I didn't accept the deeds. I have a super positive ebay score and it was the worth the money I paid to not mess up my score. And it was really worth it to not get the deeds to the property.

elaine

Hey, I think most people on the board have a mistake of some sort under their belt!

 

[nokaoi9]

Can someone explain the various weeks at SDO?

I purchased a week at SDO in late 2011 and didn't do much research prior to purchasing. When I log into II, it list my week as Gold Plus/Red.

Any information is appreciated.

 

[Dodger4life]

Did you ask them if they have a 1-52 in their inventory?


Yes I did ask them but they really didn't reply!!! I do have another question that's interesting?

How are ts deeded in my name, n recorded at say xxxxxx but they require a NOTARIZATION SIG.....? My wife does notarizing n she says the people need to be present when she signs off on the paper, to make sure people say who they are? Is this standard for ts ? Or is it diff for ts?


We actually bought a ts in tenn frm a developer n las Vegas a few months ago n the notarized our sig.... But when we got home n read thru some paperwork n read thru this website we ended up rescinding ???? Thank goodness

Thanks again ...

 

[DeniseM]

Can someone explain the various weeks at SDO?

I purchased a week at SDO in late 2011 and didn't do much research prior to purchasing. When I log into II, it list my week as Gold Plus/Red.

Any information is appreciated.

Gold Plus/Red = 1-52 floating week

This are the seasons in order:
Platinum
Gold Plus
Gold
Silver

 

[Dodger4life]

I hate to admit this, but when I first decided to purchase weeks, I bought 3 different contracts that i paid for and did not accept the deeds ---. And I am glad that I didn't accept the deeds. I have a super positive ebay score and it was the worth the money I paid to not mess up my score. And it was really worth it to not get the deeds to the property.

elaine

I too have a excellent score on eBay n was wondering what u meant by u paid to keep ur score good?

 

[Dodger4life]

Gold Plus/Red = 1-52 floating week

This are the seasons in order:
Platinum
Gold Plus
Gold
Silver

Are the seasons the same if it's a fixed week?

Is there a list of the best available dates to the worst dates for diff resorts on this site ? For instance what are platinum dates at sdo? 1-21?

 

[DeniseM]

Are the seasons the same if it's a fixed week?

Is there a list of the best available dates to the worst dates for diff resorts on this site ? For instance what are platinum dates at sdo? 1-21?

For the most part, it's common sense: ski weeks at ski resorts, winter in the desert, March in MLB Spring Training areas, holiday weeks almost everywhere.

There are no fixed weeks at SDO.

To be a true Platinum week at Sheraton Desert Oasis the unit number must be in this range-

1064, 1072, 1081-1100, 2064, 2072, 2081- 2100, 3064-3072, and 3081-3100

AND

the deeded week must be in this range: 1-21, 50-52

 

[jerseygirl]

?..
How are ts deeded in my name, n recorded at say xxxxxx but they require a NOTARIZATION SIG.....? My wife does notarizing n she says the people need to be present when she signs off on the paper, to make sure people say who they are? Is this standard for ts ? Or is it diff for ts? ...

A notarized signature is only required by the grantor/seller .... But most professional dealers will require the buyer to sign a contract spelling out the terms. Some eBay sellers just email a let of questions and use the response to complete the deed.

 

[jarta]

How are ts deeded in my name, n recorded at say xxxxxx but they require a NOTARIZATION SIG.....? My wife does notarizing n she says the people need to be present when she signs off on the paper, to make sure people say who they are? Is this standard for ts ? Or is it diff for ts? ...

Thanks again ...

A deeded timeshare is an interest in real estate. Deeds from sellers must be notarized under State law. Some (many or most?) of the timeshare closing companies will notarize the signatures on a deed without the sellers being present. Your wife is correct. A notary public is required to have the signers present and see proper identification before affixing the seal (now usually a stamp). She is doing it the correct way.

Notarization is designed to have a licensed, bonded person certify the sellers are who they say they are in order to prevent fraud. That's a reason that buying a timeshare where the seller's agent, the closing company, notarizes the seller's signature on the deed can be dangerous. Usually, it all works out OK. Sometimes, though, it doesn't. And, you will never know there is a problem until both you and the sellers try to make a reservation the next year. Salty

 

[Dodger4life]

Thanks jarta .... That's what I thought ... On the deed they sent me it said we were getting 1/52 is that normal?


If we r planning to travel to the palm springs, Arizona area, what is a good resort system? We live close to Fresno ca which is in middle of the state .

We have a large family n wud need a 2 bdrm most likely .... Any help wud b thankful!!!

 

[DeniseM]

Starwood has timeshares in both Palm Springs and Arizona, and SDO is considered to be the most cost effective II trader - so it would be a good trader for you - but you need to buy a Gold Plus week to have good trading power.

However, you stated that you were looking for a home resort, and I would not consider Scottsdale to be within driving distance from Fresno.

A good option for you would be to buy a Tahoe timeshare as your home resort (every other year deed) and an SDO timeshare for a trader (every other year deed.)

Here are all the Starwood timeshares - http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/starwood_vacation_ownership_resorts.html

You would be able to trade into all of the Starwood timeshares (except for Harborside and Westin St. John) by trading SDO through Interval International, as long as you are flexible.

Note however that trading for the prime school holiday weeks is far more difficult (Christmas, New Years, Easter, etc.) If you are flexible about when you travel - you will have a lot more options.

Be aware that exchanging is not like making a reservation - it requires some knowledge, skill, and persistence to be successful. It's also not free - there are yearly II membership fees of about $100 and exchange fees of $120-$150 per exchange - on top of your maintenance fee.

On the deed they sent me it said we were getting 1/52 is that normal?

That refers to the fact that you own one week out of 52 weeks in the year.

 

[Quadmaniac]

Is there a specific time in which Starwood deposits weeks ? I just took over my SDO Plat, but thus far I have not seen anything with the Starwood priority that I can't see with my non-starwood TS. I have seen the difference with my Marriott on a daily basis and I assumed I would see that would Starwood as well ???

 

[DeniseM]

Is there a specific time in which Starwood deposits weeks ? I just took over my SDO Plat, but thus far I have not seen anything with the Starwood priority that I can't see with my non-starwood TS. I have seen the difference with my Marriott on a daily basis and I assumed I would see that would Starwood as well ???

At any given time, there is little or no prime Starwood inventory just "sitting" in II. The best Starwood deposits are snagged behind the scenes with on-going searches, so very few deposits make it into the online inventory, and then the best ones get snatched up immediately.

Your best bet is to put in an ongoing search - the best deposits never make it online.

Also - Starwood has far fewer resorts than Marriott, so you will never see the volume of deposits that you do with Marriott.

In addition to this, remember that except for true fixed weeks, Starwood has 100% control of what weeks are deposited, and they tend to deposit off-season weeks, so if a prime season week at a top resort gets deposited, an on-going search with get it - it won't see the light of day.

 

[Quadmaniac]

At any given time, there is little or no prime Starwood inventory just "sitting" in II. The best Starwood deposits are snagged behind the scenes with on-going searches, so very few deposits make it into the online inventory, and then the best ones get snatched up immediately.

Your best bet is to put in an ongoing search - the best deposits never make it online.

Also - Starwood has far fewer resorts than Marriott, so you will never see the volume of deposits that you do with Marriott.

I do have an ongoing request in using my SDO, SR and Fairmont for, I know its difficult, Christmas and New Years in Maui. Last year we found one three weeks before and found a reasonable flight to get down there.

I was assuming that I would see at least some sign that there was a priority there, but nothing so far.

 

[DeniseM]

I was assuming that I would see at least some sign that there was a priority there, but nothing so far.

It's not that you can't see any prime Starwood deposits with your SDO deposit, it's that they aren't there - the best deposits disappear immediately.

Did you get an exchange for the Westin Ka'anapali for Christmas/New Years????

 

[Quadmaniac]

It's not that you can't see any prime Starwood deposits with your SDO deposit, it's that they aren't there - the best deposits disappear immediately.

Did you get an exchange for the Westin Ka'anapali for Christmas/New Years????

I traded for MOC last year using my Fairmont TS, 1 br OF and it was beautiful as I was on the third floor, right above the owners lounge so I had the larger balcony. Would love to get that unit again. I have the Westin the first week of September in a 2 br OV.

 

[VacationForever]

I traded for MOC last year using my Fairmont TS, 1 br OF and it was beautiful as I was on the third floor, right above the owners lounge so I had the larger balcony. Would love to get that unit again. I have the Westin the first week of September in a 2 br OV.

I may be confused. If you are trading for Westin thru II how would you know that you actually have an OV unit in September? II trades are at the bottom of the totem pole. Unless you are renting...

 

[DeniseM]

Yes, as sptung said - with Starwood, you don't get the unit on the confirmation - Starwood reserves the right to assign you to any unit that matches the description on your confirmation.

 

[DavidnRobin]

I may be confused. If you are trading for Westin thru II how would you know that you actually have an OV unit in September? II trades are at the bottom of the totem pole. Unless you are renting...

True - but Sept is beginning of low season and there are many more OVs than IVs (at least at WKORV). Plus, IV owners get IV and not OV so that plays a role as well.

 

[Quadmaniac]

I may be confused. If you are trading for Westin thru II how would you know that you actually have an OV unit in September? II trades are at the bottom of the totem pole. Unless you are renting...

I called the Westin after my trade went through to see what view and they had indicated it was OV. When I traded into a 1 br in May as I was getting on a plane that morning, I didn't check and when I arrived there, I was assigned one of the worst "island view" units - first floor facing the other building with trees in front of the balcony so the unit was dark. We did end up moving to another unit, again with trees but at least not in front of the the other building so you didn't get any light.

 

[DeniseM]

I called the Westin after my trade went through to see what view and they had indicated it was OV.

Yes, but they do not honor the unit on the reservation - they can and do put you anywhere they want. There is a pecking order and exchangers come after owners and Elite Owners, when they assign the units.