RCI Suspended Eagle Village Tamiment

[nellevad]

The following link is to the online GIS system map. Very interesting. EV is in Lehman. Zero in on the 2 lakes to find EV.

https://www.pikepa.org/government/gis___tax_administration/index.php

 

[timeshare trader]

There was a resort on the OBX suspended by RCI years ago, and RCI worked cooperatively with the HOA to get them reinstated. It can be done with an HOA board and membership willing to pitch in. To the best of my recollection, I think the special assessment in that case for improvements was even under $100. But in that case, there was a well attended special HOA membership meeting to address the situation.

As to impact on the resort's stability, this will largely depend on the extent to which members exchange. What I have seen with resorts on the OBX is that the percentage of members who use exchange companies tends to decline over time, for a variety of reasons. I was somewhat surprised, however, at how low it can be these days. The management company at one of the OBX resorts we own at was going over statistics at rhis year's HOA annual meeeting, and mentioned that only 4% of weeks are now deposited with exchange companies at that resort, and that included all exchange companies, RCI and the independents together.

I would suspect that the value of the resort would be substantially more than any debts, so if the resort is about ready to wind up, that is not necessarily a good time to bail out. You might want to look at the ownership structure on what your week might be worth if it is wound up. Weeks owned by the HOA and the value received for them would have to go to charity, but an HOA that is winding up should allow members to buy those weeks on some formula so that members can get that value out of them. I owned at a resort in Europe that wound up by membership vote because no one wanted to serve on its board, and got a wire transfer of over 3,000 euros for my week.

I have no reason to doubt you as you are always well informed and provide great information. Can you advise why proceeds from HOA units would have to go to a charity? I was under the impression from family members who owned at Lahaina that their proceeds would be divvied up by # of owned weeks. Thus if a settlement was 10kk and there were 1k member weeks owned each member week would be granted $10,000. Where does the charity come into play? Those HOA owned weeks were maintained by paying members. Seems the membership should gain the benefit of those as they had a fiduciary responsibility with them.

 

[nellevad]

Eagle Village just posted their Maintenance Fee. It is the same as last year $760. Looks like they will continue with business as usual for a while longer.

 

[Carolinian]

I have no reason to doubt you as you are always well informed and provide great information. Can you advise why proceeds from HOA units would have to go to a charity? I was under the impression from family members who owned at Lahaina that their proceeds would be divvied up by # of owned weeks. Thus if a settlement was 10kk and there were 1k member weeks owned each member week would be granted $10,000. Where does the charity come into play? Those HOA owned weeks were maintained by paying members. Seems the membership should gain the benefit of those as they had a fiduciary responsibility with them.

Because HOAs are organized as non-profit corporations, their assets cannot be distributed to members when they are wound up. HOA weeks and the ownership interest they represent fall into that category. The HOA has deeded ownership of those. The way around it is to come up with some fair scheme to deed them to remaining timeshare owners for a nominal sum or to a Trustee on behalf of those owners, not leave it titled in the HOA. You would need a lawyer in that state to work out the best specifics.

 

[nellevad]

I pay my MF through the website, myaccountinfo.com. that is the management company that collects MFs. You should log on and activate your account.

 

[nellevad]

That website is listed on your maintenance bills.

 

[nellevad]

What? I will call them tomorrow. I had a positive account balance and they took out 760. It states 2024 maintenance fee. I would sign on again and check your account.

 

[nellevad]

I agree with you about not paying until you receive written notice. But, I think the board is delaying written notice until they have a solid plan. I hope it is not an assessment. Thery will charge the MF for next year. Even if they close, which probably won't be for a year or 2, we still owe to maintain the resort, personel, (however rude, as they are), taxes, lawyer fees etc.

 

[nellevad]

Without RCI for out of state owners to use the units, the forfeiture is going to be high. They do not have the capital to sue every owner for payment, but Concord is a relentless company. I have paid my MF on time for 20 years. This past January, my MF was not recorded due to a bank mistake. I got notice in May from Blackwell Recovery which is the collections department of Concord. They are not an entity you want calling you. Once the management of fees department sends your info over to them, there is no reasoning. I had to pay a 200 fee, even though I had a double payment on my other unit. I have two. Even though I explained I had made a double payment on one unit, which left the other one delinquent, he said it didn't matter. I was late and that was all he cared about. PAY UP. EV is going to have to sort this out, but we are still owners, and still are required to support it till the end, as hard as that seems.

 

[Roger830]

I don't have an interest in this resort but my curiosity was aroused so I checked it out on tripadvisor.
The reviews are the worse that I have ever seen for a timeshare.
The bear in the broken dumpster is of interest.

EAGLE VILLAGE RESORT - Updated 2024 Prices & Campground Reviews (Tamiment, PA)

Book Eagle Village Resort, Tamiment on Tripadvisor: See 12 traveler reviews, 34 candid photos, and great deals for Eagle Village Resort, ranked #1 of 1 specialty lodging in Tamiment and rated 2 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[nellevad]

Hahaha, yes the bears. Unfortunately, that is the reputation this resort has to deal with. There are 3 sections - phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3. Phase one, being the oldest is in worse disrepair than phase 2 or 3. I think alot of those photos are from phase 3. Regardless, though, the resort is in disrepair in general and the cost to renovate would be exorbitant. It is sad. That is why I hope the board has plans to sell to NSCS Highland LLC - the company that owns everything around it. My units have still been rentable, but not for long I am afraid.

 

[Rhondita920]

Tried to call today with no success. Tried to call Concord with no success. I don't want to pay fees until I see a written notice, but not sure what to do. I just don't understand what our fees are being used for at this point.

 

[LisaC]

I have been thinking there are 2 possibilites. Firstly, they may be planning on a special assessment. Secondly, they are filing for bankruptcy and making an offer to Highland LLC to buy the property. Regarding the first possibility: The POA has not been honest about the Reserve (if any) they have and the number of actual owners in their annual reports for years. I don't think there are enough owners anymore and a special assessment would be outrageously expensive. It would result in mass forfeiture of units by owners. I was there in 2021 and the buildings all need new roofs, exterior work and inteior make-overs. Regarding the second possibiity: Highland LLC owns everything that used to be owned by the old Tamiment Hotel, and more, including the old Mountain Laurel Center that is now Poconos Park, land across Bushkill Falls Rd., and even both lakes. I read "From the Roots" supposedly bought the old MLC, but I do not see a deed for that on file. You can read about it here: https://www.tnonline.com/20220615/developer-to-revitalize-former-mountain-laurel-site/ . The ski slope and golf course are still there, just badly overgrown. The adjacent residential development to the north, The Glen at Tamiment HOA, never finished developing what they own, and the last phase is overgrown and vacant. But that is not part of Highland LLC. So you can see that Eagle Village at Tamiment and Eagle Village Point (on Condor Dr.), which is that small development of townhouses just to the south of Eagle Village at Tamiment are in the way. Like I said, Highland owns both lakes. So EVT is a sitting duck.

Has anyone received an invoice for the maintenance fees? I know I usually get an invoice in December.

 

[Rhondita920]

I haven't received the normal yearly budget or an invoice.

 

[nellevad]

On myaccountinfo.com, that is Concord, they have posted the maintenance fee for 2024. They have also debited my account in the amount of $760. So now I have officially paid my maintenance fee, I guess, without any written notice. My guess is that many people have paid ahead of time and now they are owed that week/unit to use. So perhaps the board figures they will collect for one more year and see how many defaults they have?

 

[sjhathome]

If the corporation is collecting dues for 2024, without providing proper notice, it could be a violation of Pennsylvania's consumer protection law. You might want to consider filing an online complaint with Pennsylvania's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

 

[LisaC]

I haven't received the normal yearly budget or an invoice.

Yes, we haven't received anything. It is so odd that they are not communicating to us what is going on even if they are filing bankrupt.

 

[Saworkman01]

Yes, we haven't received anything. It is so odd that they are not communicating to us what is going on even if they are filing bankrupt.

If you log in to myaccountinfo.com and select OPTIONS the ESTATEMENT HISTORY the below is attached to the 12/27 Billing PDF. I will be present for this meeting on 2/10 in person. I don't see how "partnering" with a group will fix the problems we have. It's apparent that for several years the units have been neglected. The office staff have a reputation of being unavailable and when reached unhelpful. Throwing money at this problem will not correct our situation if management is not corrected. It is most likely already too late. I'd be fine with selling the property off at this point which is sad.

Dear Eagle Village Property Owners Association Members: As Eagle Village POA enters into its 40th year of making family memories, we have also been tasked with the responsibilities of trying to keep the resort up and running with limited resources. Over the years we have lost over half of our membership, but your Board of Directors still made adjustments to keep your timeshare interest in place. These decisions however have come with a price. The decline in membership over the years and low annual fees has limited the budget ability to afford unit renovations, facility improvements and rising costs of maintenance with an aging property. Currently about 70% of Eagle Village POA are also members of RCI. RCI is a timeshare exchange company with over 4,300 affiliated resorts in 100 countries. Recently Eagle Village Owners who are also RCI members received a letter pertaining to their RCI membership. Your Board of Directors is cognizant that this information has caused confusion and unpredictability. You will be pleased to know that your Board of Directors has been exploring all avenues to have Eagle Village POA RCI memberships reinstated. This process has been long and tedious, but your Board has made a decision to bring Eagle Village POA into its next phase of new life. Your Board of Directors is working on partnering with The Oakes Group to help Eagle Village address its needs to help the association’s members in making new memories and vacationing experiences. The Oakes Group and its ownership’s affiliated companies last year acquired 200+ acres of land neighboring Eagle Village including the newly renovated and opened Amphitheater at Poconos Park and The Lake House at Poconos Park. In the last year the Poconos Park property has hosted various events ranging from concerts, 4th of July Fireworks, a motorcycle show, Halloween, private special events and more. Currently, Poconos Park is hosting Poconos Lights, a Drive-Thru Christmas Experience with over a mile of lights.. They recently had a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of The Lake House at Poconos Park to begin accepting 2024 & 2025 bookings for weddings and other events. The Oakes Group will immediately endeavor to coordinate RCI reinstatement for Eagle Village Property Owners Association Members and will work on plans for unit renovations, facility improvements, operations, marketing and more. With our ownership continuing to dwindle and the rising costs this move to partner with The Oakes Group is a great accomplishment, and we believe the outcome of this partnership will benefit everyone. Eagle Village POA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that our 2024 Operating budget will not change. This is a conscious decision by your Board of Directors, always recognizing the need to upgrade and improve Eagle Village, but also trying their best to keep your dues much lower than the industry average. Attached is the Proposed Operating Budget for 2024 and a Budget definition sheet to help you better understand where funds are needed. The budget reflects an Annual Maintenance Fee of only $760.00. There will be no Annual Maintenance Fee increase for 2024. Your 2024 Annual Maintenance Fee payment is due before January 31, 2024. The meeting of the Board of Directors to consider adoption of the Proposed Budget will be held on Saturday, Feb 10, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at our Recreation Center. If you plan to attend, please call Eagle Village office @ 570 588 5380 ext. 7100 on or before 3pm ET on Feb 1, 2024.

 

[nellevad]

THANKYOU Saworkman01 for finding that. I missed checking that link. The Oakes Group is a part of NCSC Highlands LLC. I mentioned previously they own everything. So, I guess they have bought all the weeks/units that are outstanding making them a majority voting block. If they pay all the outstanding maintenance fees for 2024, there is money to renovate. Then, with renovations, perhaps they use those units to add to their planned RV camping in Poconos Park? Might work. I would like to be positive about this. It will also make it easier to sell if you want to in the future. I don't think this is such a bad outcome after all.

 

[nellevad]

But there will probably be an assessment next 2025.

 

[Rhondita920]

Thank you to everyone reporting their findings in this forum. I check in every day to see what new information is out there. My question is that they said membership is down. How do these people get out of their membership? My father passed away ten years ago and I bought the timeshare from my mother to help her with bills, not sure why I did that instead of just paying for her fees. Now I'm stuck with something we have never used. We thankfully have RCI and have used our points for great trips to Disney, but we haven't been to Eagle Village in 20 years. How do people get out of their timeshare ownership?

 

[bnoble]

They just stop paying and take the credit hit.

 

[nellevad]

Cost money to stop paying, you get a collections agency after you, forfeiture costs and huge credit drop that can last for years. I think many people use those exit companies that cost thousands. If the resort has a well balanced budget, the will sometimes take the deed back. NOT Eagle Village. But, with this new situation, that might change.

 

[escanoe]

I think many people use those exit companies that cost thousands.

I am sure some do, but they don't get any better of an outcome and it may cost them a lot more money. Anyone paying an up-front fee for such services should be VERY skeptical. It is not something I would ever recommend.

 

[bnoble]

Cost money to stop paying, you get a collections agency after you, forfeiture costs and huge credit drop that can last for years.

Ignore the collections agency. There are generally no forfeiture costs (it's not worth a legal action for the small sum) and the credit hit is often marginal if it happens at all.

If I owned here, I'd just stop paying. The only reason to keep current is (a) you use this resort regularly and still think it is of value, (b) you think this Oakes Group Hail Mary has a chance of working, or (c) you think there is a chance that as the resort winds down, you will get a return once the timeshare is dissolved and the property is sold.

It doesn't sound like many people find themselves in Option A. If I were leaning towards Option B, I would not pay until and unless the RCI relationship was affirmatively reestablished. Yes, this means some late fees, but I think their odds are low in getting this to happen anytime soon, so taking on the chance of having to pay some late fees vs. not paying at all seems like a good risk.

As for Option C: This property can't be worth that much. It's probably a teardown, so the value is in the land underneath. It's in the Poconos, not on Oahu, and there are some very nice homes in Tamiment for sale for not very much money. From where I sit, the ROI on being one of the Last Owners Standing seems low, and it could take several years to get there.

As Dr. McCoy put it to Captain Kirk: "He's dead, Jim." Maybe not dead yet, but the writing is on the wall.