Thanks! Just bought a TS!

[winnipiseogee]

Hello All -

Thanks for this great website. My wife decided that she wanted to purchase a timeshare at a property near us (Steele Hill South) because they allow us to use the amenities year round and with a one year old that was a huge bonus. We got lucky and didn't give in to the high pressure sales pitch so when I googled the resort and found this website it worked out great.

1. First question - I paid $1000 plus $500 in "transfer fees" and my maintenance is just over $500 a year (way, way, way less than the resort charged). In return for that I get unlimited use of the amenities and 58,000 RCI points a year. Thoughts? Was that a decent deal from a TS perspective. I figured it made sense just for the wife and baby to use the pools but I'm thinking I need more points so don't hesitate to tell me if you think I did something dumb!

2. Second question - RCI or II? I have the ability to switch the points this March. I've looked at both and neither seems to have a huge advantage from a resort collection standpoint. I'm really just asking if one company treats people better?

3. Third question - If I have a timeshare and the wife has a time share can we merge the points into a single account? Each unit allows us 4 guests at the resort so it might make sense to buy another week in the wife's name. I just want to be able to use all the points together.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[AwayWeGo]

How Do You Get Fees That Are Way, Way, Way Less Than What The Resort Charges ?

I paid $1000 plus $500 in "transfer fees" and my maintenance is just over $500 a year (way, way, way less than the resort charged).

Maintenance fees are spozed to be the same for everybody -- i.e., for all owners of comparable units at the same timeshare resort no matter how much or how little they paid for their ownerships & regardless of who sold them their units.

Not only that, maintenance fees are charged by (& paid to) the timeshare resort & not to the timeshare company.

Are you saying you get way, way, way lower maintenance fees every year?

Or is it more like the person who sold the timeshare to you covered part of 1 year's fees as a deal-sweetener?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[aliikai2]

Hello All -

Thanks for this great website. My wife decided that she wanted to purchase a timeshare at a property near us (Steele Hill South) because they allow us to use the amenities year round and with a one year old that was a huge bonus. We got lucky and didn't give in to the high pressure sales pitch so when I googled the resort and found this website it worked out great.

1. First question - I paid $1000 plus $500 in "transfer fees" and my maintenance is just over $500 a year (way, way, way less than the resort charged). In return for that I get unlimited use of the amenities and 58,000 RCI points a year. Thoughts? Was that a decent deal from a TS perspective. I figured it made sense just for the wife and baby to use the pools but I'm thinking I need more points so don't hesitate to tell me if you think I did something dumb!

If you are happy then it is a good deal

2. Second question - RCI or II? I have the ability to switch the points this March. I've looked at both and neither seems to have a huge advantage from a resort collection standpoint. I'm really just asking if one company treats people better?

You used the word Points, in RCI points you can use points, if you switch to II you will have a week, not points. Both companies have some pluses, and minuses, can't really recommend one over the other

3. Third question - If I have a timeshare and the wife has a time share can we merge the points into a single account? Each unit allows us 4 guests at the resort so it might make sense to buy another week in the wife's name. I just want to be able to use all the points together.

I guess I don't understand what you are trying to accomplish here or what advantage you would have. If you and your wife each had an ownership, you would need 2 RCI accounts and you would not be able to blend your points together.

Thanks for all your help!

fwiw,

Greg

 

[winnipiseogee]

Sorry - I didn't mean the maintenance fees were way lower - I meant the overall cost of the deal was way lower than the resort charged.

On my third question I meant that if I have one week and my wife has one week then we can bring a total of 8 people if we wanted. I just didn't want to screw up a points account.

Also, I though that II was points as well so I guess I missed on that entirely. Maybe I should just leave it set up with RCI as it currently is.

Thanks again!

 

[aliikai2]

Sorry - I didn't mean the maintenance fees were way lower - I meant the overall cost of the deal was way lower than the resort charged.

On my third question I meant that if I have one week and my wife has one week then we can bring a total of 8 people if we wanted. I just didn't want to screw up a points account.

Ok so you were trying to be able to add those names to two accounts but use them as one, yeah no, two accounts or one account with 2 ownerships. Why would you want to allow that many people to use your points?

Also, I though that II was points as well so I guess I missed on that entirely. Maybe I should just leave it set up with RCI as it currently is.

Thanks again!

Greg

 

[squeeze]

I think the OP is saying he may like to bring some people with them on vacation at times (i.e. up to 8 people total).

If you want or need more points you can buy a second timeshare in your own name and use one II or RCI account (so you don't have to pay the wife's fee's separate). Then you can just deposit both weeks and use them together, or,

you can deposit both weeks (1 from each unit) and use one week, carry the second week over to the following year and combine it then or

two deposit both weeks and take two vacations that year if you don't have people to take with you.

 

[Passepartout]

You can combine RCI Points into one account. If you need more, you can carry over previous year points or borrow from the next year, so there is a lot of flexibility. Your MF is under the magic penny a point, so that is pretty good too.

All in all, if you are happy with it, then it s a good deal.

Welcome to TUG!

Jim

 

[andrea5150]

Steele Hill

We went on a timeshare presentation at Steele Hill Resorts this past weekend. My husband signed us up for it and it's only a 2 hour drive from home so we made a day of it and had lunch etc. We went for the "free airfare" knowing full well there'd be a catch to that too.

I think if I lived closer we may have been talked into buying there even though I know better than to buy direct from the resort/developer. The place is really nice and the free campground/golf etc. 365 days a year. The salesman we had wasn't very high pressure at all. I told him that I rent people's timeshares when I go away for less than the maint. fee so it doesn't make sense for us to buy right now. Though I do remember him showing us a chart and the maintenance fees varied from building to building. This would have been a 290/yr maint. fee with 40,000 points every other year. Sounded good...but not for 6900. We live too far away to take advantage of the place 365 days a year.

 

[tschwa2]

If I understand it the OP wants one unit in his name and one unit in his wife's name so they can have up to 8 people use the camping and day use privileges. While I think that might work, you would have to have two RCI points accounts (one for each deed listed with different name) and although you can transfer from account to account for free you would be looking at 2 annual RCI membership fees per year. Would you have been able to accomplish the same thing by purchasing a 2 bedroom unit or would the day use still be restricted to 4? Not all resorts allow resale owners to participate in day use privileges and can also take them away or restrict use especially during peak times so you need to be careful about buying for any benefits beyond the use of the week.

 

[applegirl]

So you will have day use of your new resort? That is wonderful, especially if you think you will actually use it. We have day use at our Marriott property in Palm Desert, CA, which is less than 2 hours from our house, so we use it from time to time. In fact my husband is taking the kids there today! Our daughter was so excited that this morning she was watching TV by 7am, had her swimsuit and pool robe on and had made her bed. She's 5 and kids are soooo funny!

I hope you gets many years of wonderful memories from your purchase and so glad you found us here on TUG. We can help you maximize your ownership and get the most bang for your buck. That's what TUG has done for us.

Best of luck to you and your family and happy timesharing!
Janna