Thinking about buying Marriott TS (most likely Ko Olina)

[darly2004]

Hello! I am new to this board. My husband and I are interested in purchasing a timeshare, possibly through Marriott. We love to travel and love Oahu, so we thought Ko Olina may be a great choice for us. We had looked at Disney's Aulani, but felt that DVC may be too restrictive for our travel plans. We usually take one big trip a year and enjoy going to different places. With that said, we've found ourselves being drawn back to Hawaii. We have 2 littles ones, so are looking for a two bedroom that can grow with our family.

So, while we are comfortable with the DVC booking/exchange process, I am still a bit confused with Marriott's. If anyone can give me a step-by-step, it will be greatly appreciated. Here is my understanding of it so far... when we exchange within the Marriott system, it will be through II, correct? How much does the membership cost? Before the exchange, we would have to book a week with Marriott first in order to exchange that week for another week at another resort? Are you doing a direct exchange with someone else (i.e. if I want the Phuket resort, someone who owns the Phuket week would have to want my Ko Olina week) or are you put in a pool so that anytime the Phuket week comes up you'd have a shot at it? Also, how common is it to be able to exchange a studio for a one or two bedroom? Is it pretty easy to exchange within the Marriott system or is it almost impossible? How about other outside exchanges through II?

My other question is regarding the lockoff unit. Let's say I am not going to use the studio side. Can I save it to exchange it the following year or does it have to be used within the same year (we are probably buying the biennual TS)? So if we use the one bedroom in 2012, can we save the studio to exchange in 2013? Also, do you specifically have to buy a unit that states that it is a lockoff to be able to use that option? I think that Ko Olina has both types for the 2 bedrooms. If so, how do we know for sure without seeing the deed, especially if we are going through a broker online.

Lastly, DH is afraid that there may be an overdue MF on the timeshare we will be buying. There is a way to find out before the purchase, right? How much lower do you think we can offer? Like $2-3 k? I see that some people are getting the biennual OV Ko Olina unit for $6k, but I am not seeing anything listed for that low. Also, if we buy now, any chance we'll be able to book at the Ko Olina in 2012 (we are looking at early May)?

So sorry for the long list of questions, we want to be sure that we are making an informed decision before we buy. Thank you again for your input.

- Daryl

 

[slum808]

Hi Daryl, Welcome to TUG!
You have a lot of questions, which is good, I'll try and answer some of them. I'm not a Marriott owner, but like you contemplating a purchase. I'll share what I've learned so far.

Hello! I am new to this board. My husband and I are interested in purchasing a timeshare, possibly through Marriott. We love to travel and love Oahu, so we thought Ko Olina may be a great choice for us. We had looked at Disney's Aulani, but felt that DVC may be too restrictive for our travel plans. We usually take one big trip a year and enjoy going to different places. With that said, we've found ourselves being drawn back to Hawaii. We have 2 littles ones, so are looking for a two bedroom that can grow with our family.

So, while we are comfortable with the DVC booking/exchange process, I am still a bit confused with Marriott's. If anyone can give me a step-by-step, it will be greatly appreciated. Here is my understanding of it so far... when we exchange within the Marriott system, it will be through II, correct? If you buy a week resale, yes all exchanges will be through II, If you buy points from Marriott, you book through Marriott How much does the membership cost? $89/year Before the exchange, we would have to book a week with Marriott first in order to exchange that week for another week at another resort? Yes, the week you book will determine your trading power. If you booked July 4 that would be stronger than booking an October week Are you doing a direct exchange with someone else (i.e. if I want the Phuket resort, someone who owns the Phuket week would have to want my Ko Olina week) or are you put in a pool so that anytime the Phuket week comes up you'd have a shot at it? II is a pool system, so as long as someone deposits the week you want you technically have a shot at it. II goes by trade power first with earlier request being the tiebreaker Also, how common is it to be able to exchange a studio for a one or two bedroom? I have not made a trade, but many report great success at uptrades in non-peak season Is it pretty easy to exchange within the Marriott system or is it almost impossible? All depends on when/where you want to go. Being flexible with travel dates seems to be the biggest key. If you are traveling around the school system, it can be very difficult. How about other outside exchanges through II?

My other question is regarding the lockoff unit. Let's say I am not going to use the studio side. Can I save it to exchange it the following year or does it have to be used within the same year (we are probably buying the biennual TS)? You'll generally want to make your deposite as early as possible, for the best trade power. You have two years to make a trade. So if we use the one bedroom in 2012, can we save the studio to exchange in 2013? Yes Also, do you specifically have to buy a unit that states that it is a lockoff to be able to use that option? Yes, not all units can be locked off I think that Ko Olina has both types for the 2 bedrooms. If so, how do we know for sure without seeing the deed, especially if we are going through a broker online. You can ask to see the deed, but make sure its in writting in the contract.

Lastly, DH is afraid that there may be an overdue MF on the timeshare we will be buying. There is a way to find out before the purchase, right? Ask for an Estopple letter from the resort. Again make sure everything is spelt out in the contract How much lower do you think we can offer? Never hurts to start low Like $2-3 k? My rule, 20-25% I see that some people are getting the biennual OV Ko Olina unit for $6k, but I am not seeing anything listed for that low. List price is a starting point. You can also watch Ebay, although I haven't seen much latly Also, if we buy now, any chance we'll be able to book at the Ko Olina in 2012 (we are looking at early May)? Going to be tough, once you come to an agrement with a seller, ask them to try and book May, they can pass it on to you. It could take a couple months to get all the paperwork completed

So sorry for the long list of questions, we want to be sure that we are making an informed decision before we buy. Thank you again for your input.

- Daryl

My personal thoughts on KoOlina,
mf are really high. You're paying $1600 a week for a two bedroom. There are tons of rentals units on Redweek.com for KoOlina $2200-$2500. If you're only going every other year that $600 means its going to take 20 years to break even on $6000 purchase. I personnaly have a hard time signing up for mf for life and can't commit to that.

 

[slum808]

Marriott trade examples

You might want to check out this tread on 2010 Marriott exchanges. Thanks to GregT for sharing it with me.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=997779#post997779

 

[m61376]

A couple of comments/additions:
-you have from one year before the date of travel to two years after for trading in II. You can extend a deposit for an additional year for ~$169 (or 3 or 6 months for less).
-uptrades are possible (studio for a larger unit) but keep in mind that you can only place an on-going request for the same size unit unless trading into a resort with only larger units. That means you need to check II frequently for such trades. Here, flexibility is the key- if you can travel off season, or make plans during Flexchange (59 days or less before travel) you can get amazing trades. If you are routinely looking for 2 BR's using your studio and expect to travel during peak times, you may be disappointed, at least some of the time.
-You can also trade privately. There is a classified section here at Tug for arranging private trades, and many of us have done that quite successfully, esp. with high demand resorts. The premise here is that you generally will be trading like for like- so don't expect big uptrades here, but it is a wonderful way for each party to get the week they want (location and dates), esp. if done more than a year in advance. This past year I did a three way trade, and it worked wonderfully. We started a little over a year in advance, and each booked the week the other wanted- a win-win all around. We all had terrific vacations, there were no trading fees, we got the exact dates and enjoyed owner priority for villa placement/views, etc.
-I believe all Ko'Olina weeks are sold as lock-offs (that should be stipulated in your contract of sale). To ensure that you have the ability to lock-off, reserve a lock-off villa when you book your reservation. I am not sure if you actually have to lock-off when booking and pay the fee, or whether you can just reserve a lock-off villa; hopefully others will chime in here.
-Look at closed listings on Ebay to get an idea of bottom-line price. Don't worry about the asking price- base your offer on what units have been selling for. Contact sellers on Redweek, contact a few resale brokers- tell them what you want and what price you are willing to pay. Just because someone has a higher asking price doesn't mean you should offer more- the unit is only worth what the market deems, and base you offer on that. Do it nicely, be prepared to get some nasty comments back, but hold your ground. If you want the names of a few resale brokers that people here have successfully used just ask. Ebay is another good place to shop, but make sure to do your due diligence and double-check everything, including view, years of usage, etc..
-Personally, I love Ko'Olina- however, don't buy in Hawaii and commit to the MF's unless you plan on using it most years. It is an expensive trader. Where do you live? If you're on the West coast travel is very different than on the East coast. While there are some East coasters that just love Hawaii and go there annually irregardless, for many of us it is too long a trip to do regularly. So where you live may be a factor to consider. Besides the time factor, is the airfare for your family affordable annually?

Don't buy there unless you plan on going there most of the time. If you are more likely to go to Ko'Olina every other year, than an every other year purchase would be better. Ultimately as your family grows and you consistently need the 2BR you can always buy a cheaper week elsewhere as a trader; perhaps pick a week closer to home that you can drive to sometimes for less costly and more convenient vacations.

Good luck, and welcome to Tug

btw-I think some of your confusion may be that Marriott used to sell only weeks. Weeks are now available only on the resale market (with a few exceptions, not including Ko'Olina); if you buy directly from Marriott today you will buy points, which can be used to reserve at any of their locations subject to availability. There is no home resort with points. Search this forum for other threads discussing points to get a feel for the Destination Club (DC) and the reservation procedures and costs. Resale weeks bought today cannot join the DC and can only exchange through II (with the exception of a limited number of weeks sold directly through Marriott which are still eligible to join the DC, and can be a cheaper alternative to buying points directly).

 

[BocaBoy]

My personal thoughts on KoOlina,
mf are really high. You're paying $1600 a week for a two bedroom. There are tons of rentals units on Redweek.com for KoOlina $2200-$2500. If you're only going every other year that $600 means its going to take 20 years to break even on $6000 purchase. I personnaly have a hard time signing up for mf for life and can't commit to that.

I think that if an ocean view is important to the OP and they plan to go to Ko Olina half the time or more, a purchase there is an excellent choice, much better than relying on II. If view is not important, then I concur that maybe another alternative might be better.

 

[darly2004]

Hi Daryl, Welcome to TUG!
You have a lot of questions, which is good, I'll try and answer some of them. I'm not a Marriott owner, but like you contemplating a purchase. I'll share what I've learned so far.

My personal thoughts on KoOlina,
mf are really high. You're paying $1600 a week for a two bedroom. There are tons of rentals units on Redweek.com for KoOlina $2200-$2500. If you're only going every other year that $600 means its going to take 20 years to break even on $6000 purchase. I personnaly have a hard time signing up for mf for life and can't commit to that.

Thanks so much for the reply. It was very helpful. I guess my thought on Ko Olina is that we would not mind spending at least every other year there if we have to, so we will be looking into a biennual contract. Since our kids are young, we are thinking of locking off the studio, so that we can trade it in for a trip the following year. We will soon be locked in to the school vacation time for our trips, but I think we'll be flexible with where we want to go most of the time. As the kids get older or when our parents want to come along, the 2 bedroom will be useful.

A couple of comments/additions:
-you have from one year before the date of travel to two years after for trading in II. You can extend a deposit for an additional year for ~$169 (or 3 or 6 months for less). So, if I buy a biennual even week, I can deposit the 2014 studio as early as 2013 and have until 2015 to find a match? When I book the room, can I set a different date for the studio side, or would the date be the same as the one I book for the 1 bedroom side? For example, we are booking the one bedroom for June 2012. Can we lockoff the studio and book it for a date in 2013?
-uptrades are possible (studio for a larger unit) but keep in mind that you can only place an on-going request for the same size unit unless trading into a resort with only larger units. That means you need to check II frequently for such trades. Here, flexibility is the key- if you can travel off season, or make plans during Flexchange (59 days or less before travel) you can get amazing trades. If you are routinely looking for 2 BR's using your studio and expect to travel during peak times, you may be disappointed, at least some of the time. We would not mind using the studio to get a studio. It would just be a plus if it is possible. Can we put a search for multiple timeshares/locations at once?
-You can also trade privately. There is a classified section here at Tug for arranging private trades, and many of us have done that quite successfully, esp. with high demand resorts. The premise here is that you generally will be trading like for like- so don't expect big uptrades here, but it is a wonderful way for each party to get the week they want (location and dates), esp. if done more than a year in advance. This past year I did a three way trade, and it worked wonderfully. We started a little over a year in advance, and each booked the week the other wanted- a win-win all around. We all had terrific vacations, there were no trading fees, we got the exact dates and enjoyed owner priority for villa placement/views, etc.
-I believe all Ko'Olina weeks are sold as lock-offs (that should be stipulated in your contract of sale). To ensure that you have the ability to lock-off, reserve a lock-off villa when you book your reservation. I am not sure if you actually have to lock-off when booking and pay the fee, or whether you can just reserve a lock-off villa; hopefully others will chime in here.
-Look at closed listings on Ebay to get an idea of bottom-line price. Don't worry about the asking price- base your offer on what units have been selling for. Contact sellers on Redweek, contact a few resale brokers- tell them what you want and what price you are willing to pay. Just because someone has a higher asking price doesn't mean you should offer more- the unit is only worth what the market deems, and base you offer on that. Do it nicely, be prepared to get some nasty comments back, but hold your ground. If you want the names of a few resale brokers that people here have successfully used just ask. Ebay is another good place to shop, but make sure to do your due diligence and double-check everything, including view, years of usage, etc..
-Personally, I love Ko'Olina- however, don't buy in Hawaii and commit to the MF's unless you plan on using it most years. It is an expensive trader. Where do you live? If you're on the West coast travel is very different than on the East coast. While there are some East coasters that just love Hawaii and go there annually irregardless, for many of us it is too long a trip to do regularly. So where you live may be a factor to consider. Besides the time factor, is the airfare for your family affordable annually? We'll probably do a biennual contract and would be willing to go there every other year if needed. We are from the West Coast, so airfare is reasonable so far.

Don't buy there unless you plan on going there most of the time. If you are more likely to go to Ko'Olina every other year, than an every other year purchase would be better. Ultimately as your family grows and you consistently need the 2BR you can always buy a cheaper week elsewhere as a trader; perhaps pick a week closer to home that you can drive to sometimes for less costly and more convenient vacations.

Good luck, and welcome to Tug

btw-I think some of your confusion may be that Marriott used to sell only weeks. Weeks are now available only on the resale market (with a few exceptions, not including Ko'Olina); if you buy directly from Marriott today you will buy points, which can be used to reserve at any of their locations subject to availability. There is no home resort with points. Search this forum for other threads discussing points to get a feel for the Destination Club (DC) and the reservation procedures and costs. Resale weeks bought today cannot join the DC and can only exchange through II (with the exception of a limited number of weeks sold directly through Marriott which are still eligible to join the DC, and can be a cheaper alternative to buying points directly).

Thanks so much for your input.

You might want to check out this tread on 2010 Marriott exchanges. Thanks to GregT for sharing it with me.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=997779#post997779

Thanks for the link!

I think that if an ocean view is important to the OP and they plan to go to Ko Olina half the time or more, a purchase there is an excellent choice, much better than relying on II. If view is not important, then I concur that maybe another alternative might be better.

We would not mind going there every other year if needed, so the biennual contract makes the most sense to us. Also to us, ocean view is pretty important. Although it may not be for everyone, looking at the ocean from our room would be heaven and makes our vacation more enjoyable!

Again thanks so much for all the replies!

 

[BocaBoy]

We would not mind going there every other year if needed, so the biennual contract makes the most sense to us. Also to us, ocean view is pretty important. Although it may not be for everyone, looking at the ocean from our room would be heaven and makes our vacation more enjoyable!

We bought ocean front in Maui and ocean view in Ko Olina because we need to see and hear the ocean from our unit. We have not been disappointed.

 

[m61376]

I can understand that OV really enhances your vacation experience, and that may be a pivotal reason to buy there. A guaranteed OV is important to many people (it's a biggie to me too).

To answer your questions:
If you buy a biennual even week, you can deposit the 2014 studio as early as 2013 and have until 2016 to find a match (one year before the date of the reservation to two years afterwards). When you book the room, you can set a different date for the studio side than the one bedroom side if you wish, but the reserved dates must both be within your usage year (so you could not book one side for 2012 and the other for 2013). generally speaking, book the side you are going to use for when you want to visit, but book the other side for one of higher TDI in II for best trade value.

You can search for multiple timeshare locations at once, and for as many dates as you want.

Sounds like you have a well thought out plan, and are smart to be doing your homework and knowing what you are buying before plunging in head first. I loved Ko'Olina and would buy there in a heartbeat of I lived on the West coast. My only regret in buying is that we didn't discover this while the kids were young. It's so convenient for travel with kids and with extended family and friends. We always travelled with kids and grandparents and a day or two into our first timeshare stay (which happened to be Ko'Olina, btw), my hubbie looked at me and said, "why would you ever want to travel any other way?" Needless to say, we were hooked!

 

[larryallen]

Don't be in a rush to buy. Just rent for May 2012 and then set an Ebay saved search to email you when new Marriott Ko Olina properties are listed or just check Ebay at least once a week. All the good deals on Ebay are auctions so you will have a week to find it and then bid.