Generally speaking, and acknowledging my limited experience, I hold the same POV about Wyndham usually being nicer than Worldmark BUT I still have a lot of each to visit.
Bulk List Inventory - Google Drive
docs.google.com
Timeshare Nation still has 2 free Grand Desert deeds listed on their inventory. I would snatch those two up if they're still available. The maintenance fees are pretty low there (bottom 30%).
contact info: jared@timesharenation.com
Since one of the deeds is an even use year, you can use Worldmark points to travel in the odd years. The Worldmark system lets you bank and borrow.
You might check the TUG marketplace at
You can limit the search to either Wyndham or WorldMark by searching for either name in the field at the top of the listing. There are several fairly attractively priced WorldMark contracts on their right now, but look at the transfer costs. If it's still there in a few months after one I picked up on Timeshare Nation for free transfers there is one that would fit nicely combined with my other ones. The beauty of the WorldMark side is that you don't have to do a lot of research about which resort to buy since all the fees are the same. Additionally, if you want more points you have the option of renting from another owner at a decent price or picking up a different TS with an inexpensive high demand week that you can deposit in RCI or II and convert to WorldMark credits - you can do this with a resale WorldMark account, but not with a resale Wyndham account.
If you choose to go the Wyndham route instead, do your homework and pick a resort with a low point cost. @HDiaz1 put together a google docs spreadsheet of the MFs that have been reported here that is a great resource; it's available at:
Wyndham HOA Maint. Fees - History
docs.google.com
Canterbury and Bali Hai are regularly two of the lowest ones; you will periodically see them on eBay. They cost a bit more than the higher fee resorts because there are people that also do their homework and look at this as a long-term proposition. From that perspective, the fees at Bali Hai get you about a 38% discount for a vacation cost as compared to the Club Wyndham Access fees, but again do your own due diligence. There are converted week contracts out there for a lot of the resorts that have different point costs than the standard ones; you can figure out the point cost in $ per 1,000 points, which is the typical comparison, generally by subtracting $180 per year from the MF quoted (that is the minimum Wyndham program fee) and dividing by the number of thousand-points up to about 282,000 points; above that it would be the MF divided by the thousand-points minus $0.64, which is the Club Wyndham Plus program fee. As a resale owner, you would be paying a program fee of $0.62 per thousand points, bringing it up close to the quoted MF for larger contracts or the same for smaller contracts.
As @cbyrne1174 mentioned, Grand Desert ones are typically on the lower side of resort costs. When you hear back from TSN, as for a copy of the estoppel and figure out if those are good ones to pick up. I saw them there and didn't find those ones particularly attractive because they are kind of small accounts that won't get you a decent amount of usage unless you pick up several. There is a converted Bali Hai week on the TUG Marketplace with a biennial 308,000 points that would cost you more initially, but has a lower MF that might be a better starter one in Wyndham.
You might check the TUG marketplace at
You can limit the search to either Wyndham or WorldMark by searching for either name in the field at the top of the listing. There are several fairly attractively priced WorldMark contracts on their right now, but look at the transfer costs. If it's still there in a few months after one I picked up on Timeshare Nation for free transfers there is one that would fit nicely combined with my other ones. The beauty of the WorldMark side is that you don't have to do a lot of research about which resort to buy since all the fees are the same. Additionally, if you want more points you have the option of renting from another owner at a decent price or picking up a different TS with an inexpensive high demand week that you can deposit in RCI or II and convert to WorldMark credits - you can do this with a resale WorldMark account, but not with a resale Wyndham account.
If you choose to go the Wyndham route instead, do your homework and pick a resort with a low point cost. @HDiaz1 put together a google docs spreadsheet of the MFs that have been reported here that is a great resource; it's available at:
Wyndham HOA Maint. Fees - History
Canterbury and Bali Hai are regularly two of the lowest ones; you will periodically see them on eBay. They cost a bit more than the higher fee resorts because there are people that also do their homework and look at this as a long-term proposition. From that perspective, the fees at Bali Hai get you about a 38% discount for a vacation cost as compared to the Club Wyndham Access fees, but again do your own due diligence. There are converted week contracts out there for a lot of the resorts that have different point costs than the standard ones; you can figure out the point cost in $ per 1,000 points, which is the typical comparison, generally by subtracting $180 per year from the MF quoted (that is the minimum Wyndham program fee) and dividing by the number of thousand-points up to about 282,000 points; above that it would be the MF divided by the thousand-points minus $0.64, which is the Club Wyndham Plus program fee. As a resale owner, you would be paying a program fee of $0.62 per thousand points, bringing it up close to the quoted MF for larger contracts or the same for smaller contracts.
As @cbyrne1174 mentioned, Grand Desert ones are typically on the lower side of resort costs. When you hear back from TSN, as for a copy of the estoppel and figure out if those are good ones to pick up. I saw them there and didn't find those ones particularly attractive because they are kind of small accounts that won't get you a decent amount of usage unless you pick up several. There is a converted Bali Hai week on the TUG Marketplace with a biennial 308,000 points that would cost you more initially, but has a lower MF that might be a better starter one in Wyndham.
I like the using the RCI exchange because if planned right you can get a extra week of vacation using 154,000 points. RCI charges $239 per reservation but when booking a 1 bed room for a week with RCI its only 105,000 or 77,000 points needed compared to booking the same week with Wyndham at 154,000. Booking with RCI can give you a extra week of vacation at a additional cost of $478 ($3.10/1000) or less then $70 per night. You will have to plan ahead to find Wyndham availability but there are also many other nice resorts to book including HGVC and Worldmark.
I agree the extra vacations cash option is also a good value at times. If you have a flexible schedule and can travel during the value weeks booking RCI is a great value also. Wyndham Grand Desert for 1 week with Wyndham at 154,000 ( 154K points * ($4.87/K pts + $0.62/K pts) = $834.68. But if you have a flexible travel schedule and can plan ahead deposit all 154,000 points in RCI to get a additional week in value season for the cost of 2 reservation fees of $239ea or a total of $478 ( 154K points * ($4.87/K pts + $0.62/K pts) = $834.68 + $239 +$239 = $1312.68 or a additional $478 for the additional week. The key is to learn the system and make it work for your travel needs or personal situation. Of course this will not work if you need a 3 bedroom presidential at Bonnet Creek during Easter but value can be found under certain circumstances.
Great example of using RCI to book a 2 bedroom on sale for 77,000 vs normal 165,000 points. There are a lot very nice resorts outside of Wyndham including HGVC that weekly stays can be booked at 1/2 points vs booking a Wyndham reservation. If you are a Wyndham resale owner and want to double or get the most vacation time out of 154,000 Wyndham points RCI is a good option even with the additional $239 reservation fee. If you are VIP and could book in the 50% discount window then RCI may not work as well for you.