Thinking of buying at Sweetwater Lift Lodge, Park City

[Duketime]

Hey
I am a complete newbie at timeshares. Just stayed (rented through Hotels.com) at Sweetwater Lift Lodge (contrary to postings on TUG, it is in fact Sweetwater Lift Lodge, and not “formerly”..) in Park City and absolutely loved it. Had a huge 1 BR, with kitchen, etc
The desk manager laughed when I told him how much I paid for the week. He said to buy a timeshare for a lot less. As far as I can see the resort is not affiliated with any timeshare company. So he gave me the name of the management company running it to contact them to buy a TS, or to go on something called “redweek.com”.
I’d like the same week I rented, I guess it’s week 7 (feb 22-March 1), or a week later.
I don’t know where to start, or even what to do after I buy it: how do I exchange it for another resort if they are affiliated with an exchange co.
Should I buy directly through their mgmnt company, or through Redweek, or TUG, or ?
I saw listings for weeks for sale at $1, and others at $5,000....don’t understand the difference
Where should I start?
Thanks all

 

[vacationtime1]

I saw listings for weeks for sale at $1, and others at $5,000....don’t understand the difference

The price of a timeshare on the secondary market will depend on the size of the unit, the season, and the seller.

Sweetwater has different sized units -- that will obviously affect the price.

My recollection is that Sweetwater is fixed weeks (i.e. you own the right to use the same calendar week every year). You want to buy a prime (ski season) week; weeks 7-10 are prime in Utah and prices reflect that (note: Sweetwater is in Park City with the Sundance Film Festival in late January which creates an artificial bump in value for those weeks as well).

Finally, some sellers are realistic about the value of their units; others are not. Many people buy timeshares believing they are real estate that will only go up in value; these are the unrealistic sellers. Obviously the well-priced units sell first. Once you understand the distinctions between what different sellers are offering (i.e. unit size, week, etc.), you will be prepared to pounce on a bargain.

Here is a good introduction to timeshares in general: https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timesharing_101_an_introduction_to_timeshares.html

 

[bogey21]

I owned a Week at Sweetwater Lift Lofge many years ago. I don't remember what I paid for it (or for that matter what I sold it for) but it couldn't have been much as I was buying Weeks for between $500 and $1,500 at the time...

George

 

[Duketime]

The price of a timeshare on the secondary market will depend on the size of the unit, the season, and the seller.

Sweetwater has different sized units -- that will obviously affect the price.

My recollection is that Sweetwater is fixed weeks (i.e. you own the right to use the same calendar week every year). You want to buy a prime (ski season) week; weeks 7-10 are prime in Utah and prices reflect that (note: Sweetwater is in Park City with the Sundance Film Festival in late January which creates an artificial bump in value for those weeks as well).

Finally, some sellers are realistic about the value of their units; others are not. Many people buy timeshares believing they are real estate that will only go up in value; these are the unrealistic sellers. Obviously the well-priced units sell first. Once you understand the distinctions between what different sellers are offering (i.e. unit size, week, etc.), you will be prepared to pounce on a bargain.

Here is a good introduction to timeshares in general: https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timesharing_101_an_introduction_to_timeshares.html

Thank you Robert

 

[Crafty71]

Hey Bill,

Glad you found TUG. I was going to suggest it to you the next time we spoke.

The people here are very knowledgeable. I have learned a lot in the past year.

Cheers!

 

[funtime]

This is now called the Lift Lodge. Check on Redweek.com for resales. Also TradingPlaces.com often has rentals on their website. I have not seen many of these come up for sale on ebay, another popular source for resale timeshares. However you can often exchange into Lift Lodge with the Trading Places website if you own a different timeshare. In general Park City Timeshares are hard to exchange into. Trading Places generally has the best exchange inventory for Park City.

 

[5finny]

Years ago I owned a unit there
My recollection was that it was a rotating week
One year you got a low demand week
I year a medium demand week and 1 year a prime week
That was fine with me but I think a fixed week would suit you better
If I remember where I bought it I will post again
IMHO The trick to buying timeshares is patience
If you want something today you will probably have to pay top price (if you can find it)
Take your time and you can find someone who is anxious to sell
This had a great location but is not a fancy resort
I did not pay much for the unit and when I sold I got less and it took forever (over a year perhaps several years)
I remember who I bought it from
Here is the website
http://shelleypreecerealty.com/
It was years ago but I found her to be honest and informative

 

[lastick]

I bought my week 7 there a few years ago from a lady I had previously rented from. I found the rental unit on Craigslist. When contemplating the purchase I also saw a few for sale on redweek. I own a large 3 bed loft unit. It is one of the nicest units in the complex. Some units are very dark and dungeon like but ours has high ceilings and lots of light. We rent it some years and use it some years. If you are ever interested in renting week 7 send me an email in the fall. That is usually when we set our plans. Oh and by the way I’m sure the rent for our large unit would be a lot less than what you paid for a 1 bedroom from a booking site. My email is tahoealice@sbcglobal.net