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"What to Buy" help for Newbee

imamj1956

newbie
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Jun 4, 2018
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1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?

Las Vegas

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?

Yes more than half time

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

Florida
South Carolina
California
Hawaii
Mexico

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

4

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?

Anytime

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?

Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?

Yes, prefer 5 days


8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?

4

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?

5,000.00

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?

750

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?

Yes
 
Last edited by a moderator:

RNCollins

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
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3,329
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Location
Borscht Belt
Resorts Owned
Tradewinds, Divi, Quarter House, Casa Ybel
I am a newbie so others can offer you better advice, but I would like to welcome you to TUG.

There are many timeshares in Las Vegas, if you are considering Vegas as a home resort.
You mention you would like stays of 5 nights... You might consider a Points Resort like the Grandview (RCI Points) or Hilton.

Central Florida and Mexico are easy exchanges.

The best way to try out timeshares without making a commitment of maintenance fees is to rent from an owner. TUG2.com, RedWeek and myresortnetwork.com offer rentals. If you do decide to be an owner, buy resale.
 

GT75

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
Moderator
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May 30, 2016
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598
Location
Gig City in Tennessee
Resorts Owned
Legacy HGVC
FAVC-Cabo
If you really want level 4 quality, then you are looking for either Hyatt, Marriott, Vistana or Hilton. I think that Hilton (HGVC) is the cheapest (I think that the others might be a higher quality) and most flexible of these TS systems. I am only familiar with HGVC so you need to take that into account. I only know the other system from what I have learned here.

Now, HGVC has many TS in Las Vegas (as many others do too). Las Vegas is a good place to own because you should find many resales and MF (Maintenance Fees) are some of the lowest. You can also easily trade to all of the places on your list within HGVC system. You can also reserve less than a week (min required is 3 days) if you are booking during club reservation (typically 9-months before checkout).

So that is all of the good news. Now for the bad. I don't think you buy-in price ($5000) nor yearly MFs ($750) will be enough for HGVC nor Hyatt, Marriott, or Vistana. For 4 people, I think you should get a 2-bd (7000 points) platinum season. Typical buy-in cost would be ~$7000 ($1/point) and MFs with club dues ($1200). It is possible, you might be able to find something cheaper in HGVC (for example, I heard someone buy 2 Bd 7000 pts for around $3000 with MF at $900 plus club dues at $170). You could also purchase a 1-bd (4800 points) which would lower cost, but I don't want to put 4 people into a 1-bd.

Anyway, HGVC might be worth looking into. You may also want to look at the comparison of the various TS system (http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html)
 
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taterhed

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
4,536
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1,901
Points
399
Location
Virginia
Resorts Owned
Westin WKORV OFD
Marriott's Grande Vista
Worldmark x2
SVV Bella 81k
To follow on @GT75

You could also consider an affiliate resort (HGVC). Might be some options for cheaper MF's/purchase. I'm not an HGVC owner/expert and don't have specific examples, but it's another consideration. If you're primarily looking for shorter stays in really easy areas (LF, LV, Mex etc..) then home resort will have less value to you.

Just a thought....others more familiar will correct or confirm this....you can ask for help on that issue if it interests you...

On the other hand, Worldmark points are cheap and powerful. You could use Worldmark as a portal for RCI and Interval to get excellent trades, even shortstays for Interval. There are almost ALWAYS some Marriotts and HGVC's in Vegas and Floriday. What dates? Well, that varies. Again, it's a consideration.
 

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
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28,463
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17,214
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Location
Twin Falls, Eye-Duh-Hoe
All the places you say you want to travel to are easy rentals. Your budget is too low for the hotel branded TSs. You need to either adjust your finances or your expectations (like how important are granite counters- REALLY) or both.
 
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