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What to Buy?

wooglin157

newbie
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
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Hey All,

Found this site last year after attending a DRI presentation, and doing "The Sampler," then rescinding. Thank you! Have also attended a Hilton GV presentation. We quite liked Hilton's offering/setup. Wife's parents are also owners with DRI. Hoping to get some better guidance on if this is right for us. We've at the very least have concluded that resale would be the only option that makes sense.

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
More than likely Orlando, Vegas, or the Carolinas. We live in TX, and a driveable place near DFW, Austin, or Houston/Galveston might work too.

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?
Likely trade more than half the time.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Europe, SE Asia, US Mainland Destinations - Cali/Pacific NW more than likely. South America.

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
2. Potentially in the next 5 years, that goes to 4.

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes, we also can book within a month or less too.

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Yes. In fact, we typically like to do a minimum of 2 weeks on the same trip (at least 1 week in one location, though). This summer, we're likely looking at 3-4 weeks.

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
At least 3, 4 is great if we can find the right deal.

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
About $5000-$6000.

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?
$1500 - We have discovered its a struggle to justify $1500 or even $1000 for a MF with just a week of accommodations, however. That $1500 would assume getting at least 2 weeks of stays.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Yes, but it depends on the scope of the trip. More time/trip cost, more attention to detail.

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, which is partially why we've turned our attention to resale only.
 

RNCollins

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
3,329
Reaction score
1,200
Points
399
Location
Borscht Belt
Resorts Owned
Tradewinds, Divi, Quarter House, Casa Ybel

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
9,740
Reaction score
8,271
Points
498
Location
California
Resorts Owned
HGVC, MVC Vistana
Given your desired destinations of Vegas, Orlando and Carolinas, and your tight budget for 2 weeks. I would recommend renting because there is an oversupply of timeshares in those locations. There are also timeshares in the Galveston area but I am not familiar. They are likely independent and would lock you into that location and crap shoot to trade. Better to rent. However, given school schedule the Carolinas could be tough even if you owned.
 

geist1223

TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2015
Messages
5,974
Reaction score
5,728
Points
499
Location
Salem Oregon
Resorts Owned
Worldmark 97,000 Credits
DRI Cabo Azul 50,500
Royal Solaris San Jose del Cabo
Sorry you are being ignored. This survey is set up for semi-traditional week ownership. Have you looked at other Point Timeshares such at Worldmark and Wyndham?
 

SteelerGal

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,758
Reaction score
835
Points
224
Resorts Owned
WKV, SDO, HPP, Bay Club
I would rent as well at this time. Try HGVC and Wyndham System. Before we purchased, I rented and will still rent. I use RedWeek or VRBO.

Also do look into the Independents that are local to you. Since we live in SoCal, we have both the majors and Independents. We ownw/in the MVC and looking to purchase a local Independent because we enjoy the smaller properties that are beach front. Something to seriously consider.
GL.
 

RNCollins

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
3,329
Reaction score
1,200
Points
399
Location
Borscht Belt
Resorts Owned
Tradewinds, Divi, Quarter House, Casa Ybel

“3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Europe, SE Asia, US Mainland Destinations - Cali/Pacific NW more than likely. South America.”


If you don’t feel ready to commit to purchasing a timeshare, you can still have access to them with Trip Beat. These are unused timeshare weeks listed by RCI. All you pay for is the rent for the week. For example, here is a sample of what is currently available in Indonesia:

785918F0-7F27-46D3-B65C-98A3D872E801.png
 

turkel

TUG Member
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
1,709
Reaction score
1,085
Points
524
Location
California
Resorts Owned
Marriott Shadow Ridge
Marriott Grand Chateau
2 weeks vacation for $1500 and tied to school for a family of 5 is a high ask. I doubt you’ll be able to rent for that price during school vacations.
 

wooglin157

newbie
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Messages
4
Reaction score
4
Points
3
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, as we keep researching and looking things over, it just makes more sense to rent as normal or otherwise not dive into resale just yet. Maybe when we want to upgrade accommodations more, have a larger family, and can commit more yearly. Flexibility is key.

We have stayed at a Hilton resort, which is why we considered them too. It was really well maintained, so that was good to see. They'll definitely be on the radar. The in-laws with DRI also have more points than they can use, so they have offered us to be able to use theirs when we want. That sealed it to just use that, wait, and instead throw them some money for that generosity. If the only drawback is that there are certain resorts we can't stay in because it's owners only, that's a minor inconvenience.

To directly answer some questions posted above, I have not looked too deeply into Worldmark or Wyndham just yet. My understanding is they have many more options in the western US?

@RNCollins Thank you for that tip. Another great resource! I know desired destinations seemed quite scatterbrained, but we're certainly still in exploration mode in as many places of interest as possible. I'm sure in time, there will be a handful of locations that we always want to go back to. And in the short/medium term, we certainly do want to focus on US based travel more.
 

SteelerGal

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,758
Reaction score
835
Points
224
Resorts Owned
WKV, SDO, HPP, Bay Club
You can always exchange DRI and have you added as a guest. This is what I do for my family.
 

Fleurpink

Guest
Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
11
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, as we keep researching and looking things over, it just makes more sense to rent as normal or otherwise not dive into resale just yet. Maybe when we want to upgrade accommodations more, have a larger family, and can commit more yearly. Flexibility is key.

We have stayed at a Hilton resort, which is why we considered them too. It was really well maintained, so that was good to see. They'll definitely be on the radar. The in-laws with DRI also have more points than they can use, so they have offered us to be able to use theirs when we want. That sealed it to just use that, wait, and instead throw them some money for that generosity. If the only drawback is that there are certain resorts we can't stay in because it's owners only, that's a minor inconvenience.

To directly answer some questions posted above, I have not looked too deeply into Worldmark or Wyndham just yet. My understanding is they have many more options in the western US?

Thank you for that tip. Another great resource! I know desired destinations seemed quite scatterbrained, but we're certainly still in exploration mode in as many places of interest as possible. I'm sure in time, there will be a handful of locations that we always want to go back to. And in the short/medium term, we certainly do want to focus on US based travel more.
This survey is set up for semi-traditional week ownership.
 
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