What to Buy???

[Nene002000]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Not necessarily, but I live in NY

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? Unsure, if a lovely property prime season good weather may not trade and keep it

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Unsure, love to travel and love beaches and warm weather

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 7

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? Anytime but do work around school travel for more than weekend getaways

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes I can but I’m more spontaneous

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

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4 or 5

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? Unsure, best for least.

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? 2k but I want to understand the MF and why they are so high or low. Ie. What am I getting for 2k a year.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner? NO

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

 

[jp10558]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Not necessarily, but I live in NY

Hi fellow NYer!

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? Unsure, if a lovely property prime season good weather may not trade and keep it

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Unsure, love to travel and love beaches and warm weather

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 7

Whoof - 7 is a lot. I think most timeshares that would be a 2BR and a Studio or 1BR to get that many people, or a 3BR which are somewhat rare/limited. So this means you'd have 2 units which would be like 2 hotel rooms / 2 weeks for 1 week of stay, unless you find the rarer 3BR or 4BR. Other issue here is while they may try and get the units near to each other, they're completely separate and could be on opposite sides of the restorts.

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? Anytime but do work around school travel for more than weekend getaways

This will make it more challenging as you're competing with many other people locked into school travel. You're going to limit the choices quite a bit if you look for non week chunks - points systems can do that, but again way harder to book weekends than weekdays cause again everyone else wants a weekend getaway too.

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes I can but I’m more spontaneous

Timeshares aren't great for spontaneity. Yes, some like Wyndham, Worldmark and the exchange companies like RCI and II have some last minute inventory but usually those are "leftovers" and / or cash deals of one type or another. You can, and I have, book a week out for points, but I wouldn't count on that at all. It was a fluke that happened to work out in the end of January 2024.

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

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4 or 5

This is going to limit you again to HGVC and MVC - plus some smaller, way more expensive groups like Four Seasons etc. The vast majority of Timeshares are 3-3.5 stars, and especially if you're looking for last minute pick-ups or varied locations, exchanges etc that's going to be way more plausible. Now if you just want a specific location, probably Florida, Hawaii or the Caribbean you could get a 4* and just go there all the time I guess.

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? Unsure, best for least.

There's no "one best", but the higher end resale in HGVC or Marriott probably looking at between $6,000 and $15,000 depending on location and specific week. Especially if you need at least 2 units.

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? 2k but I want to understand the MF and why they are so high or low. Ie. What am I getting for 2k a year.

For 4* and 7 people, I think you're a little low. I think you could probably make $3,000 work - again we're talking 2MF and 2Units for 7 people. This is conservative / worst case - there are 2BR that will sleep 8, I just don't know if there's a lot of beach area 4* 3BR available, and if so, what system and cost is likely to be.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner? NO

This is a huge red flag - if you don't plan meticulously and far ahead, especially for 7 people, I almost guarantee you'll end up being unable to use a timeshare UNLESS it's an old fixed location fixed week (and these probably aren't 4*) and you just go there every year. Otherwise you'll be juggling if the unit(s) will sleep 7 people, finding availability, potentially working with the resort to try and have the units near each other etc...

CONCLUSION: I don't think Timeshares are for you, or likely to do what you want.

 

[Nene002000]

Hi fellow NYer!

Whoof - 7 is a lot. I think most timeshares that would be a 2BR and a Studio or 1BR to get that many people, or a 3BR which are somewhat rare/limited. So this means you'd have 2 units which would be like 2 hotel rooms / 2 weeks for 1 week of stay, unless you find the rarer 3BR or 4BR. Other issue here is while they may try and get the units near to each other, they're completely separate and could be on opposite sides of the restorts.

This will make it more challenging as you're competing with many other people locked into school travel. You're going to limit the choices quite a bit if you look for non week chunks - points systems can do that, but again way harder to book weekends than weekdays cause again everyone else wants a weekend getaway too.

What’s your thoughts on a 3 bed lock off unit?

Timeshares aren't great for spontaneity. Yes, some like Wyndham, Worldmark and the exchange companies like RCI and II have some last minute inventory but usually those are "leftovers" and / or cash deals of one type or another. You can, and I have, book a week out for points, but I wouldn't count on that at all. It was a fluke that happened to work out in the end of January 2024.

This is going to limit you again to HGVC and MVC - plus some smaller, way more expensive groups like Four Seasons etc. The vast majority of Timeshares are 3-3.5 stars, and especially if you're looking for last minute pick-ups or varied locations, exchanges etc that's going to be way more plausible. Now if you just want a specific location, probably Florida, Hawaii or the Caribbean you could get a 4* and just go there all the time I guess.

There's no "one best", but the higher end resale in HGVC or Marriott probably looking at between $6,000 and $15,000 depending on location and specific week. Especially if you need at least 2 units.

For 4* and 7 people, I think you're a little low. I think you could probably make $3,000 work - again we're talking 2MF and 2Units for 7 people. This is conservative / worst case - there are 2BR that will sleep 8, I just don't know if there's a lot of beach area 4* 3BR available, and if so, what system and cost is likely to be.

What about the 499$ and under weeks they try to sell you on during presentation? Does each company have their own getaway weeks or is this type of thing the II or RCI getaway weeks? Westgate mentioned Westgate Cruise and Travel as well as II and travel partners which appears to be a share it and get money approach.

This is a huge red flag - if you don't plan meticulously and far ahead, especially for 7 people, I almost guarantee you'll end up being unable to use a timeshare UNLESS it's an old fixed location fixed week (and these probably aren't 4*) and you just go there every year. Otherwise you'll be juggling if the unit(s) will sleep 7 people, finding availability, potentially working with the resort to try and have the units near each other etc...

CONCLUSION: I don't think Timeshares are for you, or likely to do what you want.

I’m open to nice 3+ star places if they are actually nice places to stay. I really want to find a way to travel much more inexpensive than we do now and at a loss with how to do that. I really wish there was a way to buy into an II or RCI without being an owner. This is discouraging that you can’t find reduced rate shorter weeks/weekends. I would love to pick up every month and go to a drivable location from us.

 

[ScoopKona]

What’s your thoughts on a 3 bed lock off unit?

What about the 499$ and under weeks they try to sell you on during presentation? Does each company have their own getaway weeks or is this type of thing the II or RCI getaway weeks? Westgate mentioned Westgate Cruise and Travel as well as II and travel partners which appears to be a share it and get money approach.

I’m open to nice 3+ star places if they are actually nice places to stay. I really want to find a way to travel much more inexpensive than we do now and at a loss with how to do that. I really wish there was a way to buy into an II or RCI without being an owner. This is discouraging that you can’t find reduced rate shorter weeks/weekends. I would love to pick up every month and go to a drivable location from us.

Lock-offs don't matter as much with newer hybrid systems.

The getaway weeks *can* work. But they typically are either in places that have massive availability (Kissimmee); or are very difficult to get to (South Stanley Island, South Pacific is almost always available as a getaway); or are very off-season (Scotland in the winter). Sometimes, things line up and you get something you like for a very attractive nightly rate. But don't ever count on this happening.

There are only a handful of 4-star timeshares worldwide. There aren't all that many threes. Timeshares are typically utilitarian, sensible, and convenient. Not luxurious. I wish this question was dropped from the list. Because everyone says "4-5" when there are no fives. Only a few fours. And most people are quite happy with 1-2 if the location is perfect.

The question that should replace "how many stars" is: How many weeks of vacation do you expect to wring out of a single maintenance fee? This is where timeshares still beat every other form of accommodations. You can't get a hotel room for the night, and then trade it for two weeks elsewhere. But you can do that with some timeshares.

 

[elaine]

Many 2 bedrooms only sleep 6. So, if you decide to get a TS, maybe a Marriott or HGVC that has 2 beds in 2nd bedroom is what you'd need or a 3 BR. But, with a 3 BR, if you're trading in RCI/II, there are few 3 BR, so you'd be trading "down" to a 2 BR. From NY, maybe Marriott Myrtle Beach (you can buy a "week" to use in a floating system (Platinum (summer), Gold, Sliver), which you could also trade in II for other places (but maybe 2BR-but they tend to have 2 beds in 2nd BR). There are many Marriott timeshares in Hilton Head (and 1 HGVC), but it's a longer drive for you. My advice is buy something that people want-prime season, prime location, so you have a decent exit plan later. Hotel-branded timeshares tend to have higher resale prices.

I’m open to nice 3+ star places if they are actually nice places to stay. We owned a 3BR fixed summer week at Waterside by Spinnaker in HHI. It was 2 blocks down a quiet street to a non-crowded beach, a bike-ride or free-shuttle to Coligny Beach with lots of activity. It was a solid 3* resort with units updated about 5 years ago. Fabulous main pool, large kiddie pool with waterworks, and nice secondary pool. We had it for 15 years (from toddlers to college) until kids outgrew HHI trips. This would be a decent lower priced one for HHI. But, it's value is in usage. It trades meh in RCI. I'd pay up to $5K for one of these # BR Summer weeks. Don't be discouraged if you see high resale prices listed--those are very unrealistic. Make a handful of lower offers.

And, as PP said, getaways (II), extra vacations (RCI) are usually surplus inventory or off-season. There a nice bonus when they work out-but in 10+ years, we've only used them for Massanutten and Williamsburg. You'll be unlikely to find summer beach, ski weeks, etc.

 

[jp10558]

What’s your thoughts on a 3 bed lock off unit?

My thoughts are you have to want to go there. The only 3BR I've seen personally is Coral Reef in HHI, and that was end of January in terms of "deal" availability. If that works for you, then RCI Extra Vacations can work, but if you want to go to HHI in say May, I've only seen 2BR and they're $1,500 or more for the week.

What about the 499$ and under weeks they try to sell you on during presentation? Does each company have their own getaway weeks or is this type of thing the II or RCI getaway weeks? Westgate mentioned Westgate Cruise and Travel as well as II and travel partners which appears to be a share it and get money approach.

I’m open to nice 3+ star places if they are actually nice places to stay. I really want to find a way to travel much more inexpensive than we do now and at a loss with how to do that. I really wish there was a way to buy into an II or RCI without being an owner.

You can search this forum for the Vacation Clubs - I think people have said like the Armed Forces Vacation Club has much of the cash availability that RCI does. I'm not aware of II being available anywhere else though. (That said, I don't think II makes a lot of sense just for cash Getaways).

This is discouraging that you can’t find reduced rate shorter weeks/weekends. I would love to pick up every month and go to a drivable location from us.

Timeshares still have the week mentality of how they were originally sold, especially outside of points mini systems. I guess owning RCI points may let you do something generic like that, but mostly, just like hotels, the most expensive days are weekends. Now if you wanted to go Sun-Wed nights or Mon-Thu nights (depends on the systems definition of "weekday night") there are some nice "deals" in points systems - it's a way to really stretch the points cause often you get 1.5 to 2 weekday nights for the same points as 1 weekend night.

I still just don't think Timeshares fit what you want to do very well, and I think you may struggle to get value out of them.

Maybe what you should do is buy a TUG membership for $15 and post some "rental wishes" and see what that would cost to rent from owners? That will give you an idea of what the costs can be - they'll probably average around MF cost, some in demand weeks or days will be much higher, many average days / weeks will be MF cost or even less to just recoup something from the days.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@Nene002000 +1 comments above.

HGVC limits 6 to a 2 bdrm. So not a good fit.

MVC (Marriott) allows 8 in a 2 bdrm. Grand Chateau 2 or 3 bdrm resale*might* work but you need to check the MF numbers and purchase against your budget. Managing the lockoffs and exchanging requires planning 12 - 24 months in advance but you get preferential trades into the MVC system destinations and lower exchange fees. Are you up for that planning work? Getting trades into 2 bdrms is getting tougher and will cost you exchange fees on top of your maint fees.

Perhaps consider a Grand Chateau Every Other Year that might better fit your budget and planning style?

There is also the cost of transporting and feeding 7 people on a trip beyond the timeshare. Do you have budget for that?

Run away from Westgate. They are a terrible company and you will have issues when you decide to exit because they limit resale use to be non-usable for buyers so no one wants them and you will be stuck for life with the Maint Fee.