Would you buy in Palm Springs?

[VegasBella]

Let's say you're a 70 year old woman in good health. For the last 5 years you've been going to Palm Springs in February for a special event. You really enjoy your trips and think you'll want to continue until your health deteriorates.

Would you buy a timeshare in Palm Springs?
If not, would you buy elsewhere and try to trade into Palm Springs.

 

[Ty1on]

Let's say you're a 70 year old woman in good health. For the last 5 years you've been going to Palm Springs in February for a special event. You really enjoy your trips and think you'll want to continue until your health deteriorates.

Would you buy a timeshare in Palm Springs?
If not, would you buy elsewhere and try to trade into Palm Springs.

Sure I would. There are plenty of them being given away in Palm Springs.

 

[WinniWoman]

As long as you feel you can handle the maintenance fees even after you can no longer go there and until you can give it away.

 

[ronparise]

I would buy anywhere I intended to visit on a regular basis.

 

[silentg]

Go for it! I wish you many more happy healthy vacations!
Silentg

 

[PassionForTravel]

I would buy (I did DSVII). Trading in via II or RCI is tough in February at the better resorts since it's peak season. Which means if you ever want to trade out it should have high trading power. But as with any TS I would make sure I had the exit strategy before buying. i.e. buy at a place which has value, then worse case you can give it away.

Does this 70 yo woman go to the same resort every year?

Ian

 

[Roger830]

I wouldn't buy a fixed week for the event. Owners were burnt in Daytona when they switched race weeks from 6 & 7 to 7 & 8 because of the Super Bowl being played later.

 

[glmyers]

How much was paid each of the prior 5 years versus the annual cost of owning the timeshare would be my primary consideration. I also would consider the financial health of the resort where the timeshare is located and the structure of its governance. As long as I am getting a discount on a place to stay and I am reasonably assured the place has stability I would likely acquire a timeshare if it was for the time and place I wanted to be.

 

[pacman777]

Let's say you're a 70 year old woman in good health. For the last 5 years you've been going to Palm Springs in February for a special event. You really enjoy your trips and think you'll want to continue until your health deteriorates.

Would you buy a timeshare in Palm Springs?
If not, would you buy elsewhere and try to trade into Palm Springs.

What's the special event in Palm Springs in February?

 

[Ty1on]

What's the special event in Palm Springs in February?

My completely random wild guess is Modernism Week.

 

[sue1947]

I'd buy a points based system that has a resort in PS. That way, I'd have the flexibility to change that week to another when I get tired of that special event and want to do something else. OR book someplace closer to home when traveling gets too much.

 

[SmithOp]

My completely random wild guess is Modernism Week.

Riverside County Fair and Date Festival.


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[Ty1on]

Riverside County Fair and Date Festival.


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In that case, Indio would also be a good possibility for her.

 

[bastroum]

February is a tough month to trade into a nice timeshare in Palm Desert. I would buy a Platinum week at one of the Marriott properties.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Let's say you're a 70 year old woman in good health. For the last 5 years you've been going to Palm Springs in February for a special event. You really enjoy your trips and think you'll want to continue until your health deteriorates.

Would you buy a timeshare in Palm Springs?
If not, would you buy elsewhere and try to trade into Palm Springs.

If you can afford it and enjoy going there, then why not?

If you want to go in February, you will want to buy a unit that trades into that season.

I own a red and a white Marriott in Palm Desert. With the white, I can find January units and April units but I don't seem (in a manual search) Feb or March. But with the red (or platinum) unit, I haven't had any trouble booking in February directly with Marriott Vacation Club. But I get up before 6 am to book it.

I think that the best TS in PD/PS are Marriott, Westin and Club Interwest. The Westin 2 BR lock off units have a MF of about $350-400 more than the Marriott, but when split, it trades as two 1-BR units. I think that the C.I. is also somewhat pricey. The Marriott 2-BR lockoffs have a MF around $1250-1340. I stayed at Welk Cathedral city and enjoyed it, although it is fairly basic and is a converted 1-BR apartment complex.

I think that a red/platinum Marriott sells for around $5K or so. If you want to go in February, don't buy a white/gold unit.

 

[theo]

My $0.02 worth...

Let's say you're a 70 year old woman in good health. For the last 5 years you've been going to Palm Springs in February for a special event. You really enjoy your trips and think you'll want to continue until your health deteriorates.

Would you buy a timeshare in Palm Springs?
If not, would you buy elsewhere and try to trade into Palm Springs.

Personally, I would not buy only for event access (and certainly not anywhere else just to maybe be able to "trade in" during a single, very specific week each year), thereby unnecessarily taking on both the uncertainty of "exchanging" and the long term obligation of annual fees and later (perhaps difficult) shedding of the ownership (of unknown future resale worth) if / when its' value for your use has faded or ceased entirely.

Assuming that you've used reasonably priced and acceptable accommodations these past 5 years without the cost, burden or contractual responsibilty of ownership, I would be inclined to just continue utilizing that method, which has seemingly / presumably resulted in your acquiring acceptable lodging there for each of the past 5 years.

Just my personal opinion. YMMV and, as always, to each his / her / their own.

 

[bastroum]

February weeks at the Palm Desert Marriott properties rent for more than the MF's. They can be purchased (fairly easily) for less than $5,000 and sold for the same (netting $2,500 in return). If she used the property 10 years her cost would be $250 per year for owning. Renting during the same period would cost 2 to 4 times more. These Platinum properties sell pretty fast compared to the White and Blue seasons. I'd still buy.

 

[VegasBella]

My completely random wild guess is Modernism Week.

Ding ding ding! Winner!
The woman in question is my mom and she likes this event.

February is a tough month to trade into a nice timeshare in Palm Desert. I would buy a Platinum week at one of the Marriott properties.

Assuming that you've used reasonably priced and acceptable accommodations these past 5 years without the cost, burden or contractual responsibilty of ownership, I would be inclined to just continue utilizing that method, which has seemingly / presumably resulted in your acquiring acceptable lodging there for each of the past 5 years.

She doesn't own any timeshares and is scared of them. But she's very happy to stay in them when I arrange extra vacations through RCI. It's just sometimes hard to find something in February. So she's kind of inclined to just keep doing what she's doing. We usually find something that's acceptable to her but it's not very luxurious.

February weeks at the Palm Desert Marriott properties rent for more than the MF's. They can be purchased (fairly easily) for less than $5,000 and sold for the same (netting $2,500 in return). If she used the property 10 years her cost would be $250 per year for owning. Renting during the same period would cost 2 to 4 times more. These Platinum properties sell pretty fast compared to the White and Blue seasons. I'd still buy.

Basically exactly what I was thinking. If my husband would go for it, I'd just buy it myself and "rent" to her at cost or put her name on the deed.

My thought was to get a 2 bedroom lockoff. Then, for the years that she travels with just me or one friend we'd lock it off and use half the unit to trade into something else for another vacation. And the years when she wanted the extra space she could invite more friends/family to join. And of course the years that she didn't want to go or couldn't go then just trade into something else entirely until we ultimately sold it or gave it away. I am thinking the math works out well on this assuming things are done right and on time. But of course it's always a gamble.

 

[presley]

Basically exactly what I was thinking. If my husband would go for it, I'd just buy it myself and "rent" to her at cost or put her name on the deed.

My thought was to get a 2 bedroom lockoff. Then, for the years that she travels with just me or one friend we'd lock it off and use half the unit to trade into something else for another vacation. And the years when she wanted the extra space she could invite more friends/family to join. And of course the years that she didn't want to go or couldn't go then just trade into something else entirely until we ultimately sold it or gave it away. I am thinking the math works out well on this assuming things are done right and on time. But of course it's always a gamble.

If you feel that you could also get use out of it, I'd say go for it. If you get a Marriott or Westin, they will likely be able to be resold later if you aren't using them. Plus, you'll have the ability to trade in Interval, which has some other nice properties. They are in Palm Desert, though.

I would only buy it if you think your own family would use it, too. Worldmark has 4 properties in the area: Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Indio. So, you could always just get a Worldmark contract. Worldmark also has 3 of the places on your wish list in your signature.

 

[klpca]

We own in Palm Desert and love it. It is a Marriott that exchanges in Interval, so you would have to add a membership. The unit locks off (and there's a lock off fee too) but both units trade well.

I know that you own at Carlsbad Inn which gives you access to GPX. They have Feb weeks on the bonus list right now for $699, although the dates don't line up perfectly. I haven't stayed there so I can't vouch for the units. Just another option.

 

[VegasBella]

I know that you own at Carlsbad Inn which gives you access to GPX. They have Feb weeks on the bonus list right now for $699, although the dates don't line up perfectly. I haven't stayed there so I can't vouch for the units. Just another option.

Oh I forgot to check that for 2016. Thank you!

 

[SmithOp]

Oh I forgot to check that for 2016. Thank you!

This is a good week to book, half off everything sale at GPX!


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[billwright1]

We own four weeks at the Palm Springs Tennis Club just .4 mile from downtown Palm Springs and love it. The prices are very reasonable and the maintenance fees are also.

 

[VegasBella]

We own four weeks at the Palm Springs Tennis Club just .4 mile from downtown Palm Springs and love it. The prices are very reasonable and the maintenance fees are also.

I noticed there's one for sale on ebay now
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PALM-SPRING...399770?hash=item3d06b301da:g:Pr8AAOSwhcJWJ8Kr

 

[Ty1on]

I noticed there's one for sale on ebay now
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PALM-SPRING...399770?hash=item3d06b301da:g:Pr8AAOSwhcJWJ8Kr

Unfortunately not the season you seek.