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WSJ: Is it hard to change fixed weeks in the summer?

rcs249

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Hi all.

I have completely appreciated all of the information I have read in the TUG articles and on the board, so I hope one or two of you might be able to help me answer this question based upon your experiences:

If I buy an October fixed week WSJ Hillside studio villa, will it be hard to move to a late June-August week periodically? October is great when my teenagers go off to college in a few years, but it won't work for a family vacation which is why I ask.

I know that the summer is the slower season, and I have an opportunity to buy at a half the developer cost, but as the seller never tried to change her week, she couldn't confidently give me an answer.

Thanks so much in advance for your insight!
 

pointsjunkie

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fixed weeks at any resort is hard to change for another week. you will be lumpe into the pool with all owners at the 8 month mark. wsj is even harder as of right now.

they had a readjustment in their staroptions for 2009 so i think they will start trading in the SVN. but only time will tell.
 

DeniseM

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It will be very difficult to exchange for a summer week at WSJ. If you need a specific season, you should buy that season. Even though summer seems like low season on the Staroptions chart, it is very popular because the kids are out of school.
 

tomandrobin

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fixed weeks at any resort is hard to change for another week. you will be lumpe into the pool with all owners at the 8 month mark. wsj is even harder as of right now.

they had a readjustment in their staroptions for 2009 so i think they will start trading in the SVN. but only time will tell.

Actually the can try to float at the 10 month mark, since it is still within thier season. However, it is still extremely difficult, if not impossible to float your unit at St John. Summer time is not slow time, when the kids are out of school.
 

tomandrobin

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Also, even though the new Bay Vista has float units, I don't think the hillside units can exchange into those units until the 8 month mark, like everyone else.
 

DavidnRobin

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The WSJ owner exchange period is from 8-10 months for the Hillside units within your season.

To exchange into the BV phase, or outside of your season, that will need to occur at the 8-month point along with everyone else in the SVN system

I do not know the exact difficulty of exchanging within a season and the studio should be easier than the others, BUT a major problem is that unless you are 4* Elite you will not be able to waitlist while waiting for the within season exchange. Meaning... you will have to give up your October reservation in order to be waitlisted to attempt to change your week within a season.

Scenerio - you have your October fixed week reserved as purchased (this can actualy be done as far out as 14 months at WSJ) and you want to attempt to exchange to a week in August. You will need to give up your reservation in order to move your week which means you need to waitlist for the August week (unless you are 4*), and call at teh 10-month point.

Now because you want to move it forward - it may be doable if you call SVN and request a week at the 10 month mark - and continously keep trying - keeping in mind that there are Friday, Saturday and Sunday check-ins. Also, I do not know if SVN will even look for a week until you relinquish you reserved week.

Yes - this is a major pain - and you are gambling with your week. The only upside is that you are attempting to move in the lowest season at WSJ/STJ - so there is hope - but far too many unknowns to feel comfortable in doing so.

I would call SVN and discuss this with a supervisor - to gain clarity on the situation, and the ability and logistics of making this type of exchange.

best of luck - if you find out anything further - let us know.
 

jerseygirl

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I don't think summer is the lowest season -- Starwood corrected this when they re-did the Seasons for the Bay Vista section:

Platinum Plus 1-18, 51-52
Platinum 19-33
Gold Plus 34-50

They just didn't go back and change things at Hillside, as people probably paid more for units that would now be worth less. Interestingly, the total number of available SOs for a "new" 3-BR is 7,582,700 -- while an old one only totals 7,262,500. Seems strange!

I predict the same thing will happen (adjustments/corrections) when (if?) they build a new phase at Harborside.
 

DavidnRobin

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You are correct - since summer starts mid-June. We own week 24 - and it is slow (many studios are empty), but not as slow as mid-Aug to mid-Oct. Howeve, compared to the winter months these weeks outside of 1-18, 51-52 are way slow. It does become very slow after July 4th - and continues through mid-Oct. In mid-Sept many places shut down. The best way to gauge is to look at rental prices for the same unit types.

The point was more about the difficults in exchanging the fixed week within a season - and more likely for the slow weeks, but still a hassle - and a problem if you are depending on exchanging - even as an owner.
 

jerseygirl

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I agree completely about not counting on an exchange. Do you think the timeshares are mostly empty after July 4th, or just the hotel portion? I received an email recently with great summer prices.

It's a shame if there are empty units but other SVN members can't get exchanges (although, as we've discussed, I think it's related to many of the original members not joining SVN).
 

rcs249

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Thank you everyone for your advice! I had suspected it would not be easy to exchange because of the limited number of units, but wanted "those in the know" to weigh in before I made a mistake...and you did! :)

I spoke with Starwood, and while they did not tell me I needed to be 4* to waitlist, they did suggest it would not be easy nor could I plan to be accomodated for my preferred weeks, but there was certainly a reasonable chance. They did not say I would need to relinquish my unit in that 8-10 month timeframe, but I would not be surprised to hear that different reps give different answers. I have decided to purchase a fixed week we can use most of the next 10 years for family vacations.

In terms of busy seasons, my guess is that week 24 might be slow as many schools are not yet out, at least not the schools in the northeast, but several of our friends visited there this year between week 25-28. We were there July 21-28th and the resort was busy...cannot imagine it in the winter since I do know that they had some vacant hotel rooms. There were not empty units in buildings 31-34 that week though...not only was it loaded with cars and a handful of people at the grills and satellite pool much of the time, but when I took a preview tour, the only units available to see were being cleaned on Friday late morning for the next guest to check in.

I'll keep you posted...and I'm crossing my fingers that at some point I can find my ideal weeks 26-28! And thanks again for all of your support and help!
 

DavidnRobin

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I think the most telling is the rates, vacancies, etc. I track STJ/WSJ in many aspects (sales, rents, news, weather, etc.) throughout the year.

The unstable weather during this time makes an impact - and you do not want to go after a big storm hits. I have been there in Sept and Oct (along with our mid-June) - and both times it was gorgous, but...

Check out comparable sales/rent comps - and most important pick a time that works best.
 
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