Yay~ We are new Starwood SDO owners!

[Westsider]

Yes - but for that you need a Plat week, worth 148,100 Staroptions and they are more difficult to find and sell for a lot more.

Are units worth 148K Staroptions the only ones eligible for a retro? Or are they just more desireable?

 

[scootr5]

They are more desirable, since it's a lot more Options for the same amount of maintenance fees.

 

[DeniseM]

Are units worth 148K Staroptions the only ones eligible for a retro? Or are they just more desireable?

High season has 148,100 Staroptions, and the other seasons have less. But the maintenance fee is the same for all seasons, so it makes a lot more sense to Retro a season worth 148,100 Staroptions, since you pay the same MF.

 

[Linkster]

SDO Purchase

Looking for your imput on your experience buying your SDO. We do not own a timeshare currently. Looking into purchasing from SDO. Your thoughts please.
Thank you,
Linkster

Thanks to another Tug member's help, I bought an SDO lockoff on Saturday!
Starwood Priority here I come!

 

[DeniseM]

Hi and welcome to TUG!

When you say you want to buy from SDO, do you mean you want to buy resale, or from the developer?

What are your goals with this timeshare?

 

[Linkster]

SDO purchase

Looking at purchasing a timeshare at SDO. We are first time purchasers and wanting to get some experienced advice. Thanks for your time.
Linkster.

 

[Linkster]

Hi and welcome to TUG!

When you say you want to buy from SDO, do you mean you want to buy resale, or from the developer?

What are your goals with this timeshare?

We've just left the presentation at SDO property and are talking about it. We have another meeting tomorrow morning.

 

[Linkster]

We've just left the presentation at SDO property and are talking about it. We have another meeting tomorrow morning.

Our goals are vacationing with our grown children and the last minute get away options

 

[Pmuppet]

Looking at purchasing a timeshare at SDO. We are first time purchasers and wanting to get some experienced advice. Thanks for your time.
Linkster.

It sounds like they have a significant restoration project planned in a couple years. Whenever i hear the word "restoration", the first thing i think of is special assessment to all owners to cover the cost of the repairs/updates.

They have claimed that the have the reserves to cover these costs, but i have found that people tend to be overly optimistic financially.

That doesnt mean they are wrong and there will be an assessment, but i would prepare for it. If it doesnt come to fruition, you have an extra $2,000 in your bank account.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

 

[siesta]

We've just left the presentation at SDO property and are talking about it. We have another meeting tomorrow morning.

do not go back to that meeting tomorrow. You can buy a sheraton desert oasis on the resale market for pennies on the dollar. Sure you will not get staroptions, but if you want staroptions there are resorts resale that staroptions are mandatory you can buy for just a few thousand. Dont buy anything from the developer. Read the first post of this thread.

On another note, I didnt know SDO was active in sales, are they trying to sell you on a lagunamar unit or something?

 

[jarta]

siesta, ... Almost all SVO resorts have units for sale. When a mortgaged property defaults, Starwood will usually offer a deed in lieu of foreclosure or proceed with the foreclosure of the mortgage. Then, for the properties where Starwood comes back into to title, it offers them for sale.

They are not as cheap as resales on the open market. But, they come with StarOptions and count toward Elite status.

Last time I was playing golf with my Starwood salesman from WKV (a year ago), I asked if he had any inventory of Plat WKV weeks. He laughed and said that inventory was available but I wouldn't be interested because of the price. Salty

 

[DeniseM]

+1 You can buy a Gold Plus 1-52 floating week at this resort for less than $1,000 on the resale market. DON'T DO IT!

 

[Pmuppet]

+1 You can buy a Gold Plus 1-52 floating week at this resort for less than $1,000 on the resale market. DON'T DO IT!

Plus buying from the developer wont protect you against any special assessments.

Denise has made me a believer. The only reason i can see buying from a developer is to get your star options retro'ed on the way to elite status.

There is a bunch to learn as i have only been actively learning for a month and my head is still spinning.

As ron said to perfection, you should have educated yourself, have a gameplan, patience for the right deal to come along, and cash ready to spring when it does.

Cause there are hundreds of bad deals and select good deals. Impulsiveness is the enemy when it comes to timeshares.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[DeniseM]

Denise has made me a believer.

Bless you, my son!

 

[Linkster]

Plus buying from the developer wont protect you against any special assessments.

Denise has made me a believer. The only reason i can see buying from a developer is to get your star options retro'ed on the way to elite status.

There is a bunch to learn as i have only been actively learning for a month and my head is still spinning.

As ron said to perfection, you should have educated yourself, have a gameplan, patience for the right deal to come along, and cash ready to spring when it does.

Cause there are hundreds of bad deals and select good deals. Impulsiveness is the enemy when it comes to timeshares.

Enjoy your vacation!

What does it mean to "reto" the options?

 

[LisaRex]

What does it mean to "reto" the options?

Actually it's "retro" and it means that prior to agreeing to buying a new developer purchase, you ask Starwood to grandfather in a prior non-developer purchase into SVN.

 

[mandoggy]

Definitely buy resale. We got a platinum SDO large one bedroom EOY for $52.50 on Ebay.

 

[Beefnot]

Actually it's "retro" and it means that prior to agreeing to buying a new developer purchase, you ask Starwood to grandfather in a prior non-developer purchase into SVN.

And unless one has got money falling out of their pockets and are obsessed with perks that are worth financially less than the outlay of cash to obtain them, my guess is that most likely will not find "retro"-ing to be all that significant of a consideration.

 

[jarta]

"unless one has got money falling out of their pockets and are obsessed with perks that are worth financially less than the outlay of cash to obtain them"

"I know everything; I only pretend to be wrong."

Beefnot, ... I suggest that until you are, you don't have a frame of reference to realize the actual value to those that are and can make use of the Elite perks. Sounds to me like the hungry fox looking up at the grapes he can't reach and declaring: "They're probably sour anyway."

This last 2 weeks I redeemed 360,000 Starpoints for US Air miles and Starwood added 20% to each redemption. So, I transferred 450,000 US Air air miles. US Air has a promotion right now that will give a 50% bonus on the air miles and I will end up with 675,000 new air miles in my account. With round trip business class tickets to either Europe or South America costing 110,000 air miles per ticket, I ended up with 6 round trip business class tickets that usually cost between $4K and $7K each (depending on destination and season) or $24K-$42K for 6.

I bought the Starpoints for $1,550 per block of 80K Starpoints due to upgrading an EOY Plat 2-br week at Lagunamar to an EY Plat 2-br OS week at Lagunamar. My total investment in buying Starpoints (admittedly not counting the cost of the week upgraded; but I still have that week) was around $7K.

If the week upgraded cost me $21.5K (which it did and it included a retro of another week) my $21.5K upgrade price has now been offset at a minimum by $17K ($24K - $7K) and at a maximum by $35K ($42K - $7K). So, I may have already recouped my cost of upgrading entirely. I might be as much as $13.5K ahead. (And my back thanks me!)

As I said, until you are, you don't realize ...

But I feel you have the absolute right to say and think whatever you want in your posts. Just be careful that you know what you're talking about. Salty

 

[scootr5]

Salty

OK, I've got to ask - I finally figured out your EOM tagline, but what's Salty? Is that just how you're feeling today?

 

[Beefnot]

Beefnot, ... I suggest that until you are, you don't have a frame of reference to realize the actual value to those that are and can make use of the Elite perks. Sounds to me like the hungry fox looking up at the grapes he can't reach and declaring: "They're probably sour anyway."

Eh, not so much. Although admittedly I may not have a frame of reference to realize that actual value. I don't understand much of what you were describing, but it sure seems like you were including in your benefit calculation some of the impact of baseline benefits that you would have enjoyed anyway had you never retroed and achieved your status. I could be wrong, but I am usually right.

I would also add that most people do not do any detailed calculations before pursuing their status. They just want their status. It is not a financial decision. In most cases, if it was, my guess is they would not pursue it.

 

[jarta]

Eh, not so much. Although admittedly I may not have a frame of reference to realize that actual value. I don't understand much of what you were describing, but it sure seems like you were including in your benefit calculation some of the impact of baseline benefits that you would have enjoyed anyway had you never retroed and achieved your status. I could be wrong, but I am usually right.

I would also add that most people do not do any detailed calculations before pursuing their status. They just want their status. It is not a financial decision. In most cases, if it was, my guess is they would not pursue it.

If you believe most people do not do detailed calculations before pursuing their status, why do you make statements like Starwood Elites are people "obsessed with perks that are worth financially less than the outlay of cash to obtain them" and, when facts are presented to you that rebut that conclusion, you don't challenge the facts, nor make any calculations yourself and, further, admit you may not have a frame of reference for even stating the conclusion?

"I know everything; I only pretend to be wrong." Salty

 

[Beefnot]

Because i didnt understand your shorthand description of what you were describing. Had I greater comprehension of your example, I would love nothing more than to call into question your calculations. Feel free to break down your example a little more, and I will engage further. That said, it is entirely possible that you are part of the <1% (made up statistic) of status seekers for who it makes financial sense, though I am skeptical.

 

[momeason]

I bought mine from a resellers inventory online. Be sure to compare MFs.. All are not equal...sumdayvacations