Time Sharing 101

You get stuff in the mail.  Sometimes its one of those unsolicited phone calls.  Both are offering for a discounted or free mini vacation.  Come for a visit, only need 90 minutes of your time.

Some swallow the hook, most don't.  How can you resist a cheap trip to the beach, to Orlando, or even Las Vegas?!!!  You get there.  The resort is fabulous!  Great rooms, fantastic pool, and worse, your family loves the experience!  Humm...  Maybe, just maybe, this thing is worth it....  Bam! The hook is officially set!  Now off to that ninety minute presentation.

In you go, all excited to hear the spill!  The ninety minutes have come and gone.  You are now at the closing table.  Sticker shock!  Rutrow,  they don't seem to comprehend that you have said "no" in six different languages!  They then send in several levels of management to entice you to sign.  The more you say no, the sweeter the offering.  Finally, you either give in and sign, or temperament reaches a boiling point and they finally give up and you leave!

The same thing happens to buyers on return trips.  You are offered a gift card etc... To come to an update meeting.  Same ninety minutes, and here is a new improved latest deal offering for you to absorb!  Gotcha number two!

Yep, been through all that.  Swallowed the hook.  I like the deal but I choke when I hear the price.  Gotta be a cheaper way, right???

Yes, actually there is!  The resale market is as big as the direct sale market or bigger!  A quick internet search reveals tons of sites offering timeshare resales.  With a bit of searching you actually can find a few "steal of a deal" out there.  I've done it several times and I'm occasionally looking for more!

The timeshare sales people hate the resale market.  It after all takes away from their livelihood.  They discourage it by telling you that the maintenance fees are higher on those properties, and you don't get all of the club benefits from buying from them!  My justification is that the up front cost is so low, that it more than offsets the higher maintenance fees for years!

If you are interested in these resorts, take the hook, but don't swallow it.  Learn as much as you can about the resort and the club.  If you decide this is for you, still say no, especially on that first visit.  I promise, those sweet deals will still be there on future visits.  Its all about the sale!

If you want more for less, the resale market is the way to go.  Yes, you do give up all those fancy club benefits.  But, do you really need them anyway?

Knowledge is the key, and when it fits the lock and opens the door, I say its margarita time!  I'm even willing to share if you're buying the beer!