Original Message:
Re: I worked at a timeshare SCAM....I want to tell you about it. (by Mike N.):
judik7 wrote:There are real estate companies that charge upfront fees to sell houses. They do quite well. What they do is a comparative market analysis for the Seller and then put the listing in the MLS for the Seller. The Seller pays a $500-$600 fee for this service. The Seller does everything else.
jayjay wrote:Throughout the years we've sold 3 houses ..... we would never, ever even consider paying an upfront fee to a real estate agency to list any of those homes. The comparative anaylsis and listing in the MLS brochure was included in the contract at no charge and on top of that we got an appraisal with a professional appraiser (at our cost) to be on the safe side. The agents had to WORK to sell those houses if they wanted the commission.
Jayjay, I'm guessing judi is referring to paying a fee to get a market analysis, get it listed on a MLS site, then basically do a For Sale By Owner; a real estate agent is not involved. So while I would not pay an agency an upfront fee to sell my home, I would consider fees to assist selling my home without an agent. If the fee gets access to MLS, so be it. It's also easier to research a true market value for a house vs a timeshare.
As judi said the biggest scam is the lies, not responding to customer complaints, etc. BUT if these companies told you the truth, then they would never get the business. If owners did a little research as to how little their TS is worth, then they wouln't be suckered by a Co who claims it is worth thousands more. If a person has a valuable TS, then it should sell fairly easily, with or without an upfront fee company. As for SMTN, at least if you google Timeshare Resales, their name comes up as a choice, some of the other outfits do not.