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Re: Verifying ownership with the resort (by KC):

vickim238 wrote:

Does this go for buying a timeshare from someone else?

If you are BUYING a timeshare in a private transaction, it is always best to use an objective third party closing entity to handle things, including preparation and recording of new deed. With an outfit like LT Transfers, just to cite one specific example, the total cost for closing services is under $200. In the course of the purchase and sale contract execution and throughout the closing process, any competent closing company will verify ALL details of the current ownership (including obtaining an estoppel letter from the resort, to verify unit and week details and to confirm that the seller's account is completely paid up to date). The closing entity will also acquire a copy of the current recorded deed, either online from public records or directly from the owner (or both). The owner(s) will have to obtain NOTARIZED signature(s) as the "grantor(s)" on the new deed. The role of a third party "arm's length" closing company is to look out for the interests of EVERYONE involved in the resale transaction that they are handling, including escrow of purchase funds, if the amount involved warrants escrow of the purchase money. Seller does not receive any proceeds money until EVERYTHING is verified and fully completed.

By the way, it was completely inappropriate for the resort employee mentioned in the norav16 post above (from 2015) to decline to verify owner information which a prospective tenant clearly already possessed. Privacy laws exist to protect the unauthorized, unilateral RELEASE of owner information, but there was no good reason to decline to simply VERIFY the owner information which the prospective tenant ALREADY POSSESSED. That was a clueless resort employee who offered that misinformed and unhelpful response. He or she clearly needed some training in order to understand the proper application of "privacy laws", instead of unnecessarily impeding and obstructing an owner's pending rental.