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Re: Purchasing a Marriot Vacation Club timeshare

[Q=saib] The resorts are great, but it is not wise buying them from Marriott. They are usually overpriced by at least $5000. Dont get fooled by the sales pitch about points. They charge a fee for that and you get 90000 points, which are not worth the annual maintenance fee+point exchange fee. I own a 2BR platinum unit at Las Vegas and certainly regret buying it from Marriott. I see several similar units on sale at redweek.com for several thousands less than the price I paid.[/Q] Everyone advises you not to buy from Marriott but to buy resale. They say you can make the purchase for about a third of what Marriott charges and that the points Marriott gives as an incentive are not worth the annual maintenance fee. That is well and good but try to find a platinum (high season, e.g. ski in winter and beach in summer) 2br Marriott on Redweek or other internet sites including ebay. The truth is they are not there. Sure, there are weeks available in the off seasons and maybe some 1br in prime seasons but by and large you generally cannot find a 2brm platinum Marriott (or Hyatt for that matter) available at resale on the internet. There are always exceptions to my bold statement but these exceptions usually have reasons. For example, you might find a platinum week at Marriott's Streamside Vail but there are special assessment problems there that affect resales. You might also find a platinum Marriott in saturated markets such as Orlando, Branson, or Hilton Head but generally you will not find a prime Marriott property at resale, at least not for long. If you do come up with examples from the resale market to prove me wrong, I suggest there is a reason including being priced near what Marriott is charging or shall we say over priced. If you really find a bargain resale of a Marriott in prime time you will find that Marriott will exercise their right of first refusal to buy the property out from under you.