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Re: Property Donation Group

jonc92 Congratulations on being able to donate your two timeshares to a charity for only $1,098. Can you provide a little more information concerning the conveyance? I think the information would be very helpful to those considering making a "donation" of their timeshares to PDG. Specifically, would you provide the following information: 1. Was the $1,098 for closing costs and if so, were you provided a breakdown of the fees charged by the closing company? The fees should include deed preparation, estoppel fee (verification by closing company that all maintenance fees are current and that there are no outstanding mortgages or liens), fee for recording deeds, resort fee for changing name on the resort records, and a filing fee for recording the new deeds in the county deed records. My experience suggests the $1,098 was excessive for the closing but if you were desperate possibly it was worth it to you. 2. Prior to the closing did you and your spouse sign a deed conveying the title to the timeshares to a specific named charity or was the transfer to "Property Donation Group"? This information can be obtained by simily looking at your copy of the deeds or by calling the county clerk and requesting certified copies of the deeds. 3. Did you request in writing a written verification from the resort that the ownership records were changed and that you are not liable for any present or future maintenance fees. 4. If the titles were conveyed to "Property Donation Group" did you verify that the company is not a sham but is actually authorized to do business in the state where it is located? Is it a LLP,LLC, C corporation or S corporation? If it is a proprietorship or partnership did you obtain the names of the principals and do a D and B on the business or at the very least a cursory google search using the names of the principals? 5. If the conveyance was to a specific charity did you verify that the charity is an exempt (section 501C) charity by filing a Form 4506-A with the IRS? This information is available to the public and you can secure verification that the charity has an exempt letter from the IRS. 6. If the answers to the above question are no and you merely gave PDG $1,098 and a power of attorney to act for you then I would suggest you have more expenses ahead of you. The bottom line is, if you were unable to sell or give the timeshares away it is doubtful that a reputable charity would accept the timeshares because after all they received their exemption from the IRS to raise money for charity and not to manage an inventory of worthless timeshares. Best wishes and good luck!