Original Message:
Re: Has anyone ever donated a timeshare for a tax write-off? (by KC):
kekouri asks (maybe just rhetorically, not sure):
>> Is everyone here SURE the purchase of a T/S is worth it???? Even those one dollar jobs on e bay?<< =====================================
My personal view is that each person must clarify for himself / herself ALL of the following information BEFORE even CONSIDERING timeshare purchase:
--- What exactly do I want to accomplish through timeshare purchase in terms of where I want to go, how often I can travel, how much it will cost to get there (even if the timeshare itself only costs peanuts)?
--- Are occasional rentals perhaps better suited to my lifestyle, availability, finances than actual purchase?
--- Will I actually and routinely use what I have purchased (if I buy)? (Part b of this question must also be "Am I willing to accept the fact that the prospect of "exchanging" for something else might actually turn out to be just a pipe dream?" (It's no secret that "exchanging" into desirable places througth the exchange companies has consistently become more and more difficult with each and every passing year).
--- What can I afford to spend on this luxury (and yes, it is a luxury, it's not any kind of a necessity) without disrupting my household finances, my kids' future, and/or other actual financial "investments"? (Assume, as you must, that your timeshare purchase will NOT increase in monetary value over time, and may well decrease in value).
How much of a burden are the inevitable (and always increasing) annual maintenance fees asociated with timeshare ownership on the finances of my particular household? And how much will that level of burden change with kids heading for college, retirement plans, career and income changes, family care obligations, etc.)?
It's my opinion that NO ONE should even LOOK at timeshare purchase (not even at the 10 cent timeshare listings on eBay), without first having asked of themselves (and honestly answered to themselves) clear and specific responses to each and every one of the above questions. To fail to do so is to just invite future disappointment (and expense).
Remember that it's a whole lot easier to BUY a timeshare than it is to SELL it if you make a bad choice.
In summary, CAVEAT EMPTOR (Buyer Beware).