Original Message:
Re: Trading power of Palm Beach Resort and Beach Club (by KC):
valeried50 wrote:=====================================Thank you so much for the response. I was worried the "gift" may not really work out for us. As you noted "family dynamics" may dictate that we have to accept it anyway. If we had to take the property and then found it didn't work out for us would it be possible to get rid of it (ie. donate or sell for nominal fee) or could we be stuck with it for years with no way out of the maintance fees?
Valerie: Once you take deeded ownership, of course, the maintenance fees (and any special assessments) will become and remain your responsibility until the deed is formally transferred to the next owner's name, by whatever means (sale or donation) that may occur.
I don't know this particular resort, or even this general area on the Florida East Coast quite frankly, so the "marketability" or dollar value of that week is simply a complete unknown to me. If you look at for sale listings on various timeshare related websites (RedWeek, MyResortNetwork, even eBay (where timeshares are a sub section of real estate) you *might* find comparable listings for this resort, which then might give you some more substantive insight. If you follow a listing and it sells (or doesn't sell, for that matter), you then have a more clear picture on both marketability and/or value.
Donation of a timeshare week is a tricky and uncertain business. Unless a charity can turn a timeshare week into cash, quickly and expediently, it's not a "donation" to them but, instead, an unwelcome financial burden (for the exact same deed / maintenance fee reason I cited previously). Accordingly, the response from charities such as Donate for a Cause (represented in the acceptance/ rejection decision making process by Resort Closings, Inc. of Bozeman, MT) is "no thank you", more often than not. And, be aware that even though they maintain an extensive, published list of "will never accept" timeshare facilities, the fact is that they also routinely reject MANY others which do NOT appear on that "will never accept" list. In short, don't assume that donation is a "sure thing" option. It may well NOT be.
Good luck. I hope some of this input has been of help to you.
P.S. You might also consider calling the resort directly (on a weekday, during normal business hours, NOT on a Saturday) and inquire if they have a resale office on site. If so, this would help you gain some (likely biased, by it's still info...) input on resale demand or value of that particular week and size of unit. Resort phone # is (561) 586-8898, at least according to the RCI directory.