Original Message:
Re: when buying a timeshare ask the right questions... (by Steph M.):
ken1193 wrote:spephm asks in relevant part: >>My questions are - who can you rely on to give you the honest answer to those questions?<<As a buyer, you should always engage and utilize the services of a professional closing company. The closing company will obtain an "estoppel letter" from the resort, indicating in writing the presence / absence of any associated debts. That's part of what you're paying them (about $300) for, along with the preparation and recording of a new deed and escrow handling of the funds involved in the transaction.
As far as resales vs. developer-direct sales, that's usually pretty straightforward --- resale is always a fraction of the cost and rarely with much (if any) meaningful loss of benefits. Marriott resales cannot be converted to banked points for other uses like airfare, as an example of a difference, but it's up to you to decide personally whether a benefit like that is actually worth paying (multiple times) more money for the product by buying it "corporate direct". To each his / her own... ================================================
Re: >> The resort will want to promote direct purchase and will "say" these are the benefits as opposed to a re-sale purchase.<<
"Say" what they will (and some will say virtually anything to make a sale), any differences are generally few in number and / or significance. If you can find and buy in the resale market a week which you want to use, where you want to use it, what can a developer or corporation possibly offer you that is meaningfully more than that? Access and use is (presumably) what you want, and the source is essentially irrelevant (except for the price difference)...
Thank you for your speedy and very helpful response. My next question is how do you find a reputable closing company? We are in negotiations with a buyer and I am presuming they will have their own closer and we will need our own in order to avoid conflict of interest.
Your help is appreciated.