Original Message:
Re: Looking for a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare in Maui or Kauai (by Lance C.):
kimo61 wrote:Is it better to buy directly from Marriott or from broker or owner? Spoke to Marriott rep today and he said that Marriott has right of first refusal in all sales. Is it also best to buy every other year or every year so we can rent it out if we don't use each year?
If you are going to buy, I would buy a resale from a current owner or a licensed resale broker. Buying directly from Marriott would cost you a lot more. Check ads here on RedWeek. You can also check E-Bay, Craigslist, My Resort Network, or Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG") for people looking to sell their unit.
Right of first refusal (ROFR) is simply a policy that many timeshare companies have in place. It means that if an owner wants to sell his unit, he has to let Marriott know what the agreed-upon price is. If Marriott deems that the price is too low, it has the right to buy the unit back from the owner for that agreed-upon price or greater. If Marriott chooses not to buy for that price (hence, not exercising its ROFR), then the owner can proceed with that sale with the buyer. While many timeshare companies might have that right, oftentimes they do not exercise that right.
As for where to research buying, these boards are pretty good. You might find more input from more experienced timeshare owners and users on ts4ms.com or TUG (tugbbs.com). TUG has a sections Hawaii Timesharing, Marriott Resort System, and New to Timesharing? Look Here! that helps people when trying to sort out the ins and outs of buying a timeshare including what questions a potential buyer should ask himself before jumping into the purchasing pool.