Help!! Galleon Bay Resort, Padre Island, TX

Back in 08/97 I exchanged a subdivision lot for a timeshare at Galleon Bay, Unit 407, Week 10. I recieved a warranty deed that is filed in Cameron County but I have never recieved anything from the resort and I had forgotten about it until a friend of mine brought it up. I have all the paper work. Do you know how I would contact someone at the Galleon to see what I have? Also would you know what it is worth. I would like to start using it and exhanging it with others but I haven't been able to contact oneone. I would also like to just keep it but I do not know anything about timeshares.

Thank you for your help, Heather Carlile

heatherc96 wrote:

Back in 08/97 I exchanged a subdivision lot for a timeshare at Galleon Bay, Unit 407, Week 10. I recieved a warranty deed that is filed in Cameron County but I have never recieved anything from the resort and I had forgotten about it until a friend of mine brought it up. I have all the paper work. Do you know how I would contact someone at the Galleon to see what I have? Also would you know what it is worth. I would like to start using it and exhanging it with others but I haven't been able to contact oneone. I would also like to just keep it but I do not know anything about timeshares.

Thank you for your help, Heather Carlile

Galleon Bay Club phone number (according to the RCI Directory) is (956) 761-7808. Call them and find out who the management company is, and then call the management company. if you live nearby, I'd instead make a personal appearance instead of a phone call, recorded warranty deed in hand, and meet face to face with someone in authority at the management company (which may or may not be right on site).

It seems from your post that what you (believe) you own is already very clearly specified within the warranty deed. I'm assuming that your warranty deed was *RECORDED*, with a Book and Page number clearly indicated thereon. If never recorded, with assigned book and page numbers, all bets are off.......

What I don't at all understand about your situation, if you've accurately and completely described it, is how (if your ownership is legally recorded and valid), you have somehow never been billed for resort maintenance fees *each and every year since 1997*. This mystifies me. If you own that unit / week, then you are responsible for *annual* maintenance fees. I hope that you don't now discover that your ownership has been terminated and "taken back" after your (apparently) paying no maintenance fees for nearly 10 years now.

You need to have a conversation with the resort management company --- and PRONTO!

Good luck.

thank you for the reply, I live in Houston, Tx so a personal trip I couldnt do but I am going to call in the morning. Yes, is it recorded 08-28-97 vlo. 450, page 99 and notarized by the county clerk of cameron county. I never recieved any bills and that is my concern also @ being taken back or terminated.

thank you again for your help

heatherc96 has stated: >> thank you for the reply, I live in Houston, Tx so a personal trip I couldnt do but I am going to call in the morning. Yes, is it recorded 08-28-97 vlo. 450, page 99 and notarized by the county clerk of cameron county. I never recieved any bills and that is my concern also @ being taken back or terminated.

thank you again for your help <<

You're welcome --- and good luck. Please keep us posted on your progress / success. I suspect there is likely a VERY important lesson to be learned here, one way or another, so please share your outcome.......

To emphasize one point again, you need to identify the *management company* and have your conversation with them --- NOT with resort front desk staff who likely will know absolutely nothing about any ownership information or records --- and may not even have any access to that information. They get all of their information, reservations, etc. from the resort's management company, whoever that may be. The management company could be located on the same site as the resort, but that's unlikely. All you want from the phone call to the resort is the name, address and telephone number of their management company. Phone number is not good enough, as you may well be getting involved in the future with certified mail and/or service of other "legal process". Again, good luck.