Put Developers On Notice

I have read many threads describing how the timeshare companies have been doing all they can to discourage people from buying on the secondary market and read the shortsighted, misguided comments from people trying to defend these developers.

First off, who are these people trying to sell their properties, they are most likely customers of these same timeshare developers that bought from them in the first place!

No property makes it directly to the secondary market, it had to be bought from the developer first. He made his money and if he was smart he would do all he could to see his product held its value once it was sold. Instead, the developer is doing all he can to see the product he is selling you becomes worthless the minute you sign on the dotted line!

Every timeshare owner needs to go to sales presentations every time they are offered and bring this up LOUDLY in a room full of prospective customers and let the developers know that we know they have screwed us and will screw these people instead of helping keep the value of their product up. Let them know that the way they are treating their current owners by denying amenities to secondary owners, they are making their product worthless if these prospective buyers decide to sell it in one, five or ten years down the road. Let them know that they will have to keep it FOREVER because the developers have done their best to see their product will become worthless and if you cannot sell it and try to abandon it, it will have dire consequences on your credit score.

One of the things they will say in the sales pitch is that if you buy a vacation property you will have the headaches and costs of maintaining it, that's true, but it should also be worth at least what you paid for it if not more if and when you decide to sell it in the future.

We need to let the developers know that we expect them to help see to it that their product becomes a valuable asset instead of a liability to their customers.

We have to start making some noise and see that we owners are heard.

What you're paying for when buying from a developer is their overhead = salespeople, closers, discounts, presentations, free meals, advertising, street hawkers etc. People that are educated about timeshares know to never buy from a developer, however if someone hasn't researched all phases of timeshare ownership then the developer will continue their spiel as they always have and those that are unaware of resales will buy IF they're interested in ownership.

It's really the responsibility of a prospective buyer to do their research, and this day and time with the internet at most people's fingertips that shouldn't be hard to do. There's education concerning timeshare ownership (developer vs resales) all over the internet.

You are correct that someone had to buy from the developer in the first place in order for resales, but people are being educated about such IF they do their research.

marvinb11 wrote:

One of the things they will say in the sales pitch is that if you buy a vacation property you will have the headaches and costs of maintaining it, that's true...

Actually, that's one of the important facts that sales people conveniently gloss over. They tell buyers how they can save money in the long run but fail to include such important factors as rising maintenance fees, possible special assessments.

The thing everyone has to remember is that when the developers are talking down the secondary market, they are talking about any of us that have purchased from them in the past and for whatever reason now decide that we no longer want, need or can use our timeshare for whatever reason.