Are they worth it?

Are timeshares actually worth buying?

rachela19 wrote:

Are timeshares actually worth buying?

If you buy wisely, you get better accomodations for your overall cost. If you buy from the developer, it will be many years before you reach the point where you are saving money on your accomodation. I suggest buying a place where you would like to vacation regularly, and buy it on the resale market. I own Fairfield, but each person has to make his own choice based on their particular desires and their financial resources. Good Luck. Stan.

How do I go about to buy points and what do they cost? What are the good and the bad side of buying points from different places?

randyh30 wrote:

How do I go about to buy points and what do they cost? What are the good and the bad side of buying points from different places?

Hi Randy,

As long as your timeshare deposits provide 50% of the value of your desired week, just buy the remaining points to get the week - currently just $1/point on RedWeek.com.

Thanks, Marty

rachela19 wrote:

Are timeshares actually worth buying?

As someone else stated, it depends on what you want out of the timesharing experience. If you desire to go to the same resort every year, then you have the choice of either buying there or renting from a current owner. If you decide to buy, make sure you buy on the resale market. There are literally millions of timeshare resales in the marketplace.

If you should decide to buy then be aware that you are responsible for possible rising yearly maintenance fees and possible special assessments forever or until you sell it. Ownership is passed on to heirs upon death who may not be pleased with such an inheritance and it's yearly oblifgations.

Also, ownership and it's yearly obligations, can become an albatross around one's neck depending on life changing circumstances.

If you're buying just to exchange, be aware of the cost of joining a big exchange company such as RCI or II and the fees of membership and exchanges (they seem to rise each year).

However, Redweek has implemented their own exchange company that seems to be a very fair system as they assign points to your timeshare ownership and Redweek membership fees and exchange fees are very reasonable compared to the Big Two (RCI and II).

My suggestion would be to rent a timeshare where you may possibly like to own before committing to timeshare ownership, because ownership is a long time committment (maintenance fees).

jayjay wrote:

rachela19 wrote:

Are timeshares actually worth buying?

As someone else stated, it depends on what you want out of the timesharing experience. If you desire to go to the same resort every year, then you have the choice of either buying there or renting from a current owner. If you decide to buy, make sure you buy on the resale market. There are literally millions of timeshare resales in the marketplace.

If you should decide to buy then be aware that you are responsible for possible rising yearly maintenance fees and possible special assessments forever or until you sell it. Ownership is passed on to heirs upon death who may not be pleased with such an inheritance and it's yearly oblifgations.

Also, ownership and it's yearly obligations, can become an albatross around one's neck depending on life changing circumstances.

If you're buying just to exchange, be aware of the cost of joining a big exchange company such as RCI or II and the fees of membership and exchanges (they seem to rise each year).

However, Redweek has implemented their own exchange company that seems to be a very fair system as they assign points to your timeshare ownership and Redweek membership fees and exchange fees are very reasonable compared to the Big Two (RCI and II).

My suggestion would be to rent a timeshare where you may possibly like to own before committing to timeshare ownership, because ownership is a long time committment (maintenance fees).

JayJay has made some good points and I essentially agree with his posting except the statement that "Ownership is passed on to heirs upon death who may not be pleased with such an inheritance and it's yearly oblifgations" I disagree with that statement. Most states have provisions in their probate codes that allow a prospective heir to decline to accept an inheritance especially one that could be an "an albatross" around their neck. For example, Texas has Section 37A in the probate code that allows a prospective heir to disclaim any inheritance. Most states have something similar. I own a red week that cannot be given away even with an offer to pay the next two years fees and no charity will accept it. You can rest assured that week will not be listed in my will and that my children will be told to specifically disclaim any interest in that particular timeshare at my death.

Carvana

randyh30 wrote:

How do I go about to buy points and what do they cost? What are the good and the bad side of buying points from different places?

=======

Actually, "from different places" is a problem unless you are planning to buy a lot. You could end up without enough to do much at any one resort group. You have more flexibility if you have more points in one company which has many resorts and lets you use the points in any of them without an exchange fee. Of course, you can always use your ownership to exchange outside of your own resort group and sometimes that is the only way to reach a desired location, but exchange fees on top of maintenace fees can really add up!

Also, most resort groups give special perks to owners at higher levels of point ownership. These VIP privileges can be very worthwhile. We are VIP Platinum with Fairfield/Wyndham which means we don't have to fret over lots of little fees that smaller point owners need to pay. For example, owners have free Housekeeping Credits based on a week in the size unit their points will secure. They can split the week into a few days here and a few there but then there may be an additional cleaning charge since two units are being cleaned, not one. If you have over a certain number of points, however, you have more Housekeeping Credits or even unlimited Credits. Maintenance Fees are calculated as so much per point (or thousand points). Again, the MF per point may be lower at higher ownership levels. There are many many variables from company to company, so be sure to choose a company with resorts and rules you like.

I know you will find many recommendations on this discussion board about buying resale points and these can be a fantastic bargain--if you know what you are getting. People who buy these with no previous timeshare experience often do not understand anything about how to use their purchase, so they end up feeling trapped and baffled. I would recommend you go to timeshare presentation and learn as much as you can about specific resorts and companies which interest you, how their points systems work, and what they cost. You might even make a moderate buy and later add resale points to "average down" your costs.

They are "worth it" if you and your family enjoy the flexible vacation life style. It sure beats Motel 6! But don't buy as a real estate investment or with the thought of making a big profit by renting out your unit. Actually, you may rent it as long as it has not been deposited with an exchange company and sometimes you may come out ahead financially, but don't depend on that.

Why do we like being timeshare point owners? We've been places we would never have gone, done things we never would have done. We have taken our children and grandchildren on wonderful holidays in great locations. And we still have many more Fairfield resorts to sample! MD

I must admit for me they are worth it, but sometimes I wonder. If you are not an avid traveler and will use your vacation every year, than it is not worth it -- SAVE YOUR MONEY. I have a lot of friends who own and haven't gone on vacation since they first purchased it. If you love to travel as me and my family does its the best we can afford as I have 4 children and the thought of staying in a hotel with them made me not travel with them. It took me 8 years of marriage until I bought my first timeshare resale, to go on a long vacation with my family. Now with my Fairfield (Wyndam) membership we travel somewhere every month and WE all love it and think its worth every penny to us.

We have had wonderful vacations through owning timeshares and have seen parts of USA which we never thought we would see. Accomodation varies but there is always something good about every resort. Some are more luxurious than others but it is cheaper than hotels. I would rather stay in a timeshare than a hotel. Having started off with tagging along with my sister 17 years ago, we now own 4 weeks of timeshare, all red weeks and bought through resale. All of my weeks are in resorts which I would use. I would only buy weeks as at least you have the week as points can vary from resort to resort as we discovered when we did a Hawaiian tour. Just be careful what you buy.

if you plan on trveling alot , they are definately worth it ... I cannot stay in dinky little hotels anymore and the thought of no kitchen, fridge ,laundry, hot tub , coffee maker, etc. makes me ill. Do research before you buy and buy where you would retun. We own 5 weeks / 3 fixed hawaii and two weeks ff- wyndham. We believe we save alot by paying less per night for much better accomodations and also by not eating out nearly as much. Points not purchased from wyndham do not count towards your status but are still added to your point total. With all five weeks we pay about 3000.00 in fees... sounds like alot until you stay in crappy hotel in Hawaii at 270.00 per night for ten nights, add some parking ,coffee and a few crappy meals and where are you then...we paid 7.00 for a cup of tea in Vegas and that was the last hotel I have ever stayed in. You have to make a budget for your vacations and look at the costs and then you see the savings.

happy1 wrote:

if you plan on trveling alot , they are definately worth it ... I cannot stay in dinky little hotels anymore and the thought of no kitchen, fridge ,laundry, hot tub , coffee maker, etc. makes me ill. Do research before you buy and buy where you would retun. We own 5 weeks / 3 fixed hawaii and two weeks ff- wyndham. We believe we save alot by paying less per night for much better accomodations and also by not eating out nearly as much. Points not purchased from wyndham do not count towards your status but are still added to your point total. With all five weeks we pay about 3000.00 in fees... sounds like alot until you stay in crappy hotel in Hawaii at 270.00 per night for ten nights, add some parking ,coffee and a few crappy meals and where are you then...we paid 7.00 for a cup of tea in Vegas and that was the last hotel I have ever stayed in. You have to make a budget for your vacations and look at the costs and then you see the savings.

I have never looked at the cost savings if any owning two timeshares.

It was never the reason for buying a timeshare to us. We bought because we love going to the resort one or two times a year or trading once in a while.

We left timesharing for about eight years and stayed in very nice hotels and had great vacations.

Our third trip to Hawaii and staying in great hotel and wife decided she wanted to stop by the last timeshare we stayed in. After walking through checking it out she tells me she wants her home feel with kitchen back.

The kitchen was the biggest reason for coming back to timesharing.

The one thing we did see was we spend seven days on vacation in a timeshare which in many cases is to long.

When we stayed in hotels we would spend four or five days and that was it. Lot more running around in shorter period of time.

Also owning a timeshare you waste a lot of time when exchanging and all these little fee's like exchange fee's MF fee's. With hotels we made one booking couple months out and had room/air/car.

Timesharing and owning or points is a personal choice I think!

For us it is definite worth it. I can remember the days of staying in Motel 6 with may family of five growing up. My kids now are so spoiled that when we check-in they ask where is our bedroom. One of the best kept secrets of getting your foot in the door is buying a resale in South Africa and then trading it in the United States. I own two red time 1-BR South African timeshares( maint dues $155/each) and they are great traders, I typically always trade in to 2BR units. You might want to look into timesharespecials.com and if you don't see something you like call them and I'm sure they have other inventory.

happy1 wrote:

if you plan on trveling alot , they are definately worth it ... I cannot stay in dinky little hotels anymore and the thought of no kitchen, fridge ,laundry, hot tub , coffee maker, etc. makes me ill.

You really don't have to stay in dinky hotels whether you own a timeshare or not. There are so many timeshare and condo rental sites on the internet now, including Redweek, that I would be hesitant to buy a timeshare with all the rising fees related to such. It's MUCH easier to buy a timeshare than to SELL a timeshare as is evidenced in the millions of resales on the internet alone.

When we first bought into timesharing there weren't that many timeshare and condo rental sites on the internet .... now they're rampant using a 'google' search.

Unless I wanted a certain resort in a certain season (ie: ski), in a certain area of a resort (ie: ocean front unit) or a popular holiday week (ie: Christmas/New Years/July 4th/Labor day etc), then I would not buy a timeshare again .... I would rent.

jayjay wrote:

happy1 wrote:

if you plan on trveling alot , they are definately worth it ... I cannot stay in dinky little hotels anymore and the thought of no kitchen, fridge ,laundry, hot tub , coffee maker, etc. makes me ill.

You really don't have to stay in dinky hotels whether you own a timeshare or not. There are so many timeshare and condo rental sites on the internet now, including Redweek, that I would be hesitant to buy a timeshare with all the rising fees related to such. It's MUCH easier to buy a timeshare than to SELL a timeshare as is evidenced in the millions of resales on the internet alone.

When we first bought into timesharing there weren't that many timeshare and condo rental sites on the internet .... now they're rampant using a 'google' search.

Unless I wanted a certain resort in a certain season (ie: ski), in a certain area of a resort (ie: ocean front unit) or a popular holiday week (ie: Christmas/New Years/July 4th/Labor day etc), then I would not buy a timeshare again .... I would rent.

phill12 wrote:

happy1 wrote:

if you plan on trveling alot , they are definately worth it ... I cannot stay in dinky little hotels anymore and the thought of no kitchen, fridge ,laundry, hot tub , coffee maker, etc. makes me ill. Do research before you buy and buy where you would retun. We own 5 weeks / 3 fixed hawaii and two weeks ff- wyndham. We believe we save alot by paying less per night for much better accomodations and also by not eating out nearly as much. Points not purchased from wyndham do not count towards your status but are still added to your point total. With all five weeks we pay about 3000.00 in fees... sounds like alot until you stay in crappy hotel in Hawaii at 270.00 per night for ten nights, add some parking ,coffee and a few crappy meals and where are you then...we paid 7.00 for a cup of tea in Vegas and that was the last hotel I have ever stayed in. You have to make a budget for your vacations and look at the costs and then you see the savings.

I have never looked at the cost savings if any owning two timeshares.

It was never the reason for buying a timeshare to us. We bought because we love going to the resort one or two times a year or trading once in a while.

We left timesharing for about eight years and stayed in very nice hotels and had great vacations.

Our third trip to Hawaii and staying in great hotel and wife decided she wanted to stop by the last timeshare we stayed in. After walking through checking it out she tells me she wants her home feel with kitchen back.

The kitchen was the biggest reason for coming back to timesharing.

The one thing we did see was we spend seven days on vacation in a timeshare which in many cases is to long.

When we stayed in hotels we would spend four or five days and that was it. Lot more running around in shorter period of time.

Also owning a timeshare you waste a lot of time when exchanging and all these little fee's like exchange fee's MF fee's. With hotels we made one booking couple months out and had room/air/car.

Timesharing and owning or points is a personal choice I think!

from Happy1... I don't know about other companies , but with ff/wynmham there are no exchange fees especially within the system... We bought in Hawaii because we go there every year and found that ( in Maui) there is a costco right near the airport and we saved big by shopping and not eating out. We go for three weeks at a time and that translates to big $$$.... We're from the midwest and going to Hawaii for a short trip never seemed like a good choice considering flight expense and duration / 9 hrs. Also, finding consecutive weeks... joining them ... check in days ... moving in and out all seemed to be not worth it. The other advantage to owning Hawaii is it is difficult to get Hawaii and if you want to trade believe me ther are thousands of people willing to do anything to trade. Interval gave us two weeks for our one week trade in.... That's why I said you should always buy somewhere you would always like to return to.. As for shortet trips , that's why we have both fixed and points. Points are great for hopping around islands or even up and down the coasts or mountains. However, the biggest reasons for us was ,WE KNOW THAT THE ACCOMODATIONS ARE GOING TO BE CLEAN, NICE AND HAVE A WELL STOCKED UNIT WITH COMPLETE KITCHEN SUPPLIES......

<<Interval gave us two weeks for our one week trade in....>>

how did you get two weeks trade for your one week in hawaii? was it a special with II or did you ask?

amia5 wrote:

<<Interval gave us two weeks for our one week trade in....>>

how did you get two weeks trade for your one week in hawaii? was it a special with II or did you ask?

ii had a special but i'm told you can ask and get it pretty much all the time

happy1 wrote:

ii had a special but i'm told you can ask and get it pretty much all the time

II also gives accomodation certificates for some deposits. These are what would be considered extra vacations with a grid on the back of areas/resorts you can choose from.

I am still not sure, my husband and I own weeks adn points. We thought we could rent out our points to help off set the cost. that is not happening. Currently we are looking to see our points and keep our weeks. We own a business and do not get to travel these days, so right now I would say no it is not worth it, because if you do not get to travel, you have to pay the annual fees anyway. Hope this helps.

rachela19 wrote:

Are timeshares actually worth buying?

that is probably the wrong question to ask,as timeshares should not be considered as a saleable commodity,but as a usable commodity. Are you and your family or friends going to get the maximum use out of what you own,and adventure far afield,to places you have only seen in an atlas.to create memories and experiences that only happen when you travel,and timeshares give you the secure knowledge of what you are getting in the way of accommidations. good luck on whatever you choose.