Jeff

I'll tell you why to buy! You will have incredibly cheap vacations for the rest of your life! My wife and I bought two years ago in Orlando. We toured 30+ resorts before buying into the concept. I found Westgate Resorts at 6k for brand new unit and only $150 per year in maint fees...awesome! It is a 5star resort and thru I.I. We have traded for Aruba already and also Ft. Lauderdale this year. No problems. The referral program is where we make money. I simply post up a flier (provided by Westgate) at my local grocery store when I go. People pick off the tags (with my referral #) and go to visit at low rates. If they buy, and 3/4 will! I get $600. I have already had 4 people buy. That's $2400. A couple more years and it will have paid for itself. Also, the getaway weeks thru II are awesome. $200-$300 for a weeks vacation...I sell these to coworkers for $400-$500 per week. profits there as well! Can't beat it, let the non travel savy people pay for my family vacations...that's the way to go!!

tania

I've read several threads on this issue and I think it comes down to personality types.

I LIKE to wheel and deal my trades to the UK, Austria, France, Italy, Hawaii and Whistler, well in advance. I LIKE to search out the best airfares. I LIKE to research my destinations thoroughly and do independent touring. I wouldn't be comfortable doing a two week vacation without it.

When I don't go to my timeshare, I RENT it out. Rentals since 91 have paid for the timeshare itself, including the maintenance fees during rental weeks.

When buying a timeshare, the cardinal rule is as with any real estate: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Buy WHERE and WHEN people want to go and good trades are not difficult. Very simple. Again, do your research, don't do anything on impulse. The deal will be still there in a few weeks.

Happy timesharing,
Tania

Gary

Timeshares are for trailer park refugees who can't grasp complex math and/or like throwing their money down the toilet.
Timeshare owners are the same people who have kept companies in business like Ronco, WWF, the Ginsu Knife company and the makers of the Chia-Pet.
They line the pockets of the shisters of the world.

rrr

I agree with Tania that it come down to personality types. A timeshare is not a savvy financial investment if you look at the numbers-but I have a lot of friends who think a 3 week trip to Europe is a waste of money because you could buy something "concrete" with it or invest the money. We bought the minimum pts at the Disney Vacation Club and we use it for short getaways of 3-4 days at a time, not to replace vacations each year. We used part of an unexpected bonus to pay cash up front - we KNOW we could have invested it-but we knew we would enjoy this and we have not regretted not having it invested (to lose in the past 3 months). Going into debt to buy a timeshare makes no sense-but "worth" is not all about math

timesharesare

Here's a hint, there are no millionaires, Nobel prize winners or even highly successful bussiness people who own timeshares, and for good reason. Think about it.

marsha

there are quality time share companies like Marriott who offer a great product to middle and upper middle class families. The previous post seems irrelevant to me as millionaires own multiple homes around the world.

timesharesare

Here's the relevance since it eludes you, timeshares are not smart investments, and those who know better would never consider purchasing them. Now do you get the relevance?

Oh, and mere millionaires can no longer afford multiple homes, that's for billionaires.

traveler

To Timesharesare who said -- Oh, and mere millionaires can no longer afford multiple homes, that's for billionaires

WRONG.................

traveler

The bottom line is this: Okay, it probably isn't the best investment but what a timeshare DOES do is make a family go on vacation. How many people that don't own timeshares plan and go on nice vacations yearly? Okay, maybe some. But a HUGE amount of people work, work, work and don't take time to vacation. If you have some of your hard earned money invested in a timeshare and you are money conscience then you by gosh go on that vacation every year!! Yeah hear me??

lawren

We own 2 timeshare weeks. We bought them as foreclosures. 1 cost $1,100 the other cost $1,500. Mtc is $240 and $350. Both are red weeks in either RCI Gold Crown/Resort of Distinction. Both can be exchanged at no cost within a family of 20 resorts. I can upgrade the size if I need too. Or I can exchange through RCI.

They have paid for themselves by trading to places like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Aruba and USA.

I would never pay full price for a timeshare but at 10 cents on the dollar they are well worth it. I can probably count on getting my "initial investment" back and if not? So what?

I agree whole-heartedly with Tania. I enjoy planning next summer's vacation now. Once confirmed I can get cheap airfares. If you can be flexible and plan in the long term you can't beat a timeshare.

We may never have bought them if we didn't have a young child. Having a kitchen and separate sleeping areas in well maintained properties beat the "hotel room" hands down! (And yes I know about the suite hotels, we use them too.)

They are not for everybody, but they are for me.

L

zoro

I've read several mentions of timeshare purchased on the resale market. Where's the best place to find these deals? My sister and her husband have timeshares they bought in the mid-80's in Whistler, BC, and we have been the lucky recipients of some of those weeks. They are great condos in a great location, and we have enjoyed ourselves there. Anybody have any info?

Brenda

We bought timeshares in Hawaii knowing it was not a good investment as so many posters have pointed out. We lived in Alaska and traveled to Hawaii year after year and loved the islands. When we bought 3 weeks we knew we wanted to go to Hawaii every year and we knew we wanted the advantages of a well cared for resort in a location we chose. We knew what we were getting into, financially and otherwise. We chose to spend our money this way, so???? We have never regretted our purchase and we use it faithfully each year. Actually, we have had RCI call us often asking us to bank our weeks, because Hawaii weeks are so in demand. Glad we chose Hawaii to buy our weeks. The value has held up well over the last 10 years because we purchased at a good resort. I am a happy timeshare owner, and I think this thread shows I am not the only one.

gowhere

To Traveler,

We go on 3 nice family vacations every year, and aren't limited to certain weeks and or destinations that have to have timeshares. If we feel like going to Tuscany, that's where we go, if we feel like going to the Grand Canyon, we go. We aren't forced to use a timeshare in some (usually) trumped up resort area that is littered with timeshares, like Hawaii, Cabo, etc, etc. I don't see the appeal in that AT ALL!

millionaire

traveler,

We are millionaires, (OK, just barely), but there is no way we can afford a vacation home anywhere we would like to own one (Nantucket, Tuscany). Maybe it's because we also have kids and are adverse to debt, but I still think it takes a lot of cash to own multiple homes, certainly more than we have, and I'm not talking about some shack a tacky tourist spot either! Oh, and I would never, never buy a timeshare.

Kim

This thread has been going on for a long time. My husband and I bought our first time share 12 years ago and love it. We bought through Vacation International (now bought out by Sunterra). It's a point system and you spend it how you want. You can go for a long weekend if you want or longer. We bought because of our children and how it would be a great way to see other places and yet have a home type feeling. Our kids love it, their husbands love it, and so do our grandsons. It may not be the most financial savvy thing to do but it has worked for us. It has enabled us to take the whole family to Hawaii for 2 weeks and stay in 2 bedroom condo's with all the comfort of home - but with a beautiful view and swimming pool. Eight years ago we bought into another time share closer to home that we can drive to. It's in Lake Chelan and the kids love it too. It's cheap for them - just gas - but gives them a great vacation they wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. The timeshares can be sold or handed down to the family for them to enjoy during their life time and their kids too. As for RCI. I hated them - the rudest people I have ever dealt with. I can bank my time from Lake Chelan with VI and then use any of their resorts (over a 100) or trade through Interval. Much nicer. It really doesn't matter if people like time shares or not. As long as they enjoy themselves is what really counts. We are a stressed out bunch of people in this time period and we deserve a vacation - whether it's camping in a tent or staying in a 5 star hotel. Have a wonderful evening. Kim