Timesharing With Pets

You have a dog. You love your dog. You consider your dog a part of the family, but when you take a family trip, you are forced to leave your dog with a friend, a neighbor, or in a kennel. You hate to do this, to leave your four-legged family member behind, but you think there isn’t any other way. Does this sound familiar?

Traveling with pets of any type can be difficult. Most hotels and resorts don’t allow pets into their establishment and uphold their policy quite strictly, unless the animal works as a disability aide. Resorts say no and hotels say no, leaving a dog-owner at a loss of where to travel. Most dog-owners turn to the more liberated activity of camping, but depending upon where you choose to camp, your animal may not be welcome. Most state parks, national reserves, and ocean-side beaches do not allow dogs and other animals within the parameter of their boundaries for fear of upsetting the ecosystem’s natural balance. After that rejection, dog-owners don’t have much option of where to travel at all. Or so they think.
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Timeshare vs. Hotels

Here are four brief, informative interviews with actual timeshare owners that help to illustrate the real world convenience and value of timesharing, as well as the advantages of vacation ownership versus traditional hotel-based vacationing.

Timeshare Value

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Timeshare Resales are Affordable

Timeshare Resale vs. Retail

Timeshare vs staying in a hotel

Resort Report: Coronado Beach Resort, San Diego, CA

By Holiday customer, Gail Hall

Looking for the perfect Southern California vacation? Look no further than Coronado Beach Resort! It is the perfect place to stay and San Diego has so much to offer, you will need more than 1 week or will have to come back for more. There are 60 miles of beaches to choose from Oceanside to Imperial Beach in San Diego County, but Coronado Beach tops my list! Mission Beach is a close second.

The resort is across the street from the famous Hotel del Coronado, and across the street from the beach, just a short walk away. Beach toys and bikes are available to use. From the rooftop you can barbeque, or sit and watch the sunset or just relax in the hot tub. You also have access to Loews Resort, which has pools, tennis and saunas.

Visit with Cody, the hotel’s resident parrot, or stroll along Orange Avenue to shop or dine. Miguels Concina is my favorite restaurant!

From Coronado you can take the ferry across to Downtown, or drive over on the bridge. Sea Port Village is a fun place to shop on the waterfront, as is the Gas Lamp district. There is SeaWorld, Wild Animal Park, Lego Land, Balboa Park, Mission Beach Park, La Jolla, Carlsbad, Old Town, Torrey Pines State Reserve, Temecual and wine tasting–all within San Diego county or within 1 hour of San Diego.

Surf, swim, walk, build sand castles, bike, hike, kayak, or just be lazy and lay out on the beach! San Diego has it all, which is why it is my favorite city in the US.

–Gail Hall

All the Right Places for All the Wrong Reasons

By David Skinner, President, Holiday Group

[This article previously appeared in TimeSharing Today.]

Ring! Ring! The phones ring. “Hello, Holiday, may I help you?”

They call with eager anticipation, searching for their perfect vacation, their piece of paradise. Timeshare buyers calling for all the right places . . . for all the wrong reasons.

Most first time buyers call with a specific destination in mind: Next year’s vacation, a resort not far away or that favorite theme park they remember as a child. All are the right places, but, statistically, they are for the wrong reasons. Let’s look at why focusing first on the resort may be the wrong reason.

In a recent survey of timeshare owners, the primary benefit of owning was flexibility to exchange. Furthermore, this survey reported, only 26% of Owners intended to return to their home resort. Wow! Let’s stop and grasp the importance of this.

That is, three-quarters of Owners took advantage of their exchange company and banked, saved or traded it to go other places. The survey strongly suggests that exchanging is the greatest single contributor to timeshare use and enjoyment. For most of us the place to start our timeshare search is the exchange. That’s the right reason.

Some are content to return to their home resort year after year. The majority, however, will choose new and evermore exciting places to vacation. For them the value of their timeshare is its capacity to successfully trade within the exchange system. All too often first time buyers wait months and even years for that one special property, which, statically, they will return to less than half the time. Unless you are a statistical anomaly, your first consideration should be understanding how to exchange. And the secret to that is trading power.

o Trading Power is the term used by RCI, Resort Condominiums International, to describe their valuation of a timeshare deposit in the exchange system. Interval International, the other major exchange company, is similar enough for our purposes. five factors that go into the weighting or valuation of your week when you make the deposit.

o Seasonal Designations. High, mid or low seasons beget the same. While there are plenty of stories of low- and mid-season Owners making exchanges to higher-use periods, we should consider these “urban legends.” Stick to the rule until you have more timeshare experience.

o Size. It does matter when it comes to exchanging. You may request something equal to or smaller than your deposit. When getting there is more important than size and comfort, a two-bedroom deposit may get you a one bedroom in a hard to trade location. Hint: Just leave the in-laws at home.

o Resort. The exchange company surveys owners after their vacation exchange to determine the quality of their stay. This is not the same as the designations of gold crown, five stars, etc. It’s as much a measure of the quality of service as the physical facility itself. Service does, after all, count for something.

o Location. Resorts located in popular destinations will have more trading power over those in less desirable ones. What might be a fun and popular location for you may not budge the needle of world opinion.

o Deposit. This is the amount of time you deposit in advance of your desired vacation. It is the only one that you have control of after you purchase. And no, you cannot deposit far enough in advance to make up for a bad season, size or location.

For the sake of simplification I’ve broken this down into one easy rule: It’s more important to buy what everyone else wants, than what you want.

Your first timeshare is no time to be penny-wise and vacation short, or so narrow as to lose sight of your timeshare’s long-term use and enjoyment. The difference between an average timeshare and a great one is usually not the money. It’s the trading power. To go to all the right places, purchase for all the right reasons. You’ll have years of enjoyable vacations ahead. Enjoy!

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TimeSharing Today is a friend of Holiday and the leading independent magazine for timeshare owners. Enjoy informative articles, resort reviews, tips on exchanging, and other valuable timeshare information in each 56-page issue. As a guest of Holiday, please click here receive your FREE Trial Subscription of TimeSharing Today!

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing, But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask

Part Seven: Bargain Hunting for Luxury Timeshares

By now, you are a virtual “walking encyclopedia” of timeshare knowledge! Floating weeks, odd-year membership, red season, maintenance dues, deeded, fractional, lock-off, trading power, all-inclusive–it all makes sense to you now.

And you thought timesharing was just about taking vacations! Well, it is. But getting more vacation value for your money is what we aim for. And it begins by giving you the basics you learned in Parts One through Six.

In this final installment you will get the low-down on the economic issues of timesharing and take away proven strategies for finding a luxurious timeshare product, cheap. How cheap? How does 60% to 80% off retail sound to you? That’s right. Owners who purchase their timeshare on the resale market pay less than half of the going price on the retail market (at the resort sales presentation).

How to Set a Realistic Budget

The three factors that impact your timeshare budget are purchase price, annual maintenance fee, and the transfer and settlement fee. Let’s take a look at each one of these.

Purchase Price
This price includes the title or membership rights to your timeshare. As a member, you’ll be eligible for all the other benefits of ownership, including making reservations, use of the resort amenities and, in some cases, access to a private beach club and spa.

Annual Maintenance Fee
Fees range from $250 to $1000 per year depending on the membership and the resort. While maintenance fees for a two-bedroom unit will typically be higher than a studio, please know that each resort (or home owner’s association) sets their own fees. As an owner, you will be responsible for this fee every year (or every other year if you have a biennial membership) to cover the cost of maintaining the resort and grounds even if you decide to bank your membership for the year.

Transfer and Settlement Fees
If you are buying a timeshare on the reseller market (either from an online auction or through a timeshare resale company), the timeshare needs to be transferred into your name.

The costs to do that are termed transfer and settlement fees, which may include one or all of the following: county recording fees, homeowner association dues and state tax assessments. The purpose of these fees is to cover the costs incurred by various companies to ensure the transfer adheres to all state regulations (which can be a complicated process) and is processed in a timely manner.

Nine Tips for Buying a Timeshare Week on the Resale Market

1. Buy from a reputable company.
2. Think long-term and buy the biggest unit you can find and afford.
3. Buy the best resort you can find.
4. Know the maximum amount you’re willing to spend.
5. Do your homework! Ask for and check references from the Better Business Bureau (or equivalent). If it’s on eBay, get a feedback rating AND always contact the company (never buy from an individual) by email or phone to ask a question before bidding.
6. Look for a week with great trading power if you will ever exchange your timeshare.
7. As trading power is a function of supply vs. demand, be careful when buying a timeshare in a popular vacation destination that is saturated with timeshares, as is Orlando where the demand rarely exceeds the supply.
8. Pay with a credit card or PayPal.
9. Be patient with closing. Timeshares do take a while to transfer. But don’t get complacent–do follow-up with your reseller.

The Bottom Line and the Dotted Line

So there you have it: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask. You now have an incredible edge in finding a timeshare that matches your Timeshare IQ, along with successful strategies to hunt down a luxury timeshare at a bargain price.

And here’s the bottom line: before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you can answer every one of the following questions with a definitive “Yes!”

* Does your timeshare reseller have happy customers and positive timeshare-related feedback?
* Is your timeshare reseller a member in good standing of the BBB and industry associations such as ARDA?
* Does your timeshare reseller have a wide variety of inventory for sale on and off eBay?
* Does your timeshare reseller work with a reputable transfer company?
* Does your timeshare reseller guarantee your purchase?
* Does your timeshare reseller only sell timeshares?
* Is your timeshare reseller easy to contact and do they answer their phones?

Happy Travels from Holiday Group–your friendly timeshare experts!

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing, But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask

Part Six: Lifestyles and Lifecycles: The Evolving Vacation Experience

Once upon a time, timesharing came in one flavor: vanilla. But just as Baskin & Robins offers over thirty-wonderful flavors to cater to anyone’s taste, timeshare developers have created a wide-range of timeshare products to fit everyone’s lifestyle in every stage of life.

The knowledge you have acquired in the first five parts on how to evaluate a timeshare to determine its trading power has given you an open invitation to the world. But the world is changing. And timeshare is changing right along with it.

Now we’ll take a look at how timesharing is evolving to meet the vacation lifestyle of today. And while everything you’ve learned thus far is still valid in today’s market, there are some exciting new trends that may offer you a better value and a more flexible vacation experience.

The Public’s Changing Vacation Needs

From 1969, when timeshare first came to America, until about 2002, timeshares were sold in weekly increments. The average timeshare buyer was a young family, and they bought one week’s worth of time.

But over the years, many of us have become too busy at work to take a full week of vacation. Even if the parents can take a week off, the kids’ schedules are booked solid with sports, music lessons, achievement classes, and more.

Plus there have been more changes. The aftermath of 9/11 brought a new emphasis on drive-to timeshare resorts and the ever-tightening belt on the economy gave renewed interest in a Club Med-type all-in-one-price resort.  Added to these changes is the fact that there no longer is a typical buyer. Buyers range from singles to married with kids to empty nesters.

Fractionals: Too much of a good thing?

Fractional ownerships first appeared in the mid-1990s. Unlike traditional timeshare resorts offering a weekly membership, fractional ownerships (also known as private residence clubs) are sold as multi-week blocks of time. These fractions of a 52-week year are offered at a private residence featuring designer decors and posh club amenities. Purchases typically range from a 1/21 (two-week) to a 1/4 (three-month) interest in a residence, though even larger fractions are not uncommon.

Fractionals represent the fastest-growing and most lucrative segment of the timeshare market today, with thousands of units available. But wait. Do you really want to spend all your vacation time in the same place? Rather than a wave of the future, fractional may be an expensive trend (high-end fractionals go for about $50,000 a week) that, like the vacation home sitting vacant most of the year, hold more empty promises than precious memories.
Vacation Clubs–What Are They?

Members can choose between any one of several resorts owned by the vacation club.

Advantages: More vacationing options than with owning at just one resort.

Disadvantages: Usage rules can be complicated. Enrollment with some clubs is quite high, which may limit availability during peak seasons.

Bottom Line: Many vacation clubs operate on a floating points system, so the same advantages and disadvantages that apply to floating week ownerships and can also apply to these. Other clubs offer different levels of membership, with those purchasing the highest priced memberships receiving the most benefits. While most vacation clubs are right-to-use, some offer deeded ownerships. Disney, Marriott, Fairfield, and Sunterra are a few of the more popular vacation clubs.

Points Programs–What Are They?

Members receive a certain number of points, or credits, which are then used to purchase vacation time at participating resorts. Maintenance fees and reservation fees still apply. While Fairfield, Marriott, and Disney offer their own points program, the largest program is offered by RCI (see below).

Advantages: More flexible than fixed weeks. Many points programs allow for stays of less than one week and allow you to change your level of accommodation with every stay from a studio to a three-bedroom unit. Plus, if you don’t mind vacationing during off-peak seasons or less popular weeks, you can stretch your purchasing power, since fewer points are required during these times.

Disadvantages: You may not have enough points to get the week, resort, or unit type you want. As with floating week memberships, it may be difficult to reserve a unit at a popular resort in high season.

Bottom Line: Points are like money. The more you have, the more you can do. As a rule, the more popular the location, resort, or week, and the larger the unit, the more points you’ll be charged. Make sure your membership comes with enough points to allow for the kind of vacation you expect. Otherwise, you’ll need to either settle for what you can afford, or purchase more points. There are dozens of points programs available, and no two are the same. Depending on your needs, some programs will prove to be a better fit than others.

RCI Points
RCI Points is a vacation points program offered by the exchange company Resort Condominiums International.

Advantages: Total flexibility in scheduling vacation time (from one night to a several week stay) at over 3500 resorts worldwide. Plus, as RCI tends to accept only the more popular and well-managed resorts into their points inventory system, you are assured of a pleasant vacation experience. In addition, RCI Points are accepted like cash by hundreds of travel partners around the globe and can be used to purchase admission to theme parks, car rentals, airline tickets, helicopter sightseeing rides, cruises, and more.

Disadvantages: RCI Points tend to be pricier than other points programs when purchased at the retail rate. Hint: if you can find RCI Points on the reseller market, buy them up!

Bottom Line: The number of points you initially receive is based on RCI’s valuation of your resort. Owners of more highly rated resorts tend to receive more points. You may purchase more points if you wish, but you’ll start with no more points than what RCI considers your resort to be worth. If the relative value or popularity of your home resort increases, RCI will increase your point total to reflect the change.

All-Inclusive Programs

One price pays for everything. This concept has been around since the 1950s when Gerard Blitz founded Club Med. A recent study revealed 60% of vacationers now look for all-inclusive packages when shopping for a vacation resort. Expect more resorts to follow this trend in the near future.

Advantages: Eliminates wallet-dipping. Can be cost-effective if you’re on a strict budget, are taking the whole family, or like the idea of having everything right at hand.

Disadvantages: It discourages off-site travel, which means you don’t get to discover the true experience of the region. Also, an all-inclusive resort may not be cost-effective for those who don’t eat or drink much, or for those who prefer relaxing by the pool or playing tennis to more expensive activities such as water sports or golf (for which the cost has already been included in the price of membership).

Bottom Line: If you and your traveling partners are content to enjoy a leisurely vacation within the confines of the resort, then go for it. As you’ve already paid upfront for your drinks and meals, it’s a very cost-effective vacation as long as you eat your meals on-site.

Before purchasing, be sure to determine what the all-inclusive fee covers. For example, while food, beverages, and tips are usually covered, alcoholic drinks, sightseeing tours, and use of water sports equipment off-site probably are not covered. Some resorts are mandatory all-inclusive, others offer optional programs. The rule: ask before you buy!

Your Timeshare IQ: Are you content to spend the majority  of your vacation right on the resort property or would you rather use the resort as a base camp to return to after taking in the sights and activities of the surrounding area?

Coming Up in Part Seven next week, learn how to go bargain hunting for luxury timeshares.

–Gillian Armstrong

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing, But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask

Part Five: Life’s More than a Beach with Trading Power

Now that you’ve learned how to comparison shop timeshares based on their hard factors (location/unit size/amenities) and their soft usage factors (annual or biennial/floating or fixed/high, mid, or low-season week) it’s time to capitalize on your knowledge to give you the edge on timeshare’s golden opportunity: trading power.

Trading Power–The Holy Grail of Timesharing
For many timeshare owners, the primary benefit of owning a timeshare is the flexibility to make exchanges to vacation at other resorts. In fact, surveys suggest that exchanging is the greatest single contributor to timeshare use and enjoyment.

While some folks are content to return to their home resort year after year, industry statistics show that 58% of timeshare owners will chose new and evermore exciting places to vacation.

Your Timeshare IQ: What about you? Do you want to visit the same resort every year or prefer to experience new resorts each year?

Even if you answered “travel to the same resort every year,” will that always be your preference? If, at some point in the future, you decide that trading within the exchange system is important, then this lesson is important.

Trading power, or exchange value, is simply a function of supply vs. demand. Resorts that enjoy the greatest trading power are those where demand most exceeds supply (supply referring to the number of timeshare units available in a given resort or area).

There are five key factors affecting demand:

1. Location
Here is that mantra again: location, location, location. This key factor in determining trading power is driven by two criteria: climate (the more tropical the better, such as Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, Southern California); and proximity to popular attractions (Orlando, Las Vegas, Branson) or popular activities (downhill skiing, trophy fishing, gambling).

2. Season
The higher, the better. A season is considered high when more owners prefer to visit that resort or area during that time of the year. The ratio of potential users to available units is what creates (or suppresses) demand.

3. Rating and Amenities
While RCI and II ratings are not necessarily indicative of demand, the rule of thumb is that for two resorts in the same high-demand area (such as Hawaii), the resort that is rated will likely be more popular than the unrated one. RCI’s best rating is Gold Crown, followed by its Resort of International Distinction. In addition to ratings, resorts that have more on-site amenities enjoy a more favorable trading status.

4. Name Recognition
This is the power of branding, and it works just as well with selling resorts as it does with selling designer jeans, fragrances or sunglasses. Whether it’s Disney, Marriott, Trendwest, or Hilton, these instantly recognizable icons elevate the trading power of any timeshare, especially when combined with a popular destination.

5. Unit Type
The more room, the better. And the greater the unit’s features (full kitchen, fireplace, private balcony, etc.) the higher your trading power. Just as important, keep the rule “like for like” in mind. If you own a spacious two-bedroom unit at a popular resort, it will typically (though not always) exchange for a two-bedroom unit at another popular resort.

Join us next week for Part Six, when we’ll talk about the difference between deeded and right-to-use timeshares, and gain an understanding of maintenance fees.

–Gillian Armstrong

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing, But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask

Part 4: Confessions of an Ex-Timeshare Salesperson

Timesharing involves both hard and soft factors. While Lesson Three showed you how to evaluate the hard factors of unit type, resort location and amenities/activities, Lesson Four makes you an expert in how to look at the soft factors that determine your membership’s timeshare usage.

While many of you are familiar with the seasonal factor, there are two other considerations that can dramatically affect the cost of your timeshare purchase. Let’s start with those.

Annual or Biennial Membership
While most salespeople giving a timeshare presentation won’t even mention this option, it is a factor than can basically cut the cost of your timeshare in half. And it’s called the biennial membership, which means your membership entitles you to use the resort every other year, as opposed to an annual membership that gives you access to the resort every year.

Biennial membership gives either even-year ownership (timeshare use is allowed during years ending in an even number) or odd-year ownership (years ending in an odd number).

Timeshare IQ: What’s your preference, annual or biennial?

Fixed or Floating Week
While the membership factor gives you two choices, annual or biennial, the weekly factor gives you 52 choices! But first, you need to decide if you want a floating week or a fixed week. What’s this all about?

A fixed week gives you the right to occupy a unit at your resort during a specific numbered week (1 to 52) each year. A floating week gives you the right to occupy a unit at your resort anytime during the whole year or within a specific season.

With a fixed week, planning vacations is easy because your week is the same each year. A disadvantage of a fixed week is its inflexibility with regards to vacationing at your home resort. However, please note that space banking your week gives you the opportunity to choose a different week number at the exchange resort. Also, fixed weeks are easier to deposit with RCI or II than floating weeks, as covered below.

Floating weeks offer you greater flexibility to vacation at different times every year. One disadvantage of floating weeks, though, can be finding availability at the resort. As floating weeks are reserved on a space-available basis, owners need to make reservations as far ahead as the resort allows. Another disadvantage is that in order to space bank a floating week, owners must first call their resort and turn it into a specific week before depositing. This second step creates a bit more hassle than with fixed weeks.

The bottom line? Fixed weeks are ideal for owners who have a pre-determined vacation schedule, as with families who need to abide by their children’s school schedules. Floating weeks are a good choice for people who have more flexibility with their vacation plans. A best case scenario in terms of usage and space banking, however, is a fixed use option during a popular week at a highly rated resort in a desirable location.

Timeshare IQ: What’s your preference, fixed or floating?

All About Season
Just as with many hotels, the cost of a timeshare week at a resort fluctuates with the season. The more popular the season, the higher the cost. A high demand week at one resort (the second week in January at Vail, for example) can be a low demand week at another resort (the same week in Atlantic City). Some destination resorts, such as those in Las Vegas or Hawaii may be in high demand year-round.

Season is an important consideration when purchasing a timeshare in regards to your own personal schedule and to your trading power. The higher the season owned, the more trading power you will enjoy when space banking a week with either RCI or II.

RCI and II use color-coded designations in their exchange catalogs to indicate High-, Mid-, and Low-Season. While RCI and II both use Red to indicate High-Season weeks, RCI uses White for Mid-Season weeks (II uses Yellow), and Blue for Low-Season weeks (II used Green for Low-Season).

Timeshare IQ: What time of year you will want to use your timeshare (winter/spring/summer/fall)?

Next week, in Part Five, you’ll learn the five factors that determine a timeshare’s trading power to give you premium exchange opportunities worldwide.

–Gillian Armstrong

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing, But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask

Part Three: Applying Your Timeshare IQ

In Part Two, you determined your Timeshare IQ to learn what is most important to you in a timeshare with regard to unit type, location, on-site amenities and nearby activities, plus the season of usage. You also took a reality check for budget considerations, did some soul searching to recall your most favorite vacation, and looked at upcoming events in your personal life that may have an effect of your timeshare purchase.

Congratulations! You are now more prepared to make an informed timeshare decision than the majority of people who buy timeshares. And we have lots more information to share!

We’re now going to delve deeper into the physical attributes of the resort with a fact sheet that will make you a smart shopper.

Thanks to an RCI survey of its 3,500 affiliated resorts, you have the facts at hand to determine just how well any given resort stacks up to the norm.

* Over 85% offer one-bedroom units
* Over 70% offer two-bedroom units
* Over 85% have either partial- or full-kitchen units
* Over 25% offer in-unit washers and dryers
* Over 25% feature fireplaces in some or all of their units
* Over 85% have on-site swimming pools
* Over 45% have a whirlpool or hot tub on site
* Over 40% have a sauna on site

Unit Type
Unit type is determined by the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the size of the kitchen, and whether or not the unit is a lock-off.

Occupancy
The number of bedrooms and bathrooms determines the occupancy allowance. All resorts affiliated with either RCI or II divide occupancy into two categories:

Private Occupancy refers to the number of people the unit will accommodate, allowing for two adults per sleeping area with private access to a bathroom.

Maximum Occupancy refers to the total number of people the unit will accommodate allowing for two adults per sleeping area without regard to privacy considerations.

Listed below are standard resort occupancy allowances based on unit size. This is only a guideline, as numbers can vary.

Studio: Privacy 2 Maximum 2
1 Bedroom: Privacy 2 Maximum 4
2 Bedroom: Privacy 4 Maximum 6
3 Bedroom: Privacy 6 Maximum 8

A Note About Lock-offs
Most lock-off units (available on 2-and 3-bedroom units) consist of one larger unit and one smaller unit separated by a locking door. This allows you to use both units at the same time, use each at different times, or use one and space bank the other. A lock-off will increase your maintenance fees, but increase your usage options. If your lock-off happens to be at a popular resort, it may also increase your trading power.

Based on your Timeshare IQ, your:

Privacy occupancy is ______
Maximum occupancy is _______

Resort Location
In real estate, the mantra is location, location, location. In timesharing, too, location is the most significant factor with regard to trading power. The more likely you are to bank your weeks in order to visit other resorts, the more important your home resort location becomes.  In fact, it’s possible to purchase at a beautiful, amenity-filled resort located in an unpopular area and enjoy less trading power than if you had purchased at an aging, seen-better-days resort in a high-demand location. On the other hand, maybe you want to vacation at that nice little resort in Podunckville every year.

Your Preferred Destinations:

Drive to: _____________
Fly to:   _____________

Resort Amenities and Nearby Activities
Many resorts offer outstanding amenities for exceptional vacation value. Of course, the more thrills and frills a resort offers, the higher the maintenance fee could be, which may not be very thrilling.

With regard to upping your trading power, while amenities won’t necessarily create demand, they can add to the popularity of a resort that is already in demand for other reasons. Also keep in mind that smaller resorts offering few on-site amenities are sometimes located only a short distance from popular attractions and activities, and this can greatly increase their trading power.

Which On-Site amenities are most important to you?

The most important “nearby” activities are?

Next week, Part Four is where we’ll discuss important usage considerations affecting the price of your timeshare.

– Gillian Armstrong

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Timesharing, But Were Afraid to Attend a Sales Presentation to Ask

Part Two: Your Timeshare IQ

Relax. This is not a test. The “IQ” here stands for Interest Query. Using your answers to the questions in the Timeshare IQ helps to create a profile of your vacation lifestyle.  Once you know your vacation profile, you can begin to narrow down the thousands of timeshares on the market to the ones that are right for you.

Knowing your must-haves and your I-can-do-withouts in each category will bring your ideal timeshare into focus quickly. If you plan to buy soon why not print this article and take some time to answer on paper. Giving these questions some thought will help you make the right timeshare decision for your vacation needs today and into the future.  Keep your answers and save them for the upcoming lessons.

1. How many people will accompany you on your vacation most years? How many need their  own bedroom? How many can share a bedroom? Can any of them sleep on a sofa bed?

2. Do you want to be able to cook meals in the unit, or will you eat most of your meals out?

3. Do you want a timeshare within driving distance? Close to home would save on airfare and car rental, but farther from home might feel more like a vacation.

4. What location do you prefer? Is there a particular spot that says paradise to you that you want to travel to every year, or do you prefer to experience new resorts each year?

5. Do you want a large, busy resort, or a small, quiet one? Do you prefer vacations that put you in the middle of the action, or that take you away from it all?

6. What on-site amenities are important to you? For instance, do you want golf, beaches, ski-in/ski-out right on the property, or can you drive a short distance to these? Other on-site amenities include lakes, rivers, pools, spas, hot tubs, tennis courts, daycare, restaurants, and more.

7. What destination activities do you enjoy? Theme parks, water sports, snow sports, sightseeing, hiking, biking, etc.?

8. Are you content to spend the majority of your vacation right on the resort property, or would you rather use the resort as a  base camp  to return to after taking in the sights and activities the surrounding area has to offer?

9. Do you plan on using your timeshare every year?

10. Are your travel dates flexible or do you want to visit your timeshare the same time every year?

11. If you plan on using your timeshare the same time every year, what time of year will that most likely be?

12. What is your budget for your initial timeshare purchase? Do you plan to finance your timeshare? How much are you willing to spend on annual maintenance fees? (See more information on maintenance fees below)

13. How will upcoming life events impact your travel habits? (Weddings, births in the family, family reunions, retirement, empty nest, grandkids, etc.)

14. What is your most memorable vacation? Why?

A Note About Maintenance Fees

What does the annual maintenance fee pay for? Maintenance fees are assessed by your timeshare to cover upkeep, billing, and replacement costs. As a guideline, the larger your unit and the more amenities your resort offers, the higher your maintenance fee. Depending on the resort and your season of use, maintenance fees can range from under $300 for a studio unit to over $1200 for a 3-bedroom lock-off.

While some resorts do not charge the fee unless (or until) you use your week, most resorts do charge the maintenance fee on an annual basis. Also, it is important to note that members who exchange their timeshare for another resort pay the maintenance fee of their home resort, not the resort they are visiting.

Check back next week for Part 3 when we’ll discuss using your timeshare IQ to create ‘cheat sheets’ – Your passport to adventure!

–Gillian Armstrong

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