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"Timeshare Seller Beware!" by Lisa Ann Schreier.

Your Next Vacation: Don't Get Stuck In “Puerta Backyarda”!

By Lisa Ann Schreier, aka “The Timeshare Crusader and founder of Timeshare Insights and author of “Timeshare Vacations for Dummies.

We all know what the economy is like these days. Pretty scary times, and for most of us, pretty stressful. And the more stress we are under, from whatever source, the more we need to vacation. But when we look at the average price for a family of four to sleep and eat while on vacation in 2008 . . . it comes to a whopping $182.18 per day! With every dollar being precious, it’s easy to find excuses to spend that money in other ways. But the more we postpone—or worse, cancel—our vacations, the more stress we are under. And so the vicious cycle goes.

Lack of money leads to stress --> Stress demands vacation --> Vacation usually means spending lots of money that we may or may not have --> The idea of spending lots of money means we tend to cancel the vacation --> Which leads to even more stress.

I don’t propose to know the solution to our economic troubles. One look at my rapidly diminishing financial portfolio will tell you that much. But I know that there is an answer out there for everyone who is worried about rising vacation costs and the very real threat that they won’t be able to afford them.

Vacation Options

Let’s look at what your vacation options are this year:

1. Stay at home (also known as the “Puerto Backyarda” vacation.).

Pros: No travel involved. Just head on out to the backyard or patio, close your eyes, and pretend.

Cons: No travel involved. Just head on out to the backyard or patio, close your eyes, and pretend. And then there are those pesky neighbors to contend with. Not to mention you might be tempted to mow the grass, paint the house, answer the phone, wash the car . . . you get the idea. And if you live in Montana, it’s rather hard to “imagine” a warm, sandy beach. While you could put “Beauty and the Beast” on the DVD for the kids, its not quite the same as seeing Belle in person.

2. Stay with friends and family--> especially if they live in interesting places.

Pros: You probably won’t have to pay for room and board. Laundry facilities, lots of conversation.

Cons: Lumpy beds (or couches). Having to do what your friends and relatives want to do. Lots (and lots) of conversation. You know what they say about fish and visiting friends and relatives: three-day limit. After that, “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!”

3. Camping

Pros: Ah, the great outdoors!

Cons: Ah, the great outdoors! Bears, mosquitoes, allergies, West Nile virus, and, of course, the outdoor bathroom “facilities.

4. Timeshare Resales

Pros: Save 60% to 80% off developer prices. Over 5,700 resorts worldwide to choose from. Spacious villas and condos. High-quality amenities. The pride of ownership. Saving money on your future vacations. The ability to leave a vacation legacy to your children.

Cons: No “free gift,” because you’re not attending a timeshare sales presentation. Oh, well, nothing is perfect!

Vacation Insurance

Timeshare is, quite literally, a Vacation Insurance Policy. It gives you the peace of mind that no matter what happens, you can afford to go on a vacation. Look at the other insurance policies you already pay for, each of which requires a not-so-good “occurrence” before payoff:

• Car Insurance: Accident—> Bad News.
• Renter’s Insurance: Theft—> More Bad News.
• Homeowner’s Insurance:Fire, Flood, Hurricane—> Really Bad News.
• Health Insurance: Disease—> Bad, Potentially Icky, News.
• Life Insurance:You’re Dead—> Particularly Bad News. Especially if it happens before you go on your dream vacation.

Now compare those policies with “Vacation Insurance”:

• Vacation Insurance: Vacation in condos, villas, and châteaux around the world for thousands less than others are paying—> Really Great News!

A Better Idea

Timeshare makes more sense now, doesn’t it? Timeshare is nothing more than pre-paying your future vacation costs. And while it’s hard to argue with the good sense of that concept—just think if you could pre-pay the cost of all of your future food at today’s prices—the relatively high cost of buying directly from a developer stops many consumers. Even so, from a long-term savings standpoint, an $18,000 developer’s timeshare is still a good idea. But now consider that same timeshare at a $6,000 resale price! That’s an even better idea—and a smarter and more affordable one, as well.

For more information about timeshares, check out www.timeshareinsights.com, and be sure to visit Holiday, where they have a tremendous selection of timeshares at 60% to 80% less than developer prices. Remember, there is no such thing as a “used” timeshare!

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Reggie had a question dealing with wanting to sell his timeshare, "I want to sell one or two of my 5 timeshares for top dollar but not as low as I see advertised with holiday and there are so many to choose from and I just don't know where to start.Do you have any recommendations or companies in mind who could possibly get this done?"

Well Reggie, good news and bad news. The good news is that Holiday doesn't buy timeshares off of consumers. The bad news is that there are too many companies out there willing to scam your money out of you in return for a promise of a quick sale. Don't fall for any of them! NEVER pay anyone a listing fee to sell your timeshare for you. 9 times out of 10, they are only interested in the listing fee, not selling the timeshare.

My first recommendation would be to rent the timeshares in question for a few years and get some money. Hopefully, you didn't buy these timeshares under the assumption that they go up in value, because they generally don't. TimeSharing Today is a wonderful publication out of New Jersey where you can advertise your timeshare for rent or for sale. They charge an advertising fee, not a listing fee. Better news on the horizon though, Reggie, later on this year, I'll be introducing a revolutionary way of looking at timeshare prices, transparency and knowledge will help everyone, including you. Hang on if you can for just a bit, help is on the way!

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Imtiaz wrote in to say that he owed three (3) timeshares giving him 3 weeks in his account before the end of the year to add to the four (4) weeks already deposited with RCI and wanted to know what I recommended.

Wow! Seven weeks to use...I do't suppose you would recommend giving me one, would you? :-) All kidding aside, you did indicate that you did travel and you like to cruise. I'm not a big fan of trading your timeshares towards cruises, whether through RCI Weeks, RCI Points, or ICE. More often than not, you end up getting a value of say $350 for your week and you and I both know your weeks are worth more than that.

Many timeshare people will tell you that you can trade your week FOR a cruise, when in fact, you end up trading your week TOWARDS a cruise. By the time you add up the charges for food, drink, entertainment, etc. you can get a better deal yourself, without giving up your week.

If you aren't going to use all of your weeks for resort vacation, don't lose them! Rent them out or roll them over to next year if you can. If you're going to rent, by all means control it yourself. Don't give them to the resort to rent out for you, because you have no control of what they charge and no way to find out if they were really rented out at all. Happy vacationing Imitiaz!

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Gladys from California wrote in and asked,
"which weeks are high season and what are the other weeks?"

The answer Gladys is that high season varies from region to region. High demand season in Colorado may well be the winter, i.e. skiing months. In other places, Missouri perhaps, the winter may very well be low demand season. Be careful though...some resorts in places such as Orlando, Las Vegas, Hawaii, etc. will proudly announce to the world that they are "all high season all year round."

Wrong. Even within year round high demand areas, there will be "better tradable" weeks than others. While RCI still relies on the "Red, White and Blue" color charts, I find II's Travel Demand Index a much truer glimpse into what really qualifies as "high season."

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Edward writes in this week about a Bonus Week that he received from Interval International.
He wants to know if he can "rent out" his Bonus Week to someone else?

First of all, II has Getaway Weeks, I just didn't want to confuse anyone with terminology here. The answer is YES! You can purchase a Guest Certificate for whomever you will be giving the Getaway Week to. Whether you are going to charge those people more money than the cost of the Getaway Week is entirely up to you.

Thanks Edward for your question, and enjoy your vacation that you've already booked using your II week!

 

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Lisa Ann Schreier is the founder of Timeshare Insights (www.timeshareinsights.com), a consumer information source serving the more than 3 million Americans who attend a timeshare sales presentation or "pitch" annually, as well as the more than 2 million Americans who already own one or more timeshares. She is the author of two best-selling books on timeshare---Surviving A Timeshare Presentation: Confessions From The Sales Table, and Timeshare Vacations For Dummies. Both books have been a "hit" with consumers who are confused and angry by the industry’s outdated sales and marketing techniques.

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