Thinking outside of the box-renting your timeshare

[cyseitz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cyseitz]

I've just been trying to brainstorm ways that I can rent out my timeshare. I know there's Redweek.com, etc. Anybody had any out of the box ideas with success in renting out your extra weeks? Just wondering.

[northwoodsgal Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close northwoodsgal]

This idea really isn't too out of the box but I have had good luck renting out a few timeshare weeks with an ad at my husband's workplace. It's a larger company and they have an employee "classifieds" section on their web site. I think because people know there rental is legitimate makes a big difference.

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

Location is still number one. Many families want to vacation within driving distance so some habits have changed.

I ran two different ads over a two year period on Redweek and would not pay them again. Never had one response either year.

I have used Tug few times and again nothing but scam offers so I feel Tug market place a waste of time too!

I still like the free Craigslist and at least get offers each year from the site.

PHIL

[cyseitz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cyseitz]

Well, e-mailed all of my facebook friends and people I know around town. I got a lot of people on my facebook who said "Thanks, good to know" I had some ask for prices and looked like they were really interested. I had one person ask for a specific dates and liked the prices, but he wants to bring 13 adults and 3 kids. He would have needed a four bedroom and all that I had with Wyndham in the area he wanted were two bedroom. After I told him that he never replied.

I live in south Louisiana where the economy is still pretty decent and seems like people are still vacationing.

I have thought of buying some of those yard signs and posting it. Unless somebody comes looking for what I have specifically, if they can find me on the World Wide Web then I don't have a chance. I thought if I brought it to them where they saw it it might help. I'd put something like "locally owned" on it. On the same note, buy a car magnet, but I don't know if that would be tacky. I am working on a flyer to take to the local college that advertises a week that I have booked in Fort Lauderdale.

Tell me what you think.

Thanks!

[MargeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MargeS]

I have offered mine for rent in my church bulletin a few times. Rented once, but still get inquiries.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I've had success using this site: Sell Timeshare, Selling Timeshares for Sale, Resale and Rent

It is free unless you go for the featured listing but I've not found that necessary the few times I've needed to use it. Of course I've always had a realistic $ as well.

[cyseitz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cyseitz]

Yes, a realistic price. What do you think a realistic price is for Wyndham Bonnet Creek in the summer or for Christmas week?

That is a majic question to me. I hate to oversell and on the same had to undersell.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Yes, a realistic price. What do you think a realistic price is for Wyndham Bonnet Creek in the summer or for Christmas week?

That is a majic question to me. I hate to oversell and on the same had to undersell.

If you search on the site I referenced you will see what people are asking and can see what has sold at approximate price and what hasn't. Try to target your price in the middle to upper range of the sold properties, if you comfortably can. Don't forget about the $99 housekeeping fee to place a guest if that is applicable!

Make sure to state in your ad that you are negotiable. Be prepared for some real crazy low ball offers that you will pleasantly reply to stating that their price is not feasible.

Christmas ( week 52 ) will command a premium.

Good luck and keep us posted on your journey.

[cyseitz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cyseitz]

What is your reference site? I have access to Redweek.com.

Is that a good place to look?

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

What is your reference site? I have access to Redweek.com.

Is that a good place to look?

I like Vacation Timeshare Rentals.

Sell Timeshare, Selling Timeshares for Sale, Resale and Rent

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

What do you think a realistic price is for Wyndham Bonnet Creek in the summer or for Christmas week?

You want Christmas week or some other common school holiday week. BC has *so many* owners offering up units that price competition is fierce, and during summer most people are flexible about which week they travel, so you're not just competing with owners in that week, but also in the nearby weeks as well. If you pick a school holiday week though, you have people that *have* to go that week, or they don't go that time of year.

Week 52 is the #1 week with a bullet. I'd guess either the week starting the Friday or Saturday before Easter or Week 51 is probably #2---and even Easter is starting to stagger a little as school districts stop floating with the day and pick some fixed week instead. Maybe President's week is third. After that, things get tricky. One diamond in the rough might be Jersey week---NJ schools are out two days in early November, and a lot of folks from the Garden State come down then. It's Value season at BC, and your competition might be lower than for Thanksgiving (also inexplicably Value season at BC).

[flexible Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flexible]

We have more timeshares than we can use. I was able to rent 3 weeks of our Velas Valarta in Puerto Vallarta to a man I met there last year. He was renting from a full time owner last year and wanted to come this year and avoid the mandatory all inclusive if he had exchanged in. I quoted our Maintenance Fee and he agreed to pay it.

I am in the process of renting 7 days in Hawaii to someone who wants to use two VacationInternationale properties. Again I quoted our costs for points, booking fee etc.

My problem is I have probably received 30 emails in the past year from people I've met while traveling that seem to go no where. I need to put a label on the back of my business card or get it printed on both sides to state: Info needed: check in date, check out date, size of unit, number of people. It is amazing how many people email requests without enough information to respond.

Of the 5 times I have successfully rented a week, it seems that it takes far too many emails back & forth and also emailing the resort to be sure a guest is checking in.

Because of the time involved, I am trying to figure out if I should quote costs + $X for my time to reserve and conclude the transaction.

How do most people do this? Do you just book the high demand weeks then advertise for top dollar. We rented a few "Holy Weeks" in Mexico - the week before Easter that is Spring Break but I sense it is no longer as hard to reserve so it isn't as valuable. I wasted a ton of time with a woman who decided that would be a great week to get all the extended family together but was angry her contract at Mayan didn't allow the holiday weeks. Then she wanted high demand weeks at cost. Eventually she decided she couldn't get cheap airfare for the holiday weeks and changed her mind.

[cyseitz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cyseitz]

Do any of you feel like you are having to rent really cheap in order to rent out your weeks? I see people renting out nights as cheap as you can rent a hotel room. Is that just what it right now?

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

We have more timeshares than we can use. I was able to rent 3 weeks of our Velas Valarta in Puerto Vallarta to a man I met there last year. He was renting from a full time owner last year and wanted to come this year and avoid the mandatory all inclusive if he had exchanged in. I quoted our Maintenance Fee and he agreed to pay it.

I am in the process of renting 7 days in Hawaii to someone who wants to use two VacationInternationale properties. Again I quoted our costs for points, booking fee etc.

My problem is I have probably received 30 emails in the past year from people I've met while traveling that seem to go no where. I need to put a label on the back of my business card or get it printed on both sides to state: Info needed: check in date, check out date, size of unit, number of people. It is amazing how many people email requests without enough information to respond.

Of the 5 times I have successfully rented a week, it seems that it takes far too many emails back & forth and also emailing the resort to be sure a guest is checking in.

Because of the time involved, I am trying to figure out if I should quote costs + $X for my time to reserve and conclude the transaction.

How do most people do this? Do you just book the high demand weeks then advertise for top dollar. We rented a few "Holy Weeks" in Mexico - the week before Easter that is Spring Break but I sense it is no longer as hard to reserve so it isn't as valuable. I wasted a ton of time with a woman who decided that would be a great week to get all the extended family together but was angry her contract at Mayan didn't allow the holiday weeks. Then she wanted high demand weeks at cost. Eventually she decided she couldn't get cheap airfare for the holiday weeks and changed her mind.

Of course you should make a little for your effort! The problem is there are too many people renting just to cover MFs.

Do any of you feel like you are having to rent really cheap in order to rent out your weeks? I see people renting out nights as cheap as you can rent a hotel room. Is that just what it right now?

It depends. In Orlando? Most definately yes. There is too much inventory at too many resorts to command a decent price in most cases. Now if you were talking about Old Town Alexandria you'd have some wriggle room or Dolphins Cove in summer for a 2BR. Simple case of supply and demand.

You will notice that neither Brian or I committed a price to paper on your question but it probably would have insulted you given what you are probably paying /k points to WYN.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Yes, a realistic price. What do you think a realistic price is for Wyndham Bonnet Creek in the summer or for Christmas week?

That is a majic question to me. I hate to oversell and on the same had to undersell.

To add to what has been said, google it, something like Bonnet Creek for rent. If I was doing it, I would google something like Orlando timeshares for rent, cuz most folks do not know that Bonnet Creek is much nicer than others.

Your competition is all of Orlando/Kissimmee. Because it is overbuilt and the times, I can tell you there are plenty of weeks for under $500.

Also, I'm sure there are plenty of Orlando forums you might be able to advertise on. The $300 I recently got for the week with a $590 fee was on a local forum. Sounds like a bad deal, but I'm $300 better off than I was and $300 better off than those who did not adveretise and rent theirs.

I got the $590 for one week last year, but zero for two others. It's a game of minimizing loss.

For years I rented weeks at another resort in another area through the resort's rental program, until that program got anywhere near our annual fee, after rental fees.

Anyone ever noticed that when it comes to timesharing the ones doing best are the ones charging the fees, and how there always seems to be one, whatever you are doing?