Demographics

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

It would be interesting to see some honest demographics . . . how many timeshare owners are aging, nearer the end of their usage than the beginning, and how many today who are in the same age group that the longtime owners were when they got involved, are getting involved.

Essentially the same product, with a bit different packaging, is being offered today, but with an entirely different set of real-world circumstances.

[Ridewithme38 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ridewithme38]

What kind of info are you looking for?

I'm an unmarried 31yr old Male with one daughter from Long Island, NY, approximately middle class...

I own two Timeshare that i've owned for 1-2yrs

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

I can say that my experience at the southern California TS doesn't show much in the way of newer owners, other than myself. I do on occasion see families, but for the most part, I see elderly people. I assume that they have owned a long time, but who really knows.

Retired people have the time and if they planned right, the money.

At a wine and cheese event at Carlsbad Seapointe, I talked with 2 retired couples for a while. They were both owners who said they have never stayed there before. I didn't think to ask if they were new owners.

Oddly, it seems like the younger families who are struggling have no problem buying DVC full freight. DVC does in house financing and it is very easy to get a loan and buy. I guess they don't realize that they are actually paying out for one of the most expensive vacation clubs available.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Well I am 72 and have been a timeshare owner for 24 years. We had 2 timeshares but sold one of them 4 years ago and plan to sell our other one in the next year or 2. Our timeshares have served us well but we now prefer upscale hotels with all the services and amenities not found at typical timeshares. We usually stay about 50 nights in hotels and a couple timeshare weeks each year.

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

how many timeshare owners are aging, nearer the end of their usage than the beginning, and how many today who are in the same age group that the longtime owners were when they got involved, are getting involved.

I'm 52, hubby three years younger, and we bought in in 2008 or 2009 (Sampler in 2008, resale points 2009). We have five kids, ages 11-19. We had no real interest in TSing until we found about the points systems, which give us the flexibility we wanted. Bluegreen and Wyndham also offer a lot of options with a 2 BR that sleeps 8 -- most weeks-based timeshares the 2 BRs sleep 6, meaning we'd have to get two units to stay there if we have all the kids along.

No idea what percentage of them are using their own points, but we see a lot of families with little ones in our system (Bluegreen), as well as families with school-age kids, although not so many of those because we usually go off season (we home school). I do know a lot of people who first buy in with DVC then move on to the other points systems (Wyndham being the most popular, because of Bonnet Creek, but Bluegreen and some of the others get resale traffic that way, too), and they're more likely to be in their thirties or forties.

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

It is my observation that guests staying at my timeshare resorts tend to be older. The younger guests are often the children and their families of the owners. While I don't have any statistics to back up my assumptions, I think there will be a large number of unwanted timeshares on the market as boomers age. With no viable resale market and increasing maintenance costs, our children will not want to be burdened with the lifetime commitment that comes with most timeshares.

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

It would be interesting to see some honest demographics.

To see if the face of timesharing is changing.