What would you be looking for if you we're buying a timeshare just for exchange

[Doc Holiday Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Doc Holiday]

I would be looking to access other exchange companies so don't want to be restricted. Thank you

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

First, I'd make sure it was part of a mini-system that I could use. Next, I'd make sure it had the ability to exchange to the types of properties that I would want to stay at outside of the mini-system.

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

Well, 20 years ago, or 15 years ago, or 10 years ago . . .



But, if you use history to predict the future, you will know not to use history to predict the future of timesharing.



Here's how it has worked: The industry has used what is or has been, or, their version of what is or has been, to sell you what will be. "Buy here and trade anywhere with it." When what they tell/sell you does not come about, they retort that things are constantly in a state of flux, subject to change and re-interpretation.

You can't rely on verbal statements, only what is put in writing. What is put in writing, when you whittle down, is "we really don't have to do anything we said we would."

So, do not buy anything based on what you or anyone perceives it is or will be, because it likely isn't and won't be.

Did I say that right?

[VegasBella Member Find all posts View Profile Close VegasBella]

I am looking to buy. But not just for exchange. I don't really understand that desire.

I want less stress in vacation planning, more consistency, and better memories. I want a vacation home but without the high cost and waste/extravagance associated with a vacation home.

Here's what I'm looking for:
-Great location with lots to do
-within 4-6 hours drive from home
-Reasonable maintenance fees
-Modern, clean rooms with full kitchen
-nice pool
-responsive staff
-good resale potential

Pluses:
-Well used play area(s) for kids (lots of places have a play area but if it's not well used then its no fun; kids don't want to play alone). But it's not a must for me because I'm good at finding parks and play areas.
-lap pool (I like to swim for exercise)
-year round heated kids pool (separate from lap pool)
-things to borrow from hotel (brag toys, jogging stroller, bikes, board games, etc)
-tours and activities (most don't interest me but my tastes might change as I age)
-nearby grocery store (nice but I can drive for groceries)
- fitness room (I love my gym at home but on vacation I prefer to jog, bike, swim outdoors or just take a few days off) however a resort with yoga or aerobics classes would have a strong pull for me

I don't care about:
Exchanges/points/etc. because cash is always more flexible. When I'm done using a timeshare I plan to sell or give it away.

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

We bought the Gaslamp Plaza Suites in downtown San Diego over 20 years ago for exchanging. We live just an hour from the resort so we also use it for bonus time when we feel like playing tourist in San Diego.

What I wanted was a top trader with low maintenance fees and the Gaslamp Plaza Suites met that. We have been very pleased with being able to get exchanges where we wanted with it. The resort has an owner's only HOA and is well managed by VRI. It is dual affiliated with RCI/II but we have only used San Francisco Exchange "SFX" for the past 15 years. We have been able to exchange into New York City and Hawaii several times as well as many other tough trades.

From my experience buying for exchanging has worked out very well for us. However I wouldn't do it again in today's TS market. In fact I wouldn't buy a TS for any reason. There are just too many other viable options plus it is pretty easy to rent a timeshare for not more than the annual maintenance fee.

If you feel that you absolutely want to do it then I would do the following.

1. Find a TS resort in a high demand location with low supply during prime season for top trading value. For example a summer week at Coastal California.
2. Owner run HOA.
3. Reasonable maintenance fees.
4. Good quality well maintained resort.
5. Buy resale

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

What would you be looking for if you we're buying a timeshare just for exchange

I would be looking for someone to talk me out of it.

Granted, I'm a frequent exchanger. I probably use exchange about 3 times out of every 4 stays, if not more. But, the one constant in timesharing is that the "rules" of exchange are constantly changing. What works today is unlikely to work tomorrow.

Worse, I'm convinced that in the long run, exchanging will no longer be viable. Exchanging well really requires that you find inefficiencies in the exchange system---places where you can exchange for much less than market rents. But, everyone is chasing those same things, both individual owners and the exchange companies themselves. So, over time, the market will necessarily remove those inefficiencies, and you won't do any better than just renting. In fact, you'll probably do worse, because the exchange companies themselves charge for their services.

Instead, I would look for a mini-system with a stable of resorts that I think I would enjoy, at a cost that is favorable to renting over some period of time, and buy it resale. I might still use the exchange system, but I would consider it a bonus once-in-a-while thing, not something I would do frequently.

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

As I have posted for many years now there is only one good reason to buy a timeshare! Only reason is you love the resort and plan many returns for your family over many years. Exchange is a second option and renting it out was never a option when we joined timesharing back in the 80s. Not worth the time or hassles!

Buying at any cost is bad idea if your idea is for exchange only!

PHILL12

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Buying a week to exchange, and depending on II/RCI or others for those exchanges, is a sure way to be a disenchanted timeshare owner. IF your main goal is to stay at different resorts in different places then look to a LARGE, usually points based, system - a small one is worse than none. That way you don't pay exchange fees and have plenty of "home" resorts to use as well as a membership to either RCI or II (or both) plus the power of a Corporate exchange membership (much better trade power than an individual owner of a week can get) for the few times you need to step out of the system to get what you want. Otherwise buy where you want to stay nearly every use period OR just rent (far cheaper and the ultimate flexibility of location).

Buying to trade is a big mistake. Always has been.

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

I am looking to buy. But not just for exchange. I don't really understand that desire.

Really?

When you look at RCI's own promotions that they use to entice their affiliates, they, themselves, promote the ability to exchange through RCI as being important to an overwhleming majority of those who buy timeshares, like 90%.

Here, I knew I had it over in a corner somewhere, and all I had to do was dust it off. The actual figure is 88.5%. Not bad remembering for a dinosaur.

http://www.rci.com/CDA/HTML/PDF_Conv...803_Ragatz.pdf

&, for the clicking-challeged:

· 88.5% of all timeshare purchases ever made by current RCI members were positively
influenced by the RCI exchange opportunity, according to members. These total about
2,686,000 weeks, representing aggregate sales of an estimated $20.1 billion by
developers, homeowner associations, and on-site resale companies.

· 38.7% of all timeshares owned by members would not have been purchased without the
RCI exchange affiliation, according to members. These total approximately 1,176,000
weeks sold for an estimated $8.8 billion.

· 41.5% of RCI members say they would not have purchased their first timeshare without
the RCI exchange affiliation. These total about 600,000 weeks sold at an estimated
aggregate sales volume of $4.5 billion.

· Members attribute and average 24.8% of the value of their timeshares to the RCI
exchange opportunity. This represents an estimated $5.7 billion of value added. Fully
94.0% of members feel the RCI affiliation adds some value.

· Of members who received one or more years of RCI membership with their most recent
timeshare purchase, 81.6% say this was of at least some importance in their purchase
decision, and 30.2% say it was “very important.”

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Buy at a resort that you wouldn't mind spending most of your weeks at. Select a resort with good trading power and a lower than average fees and a history of small fee increases without special assessments.

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

Buying to trade is a big mistake. Always has been.

That is not really true. As I pointed out in my post, it has worked very well for us and still does. There were no point systems at the time I bought. I already owned another timeshare in the only mini system that appealed to me. In fact it may have been the only mini system.

There are very few places that I want to go back to. The only places that we have gone to more than once are New York City ( maintenance fees are too high to buy there ), Grand Mayans in Mexico ( I would never buy a timeshare in Mexico ), Las Vegas ( I would never buy there and we get our hotels comped ), and Waikiki ( M/F too high ).

As I said, I would never buy a TS today for any reason.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

John- There was a short heyday when owning the right week(s) could result in a successful "own to trade" experience. However, with ever rising exchange fees and lower availability along with the rise in available rentals at rock bottom prices, those days are long gone. Even in that heyday far too many buyers took the lies of timeshare sales weasels that a Podunk week in November would easily trade for the Caribbean and got stuck with annual fees and zero trades.

As you note there are very few situations today that make buying or owning a timeshare a good deal. There are no cases where buying primarily to trade today would be a good plan. That was my main point.

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

Wow!

No cases.

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

I wouldn't buy to trade because cheap accommodation deals are readily available worldwide at the moment. I'm guessing you are in the UK and I'm not familiar with that market but here are my thoughts.

I would look for

familiarity with the economy, language and culture of the location (if you can't trade to get what you want, you may consider renting to others)
political stability and low rate of corruption in the country (and the timeshare )
cheap maintenance fees
good inner-city location in peak tourist season (London in July, August etc )
somewhere that isn't prone to natural and man-made disasters - flood, tsunami, bombs, kidnapping

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

I would look for

political stability and low rate of corruption in the country (and the timeshare )
somewhere that isn't prone to natural and man-made disasters - flood, tsunami, bombs, kidnapping

Pretty much rules out the US.