Re-sales on Ebay...and which location is best?

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

As a teacher with a young family, I am looking to buy a 2 or 3 bedroom resale that I can use or trade during July/August. I was impressed with the Royal resorts in Cancun but they are in trust (not deeded). Orlando intrgues me but I hear there is a glut and exchanging can be difficult. Hawaii seems too far to have such value. Caribbean?

1) Noting my requirements above, which locations (cities or resorts) would give me the most bang for the buck (especially for kids)

2) Are the re-sales on EBAY legit? There are 730 on right now....many for $99 or less. What do I need to watch out for?

Thanks
R

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

Ahhh...the age-old question. If you figure it out, let us all know!

Seriously, though, the different mini-points systems seem pretty good to me, most are not going to be in that price range you see on ebay.

Don't buy Orlando unless it is Bluegreen, Worldmark, Hilton or Fairfield points deeded to one of the Orlando resorts. Watch for low maintenance fees because you have to pay those every year.

You could start out with an inexpensive resort and play around with it a bit. I like my Colorado weeks, but ski weeks pull better than summer in Colorado.

Buy a week in a popular tourist area that trades when kids are out of school. Middle of the summer is a good choice. If you get a great week that trades with Interval International, you can get a bonus week in addition to your exchange. The bonus weeks are not free, the week would cost a total of $299 for a two bedroom. I get the bonus vacations every year for two of my weeks and use every one of them.

There really are so many right answers to your question because timeshare is a great concept, as long as you buy resale and keep yourself informed. I have owned 25 years now and have learned more in the last 14 months, all learned more from tug2.net and this site than in the many year previous.

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

East or West coast coastal resorts summer weeks trade well. II cares more about unit size and resort quality. RCI cares more about location. First figure out which exchange company you would plan to use, then you can begin focusing on either size/quality or location. Good luck.

Edye

[Arkansas Winger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arkansas Winger]

There are no completely right answers as each individuals situation is different. I personally would either purchase points as they can be used anywhere in the system (i.e. Fairfield or another point system) then it really doesn't matter that much which one you buy Unless you have a particuliar resort you want to visit on a regular basis in peak season then it would be best to buy at that location.

If I wasn't buying points I would try to buy something that was close enough to me and was a week I could use annually. Then if I wanted to try another location, I would attempt an exchange.

The other thing I would look out for is maintenance fees as they can vary considerably from property to property. Also, you might be hard pressed to utilize 2006 usage this late in the year without banking into whatever exchange the property is associated with so you might want to look at something that begins with 2007 usage.

Oh yes, I would only buy resale.

Dale

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

As a teacher with a young family, I am looking to buy a 2 or 3 bedroom resale that I can use or trade during July/August.... which locations (cities or resorts) would give me the most bang for the buck (especially for kids)

2) Are the re-sales on EBAY legit? There are 730 on right now....many for $99 or less. What do I need to watch out for?
...

I think most ebay sales are "legit" in the sense that you really do get the timeshare as described in the ad. There are a few sellers that say they can't verify the deed or whether any back assessments are due; I would avoid those. There have been a few cases where the unit was not as described; these are not common, but it's worth trying to verify the unit description with the resort.

Many of the eBay auctions charge a bogus "closing fee" of $400-$500 that is just profit for the seller, and is in addition to any actual closing costs that need to be paid. Also, a lot of the resorts on eBay aren't worth owning even if they're free -- the annual fees are simply too high for what you get. There are also some very good deals on eBay, but it takes a lot of timeshare knowledge to identify them.

As for what resort would work for you, we know pretty much when you want to go (July-August). Does late August work, or just the first two weeks? Where do you want to go, and how nice does the resort need to be? Also, trading for a 3 bedroom unit is much harder than trading for a 2 bedroom unit. Will you really need a three bedroom?

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Have you figured out the overall trip cost to the place you plan to be? How many times you will be these places before your kids don't want to live with you? If there is a place you think you will be there most of the time, may as well try to find resell in that place or a mini system that cover that place that gives you most flexibility but still guarantee you a prime week vacation.

If you think you may be in these places only once during maybe 16 years, then find a place that within your driving acceptable range, and you will enjoy the area.

If you think the cost is too much, maybe you need to find a place and time period where you can handle it as rent and in worse situation you can use them, and can give you good cash flow?

eBay has people that not as professional and advertisement that is as bad too. But try to find people with good feedback as seller. Just watch them you should be able to get a feeling who is legit even if you see a seller with very little feedback. And try to check the closing company, and find out how to do your own due diligent, you should be O.K.

Jya-Ning