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My mom-in-law sold a blue week to friends for $4,500

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  • My mom-in-law sold a blue week to friends for $4,500

    BocaBum99 is not going to believe I am bringing this story here, but here goes anyway. This is for you, Boca!

    Since Dad died two years ago, Mom has been trying to talk someone into buying her timeshare, a blue rotating week, both Spring and Fall rotations, at Rockridge I. These units are really nice, two stories with a loft, three total bedrooms, three bathrooms and even a jetted tub, I believe. She and Dad spent many happy years in their unit, plus they exchanged the week for Mexico, Vegas, Orlando, Lake Tahoe and I believe Branson. They had great luck with their exchanges, probably because the unit is large and pretty nice.

    Anyway, she talks up the resort to everyone: friends, family and acquaintances. I believe they paid $3,800 for it back when the resort was new. Mom started receiving phone calls from upfront listing companies right after Dad died and I told her not to pay anyone to list her week. She was sure from talking to the timeshare salesmen over the phone that her week was worth at least double the price she paid. After all, the house they bought 30 years ago is worth ten times what they paid and the real estate in Breckenridge is very high and her week is deeded. Not a crazy conclusion.

    She was having a difficult time getting someone interested, with many of her friends in their 70's and 80's, she is 79. So she called the resort to see if they would give her the address to the listing company that sells the units. The woman at Rockridge I told her to see if she can give it to relatives or rent it for the cost of her maintenance fees. But she would have none of that.

    Not being internet savvy and loving the week, she set a price, just to get someone to take it, a person who would use the week and enjoy it as much as she did. Then she invited a young couple to join her for her week that ended ten days ago. She knows this couple, they are members of the Elks' Lodge (Dad was a member for about 33 years), and Mom still stays involved with the Elks' Ladies. Anyway, the couple loved the unit (they are not real young, about 35) and are buying it for her price of $4,500. I was sure she would not sell it at all, but I had no idea she wanted that much for it.

    What do you think? On TUG it seems that some think that Mom ripped off this young couple. I believe that if you do not know the value because you lack information, the value is in the eye of the beholder. Do you agree? But some on TUG would say that Mom took advantage and that I am bragging about it. Not so. The naive taking advantage of the naive? I disagree with that completely. She has always believed that her timeshare would increase in value and has never had anyone tell her something different.

    The way she bragged up the week and the trade power, I was sure she had a red week. I called the resort because I am doing a quitclaim deed for her and they told me they are selling blue weeks like hers for $546 and closing for free. The $546 is the maintenance fees for the year, which just went up from $480 and $440 from the year before that. So basically, if you agree to pay the maintenance fees, they will give you a week.

    Here are my questions:

    First, do you think she is guilty of taking advantage of these people?

    Second, should I say something to her about the real value? (I know she will not believe me)

    Be brutally honest with me. I can take it. Well, maybe not. I am already upset at a few comments over yonder. Spence and I are not at odds, though, so don't think it is him. Don't be brutally honest. I take it back. Be nice to me because I am almost always nice. I need a smilie with a halo, also a cheerleader smilie.

  • #2
    First off your mom didn't really know......and she loved the place and it showed....and she sold it for what she thought it was worth.....nothing wrong with that in my book.

    Buyer must always beware and to their research no matter what the purchase is or from whom.....there does not seem to be any deceit in this case.

    The only concern your mother might have is if the new buyers find out they can get the same week for the maintenance and closing fees (assuming your mom now knows).....then they may feel bad and it could hurt her reputation (even if she didn't know...unfairly) and their relationship at the Elks.
    "If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.... If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
    -- Thomas Jefferson to Col. Yancey, 1816

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    • #3
      Shopgirl,

      It sounds like an arms length transaction with a willing seller and a willing buyer to me. Nothing more and nothing less.

      Just because you and others may have had a different opinion of its value doesn't mean that is the only value there was. Your mom and this couple had a different opinion that they acted upon in good faith.

      I hope the couple that bought from your mother will enjoy it as much as she and your father did.

      To answer your questions.

      1. No.

      2. No.
      Mike H
      Wyndham Fairshare Plus Owners, Be cool and join the Wyndham/FairfieldHOA forum!

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by shopgirl
        First, do you think she is guilty of taking advantage of these people?

        My answer is no because she didn't know this. I would leave it alone as both buyer and seller are happy with the deal.

        Second, should I say something to her about the real value? (I know she will not believe me)

        My answer is no as the buyers are happy with the deal and nothing is stopping them to find out the true value today with the internet.

        Be brutally honest with me. I can take it. Well, maybe not. I am already upset at a few comments over yonder. Spence and I are not at odds, though, so don't think it is him. Don't be brutally honest. I take it back. Be nice to me because I am almost always nice. I need a smilie with a halo, also a cheerleader smilie.
        Cindy, if your mother in law didn't know that the units go for this cheap, she didn't rip them off. However, if these people will start investigating a little further now, while it is still in escrow, they will find out that they paid too much and may back out of the deal and I wouldn't blame them. They may lose their deposit which is standard practice. They may not investigate because they are happy with the price they paid and with the unit they bought. They would have paid a lot more today if they had bought from a developer.

        You know that we bought from developers mainly. Were we ripped off? Not really as we should have done our homework too. It is up to the buyer to be responsible for what he is buying.

        If all of us would look out for every buyer's interest, there would be no bargains to be had but I would look out for my friend's interest if I knew they could buy it cheaper.

        People are selling for low prices because they have to get out quickly and that is a bargain for a savvy buyer. Fair price is what a buyer will pay for something. There is nothing wrong with that and it is the buyer's duty too to find out what the real prices are of what he is buying but I would help a friend if he didn't know.

        I would not complicate the matter with your mother in law because she may feel bad herself if she finds out that she sold to this couple for a higher price.

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        • #5
          .....

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          • #6
            My question would be why a quit claim? You don't need a lawyer to draw up a Warranty deed.
            ... not enough time for all the timeshares ®

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            • #7
              they went with her to the resort? Right there, they decided that the price MIL gave was a fair value.

              Keep out of it. It's not worth aggravating anyone. If the couple finds out, well, they find out, and they can do about it what they please.

              Sorry you're getting pounded elsewhere. you don't deserve it.

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              • #8
                If your mother knew how much the weeks sold for, then yes, she was obviously taking advantage of this couple.

                Whether she did or didn't, however, I'd be more worried about any future relationship with these folks based on the couple finding out at some point that they were ripped off. (And I do think this is how they would feel, regardless of whether your mother knew or not.) Since you said she invited them to come and stay in her unit with her, I'm assuming that she does have some kind of relationship with them, and perhaps mutual friends. Is she willing to risk not only their friendship, but the prospect that they may mention this to other mutual friends or other members of the Lodge? As long as she is prepared to do this, then that's fine.

                Based on other posts you have made about fairness in general, I'm quite surprised that you wouldn't immediately see this as unfair to this young couple. Again, whether your mother acts on it is another thing.

                Anyway, you asked for brutal honesty...otherwise I probably wouldn't have posted.

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                • #9
                  I would want my mother to know that her friends may get uber pissed at her once they find out they overpaid $4500 for the week. Then it's up to her what to do about it.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Glitter
                    I would want my mother to know that her friends may get uber pissed at her once they find out they overpaid $4500 for the week. Then it's up to her what to do about it.
                    Ditto

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                    • #11
                      Surely you're not getting pounded over this!!!!

                      What kind of site would be so cruel!?

                      Surely they have moderators to police that sort of abuse don't they?

                      Just kidding folks, having a little fun. Calm down now.

                      Speaking of being older and trying to sell a timeshare, earlier this year our 86-year-old neighbor asked me to get rid of his two weeks in Mexico. To make it clear I said just get rid of them right, just stop the maintenance fee? He said yeah.

                      Someone OY agreed to take them m/l as a favor to me.

                      Then, my neighbor said he wanted his maintenance fees back for the two weeks he has Spacebanked.

                      In a month he will owe another $1100 in fees, for something he will never use, and one of the Spacebanked weeks will probably expire.
                      RCI Member Since 24-Aug-1989/150-plus Exchanges***THE TIMESHARE GRIM REAPER~~~Exchanging/Searching/SW Florida/MO/AR/IA/Consumer Advocacy/Estate Planning/Sports/Boating/Fishing/Golf/Lake-living/Retirement****Sometimes ya just gotta be a dick

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                      • #12
                        I think your Mom should come out of retirement and go into developer sales.

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                        • #13
                          .....

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                          • #14
                            Cindy,

                            I'm not sure why you think I would be against you posting this here. I think you have some legitimate questions. And, these questions need to be discussed on a timesharing board.

                            By the way, We LOVE you here.

                            I think the answers are "no" to both of your questions.

                            Value is in the eye of the beholder. Your MIL truly believed in its value, she believed it so much that her enthusiasm carried to the person who bought it. There is nothing wrong with that. She believed it in her heart. Those are the best kind of sales. And, they are the most valuable.

                            What I don't like (but I truly admire) is how great sales people can take that exact same transfer of enthusiasm and apply it to virtually any situation or product whether or not they actually believe it's true. Their intent is to remove your money from your wallet. I can't do it. I am not a super salesman.

                            But, I can take that same transfer of enthusiasm toward anything that I truly believe in and I can be equally as effective as any great salesman for products or concepts I truly believe in. Overall, I would give myself a "C" average. A+ in certain things. F in others.

                            I forgot who said it first, but someone once told me that the person who is most convinced of their own position will usually win an argument. Some developers do everything they can to NOT train their sales reps on resales or the realities of the exchange system. They have to be convinced that their product is the best thing ever created for families of all sizes. It turns out that I believe that to be true, but just not from the developer. As soon as you start believing that your product is overpriced, you won't be as persuasive in the pitch.
                            My Rental Site
                            My Resale Site

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by shopgirl
                              Here are my questions:

                              First, do you think she is guilty of taking advantage of these people?

                              Second, should I say something to her about the real value? (I know she will not believe me)
                              If there was no fore-knowledge then no. no she did not take advantage of these people. I'm sure a few of these resale transactions still take place everyday of the year. The buyers tried the product and bought the product with eyes wide open.

                              BUT... what is their intent to purchase? Did they bite on the trade value? Yes your FIL and MIL did well with their exchanges but I'm betting that most were off-season or at least "kids-in-school" season. IF they bought it to USE as your in-laws did, then no harm no foul.

                              I'd say walk away but feel that you, like me, feel that this is an outrageous fee for what is likely a "giveaway" week. I'd be lucky to get that kind of money for my tiger trader.

                              If your MIL is at ALL close to these folks I'd have to say something or not sleep.
                              Lawren
                              ------------------------
                              There are many wonderful places in the world, but one of my favourite places is on the back of my horse.
                              - Rolf Kopfle

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