NEWBIE With Questions

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

HI
The information on this web site is wonderful. Thank you to everyone for helping new people like me...After reading so many of the post here I would like to ask a few things

Is it advantageous to own a large number of timeshares?

If I was to purchase ONE timeshare to use as a trade for Maine, Cape Cod, Virginia Beach or The Carolinas? What might be a good area for me to purchase? I am sure a red week would be best to buy too?

Through the months I have checked ebay timeshares. Many sell for one dollar. Looks like a good deal. Has anyone had good or bad experiences with ebay? I know to always check the seller feedback.

How do I know if a timeshare that I buy will end up telling me I have to pay an extra thousand dollars over the next three years for upgrades? Is there something I need to know or ask to be more knowledgeable?

How is it that many members posting say they own too many timeshares? How did you acquire them? Is it not too expensive for you to pay the Maintence fees each year?

I am trying to learn all I can. One member suggested RCI to me. Today I was looking into what they offer. I apprecaite any and all info that you can pass on to me.

We enjoy the beach so I thought owning ONE??Timeshare would allow me to go without renting someones home for 1,500 dollars a week.....

The only thing now is that I have the bug or perhaps it is a FEVER...I am addicted to all the info.........and the EXCITEMENT. OH MY!!!!!
Thank you
Pam

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

I'm a big fan of "Buy where you want to go." If you could go to only one beach, year after year, where would you want to go? Ideally that beach will be within driving distance and somewhere you love to go.

Dollar timeshares on eBay can be okay deals, but you really have to know what you are doing to get good value that way. Most dollar timeshares will not trade into East Coast beach resorts in high summer. To do that trade, you need to have some significant trading power--which means you'll pay more for the timeshare in the first place.

So, once you've decided where you would like to go, you'll need to start researching resorts in that area. Decide what you want and then wait for the right resort, right week, and right unit to come along.

Even in this market, it's rare to see a summer Maine Coast timeshare come up for sale at all, and it won't be a dollar when it does. If you can go in April or September, then the outlook is much brighter for you.

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

We enjoy the beach so I thought owning ONE??Timeshare would allow me to go without renting someones home for 1,500 dollars a week.....


Pam

Pam, do you have children? I assumed not when you said you could travel in April or September. But since you're saying that you're renting houses, maybe you do have kids. If so, remember that as the kids get older, your travel time with them will get more and more narrow. Here in NJ, the kids get out of school the last week of June and go back after Labor Day. BUT some activities require them to be back in mid-August.

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

BUT some activities require them to be back in mid-August.

So true. We homeschool, but even so as the kids have gotten older we find ourselves more and more tied to the school calendar because of extra-curricular stuff.

Also seconding "Buy where you want to go." If you want to go a lot of different places quite regularly, I suggest you buy into a points system that has resorts where you want to go. If you want to go pretty much the same area most of the time, buy there. Timesharing is a huge, complicated thing, with dozens of variations within types. Once you know where you want to go, look into what's available there and thoroughly research THOSE resorts/points systems. Find out how well they trade versus how much they cost (remember that you'll be paying your maintenance fees for years, and the upfront cost only once). If you're not going for a points system, look into the trading system you'll probably use (RCI or II or whatever). Then you can make a knowledgeable decision.

The possibilities are exciting, but if you're thinking seriously about buying, it's probably best to narrow things down a bit so you can thoroughly research. But OTOH, some people just plunge in and do just fine. Being willing to learn how best to use what you own is often half the battle - and it sounds like you're already got that! Best of luck to you.

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

Ideas

Great thoughts
Please keep them coming

no young children, like to travel to the beach areas that I included. Just tired of paying someone else. To pay the maintence fee is much cheaper then what I have been doing. Plus the hotel rates keep going up. Rented a house, rented a cabin-go with family sometimes but it costs over 15 hundred.

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

So where do you live? What's your local beach?

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

Many people suggest NOT buying in Orlando because there are many, many timeshares there. I bought my first TS in Orlando but it's a floating week, which means that I can use it any week of the year. I always request Easter week and I deposit it for exchange because I have no desire to go to Orlando when it's crowded. I've been quite happy with my exchanges. I can rent there for less than the maintenance fee if I wanted to go there since I travel in the off season.

Sue

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

Cape Cod

I was just offered a timeshare on the Cape in Dennisport called Edgewater Beach Resort..Has anyone ever been there? It looks beautiful and seems to be on the beach. As I said above I am looking for timeshares on the beach. Just went to Star Island Resort in Kissimmee. Had a wonderful time at this LARGE beautiful timeshare. That is why I now have the BUG... Thank you for your responses....Please keep informing me of all these great ideas.


Live in Connecticut. I do not go to the local beaches. Prefer beaches on the Cape, down South-Florida, the Carolina, in Virginia Beach, and in Maine...

At this time I thought it best to stay within driving distances which is what one of you also recommended to me.

Keep the ides coming. Can not believe all I am learning....

[wizards8507 Member Find all posts View Profile Close wizards8507]

I was just offered a timeshare on the Cape in Dennisport called Edgewater Beach Resort..Has anyone ever been there? It looks beautiful and seems to be on the beach. As I said above I am looking for timeshares on the beach. Just went to Star Island Resort in Kissimmee. Had a wonderful time at this LARGE beautiful timeshare. That is why I now have the BUG... Thank you for your responses....Please keep informing me of all these great ideas.


Live in Connecticut. I do not go to the local beaches. Prefer beaches on the Cape, down South-Florida, the Carolina, in Virginia Beach, and in Maine...

At this time I thought it best to stay within driving distances which is what one of you also recommended to me.

Keep the ides coming. Can not believe all I am learning....

I'm glad you enjoyed Star Island. My trip there was filled with cockroaches... though in Florida they call them "palmetto bug".... much more pleasant if you ask me. It was a nightmare.

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

Star Island

What a shame
We did not see ONE bug at all
The timeshare was spotless
Loved it
Can not wait to go back again

I did find out that some units are owned by Wyndham and some by another group...Wonder which group you had? What building were you in???

[wizards8507 Member Find all posts View Profile Close wizards8507]

I'm not sure... I had nothing to do with the planning of that particular vacation and I wasn't driving so I just followed the crowd and didn't pay much attention to the building number. I know it was about as far as you can get from the main entrance after driving all the way around the resort, initially starting to the left of the main lobby.

When we got to our room at the beginning of our stay, we found that three rooms had one main entrance for A, B, and C of whatever our room number happened to be. We had B and C, while another party had room A. Unfortunately, the adjoining door between B and C was deadbolted shut from BOTH SIDES. I'm not sure how this is even possible, but the maintenance staff didn't have a physical key because they're usually used to being able to unlock the deadbolt manually from the room that has it locked, but since it was locked from both sides they had to pop the hinges off the door... what a pain.

Also, our room was in DIRE need of an update. The decor featured faux green marble/jade furniture with black and gold accents and mirrors EVERYWHERE. The linens were the most obnoxious pinks and oranges and reds I've ever seen. It felt like a Vegas hotel circa 1982. I believe that different buildings in the resort had been recently remodeled, but somehow we got stuck with one of the ones that was on its last legs. To be fair, the common area and second bedroom were all the quality we expected, but the master bedroom had the feeling of a brothel about it.

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

star island florida

At Star Island Kissimmee some of the Units are owned by Wyndham and some are owned by Fairfield. At home I have the units marked on the map of which company owns what building. I asked in June at the front desk and the gentleman marked the map for me...

I thought this was interesting
So I am curious which Unit you stayed in and who owns it.

[wizards8507 Member Find all posts View Profile Close wizards8507]

Not sure the unit but it was Wyndham

[Carlos Rivera Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carlos Rivera]

A little help from some friends...

Honestly, don't buy just rent...no up front monies no maintenance fee no committment...do the math...alot of sites to rent from less than the maintenance fees...

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

Renting is a thought

Just thought I could own a timeshare pay maintence which about the price to rent...

Good idea!!
Any good trustworthy websites to use to rent a timeshare?