Wanting to buy...need pointed in the right direction

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

Hello all.
I have been a Timeshare disbeliever until I heard about Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar and Long Creek the Cliffs. Reason being, my family has been vacationing at Tablerock for the past 30 years, same week every year. But the resort we have always gone to is no longer available to us, so in looking for an alternative, I stumbled across these resorts. We have stayed at Big Cedar before and - of course - loved it. There is no plan for us to stop going to Tablerock, unless we can't find a place to stay. The homes at The Cliffs or a couple of condos at Big Cedar would be perfect. We plan to keep vacationing there for the next several decades, barring a catastrophe.
So what I am trying to figure out is, what is the best way to go about buying in to this? It's nice to have the option to trade this timeshare, but I doubt that would ever be an issue for us. We want to go there. Every year. How many points are going to be required for a week's stay? Is it possible to get a fixed week with these resorts? How much are these points going for these days? What is best way to buy? I have gathered that it is NOT from the developer, but I have not come up with anything in looking for other ways to buy at these resorts.

Sorry for the ultra-noob questions.
Thanks so much for any help or advice.

(BTW, I did try to search here to find answers to these questions before making a "stupid" post, but didn't come up with any live links.)

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

Hi and welcome to the forum.
BG points can be had on the resale market for much less than directly from the developer.
We do have a resident realtor who specializes in BG points (BocaBum), he also does rentals.

If you purchase at the resort that you want to visit the most you also have access to Bonus time for reduced fees so you could do last minute reservations for cash instead of owning more points. If you visit in peak season my guess is that you would probably need to own at the resort that you want to stay at for preferred booking windows, if you travel off season this is less necessary.

As for how many points required, it will depend on what size unit you want to reserve.
Here is the points grid for all the BG resorts.
http://bluegreenonline.com/points.pdf

I'm sure the other BG pros will be along soon to help you further in your search.

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

Thanks for that link. So helpful.
This timesharing business is like an entire "field" to learn!
I have much reading to do.
Thanks again.
I wish there was a book or something somewhere that goes over all of this points system. To a newbie like me, it is terribly confusing: resale, ebay, levels of membership, home resort or any other resort, banking points, etc. I'm pretty much completely confused.

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

So after looking at points required for various resorts, it looks like I need between 30K and 60K of points?

So....does that mean upon buy-in I have to purchase that many points? And if so, does my buy-in guarantee me this many points annually? Or do I have to pay a fee each year to re-purchase (not talking about maintenance fees here)?
Do I have to buy all those points at my home resort? Or can I buy some at the home resort and the rest as resale from the general pool of for sale bluegreen points?
Again - If there is a book, or website that clearly outlines all of this out there somewhere that I have missed and someone can point me in that direction, that would be fine and I will take all these beginner questions away from the board for now.
Thanks again for any and all help.
Dreks

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

I can't speak as to how many points you "need", but will point out a few things:

Once you own the points (let's say you buy 30k) you are only required to pay maint fees (varies) and club dues (~$130) each year and receive 30,000 points each year. After the first year, they are "saved points", which are only good in Red time and below (can't use for Leaf season, High Red, Ultra Red, etc). At the end of the second year, they expire.

You can purchase points in increments of whatever size, from whomever, whenever. They can be for any resort, all resorts, combo, whatever. Points Are Points. Note that there is a difference in benefits if you go resale vs BG/Pinnacle.

If you have 'authorized points' (BG and their reseller, Pinnacle), you have unlimited Bonus Time at all resorts vs just the one you bought at. BT is cash stays (cheap and same rate for all resorts; it's somewhere bet $50 & $100 /night and depends on unit size ). If you are planning to buy resale, consider buying a deed to the property you would use BT with the most.

Authorized points can have other perks as well, especially if you have enuf to be "Premier" (I think 15k might be entry level Bronze?) and some of those perks are free extra stays. Note that resale points will not count towards premier status.

Bluegreenonline.com might help you with some of the rules. There is also a Yahoo group for Bluegreen that could help answer many questions also.

Ask whatever you want. You don't have to take your questions offboard; there are some questions we can answer quickly that would take a very long time to find accurate info on yourself.

So after looking at points required for various resorts, it looks like I need between 30K and 60K of points?

So....does that mean upon buy-in I have to purchase that many points? And if so, does my buy-in guarantee me this many points annually? Or do I have to pay a fee each year to re-purchase (not talking about maintenance fees here)?
Do I have to buy all those points at my home resort? Or can I buy some at the home resort and the rest as resale from the general pool of for sale bluegreen points?
Again - If there is a book, or website that clearly outlines all of this out there somewhere that I have missed and someone can point me in that direction, that would be fine and I will take all these beginner questions away from the board for now.
Thanks again for any and all help.
Dreks

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

Ok, thanks.
So...if I want a week in a High Red time period, the points schedule indicates it is between 30-60K of points for the resorts I was looking at. So, if I bought that many on buy-in, if I understand you correctly, I wouldn't be able to use them in the High Red season, after the first year of membership anyway. Is that right?

I have been perusing about resale vs retail. It seems crazy (read: financially ridiculous) to buy retail, but I was also getting confused about whether resale points could be grouped together or not, or if they were recognized the same way by the organization as retail. I understand that you don't get the Premier benefits (not sure that is too improtant to me...) with resale, but I guess I am still confused about what is the best way to get a week in a high point resort each year, pretty much guaranteed. I like the idea of being able to - at some point in the future - vary the week of the stay, or trade it for another location from time to time, but right now my main goal is to figure out how to to secure a week at a certain place. It looks like it is pretty high demand (Big Cedar, the Cliffs) so I'm thinking, at least in the current market, it would be easy to trade such a resort?
Also, when I look at the resale boards that I have found by google, ebay, and at the tug board, etc. I don't even see the Cliffs as an option! Would that be because it is new(er)? Or just that no one wants to sell those shares? Or that there aren't enough owners at that resort to have any kind of resale market at this point?

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

If you are seeking GUARANTEED stay at Big C, you need to have your points deeded there or buy a fixed/float week ( I do not know if those exist at Big C but the points deeds do exist, availability will be the issue since you would need a specific week).

Be aware that Big C is VERY POPULAR. It will never be easy to get in at prime time UNLESS you own that week (you must exercise your right to it at 12 months in advance, at 11 mos anyone can book your week if you did not claim it).

I think Long Creek has no resale yet, it's reasonably new (others know much more about that property than I do as it might be a fee for service). There are otherwise no guarantees. First come, first serve. I'd say your chances are excellent of getting Some Week In Prime Time Somewhere but the more you limit yourself by what weeks or resorts, the harder to get what you want. Flexibility is very helpful in this regard. Waitlisting, a so far imperfect system, is only available with premier status (retail, at least 15,000 pts to be Bronze, 1 month early waitlist). Do not buy retail for waitlist !!!

I need to clear up a misunderstanding - if you buy 30k points, you will receive 30 K "current year points" every year on your anniv date (say it's Sept 1, a few weeks from now). If you use those points within a year (by end of August 2013), all seasons are available to you. This is the situation Every Year. It is only if you do not use them all in the "earn year" that they become saved, and, less valuable (On Sept 2, 2013 you have Current Year points deposited, 30k, and also have any you did not use as Saved so you could have as many as 60k points if you use none the first year - High Red is available with the new 2013 points, but not to the points already one year old deposited to your account Sept 1 2012).

I hope I've explained this well - every year you get your points with All Options Available for the year. Year 2 For Those Points is when they have less value, 'seasonally speaking.'

Trading into Big Cedar is not so easy. If you at least own BG points, there is one barrier out of the way, but then you need to plan ahead and hopefully have several weeks in mind to increase chances of Happy Success. You could also rent it from an owner that got the ressie you didn't get.

Many people go with the Points Are Points, That's All I Need plan and it seems that it coudl work for you, also, especially if you are looking for 60k points. resale points do not combine to get you "retail status". But at some point you could buy a small package to get all-resort Bonus Time (which I think is valuable, ymmv)

To the reservation engine, the only distinctions with points are: Current Year, Saved, Restricted. Retail vs Resale points spend the same.

Keep asking, seems like we're getting somewhere!

Ok, thanks.
So...if I want a week in a High Red time period, the points schedule indicates it is between 30-60K of points for the resorts I was looking at. So, if I bought that many on buy-in, if I understand you correctly, I wouldn't be able to use them in the High Red season, after the first year of membership anyway. Is that right?

I have been perusing about resale vs retail. It seems crazy (read: financially ridiculous) to buy retail, but I was also getting confused about whether resale points could be grouped together or not, or if they were recognized the same way by the organization as retail. I understand that you don't get the Premier benefits (not sure that is too improtant to me...) with resale, but I guess I am still confused about what is the best way to get a week in a high point resort each year, pretty much guaranteed. I like the idea of being able to - at some point in the future - vary the week of the stay, or trade it for another location from time to time, but right now my main goal is to figure out how to to secure a week at a certain place. It looks like it is pretty high demand (Big Cedar, the Cliffs) so I'm thinking, at least in the current market, it would be easy to trade such a resort?
Also, when I look at the resale boards that I have found by google, ebay, and at the tug board, etc. I don't even see the Cliffs as an option! Would that be because it is new(er)? Or just that no one wants to sell those shares? Or that there aren't enough owners at that resort to have any kind of resale market at this point?

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

Well, all right then! This has helped me understand so much better how this works. Thanks for your time and effort in explaining these basics.
Yes I realize BC is popular. We have stayed there before, but not in any of the TS options. We always book for the next year's trip at the close of the current year's trip, so I don't think that 12 mo window would be an issue. But maybe I will find that the best thing is just to keep booking into the regular resort as a regular guest as I have in the past rather than TS this location. I don't know. 30-60K points is a lot, and seems like some of it clearly would need to be retail-acquired. Is that correct that to get deeded points you either: 1) need to buy retail, or 2) have to buy from an owner that is selling deeded points on the resale market - I am assuming that deeds and their "rights/privileges" are transferrable upon sale. But maybe not?

I realize that trading into BC would be hard. I was just thinking that if I owned deeded points there and wanted to trade them away, it might not be too hard because it is a popular destination, at least at the present time.
Thanks again!

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

I do not know for sure, but I would expect that most BC deeds would have to be resale now. So many people want to be deeded there, they specifically ask for them. retail is a possibility but likely only for the very newest buildings (you would know better than I do which those would be!)

rights attached to the deed do transfer (it seems that you already know that the deeds are held in trust, that it is beneficiary rights that you actually get - it's a little complicated but suffice to say that all BG points are deeded, there is no distinction between retail / resale). Premier status, other bennies, do not transfer.

Points are points. In whatever way you manage to own a Big C deed, it's your right to claim it at 12 months every year or use the points instead. On that note, understand that within BG there is no "trading" - all the unit weeks not claimed by the deed owner are in a bucket for first-come first-serve reservations for you to spend your points as you desire.

You are correct that if you own a prime week there, it could be a great trader for you, but I would strongly suggest renting it out instead. I think that is way more bang for the buck, but, perhaps your desired vacation that year is not a place you can rent as economically as exchanging in. regardless, there are many options. that's kind of the beauty of Bluegreen, IMO. You can use it like a fixed week or like the points system it is or as a base for making great exchanges.

Glad it's getting clearer!!!