Some general questions

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

I just purchased thru a Bluegreen presentation and then promptly sent my cancellation letter after I saw the resale prices vs. what I paid. I will be shopping for a resale as soon as my cancellation goes through. But I have a few questions.

1) Will day use transfer with a resale? Part of the reason I bought was because I live 15 min. from the Suites at Hershey and would like to use the pool in the summer. The sales rep. never mentioned "blackout dates", I found that myself in the manual later.

2) Can you put 5 people in a room that sleeps 4? If you don't mention it, does anyone know?

3) The sales rep. said that if I go to the owner's updates (4 times/yr.) that I would receive $100 each time. Is that a special offer for a limited time or do you always receive the money?

4) Do the amount of points needed to reserve a week increase each year or are they frozen? If 9,000 points buys me a week at a resort in Myrtle Beach this year, will it cost 11,000 points in 5 years?

Thanks for your help!

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

Some Answers re Resale

Great decision to go the resale route. You found the right timeshare organization and now you can find the right price. Answers as best I know:
1. Not unless you buy from the authorized reseller, Pinnacle Vacations or one of their agents such as BocaBum. Day use is a small benefit in the big picture of buying a timeshare, so do not let this discourage you from the resale route or other resellers. Bonus time, Travelers Plus, and Preferred Status are other items that only transfer through an authorized reseller.
2. They ask number of people at reservation time and checkin and will not let you have the reservation or room if you are over the limit. Since there is no housekeeping service during the visit, BG will most likely never know how many you have in your room.
3. You always get money or some reward for attending a presentation, but the amount can vary. It is usually $75 or more, but you can try to play hard to get and negotiate.
4. The points needed to reserve a week can never change. A person owns a deed for the underlying week/unit at a resort. Since the deed is worth a certain number of points, the unit must be rented for that same amount of points.

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

1 - I'm not certain that Day Use is a benefit that transfers or not. I thought it was simply an owner benefit. I would certainly double-check with the resort that they even offer Day Use. It would be a good idea to use an authorized reseller to be sure to get all benefits.

2 - Occupancy limits can be strictly enforced, possibly leading to your eviction. What you choose to do with this information is entirely up to you!

3 - No, they don't let you go 4 times a year! In fact, they always ask if it's been 12 - 18 months since your last update. If you can go more frequently, go for it! I wouldn't expect the gift to always be $100, but, I believe each sales team has leeway on this.

4 - Frozen. That said, new resorts usually have higher point values.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I just purchased thru a Bluegreen presentation and then promptly sent my cancellation letter after I saw the resale prices vs. what I paid. I will be shopping for a resale as soon as my cancellation goes through. But I have a few questions.

1) Will day use transfer with a resale? Part of the reason I bought was because I live 15 min. from the Suites at Hershey and would like to use the pool in the summer. The sales rep. never mentioned "blackout dates", I found that myself in the manual later.

2) Can you put 5 people in a room that sleeps 4? If you don't mention it, does anyone know?

3) The sales rep. said that if I go to the owner's updates (4 times/yr.) that I would receive $100 each time. Is that a special offer for a limited time or do you always receive the money?

4) Do the amount of points needed to reserve a week increase each year or are they frozen? If 9,000 points buys me a week at a resort in Myrtle Beach this year, will it cost 11,000 points in 5 years?

Thanks for your help!

Here are my answers to your questions:

1) Day use at resorts that offer it is a VIP benefit. It only transfers if you purchase from Bluegreen or a Bluegreen authorized reseller. You can see which resorts offer it by checking out the individual resort web page at www.bluegreenonline.com. If it has day use, it's one the summary notes of the resort web page.

2) Occupancy levels are set mostly for insurance and building code reasons. I would follow the rules. However, I've never had anyone do a headcount check at any resort. I'm not sure how they would know unless someone turned them in.

3) Technically you can only do an owners update every 3 months. But, I know people who go every month and get the gifts. They do go to different resorts.

4) Frozen for the most part. I have seen them change once in a Blue Moon. And, that Blue Moon was on a Tuesday.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

After considering your four points please don't forget that you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of ever increasing maint.fees and then add on the SA's. This will end up costing thousand upon thousand of $

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

After considering your four points please don't forget that you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of ever increasing maint.fees and then add on the SA's. This will end up costing thousand upon thousand of $

What are you talking about? Bluegreen's record for increases and SA's is exceptional - well better than the industry average. Do you have some documentation to the contrary?

[spectacularone Member Find all posts View Profile Close spectacularone]

Resale

We are currently under contract with Pinnacle to purchase resale and we've got all those benefits, VIP, bonus time, Traveler's Plus. We went to a sales presentation at The Falls Village and I can't beleive the people that were buying there! We paid less than 1/3 the cost of the package he was trying to sell us and got MORE points per year! Plus my resale came with 12,000 banked points!

We had friends who owned so I knew I was interested and had been researching before I went. I cannot wait to close on it and use the points!

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

I would be willing to bet that your maint. fee is more this year than last year and you got nothing more than you have for many years. If something costs me more I expect something more for my money than just the same ole stuff.
Bet you also had no say so as to how much an increase was needed ( if any )
I figure SA's are a reflection of poor money management. They say they need more money so let's tell them the pool needs to be fixed. What do you do? Write them a check. ( no input again)
All owners should have a vote as to how much money is needed and how it is spent !
I never trusted " my " board so I got out. It's B & B for me !!!!

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I would be willing to bet that your maint. fee is more this year than last year and you got nothing more than you have for many years. If something costs me more I expect something more for my money than just the same ole stuff.
Bet you also had no say so as to how much an increase was needed ( if any )
I figure SA's are a reflection of poor money management. They say they need more money so let's tell them the pool needs to be fixed. What do you do? Write them a check. ( no input again)
All owners should have a vote as to how much money is needed and how it is spent !
I never trusted " my " board so I got out. It's B & B for me !!!!

Bing,

So, what do you do every year when that dollar of yours gets less gasoline or electricity? What about when your quarter gets you fewer eggs at the grocery store? You are basically saying that the inflation rate in maintenance fees hurts owners and makes it not worth buying. But, what you don't account for is that there is inflation is 100% of the economy INCLUDING the income people receive. You are only telling half the story. And it's misleading at best.

So, the relevant criteria for comparison is whether or not the costs are in line with inflation and does a timeshare capital purchase and ongoing costs make financial sense vs. renting equivalent accommodations every years. That's because the B&B you are renting is ALSO going up in price. And, that is ONLY assuming that the value you receive from an timeshare ownership is EQUIVALENT to renting. Indeed, the value from timesharing is so far greater than renting that its costs could increase by 10-15% per year and still be a bargain as long as you know what you are doing.

I could say the same thing about your B&B. Stay away from ALL B&Bs because the rental rates go up. I can pretty much guarantee you that the rental rates for a B&B are higher today than they were for the exact same B&B 10 years ago.

Timesharing isn't for everyone. If you can plan ahead or you dont' want to do the research for how to get great deals, then timesharing may not be for you. But, just because YOU couldn't make it work, it doesn't mean that it isn't the best value in travel for families of all sizes when indeed it actually is. All you need to do is hang around these timeshare boards and figure out how to play the timesharing game properly.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

You are correct that timeshares are for some people and not so for others.
The thing I like about B & B is that after they charge my cc, I'm done ! I am not tied into them for life.
I understand inflation, it will always be with us. If my old ts place had said just once that the maint. fee would be the same as the previous year I then would have a better understanding of their money management skills.
The fact that they could just ask for and get extra money under the banner of SA was the last straw!
No B & B has ever asked me for an extra twenty bucks for roof repair when I check out. I really don't care how they break down my rent, just include all that stuff in a fair price. It all comes down to do I feel their price is ok.
Most timeshare salesmen seem to think that everyone needs a timeshare and get upset when one says, " no thank you, it's not for me.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

You are correct that timeshares are for some people and not so for others.
The thing I like about B & B is that after they charge my cc, I'm done ! I am not tied into them for life.
I understand inflation, it will always be with us. If my old ts place had said just once that the maint. fee would be the same as the previous year I then would have a better understanding of their money management skills.
The fact that they could just ask for and get extra money under the banner of SA was the last straw!
No B & B has ever asked me for an extra twenty bucks for roof repair when I check out. I really don't care how they break down my rent, just include all that stuff in a fair price. It all comes down to do I feel their price is ok.
Most timeshare salesmen seem to think that everyone needs a timeshare and get upset when one says, " no thank you, it's not for me.

Some people are owners. Others are renters. I can presume you don't own your own home or live in a community with a homeowners association.

When you own your own home, stuff happens. Your air conditioning dies. Pool heaters fry. A Tennis court gets damaged in a hurricane.

I'd like to see you buy a home in one of these communities and demand that the HOA fees never increase and that the government will magically come in and fix all the damage to your house from a hurricane.

What you are suggesting for timeshares is this exact analogy. You are somehow suggesting that those fees make it not worth it. If that were the case, nobody would ever own a home. But wait, most people do. I wonder why?

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

The bit about having no voice is also hogwash. I'm invited to every board meeting (I have attended, and even run for the board), my feedback is frequently requested 'just because', and I have yet to get socked by an SA.

If you have specific facts concerning the Bluegreen Vacation Club, please spell them out. If you are just generally down on timeshare costs, then please remove this argument from the BG forum.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

I do own my own home because I know someday I will sell it for a very nice profit! That would never happen with a t/s. They are a poor investment! Also, I would never own a home that had owner's dues. I see that as wasted money. I fund all my repairs and improvements. I need no one's help.
When I was working, ( now retired ) I didn't have time to go to any t/s meetings, I was working. The board didn't care about what I thought. All they wanted was my money,period. Maybe the place I owned was one of the worst of the worst but it sure did leave a bad taste in my mouth. There was a time when I was out of the country that I never used it, it never rented so that was like paying for someone else, I got nothing.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I do own my own home because I know someday I will sell it for a very nice profit! That would never happen with a t/s. They are a poor investment! Also, I would never own a home that had owner's dues. I see that as wasted money. I fund all my repairs and improvements. I need no one's help.
When I was working, ( now retired ) I didn't have time to go to any t/s meetings, I was working. The board didn't care about what I thought. All they wanted was my money,period. Maybe the place I owned was one of the worst of the worst but it sure did leave a bad taste in my mouth. There was a time when I was out of the country that I never used it, it never rented so that was like paying for someone else, I got nothing.

You made a bad decision about a single timeshare. That's unfortunate. A lot of people make the same mistake. So, you're not alone.

However, that doesn't mean that ALL timeshares under all circumstances are bad INVESTMENTS. If I believed that, I wouldn't have purchased over 100 of them just this year. I believe a person can make more money investing in timeshares than in rental property such as a condominum. When you purchase a condo for rent, often times you have negative cash flow for many years. In timesharing, you can spend $1000 upfront and turn a positive cash flow instantly by renting to someone who thinks like you do about timeshares. It happens every single day of the year.

Before I got into timesharing, I took on average one week of vacation a year. I got 5 weeks. I usually just gave 4 of them back.

Now that I am in timesharing. I am travelling about 20 weeks per year in a timeshare. I just finished a 7 week vacation up and down the Pacific Coast.

If you make the right decisions and you use the correct financial assumptions about timesharing, you can get very low cost vacations with a little effort. If you learn how to rent weeks, you can travel for free. I'm sorry, but I have just not found a B&B that will allow me to stay there every year for free even if I agreed to wash dishes every day. If you open your mind, I'll bet we can find a timesharing alternative that will work for you. I believe you have thrown the baby out with the bath water in your mind's eye.

[spectacularone Member Find all posts View Profile Close spectacularone]

Okay, I just gotta say this: if you buy it cheap on the resale market ($3500-$4000) even if you only took 2 vacations on it, ever and never used it again I'd say you still broke even!