I just got a call from a Marriott salesperson......

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

who was trying to sell me a timeshare on Marco Island.

The 2 bdrm President's Week, Gulf Front, is starting at $90.000.

I told her that even if the timeshare was is Heaven, I wasn't paying $90,000.

The lowest starting price is for a 2 bdrm, Gulf View @ $68,000. Then Gulf Side, @ $75,000. And the most expensive is the 3 bdrm penthouse, @ $109,000. Those are the opening day prices, and will go up from there.

She also told me that the Cancun location is already in progress, but she couldn't give me any prices.

One interesting tidbit........ She said that Marriott is not planning on making any more 2 bdrm, lock-offs, in the near future. She claims that only 11% of all Marriott customers, ever lock them off.....I found that hard to believe, but she claims it's true. That is the actual percentage, on record.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

who was trying to sell me a timeshare on Marco Island.

The 2 bdrm President's Week, Gulf Front, is starting at $90.000.

I told her that even if the timeshare was is Heaven, I wasn't paying $90,000.

The lowest starting price is for a 2 bdrm, Gulf View @ $68,000. Then Gulf Side, @ $75,000. And the most expensive is the 3 bdrm penthouse, @ $109,000. Those are the opening day prices, and will go up from there.

She also told me that the Cancun location is already in progress, but she couldn't give me any prices.

One interesting tidbit........ She said that Marriott is not planning on making any more 2 bdrm, lock-offs, in the near future. She claims that only 11% of all Marriott customers, ever lock them off.....I found that hard to believe, but she claims it's true. That is the actual percentage, on record.

Is that the Plat Plus price or the 'regular' Platinum?

They told me when I purchased MAR Fairway Villas in Jan 2001 that they weren't building any more lock-offs - not true then, not true now.
And what does your daily search results tell you?
I heard Cancun would be selling in Dec/Jan time frame.

[Tinkerbell Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tinkerbell]

I wonder where the resort in Cancun will be located?

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

I told her that even if the timeshare was is Heaven, I wasn't paying $90,000.

LOL! I love that. It's like something my grandmother would have said. Cute, yet bitter.

[Steamboat Bill Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Steamboat Bill]

That works out to $4.5m per unit....nice profit

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I cannot believe the prices but other developers are asking just as much and even in Mexico. Re-sale prices have to go higher soon when people realize that there is a secondary market. How much longer can it stay a secret?

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

Is that the Plat Plus price or the 'regular' Platinum?

I think the $68.00. is NOT Platinum Plus. That is the lowest price unit, they have. I didn't write down the price for 'Platinum Plus, standard Gulf view.

They told me when I purchased MAR Fairway Villas in Jan 2001 that they weren't building any more lock-offs - not true then, not true now.
And what does your daily search results tell you?

Who knows....Marco Island, and Cancun, will not have any lock-offs. I hope that she is wrong, is all I can say.



I heard Cancun would be selling in Dec/Jan time frame.

She wasn't sure of the actual start date, for sales, or prices, on Cancun.

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

I cannot believe the prices but other developers are asking just as much and even in Mexico. Re-sale prices have to go higher soon when people realize that there is a secondary market. How much longer can it stay a secret?

Emmy,

I agree, I think the retail prices will eventually go higher. Wouldn't they have to, to reflect the increase in the purchase prices?

It really is a conundrum. The retail prices seem to be sky-rocketing, and the resale prices, appear to be pretty stagnant.

[zdxlc9p6 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zdxlc9p6]

I like the status quo! We can buy after market, use them as long as we like, and then we or our kids can sell them for probably around the same price as we originally paid. I don't care if the resale market never goes up. Beats the alternative of paying developer price, and then the unit is only worth 20-50% immediately.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I like the status quo! We can buy after market, use them as long as we like, and then we or our kids can sell them for probably around the same price as we originally paid. I don't care if the resale market never goes up. Beats the alternative of paying developer price, and then the unit is only worth 20-50% immediately.

Most people don't know that so they are the victims. I feel bad for them as we were one of them too and more than once.

We found the forums when it was too late for us. I am for educating the suckers who get lured into a timeshare presentation on the spur of the moment for a small gift and are told a bunch of lies and made believe how easy it is to exchange to anywhere in the world.

Many people buy a timeshare because of these colorful resort directories for exchanging which sounds great to them. That is the biggest misrepresentation of all when I read all the complaints here. I am not saying that all developers or sales people are guilty but many are.

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

One interesting tidbit........ She said that Marriott is not planning on making any more 2 bdrm, lock-offs, in the near future. She claims that only 11% of all Marriott customers, ever lock them off.....I found that hard to believe, but she claims it's true. That is the actual percentage, on record.

Given the number of studios that I seem to pull when doing searches, that seems to be low.

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

That works out to $4.5m per unit....nice profit

Only if they sell all 52 weeks for that price - though still a pretty penny. What do comparable whole ownership units go for on Marco?

[bsheets326 Member Find all posts View Profile Close bsheets326]

Sadly, they will sell all those units. I tried to convert a retail buyer during one of my recent TS stays. He insisted that he was getting a better deal by buying retail. I pointed out that we owned similar units in the same resort, but I paid about 90 percent less. He insisted that the perks bestowed upon him by the developer made up the difference. Some people will never be convinced.
Brent

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

What I don't understand is if one has $90,000 to spend, on Marco Island, one could buy a one bedroom condo outright, ownership, and use it year round and have it available to rent the times one isn't there...just doing a search for Marco Island, one can find some townhomes for around $180 to $200....so if you put that $90,000 down, took a mortgage, rented enough to cover the mortgage, you would be ahead of the game....or at least it seems to me.

I am guessing you experienced Marriott owners know ways to get those resales at good prices....but I find $90K really shocking for ownership of a week of timeshare.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

What I don't understand is if one has $90,000 to spend, on Marco Island, one could buy a one bedroom condo outright, ownership, and use it year round and have it available to rent the times one isn't there...just doing a search for Marco Island, one can find some townhomes for around $180 to $200....so if you put that $90,000 down, took a mortgage, rented enough to cover the mortgage, you would be ahead of the game....or at least it seems to me.

I am guessing you experienced Marriott owners know ways to get those resales at good prices....but I find $90K really shocking for ownership of a week of timeshare.

Depends on where those town homes are. Beach front property is rarely inexpensive. I can't speak for Marco Island but a new condo developement just north of Marriott's Ocean Point has units starting at 1.4 million dollars. I'm assuming that's essentially a ground floor studio unit looking westward towards Lake Worth and not ocean front. I'm certain that one could find homes for much less the further inland one goes.

Still, I do agree that the prices quoted for a one week two bedroom timeshare is pretty darned high.