Midwestern resorts with good trading power

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

Usually when I hear of resorts with good trading power, they are summer beach weeks or winter ski weeks in the west or New England.

What midwestern resorts have weeks that have good trading power in RCI?

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

Door County wisconsin

I would think any resort in Door Cty Wisconsin from May to Mid Oct would have really good trading power. While looking for an exchange there I found very little inventory available.

Short

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

Door County in Summer is Tough To Get!

I would think any resort in Door Cty Wisconsin from May to Mid Oct would have really good trading power. While looking for an exchange there I found very little inventory available.

Short

I remember reading a post on TUG that an owner with a GC, Hawaiian Resort timeshare week was not able to get an exchange into Door County in summer with RCI.

I would say it is safe to say, most owners of Summer weeks in Door County use their weeks or rent their weeks.



Walt

[JimIg23 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimIg23]

Any TS recommendations in Door County?

[Hounddog01 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hounddog01]

I just purchased one in Michicot. It looks like it is in the very south of Door County. I really did not know what I was buying but it was a good deal. Maybe I got a really good deal.

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

Fox Hills is a nice resort, but it is an easy trade most of the year, even in the summer if you plan in advance. Door County, on the other hand, does not become an easy trade until after Halloween.

[Arkansas Winger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arkansas Winger]

I just purchased one in Michicot. It looks like it is in the very south of Door County. I really did not know what I was buying but it was a good deal. Maybe I got a really good deal.

I think Michicot is in Manitowoc County

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

Having lived in MN & WI for over 40 years, I tracked this issue as best I could without actually buying anywhere there after my first resport (Telemark). I do believe the Village at Izaty's and Causeway on Gull (both of which are in both RCI and II) have always been very strong traders.

There used to be a place at Lutsen Mountain Ski Area, called Eagle's Ridge or something like that, that was virtually impossible to get into. I think they got out of the exchange business altogether and now the only way to get in there is to rent a week (or know an owner). Villas at Giants Ridge is probably the closest thing to that up there now, but still not in the same league.

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

Most midwestern resorts are going to be of regional interest rather than national or international vacation destinations. Furthermore there's not a great deal of attractions in the midwest like National Parks, beaches, major theme parks like Disney or skiing. There are some great lakes and natural area's to explore but again, it appears to me many are regional in popularity and most are considered drive to destinations.

Having said that the one Branson week we own with I.I. is a non-five star resort and, so long as I deposit a summer week trades reasonably well for what it is. Regional demand does not mean that the area's are unpopular with tourist, just that many of those tourists will be driving their own cars. There is still demand. Just not as much as area's of national or international interest like beach front of high ski season weeks will be.

I would say if you wanted a midwestern week, first, purchase someplace you would want to visit yourself on a regular basis. Then if you wanted to exchange learn the most popular tourist times and either own a week during that time or reserve a week for exchange during that time if you own a floating week. Reserve early and deposit/request early for best results.

In our case we visit Branson, MO regularly. However, if we don't want to visit Branson and choose to exchange, it's my understanding that July is the most popular tourist time for Branson. The one time we deposited our week we reserved a July week, reserved and deposited it early and I was pleasantly surprised at the availability it would pull. It wasn't going to ever pull a January to April week in S. Florida but it would pull weeks most any other month in that region. It even pulled a couple of Key West weeks which really surprised me as that area has limited availability.

Another thought would be that if you must own a midwestern week, then buy into a group that has a decent to strong internal trading program like Bluegreen, Sunterra or Wyndham. Often internal exchanges have priority or points so you know the value of your resort going in.

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

Having lived in MN & WI for over 40 years, I tracked this issue as best I could without actually buying anywhere there after my first resport (Telemark). .

Hey, hello fellow Telemarker!
Telemark was our second resort to buy and we love it the best of wherever we have gone!

We'll be there for the owners meeting (and 3 weeks before too - will you be?

It has traded pretty well for us when nec, although prob not as good as Door County - we are anxious to visit there too!
Joan

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

Hey, hello fellow Telemarker!
Telemark was our second resort to buy and we love it the best of wherever we have gone!

We'll be there for the owners meeting (and 3 weeks before too - will you be?

It has traded pretty well for us when nec, although prob not as good as Door County - we are anxious to visit there too!
Joan

I agree, people don't have ANY idea what they're missing by not staying there!

Sent you a private message in response, too. Thanks, Ron.

Tom

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I've always heard that if there is a lake involved, peak summer weeks do very well. Any of the states listed in this section.

I bet Lake Panorama even does well.

Concerning Branson, for the years I have been hanging out at these timeshare time-consumers, I mean, forums, I don't recall ever seeing a post from a Branson owner complaining about trading power.

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

Most midwestern resorts are going to be of regional interest rather than national or international vacation destinations. Furthermore there's not a great deal of attractions in the midwest like National Parks, beaches, major theme parks like Disney or skiing. There are some great lakes and natural area's to explore but again, it appears to me many are regional in popularity and most are considered drive to destinations.

Having said that the one Branson week we own with I.I. is a non-five star resort and, so long as I deposit a summer week trades reasonably well for what it is. Regional demand does not mean that the area's are unpopular with tourist, just that many of those tourists will be driving their own cars. There is still demand. Just not as much as area's of national or international interest like beach front of high ski season weeks will be.

I would say if you wanted a midwestern week, first, purchase someplace you would want to visit yourself on a regular basis. Then if you wanted to exchange learn the most popular tourist times and either own a week during that time or reserve a week for exchange during that time if you own a floating week. Reserve early and deposit/request early for best results.

In our case we visit Branson, MO regularly. However, if we don't want to visit Branson and choose to exchange, it's my understanding that July is the most popular tourist time for Branson. The one time we deposited our week we reserved a July week, reserved and deposited it early and I was pleasantly surprised at the availability it would pull. It wasn't going to ever pull a January to April week in S. Florida but it would pull weeks most any other month in that region. It even pulled a couple of Key West weeks which really surprised me as that area has limited availability.

Another thought would be that if you must own a midwestern week, then buy into a group that has a decent to strong internal trading program like Bluegreen, Sunterra or Wyndham. Often internal exchanges have priority or points so you know the value of your resort going in.

I agree with you. While Michigan ski weeks may be reasonable traders, very few west or east coast people would go there to ski, it's pretty much only gonna be those of us near enuf to drive.

A lot of our theme parks don't have timeshares near. Cedar Point and King's Island, for example.

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

[QUOTE=dougp26364;162349]Most midwestern resorts are going to be of regional interest rather than national or international vacation destinations. Furthermore there's not a great deal of attractions in the midwest like National Parks, beaches, major theme parks like Disney or skiing. There are some great lakes and natural area's to explore but again, it appears to me many are regional in popularity and most are considered drive to destinations.

[\QUOTE]

So, does a resort have to be in demand nationally or internationally to have high trading power?

[brucecz Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close brucecz]

I would think any resort in Door Cty Wisconsin from May to Mid Oct would have really good trading power. While looking for an exchange there I found very little inventory available.

Short

That lack of summer inventory is one reason we bought a week 26(sometimes it is a 4th of July wek) at the Rushes in Door County and another is that by owning we are not affected by RCI 's 1 in 4 rule. So we as owners can trade into the Rushes as oten as we want to.

The first year we bought it we used it and the other 2 years we have rented it out.

With the resort asking about $2,000 per summer week when you include sales tax we have had no problem renting out at at $1,500 per week. We even unlike the resort have it set up to divide our rental week.

There are only 48 units set on about 100 acres of resort land with about a quarter mile of frontage on a 1,000 acre lake. We or or guests have free use of the resorts catamoran sail boats. wind surfing boards, kayaks, roll boats.

The units are large and roomy and have garages.

Besides having both the waters of Green Bay and the waters of Lake Michigan 7 miles or less from our resort the area its self is very unquie.

Once you get past the city Sturgeon Bay that is in the lower part of Door County because of zoning there are no Wallmarts, fast places. It is a step back in time in a uncrowed resort.

Door county has many varied types of scenery which some are very interesting.

Does this week trade good? From what the RCI VC's say it supposely does, but we bought it to to use and/or to rent but not to exchange.

Seval VC's have said that as of a couple of years ago they might get 4 to 6 prime summer weeks from the Rushes per year. I do not know if for the past 3 years if that Rushes prime summer availabilty has lessened in light the the increased RCI rental efforts.

Bruce