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Tahiti Village - Dollars and Sense

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  • Tahiti Village - Dollars and Sense

    My husband and I attended a 2 hour Tahiti Village Resort seminar last week.
    Here's what the deal boils down to in terms of dollars and sense. (Yes, sense, not cents...)

    Tahiti Village offers their best package for the Vegas Strip Phase II site at

    $55,000 and an interest rate of 17.9% at 7 years of payments with an annual fee which covers general site condo style maintenance of somewhere around $350. These numbers aren't down to the dollar but they'll give you a good feeling for the overall cost.

    The 7 years of payments accumulate to $35,842 in interest alone so if you add that to $55,000, your total principal plus interest equals $90,842 for a 2 bedroom suite with a kitchen and kitchenette and 2 sleeper sofas so you can sleep 8 in your suite.

    I hopped online tonight and checked out Tahiti Village to see if you can actually rent a hotel room since that's what these suites look like. You can indeed for as low as $187.50 per night at the Vegas location on the strip.

    If you do some rough math, that’s over 484 nights of vacationing at Tahiti Village ($90,842 divided by $187.50 per night) or 34 two week trips (take 484 nights divided by 14 nights which is 2 weeks and you get 34)! Of course, inflation is not taken into account but neither is the fact that you're paying 17.9% interest instead of keeping your money in the bank or some other investment that you could use to offset the out of pocket cost...


    Things you have to ask because they don't volunteer information...

    They didn't say what the tax implications would be.

    They didn't say what happens to the vacation ownership deed if you die before you finish paying it off - most will purchase this package as an out of state buyer... If you're going to go for it, you should check on what this means. Probate proceedings can be messy within your own state - I can't imagine what your family would have to go thru to clean up the ownership issues if both owners die before the package is paid off - perhaps in the fine print, there's something that says Tahiti Village is the default beneficiary? Who knows. I can only speculate.

    They didn't say if there is a pre-payment penalty if you find a better way to pay off the balance.

    They didn't say anything about whether or not you have the ability to select the location for the suite you're staying in - you're obviously not the owner of the room itself, you only get to own 2 weeks of usage out of the year. Heck, if you were the real owner, you could take the plasma TVs home with you when you leave, right?

    Basically, when you buy one of these packages, you're paying in advance for a nice hotel room with access to a concierge, swimming pool, etc., just like you would if you booked a hotel room somewhere. The doors have hotel key access (magnetic cards), just like a hotel would. There will be wear and tear on the items within the room as you would expect when the other 50 weeks of the year, the rooms are being used by total strangers).

    If you go into one of these purchases, my only advice to you is to ask a lot of questions. Do your homework before you sign anything. Make sure it's the right choice for you so you don't have any regrets afterwards.

    I hope this posting is helpful, if only to one couple who may have made a decision without knowing all the implications. Good luck vacationing!!

  • #2
    We toured Tahiti Village a couple of years ago and almost passed out at what they were quoting for prices back then. They much be selling them because they're close to $20,000 higher than what they were asking for only 2 1/2 years ago.

    I just have trouble understanding how prices have escalated over the 9 yeras since we've been timesharing. Our first two units we purchased, both from the developer, cost less than what that one unit at Tahiti costs ($18,900 and $14,900) plus, we have what I consider to be a better location on the strip (Polo Towers) than Tahiti. PT's has fewer amenities but, we wouldn't be using the pool, lazy river et... anyway so it wouldn't really matter to us.

    The really sad part is that in a couple of years, you'll probably be seeing them for sale on E-bay for less than $5,000. Presently I believe that Consolidated's two other resorts, Club Del Soliel and Tahiti can be found for around $1,000 to $2,000 for 2 bedroom units on E-bay.

    Heck, I don't even believe that Marriott's Grand Chateau's 3 bedroom units go for as much as what you were quoted for Tahiti Village's 2 bedroom unit. You have to give it to their sales staff if they're selling these units for the price you were quoted.

    A few other things to cover. They can't give tax advice, that's not legal. There's not really any "tax considerations" to consider. The interest may be deductable as a second vacation home but you'd have to ask someone versed in tax accounting.

    You don't actually own the unit. You own a 1/52 share of the unit or, essentially the space the unit occupys. It's up to your contract if you have any actual interest in the land or common buildings associated with the property.

    Sort of hard to believe those MF's you were quoted. I suppose it could be that low starting out but expect them to get up around $600 to $1,000 in the very near future.

    IMO, it's more than a "nice" hotel room. Their two bedroom units have over 1,000 sq. ft. The average hotel room might have something in the nieghborhood of 200 sq. ft. Hotel rooms also do not have full kitchens, seperate bedrooms, dining room and living area's. We rarely stay in hotel rooms anymore prefering the space offered by timeshares to the cramped confines of a hotel room.

    Very few timeshare financing plans have a pre-payment penalty. We've paid several off early without any problems.

    What happens if you die before paying it off is the same with any loan. They will file a claim against the settlement of your estate seeking the remaining balance of the loan. I have never seen the devloper as the default beneficiary. The estate will be settled, outstanding debts will be paid from what is left in the estate, if there is not enough to pay off the debt then the heirs will have to decide if they want to keep it or allow it to be repod by the developer. I am not aware of any state that will force heirs to take on the debt of the deceased. It's really not a problem as I see it.
    Our timeshare and other photo's at http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for your post to the thread.

      To your comment regarding overall size, true, most hotel rooms are much smaller in comparison but the size of hotel rooms I was visualizing in my comparison are roughly the same given what their daily price would break down to. I've stayed in $35 rooms in the boonies while traveling within the US that were about 300 sf and I've stayed in rooms where the charges can be higher than $600 per night that were about 800sf. There are some pretty great specials you can get if you shop around on the strip where you can get a super deal and have a really nice place to stay (subtract the kitchenette from the 1BR option and they're exactly the same size). And you get access to the pool and other amenities as a point of convenience. I guess to me, the strip just isn't the right place for something like the Tahiti Village offer. Maybe somewhere exotic would have sat better with me overall... I suppose but paying for the right to use 1/26th of a space... what do you actually own but air when you get down to it in this case?

      I think there are some super awesome time share deals out there so please don't get me wrong. The concept of time shares is pretty amazing when you get down to the nuts and bolts. I personally think that this particular offer on the LV Strip leaves a lot to be desired.

      You're right about the tax advice and the details you've provided to the other points I mentioned that Tahiti Village failed to mention though the specifics weren't my point. They aren't legally able to offer tax advice, but my point to that mention is that nothing of substance was presented, even if it were the small amount they could say like, "you would need to consult with a tax specialist..." Ok, maybe that's wishing for too much, but I think the point is clear.

      IMHO, the Tahiti Village offer on the Vegas Strip isn't the best choice out there.

      Thanks again for you reply! Enjoy your time off wherever you go!

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      • #4
        I don't think anyone on these boards would advise buying from a developer. There are many good deals out there on the timeshare resale market, however!

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        • #5
          SaveYourBucks, if you hang around here, you will learn how to go to timeshares for way, way, way less money!

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          • #6
            I'll definitely need to scout around for better deals. The whole idea is pretty interesting - thanks for your posts!!

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            • #7
              Hummm, sounds like a serious chunk of money under a lot of unspoken conditions! IF I were interested in at Vegas timeshare, I'd hit the resale market. Neighbors own at Polo Club and really enjoy it. I have a feeling you'd be able to get a resale a whole lot cheaper!

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Carolinian View Post
                I don't think anyone on these boards would advise buying from a developer. There are many good deals out there on the timeshare resale market, however!
                PerryM???
                Originally posted by SaveYourBucks
                I'll definitely need to scout around for better deals. The whole idea is pretty interesting - thanks for your posts!
                I've owned at Jockey Club and Carriage house but sold for small profits.
                Originally posted by Juleen
                Hummm, sounds like a serious chunk of money under a lot of unspoken conditions! IF I were interested in at Vegas timeshare, I'd hit the resale market. Neighbors own at Polo Club and really enjoy it. I have a feeling you'd be able to get a resale a whole lot cheaper!
                Polo Towers has lots of resales for reasonable prices around $1500 for 1BR on eBay.
                ... not enough time for all the timeshares ®

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Spence View Post
                  [
                  Polo Towers has lots of resales for reasonable prices around $1500 for 1BR on eBay.
                  If one is patient, I've seen them go for less than that for a 1 bedroom. Heck, I've seen 2 bedroom units go for less than $1,500 in the Suites units. For a little while there was a flood of units hitting the resale market and prices really dropped at that time. I suspect owners not happy with the special assessment and wanting to bail out at any price. Prices have seemed to come up a little bit in the last few months. I often wonder how many of those units might have been bought back by DRI at a discount, only to be able to resell them as inventory in Club Sun. Seems like that would be a pretty good business plan if you have the sales staff to move those weeks.
                  Our timeshare and other photo's at http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/

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                  • #10
                    The more I think about it, the more interested I am in checking out the resale market - you've all been very helpful with your responses.

                    It's unfortunate that the glitz and glamour of the sales techniques used can side track a few unfortunate folks who don't really have enough time (or inkling) to shop around so they end up buying on impulse rather than treating the purchase as a major purchase - house shopping normally takes a lot longer to think about than a 2 hour time share presentation and people don't just jump into a house purchase so why would they for a time share (or vacation ownership package)?

                    Beats me other than the moment of feeling good about the reaction they get from the sales person and the excitement of popping a balloon with another week of vacation somewhere in the world as a special prize.

                    Forums like these bring me back down to Earth - I was unglued when I returned from the seminar and was pretty upset with the TV offer. I wrote to them and told them everything I thought they were doing wrong including a few things I did not post because these purchases are a serious undertaking.

                    I've enjoyed reading your responses. Thanks for all your support!

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                    • #11
                      I'm sure they enjoyed your letter right before they disgarded it in the nearest trash bin. Consolidated has been extremely succesful selling timeshare's just that way they've been doing it. In fact, those radio and TV spots have gained the admiration of some of the TS sales staff that don't work for Consolidated. Street Talk Blog had a section on how they thought the Consolidated comercials were an inovative way to get people into a TS presentation without having to "hoodwink" the consumer into a sales seminar. I thought that post on their blog was sort of funny. They're still tricking people into a sales presentation, even if they're doing it over the radio and/or TV.
                      Our timeshare and other photo's at http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/

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                      • #12
                        TV can certainly afford the expensive segments of time on the public media given that they're selling at the high rates. Good advertising usually gains respect from those who don't know all the facts so it's no surprise.

                        I disliked their sales tactics for sure and that's obvious from what I wrote, but what I liked even less was that they're taking advantage of people who buy on impulse rather than after they think these things thru. As we know, people who buy on impulse don't always get the best of deals. I've been in that group of people before and the feeling is rotten. In fact, one of those situations still bothers me today and it was 21 years ago. In that case, it wasn't that much money, but it's how I was taken advantage of that bothers me most. I suppose that's the very reason I came here to this forum. I'm glad I did. There are a lot of nice people here who have given some good suggestions and information.

                        Enjoy!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I can't say that I know of any timeshare developer that does not sell timeshares in this manor (impulse buy). As far as I know, they all give you the 90 to 120 minute sales presentation with pressure to buy it now rather than going home to think about it. Most tell you that the price they quote you is a "special" price only available if you sign on the dotted line RIGHT NOW. They work hard to put that sense of urgancy in you. Even the industry leaders like Marriott, Hilton, Starwood and Disney imploy this sales tactic with either incentives for buying now.

                          As you've pointed out it's best to shop around, research and think about what you're wanting to own, what system fits your needs best and what is the most affodable way to get what you want out of timesharing. It's the hard sell sales tactics used my a majority of timeshare developers that has earned timeshares their bad press. The concept is a great one as far as vacationing but the sales process with developers is brutal.

                          BTW, we've done the Consolidated tour twice. IMO it's one of the worst in the business for half truths and pressure.
                          Our timeshare and other photo's at http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Impulse buying is a major factor of our economy so I guess it's no surprise that the timeshare industry uses it as one of their primary tactics to gain sales.

                            Interestingly enough, we had also attended a timeshare presentation back in 92 so we could get a free hard cover Maui book and video tape. We knew we would have to listen to a high pressure sales pitch but we didn't care. The book alone was worth it. It wasn't a bad pitch in that particular case and the place itself was absolutely gorgeous. The price wasn't so bad either, but we were just getting started as a married couple and were on our honeymoon and knew we had other financial priorities than buying a timeshare. We were honeymooning on a small budget and I was proud of what we came up with for places to stay on a budget.

                            Anyway, in comparison, their sales pitch was definitely high pressure but it wasn't presented in a way that attacked us as a couple. We went into that pitch with a firm position that we weren't going to buy anything and while we were there, we asked for some alone time to talk it over and we still decided not to go for it. I'm glad we turned it down because back then, we had no business spending money like that, but we knew there were other opportunities we could check out later when we were ready.

                            The customer service rep I wrote to about my experience at TV wrote me back the following day and said she would forward my feedback to their upper management. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that review.

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                            • #15
                              What size unit was 55 k?

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