[Chi-Town]

Yes and yes.

[tjdmlhw]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

For those who have one and are enjoying.

I've owned a 1 bedroom unit in Kissimmee for 40 years. I paid $3000 for it and my maintenance dues have risen from $400 to just under $600. I've traded it for a weeks in Europe, Vermont, and I traded for a week in Hawaii for our honeymoon, but mostly we've used the week at our home resort because my family liked amusement parks.

Now that we own a home in The Villages, we may rejoin the trading organization and start using the week for vacations in other areas.

If someone buys a timeshare as an investment property, they will be sorely disappointed. Used timeshares are almost impossible to sell, some of them you can't even give away. If on the other hand you find one at a reasonable price in a location that you want to visit on a regular basis it can be a good purchase.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by grannysmith053

We have enjoyed our timeshare, we have traveled all over the country. We rarely stay in the unit we purchased, we exchange to other locations. That is the intent of the concept. They also offer special deals ("Bonus weeks") for an incredibly low fee and we have used those extensively. Everything we were told at the time of purchase was accurate. Except, there is no resale value. When you are done using it you need to execute a Quit Claim Deed and give it back.

Wondering..................how many years have you owned and what was your estimated annual percentage increase for maint fees??? (increasing maint fees is the biggest complain)

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by xlhig

Once we moved to Florida, we didn't really need them anymore so we sold them for $2.00 each - we doubled our money...lol. Check some out on ebay. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...acat=0&_sop=15 You're welcome!

I who says a Timeshare is not a great investment.

Interesting Ebay site.

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

We have a friend (I know that's shocking) who are with Hilton Grand Vacations.
"You" really don't own one unit or one location.
They have hundreds of locations (not the hotels, jus resorts).
"You" can book your location 9 to12 months out, then at 9 months...it's open to all to reserve.
Fairly user friendly site.
They are enjoying the gig.

far too much. we came from the industry and these type of timeshares are nothing but an expense and hassle most days of the week. Sort of like owning a boat (1st and last day) .

With that said, we own 5 BUT they are paid for when we get them. This is a unique deal you buy the unit cash you have maintenence fee every year, and it's yours (and your kids etc) forever (or until the building no longer exists) . Here's the killer part - the units average about $8200 each. I don't have to reserve - just show up, I have an option to trade off for other resorts, however we chose not to. RCI can be a problem at times. We've already made our initial investment back.

[Robnlaura]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

The key word is WEALTHY.

Example:

Initial buy-in $25k to $35. (there are more, there are less)
Gets you one week usage (annually) at any of their locations.
Annual fees $2k. (there are more, there are less)

So if you use it for 10 years you have paid $50k to $70k for ten weeks of vacation in a condo......full kitchen, two bedroom, living room, with resort grounds.

So to wealthy people..............fifty grand, nice place to stay...........why not.

You can spend $50 if you want I’ll go to redweek and buy someone’s for cheap

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Robnlaura

I’ll go to redweek and buy someone’s for cheap

That's another good site.

[Hape2Bhr]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

For those who have one and are enjoying.

I bought at Aruba Divi Village in 1988. They had their own timeshare system; the contract was for 40 weeks. I believe I paid just under 5K for a studio unit. At the time Divi had about 7 or 8 locations throughout the Caribbean. They hadn't broken ground yet on my building and then a few years later they declared bankruptcy, but remained in business. I used Divi to visit Barbados and also the Bahamas (two times) where they had their own 18 hole golf course.

If we don't use our scheduled week, we are not required to pay the yearly maintenance fee as long as we notify them in advance. We've used the week in Cabo (3x's), Arizona, Hawaii (2 weeks), Dominican Republic, and Aruba numerous times now. Once the contract is up, the maintenance fee is gone. I think we have 8 or 9 weeks left that we can use.

[jminnis]

Over 20 years ago we bought a 2-bedroom week at Hilton Head for $2500 through Marriott's resale office. We have never been there. We just bought it to be Marriott Vacation Club owners. We go to Marriott's Grande Vista in Orlando every year and love it. Even with the maintenance fees, it is still a good deal, and owners often get getaways and other good discounted stays. Our timeshare works for us...

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jminnis

Over 20 years ago we bought a 2-bedroom week at Hilton Head for $2500 through Marriott's resale office. We have never been there. We just bought it to be Marriott Vacation Club owners. We go to Marriott's Grande Vista in Orlando every year and love it. Even with the maintenance fees, it is still a good deal, and owners often get getaways and other good discounted stays. Our timeshare works for us...

I remember when they sold Hilton Head timeshares and charged a huge premium for the week of the Heritage golf tournament. But, then they changed the date of the tournament.

[agilles]

We have 2 timeshares that are weeks and 1 that is points that can be converted to numerous nights or units. We can also move the 2 weeks into the points program and convert to points annually. Have been to many places we wouldn't have gone to without the timeshares. We got pretty good deals on them when we purchased them, mostly 20 years ago. Now they would cost too much.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by agilles

We have 2 timeshares that are weeks and 1 that is points that can be converted to numerous nights or units. We can also move the 2 weeks into the points program and convert to points annually. Have been to many places we wouldn't have gone to without the timeshares. We got pretty good deals on them when we purchased them, mostly 20 years ago. Now they would cost too much.

Question...................do you have maint fees???..............if so, how have the annual increases been???

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I remember when they sold Hilton Head timeshares and charged a huge premium for the week of the Heritage golf tournament. But, then they changed the date of the tournament.

Very true....................that's the difference between a silver, a gold, a platinum purchase.
Priority as to when you can book..

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

For those who have one and are enjoying.

Have one and enjoy getting a 4 star ski accommodation. Used it for 20 years Starting to loose enjoyment as it is getting harder to use good ski properties. Full disclosure we do not have title to the ski property.

[BumpaOompa]

Have one and love it!!!