Over and over the news is that timeshare sales continue at a fast pace.  A recent story published at www.inman.com indicated that over $8 billion was spent on timeshares in the US last year.  The slump in the housing market seems to be having only slight effect on the luxury resort - timeshare - market.  Resales prices in some regions are climbing as well.  Hawaii and the Caribbean seem to fare the best according to this timeshare resales study.

Now is the time to buy or sell your timeshare.  Buyers of timeshare can still get a good discount when buying from an owner.  Sellers can still benefit from the growing interest in timeshare properties.  Tom Kelly (inman.com) stated in his article "A growing number of entrepreneurs with an exceptional grasp of timeshare purchasing, closing and selling have begun to acquire inexpensive weeks at upscale resorts via resale channels..."

A timeshare broker with knowledge of the international market would be the best bet for negotiating for the best deal, making sure you are getting what you pay for, and following through the transaction to ensure all rights are transferred. Affordable luxury vacation condos are still a possibility for those who buy resale, not retail.

Using a timeshare resales broker is also a wise choice for those who want to sell timeshare. It just makes sense to use the services of a professional.

Recently (May 25) www.Bloomberg.com ran a story entitled "U.S. Gas Prices Keep Some Holiday Travelers at Home". The bad news was the effect of high gasoline prices on the hotel industry.  The good news, at least from Wyndham Worldwide Corp, was that timeshare occupancy was holding up at near 100% thus bolstering the lagging travel industry.  On the east coast there are huge population centers that push the demand for affordable hotel and resort accommodations nearby.  So despite the ever climbing price of gas, people are still choosing to rent timeshare to make the most of their vacation budget.  That makes sense.  A timeshare rental will almost always be cheaper than hotels and offer far superior advantages: full kitchens, laundry facilities, exotic pools, large bedrooms. In addition, there is a good chance you can locate a timeshare condo rental that is within a reasonable driving distance.  The money you save by using a timeshare rental will make the vacation more affordable.

I have rented timeshare resorts in Las Vegas, Orlando, and other locations and always saved 75% off other less quality hotels.  What has been your experience?  Tell us about your best timeshare rental deals!

Here's to the Japanese engineer who designed this magnetic hybrid motorbike - goes up to 93 mph, charges at home in 6 hours, and will travel up to 112 miles on one charge:

Arizona Central's news website picked up an Associated Press story today entitled "Is it worth it to buy a timeshare?" (source) 

Throughout the story there are illustrations of how the cost of buying a timeshare factors out over time.  Their conclusion is that if your vacations involve staying in a budget motel for extended periods, timeshare may not be for you.  But if you are looking for five star luxury, golf, tennis, entertainment, full sized accommodations, and beautiful scenery at a serious discount, buying a timeshare would be a smart choice.  Especially if you buy a timeshare on the secondary market from an owner.  You will save thousands off the developers price and have most, if not all, the same privileges.

The safest way to go about buying a timeshare would be to use a broker who specializes in timeshare resales.  For example take a look at www.rpmls.com:  Hundreds of properties at the best resorts - and all for a serious discount.

Resale beats retail!

In April 2007, Diamond Resorts International (DRI) took over Sunterra in a move that propelled it into one of the largest networks of timeshare management.  About that time they announced their focus on new themes, branding, quality, and customer service.  From their website (source) they claim "Diamond Resorts International^®, based in Las Vegas, Nev., is one of the largest vacation ownership companies in the world with more than 110 branded and affiliated resorts throughout the continental United States and Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Offering simplicity, choice and comfort to its more than 360,000 owners and members..."

Later on they announced the development of "The Club", their points based program - offering options to timeshare owners similar to RCI points.  They also added inventory from Raintree resorts.

What impact has this had on the owners?  Are they satisfied with their decision to buy Sunterra timeshare now managed by Diamond?  Do more owners now want to sell their Diamond Resort International timeshare?  Have maintenance fees changed?  Are the additional choices better - the same?

Of the 110 resorts Diamond Resorts International holds, 37 of them are in Europe - mostly in the UK and Canary Islands.

Owners, let us hear from you!  What do you think about this now that one year has passed?

In the mean time, if you want to sell or buy Diamond Resorts International/Sunterra timeshare go to www.rpmls.com for the best information.

Here are some of our best selling timeshare properties from Sunterra: Powhatan Plantation Resort, San Luis Bay Inn, Poipu Point Vacation Resort, Kaanapali Beach Vacation Resort, Cypress Pointe Resort, Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort,

Scottsdale Villa Mirage, Grand Beach Vacation Resort, Royal Palm Beach Club, and Flamingo Beach Resort.

If you are thinking of selling your timeshare and have used internet search engines to ask the question "Where do I go to sell my timeshare?" you were more than likely swamped with too much information. It may have even left you with more questions than answers.  For example if you own Hilton Grand Vacation Club Flamingo Las Vegas and the buyer asks you if they can use the HGV Club points to book a week at HGVClub at South Beach the answer would be yes. But if they ask if they could use the HGV Club points to book a week at The Surf Club of Marco, Sanibel Cottages Resort, or Club Regency of Marco Island the answer might not be as simple.  Those resorts are managed by Hilton Grand Vacations but may or may not offer the same type of interchange as the HGV Club resorts.

Explaining the details of your timeshare to a potential buyer would be best left to a timeshare resales broker.  So if you want to sell your Hilton Grand Vacation Club Flamingo Las Vegas timeshare it would be well worth your time to examine the professional services of www.rpmls.com.  Having been in the timeshare resales business for nearly 30 years brings the type of experience that will give you, the owner, peace of mind.  Hilton timeshares are some of the best timeshare resorts in the industry and would be worth checking out if you want to buy a Las Vegas timeshare.

Will my resort help me sell my Orlando timeshare?  Many owners have asked that question.  Eventually, timeshare owners come to the point of deciding to sell. Changes in family circumstances or just lack of usage lead many people to that selling decision. If you ask your timeshare resort to help you sell, you may not get much help.  For example the president of Westgate Resorts in Orlando said "Westgate doesn't offer a formal resale program. It's a conflict for developers, because they have their own inventory to sell. We tell people we won't sell it for you and we won't rent it for you. But if they have to sell, we say go to friends or neighbors or advertise it in the paper." (source) That certainly does not sound like much help.  The Orlando timeshare market has an aggressive sales and development climate.  That's a lot of competition. If you want to sell your Orlando timeshare, you will need a timeshare resales broker's help.  They can appeal to a wide buyers market and compete better with the developers with targeted advertising.

Rather than choosing a timeshare broker in Orlando, choose one that has national and international exposure and experience. The buyer for your Orlando timeshare will not be coming from Orlando. Take a look at the services this timeshare resales broker has to offer.  Don't wait for the resort to come and bail you out of a bad situation.

Owning a piece of paradise is not as hard as it looks. But if you think you can just waltz into any timeshare in Maui and buy that timeshare at a discount, you better start thinking smarter, not harder.  The typical resort will have to pack in as much as 50% into the sales price just to break even with its marketing department.  So the best way to buy is to buy resale.  When you buy a timeshare on the resale market in Hawaii, or most any other place, you will get most - if not all - the normal benefits as if you bought it through the resort. So why pay more for a timeshare when you can pay less?  Buy Maui timeshare resales to save your hard earned money.

Some of the very best deals on the island of Maui Hawaii include Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, Sands of Kahana Vacation Club, Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Kaanapali Beach Vacation Resort, Maui Schooner Resort, Kahana Beach Resort, and Maui Lea at Maui Hill.  And if you want to sell your Maui Timeshare, now is the best time to do it.  Maui timeshare resales prices, and Hawaii timeshare resales prices have been rising over the last five years. See this timeshare sales article.

This is a flying tour of Maui, courtesy of Hawaiian Helicopters:

The first rule of any large buying decision is to determine what will give the best value for the money.  So the decision to sell or buy timeshare has the same concern: what will give me the best value?  If you want to buy Marriott's Kauai Beach Club Hawaii timeshare leave your checkbook at home when you first visit the resort.  Otherwise you will find yourself paying far more than you should if you buy at the resort. The hardest thing to do is to walk away when someone offers you what sounds like "the best deal if you buy NOW!".  The reality is that the best deal is to buy from someone who owns the timeshare condo you want without the pressure of on site sales people.  So how do I go about finding someone who wants to sell their Marriott timeshare?

The Marriott's Kauai Beach Club may offer to sell you a "product" that was previously owned by someone else, but will likely offer no serious discounts. A timeshare resales broker is equipped to find you the timeshare you want, negotiate the price, and follow through with the closing:  Significant savings of thousands of dollars with the same timeshare deed.  The only thing that would not transfer would be their Honored Guest Awards.  Honored Guest Awards work like this:  you give up your week every other year and receive points in exchange.  These points may be used to discount car rentals, airfare, and hotels.  And no, you would not be reimbursed the maintenance fee you paid for the week you give back to Marriott (which they would rent out for a hefty rate).  So if you can buy a Marriott Kauai Beach Club Hawaii timeshare and save thousands of dollars it is the better deal.

Hawaii timeshare and Marriott timeshare are in demand for good reasons.  The quality of a Marriott timeshare is hard to beat and a Hawaii timeshare will be in one of the most sought after locations in the world. 

As always, buy resale, not retail!

Over the years, that has been one of the questions asked most often, and remains one of the hardest to answer.  Most timeshare owners approach their first selling experience as if they were selling a residential home.  So the expectation is that there will be a large amount of sales data available from a local Realtor.  Residential homes are most often sold through Realtors and the sales information is recorded in their local MLS database.  A comparable market analysis can then be performed to determine what the "going rate" will be - with a high degree of certainty and a prediction of average days on market.  The problem is that timeshare resales have not been sold through a traditional Multiple Listing Service (MLS) so there is no track record of sales prices. In addition, timeshare appraisals are not worth the paper they are written on.  They can be produced, but are going to be based on scant information.

Some time ago, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) provided general guidance that said timeshares sold on the resales market would typically bring anywhere from 50-75% of a retail price.  While that is painting with a very broad brush, it is at least some guidance for a timeshare seller. Yet, the first problem encountered with that advise is that it is an average:  All resorts, all locations, unrated, Gold Crown, Five Star, both bad locations and good. The "retail price" is also a moving target.  On the same day two timeshare buyers at the resort could pay drastically different prices for the same vacation ownership.

It has been my experience that every timeshare seller has a different "threshold of pain" when it comes to losing money when they sell.  Some are willing to sell for only the costs involved so they can just walk away from being an owner.  Other owners expect, and can make, more money at closing.  As always it is a matter of supply and demand.  Timeshare condos that are in short supply and high demand will command a better sales price.  Timeshare resales prices have even been climbing in certain areas like Hawaii and the Caribbean.

The value of a timeshare is in its usage.  If you are not using your timeshare it quickly becomes a liability, not an asset.  The best way to deal with that liability is to sell it - without losing your shirt.  The absolute worst way to sell your timeshare is through a venue like Ebay.  Timeshare vacations sold in that manner go for pennies on the dollar, if they ever close at all.  Use a timeshare resales broker to get the best value for your timeshare vacation ownership. 

For specific timeshare sales information - average resales prices, price trends, seller tips - check out this report from Stroman Realty, Inc. 

Sheraton Vistana Orlando is the best selling timeshare on the resale market according to a recent study.  This study encompassed thousands of timeshare resales transactions in North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean over a five year period.  The age of the resort, the cycle of construction and sales, location, diverse price ranges, and high quality all contribute to this success. Not just any resort could compete as well among Orlando Florida timeshares.  There are a large number of fine resorts a timeshare buyer could choose from.  Most are located close to the Orlando attractions and offer quality amenities.

The properties available to purchase at Sheraton Vistana Orlando have a wide variety: age of the unit, size, sections within the resort, number of bedrooms, and price.  As a result, this resort has an appeal to the widest timeshare buyers market.  Thus, the success.  Newer resorts may be priced higher, have higher maintenance fees - although offering newer upgrades and facilities.

If you are asking yourself the question, "Should I sell my timeshare at Sheraton Vistana Orlando?" now may be the best time to do it. And if you are ready to buy timeshare in Orlando Florida, this resort would be one of the best values in the area.