Here's a new online platform for timeshare or fractional properties that works somewhat like a MLS - Timeshare Information Exchange (TIE). Many organizations have attempted to pull something like this together, but with little success. This be good for both the small local Realtor office near a timeshare resort for their listings and for the large brokers who may be turning away dozens of buyers a day because they do not have the inventory.

I took the program for a test run and it is very simple. For example, there are drop down menus with every location and every resort. Simple search forms and straightforward help instructions make it easy and hassle free. I could see a timeshare resort Homeowners Association using it to sell their extra units that owners have abandoned. I could also see the advantage of a large development having the ability to add in hundreds of unit/weeks at a time.  Here's a link to the front page: www.timeshare-information-exchange.com and here's a press release about the new service.

Wherever you may find yourself in the timeshare business, this may give you a simple solution to a tough problem.

San Luis Bay Inn, Timeshare in Avila Beach California

Traditionally, a local MLS will have regional properties that are available for sale.  As of June of 2007, members of the Houston Association of Realtors have been able to add international properties for sale in a section known as "Area 82".  Presently, you can find properties for sale at www.har.com/international that are located in Argentina, Mexico, UAE, Costa Rica, Brazil, Dominican Republic, France, Bahamas, India, and many more. In a recent article from the Houston Association of Realtors, Wayne Stroman CIPS, past chairman of the HAR International Advisory Group, was thanked for his efforts in getting Area 82 integrated into one of the largest, if not the largest, MLS in the nation.

The international section of HAR's website offers a tremendous number of tools to assist real estate professionals in their work. You can search in Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, or Vietnamese. Additional training and certifications are also made available to those who want to expand their abilities to international buyers and sellers. Here's a sample for those who select the Spanish language option:

Select a Language: Chinese | French | German | Italian | Vietnamese | Spanish

Given the huge number of monthly visits to www.har.com (1.6 billion hits in June) international properties will receive a huge amount of exposure to buyers.

Definitely a "win-win" situation!

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.