Many people would agree that reselling a timeshare is not as easy as buying one. You get loads of invitations in mails; get courtesy calls and emails to attend a timeshare presentation. They offer you bounties and favors in return for attending a presentation. Why all this? To convince you buy a timeshare. Buying is as easy as making a simple enquiry and many companies come knocking to your house to sell a timeshare. But, have you ever wondered is selling a timeshare as easy as buying one? The harsh truth is “no”. Reselling a timeshare can be a real pain in the neck. That is why many experts advice not buy timeshare as an investment. It is never going to rewards you with the returns of a real estate property. It is an investment in your life, dreams but not for financial returns. True that many people buy timeshare with the intention of vacationing only but certain unforeseen circumstances may force some timeshare owners to resale their timeshare unit. So this article is exclusively for those people and may also benefit others also who are contemplating selling their timeshares due to reasons such as change of taste, family has grown and you no longer want to go to the same location etc.

1. Check with the timeshare developer who sold you the timeshare. Sometimes the developers offer the original buyer an option to resell their timeshare back to the developer. If not find out if your timeshare is associated with a licensed broker handling timeshare resale.

2. You have to be realistic in your expectations. Do not expect wonders. It is a bitter truth that timeshare properties do sell at less than their original price. Not only that, it may be difficult to resale as well especially if it is in a not so popular destination, is a small unit for example a studio and if the time of use is in an off season. It might be a challenging task to sell a timeshare like the one discussed above. But in case of a property which is located in popular vacation destinations, is reasonably big and offers usage during peak season might sell easily. But again even if the property sells it might sell at 30-50% less than its original price. So be prepared mentally about that, think that it is like your car which depreciates with each passing year.

3. Make sure you do your home work first. Research the market well to know about the prices. Also know what you are selling by thoroughly studying all the documents. Try to ascertain whether your property is a deeded property or right to use one. Some right to use property values decrease considerably when they approach their expiry. Knowing all these facts makes you knowledgeable about your timeshare and helps you in reselling the property with confidence.

4. List your timeshare with a real estate agency. There is no dearth of online and traditional brokers. But do enquire whether there is any upfront fee for listing the advertisement or commission on sale of property. You may not want to go with a broker who charges very large upfront fee or commission. You can also list your timeshare in classified ads offered by many timeshare developers. The latest trend that is catching up is to list your timeshare for auction on sites such as e-bay which lest you develop your own ad campaign with your own ideas.

5. Do not fall prey to scammers who might dupe you by offering quick resale of your timeshare. Never believe their promise to resale it quickly as we have discussed in detail earlier how touch it is to resale a timeshare. There is no guarantee whatsoever that your timeshare might resell in a specified time period.

6. Also do not commit to any offer on phone. Do make decisions in haste. Take your time to make a decision and to come to a conclusion whether to accept the offer or not. Also request the offer in writing and also obtain written contract.



Thanks to Nicholas Tan for contributing this article to our Timeshares blog:

Get a Money-making Website

Although the concept of timeshares is not new to the public still people have many questions about timeshares. Few of the most important frequently asked questions that people enquire about are discussed as follows:

Is renting a timeshare better than buying it?

Buying a timeshare gives you much bigger choices. As an owner of the timeshare you get the amenities are better and cost much less. Owners can get discounts on lodging, entertainment, food, travel and many other resort facilities. The average rental fee is way higher than the average maintenance fee and is also increasing every year. In addition to all the above benefits a timeshare owner has equity in the property which can come to the advantage of the owner when he wants to sell it.

Is buying a timeshare good investment?

Many people get this question in their minds whether to buy timeshares as an investment. The answer can be disappointing to you because it has been seen that the value of the timeshare depreciates with time and they can go do as much as 30%-50% depending on the location and season. A timeshare should be thought as an investment in life, for guaranteed vacations and better facilities. Also if you compare the cost of owning a timeshare with a hotel in long term period, a timeshare would save you a lot of money.

Can you rent your timeshare to somebody else?

Sure you can as long as you are the legal owner of that timeshare meaning you cannot rent out a timeshare that is received in exchange.

What is the procedure of making an exchange?

Most timeshare companies have business network with timeshare companies and you are automatically enrolled into exchange program and also the fee for the first year is paid by the timeshare developer in most cases. You can also go to the timeshare exchange company and put your timeshare for exchange. But keep in mind few things like you will get similar kind of unit meaning you can’t expect to get a two bedroom timeshare in exchange of a one bedroom. Also plan in advance if you plan to exchange timeshare as it may take a while depending on the availability. Also remember there is a fee for exchanging timeshares.

What are fixed week and floating week?

In a fixed week plan you are entitled to use your timeshare only at a specific week each year and specific unit. But in a floating week you have the option of choosing a range of week but only on first come first serve basis as many owners would like to do the same thing. The advantage of a fixed week is that your timeshare week is assured and also the unit you want. While floating week is advantageous to people who have schedule conflicts with fixed unit timeshare.

Are there any other additional fees when you buy a timeshare?

The answer is yes. Typically there is a maintenance fee and other fee like transfer fee if you are transferring a timeshare. There may be property tax also.

Should I have to pay any upfront fee while buying/selling a timeshare through a broker?

The answer is strict no. Experts say never every pay an upfront fee to buy or sell or rent timeshare. Like any other industry timeshare industry is also prone to many scammers and frauds. There have been instances where people paid huge upfront fee and they got nothing in return.



Thanks to Nicholas Tan for contributing this article to our Timeshares blog:

Timeshare Resales By Owner

Finding a real estate broker is easy. They are there at every nuke and corner, online, offline and everywhere. Same is not the case with timeshare brokers. Not all real estate brokers deal with timeshare resale. They may be little more prominent in coastal states like Florida, North and South Carolina but not everywhere else. As many of us know or at least the people who tried selling their timeshare. It is not easiest of the tasks. In fact I would say it is one of the most challenging tasks. Timeshare should never be bought as an investment. It should be for your individual use and for spending the most beautiful moments of your life. But many circumstances can force timeshare owners to sell their timeshare. Timeshares doesn’t even sell at their original price. They usually sell 30-50% below their original price. And leave the price alone, even selling is also difficult, it takes a lot of time to close a timeshare sale. Having learnt the above facts it is almost imperative to conclude that selecting a right broker is critical to the sale of your timeshare property.

Do your homework by researching about some good brokers near your timeshare property. Searching for timeshare brokers in the state where you live doesn’t make sense because most of the brokers who deal in timeshares could found only around high vacationing places like Florida. Look for those brokers who have a good track record in handling timeshare resale. It is advised to go with big and reputable brokers as they are more likely to handle your resale professionally and responsibly. They are also less likely to play games or cheat you because of their name. Do not hesitate to ask questions related to their success in selling timeshares, their experience in selling timeshares of the timeshare resort you hold timeshares with. Also find out the average time that a timeshare property sits in the market before being sold and last but not the least the average selling price of the properties they sold. Now compare these aspects of some brokers and go with the best one.

It is not a bad idea to find out people in your development who have recently sold their timeshare units and ask them which broker they hired to resale their units. Also take inputs on broker’s performance in handling the resale of your timeshare unit and did they get the best possible return on their sale.

Cost is also a factor while selecting a timeshare broker. Beware of the brokers who charge upfront fee and excessive commission. Some brokers charge as high as $500 upfront fee. While it may be a norm but you should still ask in writing to list all the services they are providing for that fee. It is generally recommended to go with the broker who doesn’t charge an upfront fee. One of the reasons why brokers charge an upfront fee is many owners price their units ridiculously high and they end up sitting for a long time and eventually they never get sold. So, be careful while pricing your timeshare unit. But the brokers also can advise the owners that the unit may not sell at such an exorbitant price. Try to find about the background of the broker through better business bureau. Also ask the broker some important questions like what strategy they will be employing to sell their unit, estimated time it will take to sell the unit. The broker should be able to answer all your questions. If the broker is unwilling or unable to answer your questions they you may better look out for some other broker. Thus, a good broker who charges reasonable commission is critical for the resale of your timeshare because it is in the hands of the broker to make or break a deal and fetch a good value to your timeshare unit.



Thanks to Nicholas Tan for contributing this article to our Timeshares blog:

How to Make Money Online

If you own Trendwest timeshare and you would like to sell it, there are numerous of factors you are supposed to consider before making clean your move. You need to know that, as the owner of the unit, you have complete power over the unit, you can choose to turn off prospective buyers or you can decide to persuade them. As a Trendwest timeshare property owner, you need to be trustworthy, confident, and unbiased to sell.

Trendwest Incorporated is the marketer and developer of the popular Worldmark club, the Trendwest Company buys and develops holiday home properties and then passes them over to Worldmark, a not-for-profit joint benefit entity that owns runs and takes care of the resorts. In return, Trendwest upholds the special rights to market and sell the Worldmark vacation ownerships.

When you sell Trendwest timeshare properties, you are better of maximizing on the set of timeshare sales: the season, the price, and the location. When you have a hotspot location to sell the Trendwest timeshare property, you can set a high price for it. Selling Trendwest properties in the state of Oregon is somewhat less expensive than selling Trendwest timeshare property in Hawaii. Accesses to conveyance, security and recreation facilities determine timeshare property worth as well.

The location and period of the season to sell Trendwest timeshare properties is also essential. low peak seasons definitely means the unit price is lower. People mostly sell their Trendwest timeshare properties at low prices during off peak seasons just for the sake of avoiding the properties maintenance charges. The higher the number of owners occupancy in a given calendar period of a timeshare property, the more widespread are the costs. Similarly, come peak season, sellers hike the cost of their Trendwest assets.

This means that the price to sell Trendwest timeshare properties is depended on the previous two elements. However, besides determining the property value based on season and location, one can set base price for the unit per se. Thereafter you can reach on the correct price to sell the Trendwest timeshare property by adding the expense incurred and a percentage for a little profit. That should give you the selling price of your time share property unit.

Having considered these essential elements, it is the moment to trade your Trendwest property via marketing. As a seller, you play the role of a middleman between the buyer and the owner except if you are the owner in which case you will be making direct sale. As a middleman you can choose to work on a flat fee rate or commission for your service.

Your next move will be to look for buyers of the assets you are trading. In most cases it’s the attracted buyers who seek out real estate sellers to purchase the timeshare properties they’re interested in. Diligence and patience are required of you to be able to make good your sale of the Trendwest timeshare properties to prospective buyers.

The internet offers the best medium of reaching potential buyers. Internet marketing is in full gear right now. Establishing a website that advertises your timeshare property on sale, is a great way of attracting potential buyers. As the timeshare property owner, you are able to sell your Trendwest timeshare via a realtor. But opting for this choice might make you pay more in terms of agent expenses and fees. That would ensure that you stand a better chance of selling your Trendwest timeshare units. Alternatively you could hire an agency to take care of the matter, but similar to the agent, you may have to wait for some time because some agencies increase your suggested price so that they can obtain a percentage of the sales.

Irrespective of the reasons, when you decide to sell your Trendwest timeshare properties, your major aim is to get the best possible price and fast, legitimate closing. But you need to understand that for majority of sellers, the two don’t often happen.

The truth of the matter is, most owners who buy new timeshares usually get very little of the initial sales price when the time comes for them to sell their Trendwest timeshare properties. The essential thing for you is that once you have decided to sell your Trendwest timeshare property, ensure that you get a suitable end of the deal.



Thanks to Abhishek Agarwal for contributing this article to our Timeshares blog:

Buy a Las Vegas Timeshare