What Should I Buy?

[muzikman429]

) Where do you want your home resort to be? Orlando

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time? Visit at least half the time

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Orlando, myrtle beach, California, Texas, Carribbean,Europe

4) How many people do you usually travel with? 8(2 adults/6 children)

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? Locked into school

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 3-4

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 1500

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?1100-1250

11) Are you a detail oriented planner? Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do? Yes

 

[RNCollins]

Bump

 

[VacationForever]

With such a large group and desire to stay at Orlando more than half the time, I would say any Orlando timeshare that sleeps 8, for starters. I own a 2BR lockoff unit at Sheraton Vistana Resort at the Lakes phase in Orlando that sleeps 8. Maintenance fees is about $1100 per year. You can pick one up for less than 1K. Not all units sleep 8, so you have to find one that does.

Trading is going to be tough as there are not many timeshare that have units that sleep 8.

 

[muzikman429]

With such a large group and desire to stay at Orlando more than half the time, I would say any Orlando timeshare that sleeps 8, for starters. I own a 2BR lockoff unit at Sheraton Vistana Resort at the Lakes phase in Orlando that sleeps 8. Maintenance fees is about $1100 per year. You can pick one up for less than 1K. Not all units sleep 8, so you have to find one that does.

Trading is going to be tough as there are not many timeshare that have units that sleep 8.

Thanks so much for the advice. I greatly appreciate.

 

[muzikman429]

With such a large group and desire to stay at Orlando more than half the time, I would say any Orlando timeshare that sleeps 8, for starters. I own a 2BR lockoff unit at Sheraton Vistana Resort at the Lakes phase in Orlando that sleeps 8. Maintenance fees is about $1100 per year. You can pick one up for less than 1K. Not all units sleep 8, so you have to find one that does.

Trading is going to be tough as there are not many timeshare that have units that sleep 8.

Thanks so much for the advice and help.

 

[VacationForever]

Forgot to mention to stay away from Westgate. Alot of limitations are placed on resale owner.

 

[muzikman429]

Forgot to mention to stay away from Westgate. Alot of limitations are placed on resale owner.

Got it! You are the second person to mention that so I will take heed

 

[HiltonHeadgolfer]

I suggest the following:
1) A place you and your family can drive to... Flights would be expensive if all 8 are on-board!!!
2) I do not suggest Orlando to own... It is probably one of the easiest to trade into. I assume harder to trade out of...
3) We purchased in Hilton Head Summer week.. The biggest two reasons 1) Easy Drive 2) Very High Trade Value

We have booked our unit paid our maint. fee around $925 each year and have traded ($189 exchange fee) into some great resorts.. Including Marriott Lakeshore Reserve, Marriott Aruba Surf, Hyatt Coconut Plantation etc....


Feel free to reach out if I can assist
Best of Luck with your search

 

[silentg]

You may want to try renting at first to see what resort in Orlando would be a good fit.
Silentg

 

[clotheshorse]

I agree that Vistana is a great option. You may want to also consider Tahiti Village, owned by Somerpoint. http://www.tahitivillage.com/ and http://www.somerpointeresorts.com/Resorts-Orlando-Villas.aspx. The maintenance at Tahiti Village is very reasonable and you can exchange into the Orlando resort as well as others within the network (we traded into the Maui property with no problem) or through RCI/II. Tahiti Village on the resale maket, between free and a few hundred dollars (search Ebay and Tug Marketplace). Best of luck to you.

 

[vacationtime1]

With such a large group and desire to stay at Orlando more than half the time, I would say any Orlando timeshare that sleeps 8, for starters. I own a 2BR lockoff unit at Sheraton Vistana Resort at the Lakes phase in Orlando that sleeps 8. Maintenance fees is about $1100 per year. You can pick one up for less than 1K. Not all units sleep 8, so you have to find one that does.

Trading is going to be tough as there are not many timeshare that have units that sleep 8.

The Sherton Vistana timeshare resorts in Orlando meet your specifications, but if you go that route, focus on Sheraton Vistana Villages (Bella and Key West phases only). Those particular phases are part of Vistana's internal trading program which makes some trades very easy (including Myrtle Beach and Palm Springs). See the sticky: http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?...-to-timesharing-or-starwood-start-here.63224/

Definitely take your time to do research; prices are not going up and are not going to go up.

I agree with the earlier suggestion to rent first. It will help you in your decision-making process. In fact, your research may show that renting rather than purchasing is the best way to go for you.

 

[muzikman429]

I really thank you all for your advice and words of wisdom. I have a lot of research, reading and thinking to do. Thanks.