SDO - Value

Why are there so many SDO units for sale and why are they selling for pennies on the dollar ? I have seen many 1 BDs for sale between 500 -1000 for platinum EY. Is there a major assesment coming due or is it built on Love Canal ?

There are always a lot of units for sale at the non-SVN resorts. SDO is voluntary (doesn't have Staroptions) and a little bit older, so it hasn't held it's value like the mandatory resorts. It's pretty much the same with all the voluntary Starwood resorts.

Denise,

Would a purchaser (resale) make their reservations through Starwood or some other entity. Also would the property be listed on SVN and customer service deal with a new owner if it is non SVN. I am thinking of picking up a unit for occasional Phoenix trips as well as II exchange. (I know it wont help with my Star Options but can it be brought in through upgrade or new eveloper purchase)

the voluntary resorts donth old their value very well, the Westing Mission Hills platinum and the Sheraton Mountain Vista ski weeks sell for more than the SDO prime weeks and the vistana weeks and the beach club weeks, it seems that people are getting some great II trades with their cheap voluntary weeks.

That's what I've been thinking. Also these units seem to have reasonable maint. fees

BLUE AYES said:

Denise,

Would a purchaser (resale) make their reservations through Starwood or some other entity.

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With Starwood Owner Services

Also would the property be listed on SVN and customer service deal with a new owner if it is non SVN.

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SVN means Starwood Vacation Network - which is Starwood's internal exchange system. Since a resale at SDO is NOT in the internal exchange system, the SVN doesn't come into play. It's like a stand alone resort when you buy it resale. Your use options are to make reservations at SDO, rent it, or deposit it with another exchange company. So yes, you call owner services to reserve your home resort, but you have no option to use the SVN.

I am thinking of picking up a unit for occasional Phoenix trips as well as II exchange. (I know it wont help with my Star Options but can it be brought in through upgrade or new developer purchase)

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Don't forget that even a voluntary resale (like SDO) gets the 3 day Starwood priority period with II. Especially if you can travel off-season, you can also use an SDO unit for II exchanges into the more expensive resorts like Hawaii and Cancun. For examples of what other Starwood owners have seen on II with voluntary units, see the Sightings Board down under the TUG Lounge.

BLUE AYES said:

Why are there so many SDO units for sale and why are they selling for pennies on the dollar ? I have seen many 1 BDs for sale between 500 -1000 for platinum EY. Is there a major assesment coming due or is it built on Love Canal ?

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SDO Rules.

SDO consistently rates among the top 10 resorts in Scottsdale on TripAdvisor, and it has one of the lowest maintenance fees within SVO.

All of the individual villas were remodeled a couple of years ago (by the same design firm that is currently doing Vistana Resort and Vistana Beach club), but SDO’s remodel was done WITHOUT any special assessments.

As far as trading ability goes, SDO gets the job done. Here are a few trades I’ve found and/or made with my SDO.

SDO doesn’t border a fancy-pants hotel or golf course. Rather, it has a vacant lot (usually with a bunch of campers parked on it) to its immediate north, an apartment complex to its immediate south and another timeshare (Villa Mirage) directly behind it. A tastefully landscaped fence around SDO’s outer boundary prevents an easy walk to any of these places though.

I think part of SDO’s perceived reduced value is caused by the fact SVO was selling Westin Kierland Villas (“WKV”) timeshares just down the road for so long. In the process of building up steam for its then new WKV, it probably indirectly deflated SDO’s steam in the process. Moreover, WKV IS on a golf course and adjacent to a fancy-pants hotel (Westin Kierland) with all the rights and privileges vested therein.

Between the two, if money were truly no object, WKV would win hands down, but money IS an object, and with resale SDO prices and its maintenance fees so low, SDO is a true diamond (not even in the rough).

DIGRESSION ALERT:

I digress here, but I finished my book early at WKV last time, so I ended up reading the Spa "services menu” provided in the room. I’m not making this up, but the "Agave" spa at the Westin Kierland hotel actually offers an “ice-cream pedicure.” Apparently, you pick your favorite ice cream flavor and instead of eating it, you soak your feet in it. They then follow it with (and I’m still not making this up) “a sherbet scrub and a topping-flavored masque” all for only $110. Sheesh. (BTW, who is ever going to taste this final "masque" coating? Yuck.)

Well shortly after reading this, we all went to the WKV family pool and found a couple of lounge chairs in a nice shady spot right under a tree. The WKV pools are fancy like that with real trees surrounding the family pool instead of the rather stark awnings and umbrellas at the SDO pools. After setting up shop and starting to relax, a bird who was looking for a handout while resting in the tree above me, decided to relieve himself right on my head. My wife gave the usual response we have when such situations arise in our family: “That’s good luck!”

The only thing I could think was “Don’t tell the ‘Agave’ Spa or we’ll be charged $110 for this.”

BACK TO THE POINT:

I guess what I’m saying is that perception and reality often differ. The Agave Spa is able to use this imbalance to convince people to spend $110 for $2 worth of ice-cream. In contrast, SDO suffers from a negative perception/reality balance whereby you can currently buy $110 worth of ice-cream for $2. Which is the better deal? It’s all in the perception.

-nodge

Oh Yeah, don't sit under any trees at WKV's pools or for that matter any other pools where they serve food. One would think that this issue would be a key factor in tree selection and placement for pool areas 101, but apparently SVO didn't take that class. -n

nodge said:

After setting up shop and starting to relax, a bird who was looking for a handout while resting in the tree above me, decided to relieve himself right on my head.

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Now, there is the photo you should have posted of yourself Nodge!

(You might have been saved if you were wearing one of those funny, homemade anti-SVO hats).

Hey, what are all of those SVO VP's doing up there in that tree above us eating Chili? . . . . ZAPP! ZAPP! . . . . I hope the branches don't break from the weight of all of them . . . .ZAPP! ZAPP! ZAPP! . . . . I sure hope that was chili that just fell on us.

Ut Oh, I think they need to up the voltage.

-nodge

nodge said:

I think part of SDO’s perceived reduced value is caused by the fact SVO was selling Westin Kierland Villas (“WKV”) timeshares just down the road for so long. In the process of building up steam for its then new WKV, it probably indirectly deflated SDO’s steam in the process. Moreover, WKV IS on a golf course and adjacent to a fancy-pants hotel (Westin Kierland) with all the rights and privileges vested therein.

Between the two, if money were truly no object, WKV would win hands down, but money IS an object, and with resale SDO prices and its maintenance fees so low, SDO is a true diamond (not even in the rough).

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I completely agree with Nodge's assessment above. I own both and have stayed at both. They are very different resorts, and WKV is certainly more upscale, and I like WKV's location better as you can walk to restaurants. But given the cost differential, I don't think you can go wrong with SDO. I bought the SDO unit solely with the idea of retro'ing it. Now that we've stayed at both, I would be happy spending a week at either. After we stayed last Spring break, I asked my older daughter (11) which she liked better. She said that while WKV was nicer (i.e. fancier), she preferred SDO as she enjoyed their kids activities and staff more. Given that most SDO kids activities were in the $3-5 dollar range, I let them do whatever they wanted. (My kids did have a good time at WKV, so I don't want this to be a criticism of their staff.)

Glorian

We own two weeks in a small 1BR at SDO and paid less than $1,000 for each, including the closing costs. Stayed there during the Phoenix Open golf tournament in Jan 2007 and had a great time. SDO is located within walking distance (and inside the restricted area) of the tournament. If you're going to the tournament, SDO is in a much better location than WKV. We've had no problem renting our units when we didn't use them at a profit.

SDO or Worldmark

I'm sorry, but duplicate posts are not allowed on TUG. I will post the link to your original post here - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72394

DeniseM - Moderator

I don't know a whole lot about Worldmark, but my concern would be with limiting myself to the 45 day (shouldn't it be 59 day?) exchange window. Are you completely flexible with your vacation schedule? If so, this might work well. Otherwise, I'd go the other route.

Glorian

Thanks for all the info

Thanks DeniseM for the help!