Advice for getting rid of a Wyndham time share

gpcdon · Sep 21, 2014

I have 112k Wyndham points annually at Fairfield Glade in Tennessee and recently upgraded to 205k points annually with Club Wyndham Access with access to Pathways.

I am currently going through the steps to cancel that upgraded membership contract because I am still in the cancellation period and it is not in my best interest moving forward. I totally misunderstood what Pathways was and have found there are options of getting rid of the 112k points I currently have.

Assuming all goes well there, I will have the 112k points at Fairfield Glade remaining. I still have a little to pay off on the balance, but will have it paid off by the end of the year.

I have looked into Donate for a Cause and it seems like they can look and see my Timeshare qualifies for their free program or else it can qualify for their "fee-based" program. Is this a viable option for me to simply pay them to handle the transfer of the deed to someone willing to pay for the deed and the maintenance fees?

I no longer am interested in a time share but I want to rest assured that the deed is transferred out of my name and I no longer have to pay the monthly maintenance fees.

DeniseM · Sep 21, 2014

Please consider giving your timeshare away on TUG, before you pay someone to "take it off your hands."

Why?
-You can give it away yourself for nearly no cost.
-You can control the transfer process to make sure it is truly transferred out of your name.
-You won't have to deal with companies that may or may not be Legit.
-You can transfer it to a private individual who will be happy to have it for their own use.
-You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you ended your ownership legally and ethically.

There are TWO places on TUG where you can give away your TS's for free (no charge for the Ads.) THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - SO YOU SHOULD POST IN BOTH AREAS. There are other cheap and free sites on the internet, as well.

TUG Marketplace - the only cost is your TUG membership - $15 (List it for $1 and it will automatically go in the Bargain Basement Ads.)

Bargain Deals - Totally FREE! - just write a simple post with all the pertinent info. In your post, include the following info.:

-resort name
-unit size
-season owned
-maintenance fee
-current reservations

To make it more attractive I would:

1) Pay the 2015 maintenance fees and don't ask for reimbursement.

2) Pay for the title transfer (you can get a simple title transfer with no escrow or title search for about $150-$200.) Many Tuggers (including me) have been using L.T. Transfers, a no frills timeshare transfer company, and they are receiving good reviews on TUG.:

L.T. Transfers
Lisa Short and Mary Pless
http://www.lttransfers.com/
readylegal@gmail.com
706.219.2709

3) Reserve a popular holiday week in 2015 for the new owner

4) Instead of paying a fee to a rescue company - consider offering a cash incentive to the new owner.

5) Here is the very important step that most people miss: Come back to TUG once a week and add more info. to your thread - this will bump it to the top of the page.

Good luck!

BevL · Sep 21, 2014

I don't have any information that is directly on point to help you. But if you go to the TUG home page and do a google search of the site using the "Search TUG" box in the upper banner, search for Donate for a Cause, there are several threads on that particular organization.

But if it is paid off, it's definitely worth posting it as a giveaway in the Bargain Deals forum. I recently gave away a timeshare doing that.

Welcome to TUG.

gpcdon · Sep 21, 2014

@DeniseM,

Thank you for your reply. Assuming I am able to find someone who has an interest in my time share, how does the title transfer process work? Do I (the seller) and the potential buyer work with the title transfer company to work out the details?

DeniseM · Sep 21, 2014

The title transfer company will walk you right through it. Basically you provide the deed, and the new owner's name, and the transfer Co. takes it from there. Title transfer is a standard legal process, so besides providing contact info., there is little to work out.

gpcdon · Sep 21, 2014

I know I am in the newbie forum, but I assume I will receive a copy of the deed after the contract has been paid off?

vacationhopeful · Sep 21, 2014

gpcdon said:
...I assume I will receive a copy of the deed after the contract has been paid off?

Those are NOT good words to use when dealing with Wyndham. It seems it might take them a LONG while to remember to write up your deed after paying off the loan. You might have to request it several times to several different parts of Wyndham.

Patience is the ONLY word you need to survive Wyndham-world. Oh, and MONEY .... like the $299 transfer fee to Wyndham to get the new owner on the deed.

gpcdon · Sep 21, 2014

You are right, I will need to patient. Once I have the deed, I can post on TUG that the timeshare is available for sale correct? If I have a potential buyer then I can complete the information with LT Transfers (or a title transfer company) to complete the transaction?

DeniseM · Sep 21, 2014

gpcdon said:
You are right, I will need to patient. Once I have the deed, I can post on TUG that the timeshare is available for sale correct? If I have a potential buyer then I can complete the information with LT Transfers (or a title transfer company) to complete the transaction?

Yes - that's it!

gpcdon · Sep 21, 2014

As a moderator or member of this site, would my property and points amount be desirable on this site?

DeniseM · Sep 21, 2014

gpcdon said:
As a moderator or member of this site, would my property and points amount be desirable on this site?

I don't own Wyndham points, so I can't comment on that - I really don't know. But we do know that the vast majority of timeshares sell for 0-10% of original retail on the resale market, so set your sights low.

VivianLynne · Sep 21, 2014

I believe 112,000 points is good only for a STUDIO unit at older resorts for a week. You only get 1 RT (multiples of 77,000 points needed) and exchanging gets mostly off season unit in a 1bdr.

Of course, you can get more $1 Wyndham contracts via an eBay auction ... is there a reason who are TOTALLY getting out of timesharing?

I know the experts around here seem to be able to USE timesharing as a great way to vacation . I enjoy my small ownership a lot.

tschwa2 · Sep 21, 2014

gpcdon said:
I have 112k Wyndham points annually at Fairfield Glade in Tennessee and recently upgraded to 205k points annually with Club Wyndham Access with access to Pathways.

I am currently going through the steps to cancel that upgraded membership contract because I am still in the cancellation period and it is not in my best interest moving forward. I totally misunderstood what Pathways was and have found there are options of getting rid of the 112k points I currently have.

Assuming all goes well there, I will have the 112k points at Fairfield Glade remaining. I still have a little to pay off on the balance, but will have it paid off by the end of the year.

I have looked into Donate for a Cause and it seems like they can look and see my Timeshare qualifies for their free program or else it can qualify for their "fee-based" program. Is this a viable option for me to simply pay them to handle the transfer of the deed to someone willing to pay for the deed and the maintenance fees?

I no longer am interested in a time share but I want to rest assured that the deed is transferred out of my name and I no longer have to pay the monthly maintenance fees.

I can tell you it wouldn't qualify as one Donate for a cause would take without a fee. Including the $299 Wyndham fee my ball park figure would be they expect you to pay about $1200-$1800 to "donate" your timeshare.

I think your timeshare is desirable enough that you should be able to give it away paying less than $1200-$1800 out of pocket. I doubt you would get a taker with $0 out of pocket. I think minimum, you would need to cover the $299 transfer fee or the $150ish closing fee. You might need to cover them both but unless you need it transferred ASAP I would give it a little time with just one.

gpcdon · Sep 21, 2014

tschwa2 said:
I can tell you it wouldn't qualify as one Donate for a cause would take without a fee. Including the $299 Wyndham fee my ball park figure would be they expect you to pay about $1200-$1800 to "donate" your timeshare.

I think your timeshare is desirable enough that you should be able to give it away paying less than $1200-$1800 out of pocket. I doubt you would get a taker with $0 out of pocket. I think minimum, you would need to cover the $299 transfer fee or the $150ish closing fee. You might need to cover them both but unless you need it transferred ASAP I would give it a little time with just one.

Thank you very much for this assessment. I am just happy to hear that there is an "out". Out of the DFC and TUG options it looks like I am comparing $1200-1800 with DFC and about $500 if I can do the work to find a buyer on TUG.

I'm not looking to make anything off of this. I know I would be "donating" via DFC it or "giving it away via TUG. My main concern is making sure it is transferred correctly and my name is no longer on the deed and I am no longer responsible for the membership or maintenance fees.

DeniseM · Sep 21, 2014

gpcdon said:
y main concern is making sure it is transferred correctly and my name is no longer on the deed and I am no longer responsible for the membership or maintenance fees.

A reputable TS transfer company will make sure that happens.

Medulla · Sep 23, 2014

I am really uninformed and confused when trying to unravel the differrences among the many various murky Wyndham membership packages, but here is a short account of my present and continuing saga. I have an "undivided interest" in the Wyndham Nashville resort at Music City. It is "managed" as 105,000 annual points. I contacted Wyndham Vacation Resort Owner Services and the Wyndham Vacation Resorts Title Services Depts directly (after much confusion and mis-direction from the reservation phone contacts). Thru these conversations, I was able to get Wyndham to agree to "deed back" our property to Wyndham without cost to me. I have no information whether this is a universal Wyndham policy, or is available only at selected resorts at which they feel that they can resell the TS at a profit. It is worth a try (after you have paid off the mortgage and have a clear title). One contact is phone 1.800.251.8736, option 2, followed by option 3. Good Luck.

Goofyhobbie · Oct 24, 2014

This thread kinda fell through the cracks on the Newbie Forum where it was originally posted.

Because Medulla has provided some interesting information that may be of interest to others, this thread has been moved to the Wyndham Forums and given a bump inorder to give other Wyndham Timeshare owners an opportunity to be aware of Medulla's experience.

ronparise · Oct 24, 2014

Goffiy

There have been a number of posts recently regarding Wyndhams willingness to take back contracts. Some have said Wyndham even sought them out to make cash offers. At the same time prices on ebay have been creeping up. I dont think its a coincidence.

Advice for getting rid of a Wyndham time share

gpcdon

DeniseM

BevL

gpcdon

DeniseM

gpcdon

vacationhopeful

TUG Review Crew: Rookie

gpcdon

DeniseM

gpcdon

DeniseM

VivianLynne

tschwa2

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

gpcdon

DeniseM

Medulla

Goofyhobbie

ronparise