Hi all, newbie TUG member and not a time share owner. I'm intrigued about Timeshare ownership, and figured I'd start with a few questions. I believe I've already learned some important things about ownership, based on a recent pitch I listened too, and some online research I've been doing.
I just returned from a stay at Kings Creek Plantation in Williamsburg, VA. I bought a 4 night stay at a golf show I attended in the winter. It came with some nice freebies including 2 tix to Busch Gardens, a $50 Amex gift card, and unlimited golf for only paying cart fees. All this for $298, in exchange for sitting through a 90 minute time share pitch. I'm happy to say all worked out well. The unit was nice, the weather was brilliant, the golf good, and all gifts received as promised. Perhaps best of all, I didn't bite on the sales pitch. In fairness, while it was indeed somewhat high pressure, the sales guy certainly wasn't overly pushy or rude.
Some friends of ours that went with us (in their own unit - same deal) did purchase. Although I'm happy for them, my post trip research tends to make me more happy I did not.
Question #1: is there really any reason to buy direct from the developer, as opposed to buying on the resale market for much much less?
#2: Kings Creek is pitching a deal that is based on points (not buying an exact unit for an exact week). While I understand the point system in general, not sure I got far enough along to really understand any of the finer details. As example, Kings Creek partner for traveling to other destinations is Interval International. They quoted me a MF of $650 per year and I believe an additional fee of $189 per year. My guess is the $189 fee goes to II, should I choose a different destination than Kings Creek in that year. Does that sound correct? Another related question is, what guarantee should you expect to ensure these fees don't increase excessively year over year? Do contracts generally cap increases to say 5%, or are you at their mercy? ( For fees to II, or even Maintenance fees)
#3: I was told that if I'm not going to use my points in any given year, Kings Creek would readily reimburse me for that year, and send me a check for $1,200. Does that sound right, or are there any catches?
#4: If I wanted to buy a Kings Creek ownership on the aftermarket, would they be available with the points included from Interval International? Said another way, the only way I would buy a timeshare is if I know I can travel to multiple destinations. I don't want to be tied to any one resort. I've seen several Kings Creek timeshares available, but none seem to speak of the Interval International points. They all mention that you can use the timeshare weeks 9 - 52, but nothing about exchanging locations. I'm a bit confused by this?
#5: If I know I want travel flexibility to multiple locations, is the "home" resort even important?
I'm sure I have even more questions but I'll hold off for now. Thanks in advance for any advice. I'll keep researching these forums in the meantime!
I just returned from a stay at Kings Creek Plantation in Williamsburg, VA. I bought a 4 night stay at a golf show I attended in the winter. It came with some nice freebies including 2 tix to Busch Gardens, a $50 Amex gift card, and unlimited golf for only paying cart fees. All this for $298, in exchange for sitting through a 90 minute time share pitch. I'm happy to say all worked out well. The unit was nice, the weather was brilliant, the golf good, and all gifts received as promised. Perhaps best of all, I didn't bite on the sales pitch. In fairness, while it was indeed somewhat high pressure, the sales guy certainly wasn't overly pushy or rude.
Some friends of ours that went with us (in their own unit - same deal) did purchase. Although I'm happy for them, my post trip research tends to make me more happy I did not.
Question #1: is there really any reason to buy direct from the developer, as opposed to buying on the resale market for much much less?
#2: Kings Creek is pitching a deal that is based on points (not buying an exact unit for an exact week). While I understand the point system in general, not sure I got far enough along to really understand any of the finer details. As example, Kings Creek partner for traveling to other destinations is Interval International. They quoted me a MF of $650 per year and I believe an additional fee of $189 per year. My guess is the $189 fee goes to II, should I choose a different destination than Kings Creek in that year. Does that sound correct? Another related question is, what guarantee should you expect to ensure these fees don't increase excessively year over year? Do contracts generally cap increases to say 5%, or are you at their mercy? ( For fees to II, or even Maintenance fees)
#3: I was told that if I'm not going to use my points in any given year, Kings Creek would readily reimburse me for that year, and send me a check for $1,200. Does that sound right, or are there any catches?
#4: If I wanted to buy a Kings Creek ownership on the aftermarket, would they be available with the points included from Interval International? Said another way, the only way I would buy a timeshare is if I know I can travel to multiple destinations. I don't want to be tied to any one resort. I've seen several Kings Creek timeshares available, but none seem to speak of the Interval International points. They all mention that you can use the timeshare weeks 9 - 52, but nothing about exchanging locations. I'm a bit confused by this?
#5: If I know I want travel flexibility to multiple locations, is the "home" resort even important?
I'm sure I have even more questions but I'll hold off for now. Thanks in advance for any advice. I'll keep researching these forums in the meantime!
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She's never used it, but fortunately she only has to pay MFs if she uses it (according to her). However, the initial money is gone, gone, gone forever.