What timeshares have the lowest maintenance fees

nkldavy · Oct 9, 2014

Blue tree resort ...

... in LBV very close to Disney. Big 2-bedroom deluxe units will have $582 for maint fee in 2015. Compare that with others in Orlando area. Resort is older, but kept up-to-date. 3 heated pools, new wi-fi with no charge to use and more. Reserves are in very good shape and have done a lot of exterior big jobs in past few years, in addition to new applliances, furniture etc. I'm talking the POA side here, not the Westgate buildings. Our low fees have forced Westgate to keep theirs somewhere down close to ours.

Uncle Davey

Larry M · Oct 9, 2014

Amen to that!

theo said:
After many years of timeshare experience and lessons, we now choose to own only at small, independent, HOA-controlled non-chain facilities where the maintenance fees are reasonable (...not necessarily "low" but at least still reasonable) and the on-site management has consistently proven to be reliable and competent.

Amen to that!

Larry M · Oct 9, 2014

Egrets Pointe

Saintsfanfl said:
The Quarter House is a good example. It's HOA controlled, so there is no "management fee" or padding of expenses. There have been no maintenance fee increases for I believe the last 7 years. Are reserves adequately funded? Probably not if looking at a snapshot, but it's ok with budget surpluses every year and no fee increases.

Due to the sequence in which the area was developed, Egrets Pointe (no apostrophe) is a small community of independent-HOA fixed-week timeshares smack in the middle of Wyndham Ocean Ridge. It's really the best of both worlds. Visitors have access to all the Wyndham facilities (Rec Center, golf course, three pools, playground, oceanfront cabana, mini-golf, etc.) but own units independently managed by a local crew, maintained by independents, with board staffed by owners. Maintenance fees are around half what the Wyndham owners pay. The property is on Edisto Island, SC, halfway between Charleston and Hilton Head.

qwerty · Oct 10, 2014

decadude said:
Seems like you did your homework and have a good strategy. I am learning quickly that this business is a slimmy business as far as most of the sales representatives go misrepresenting/swindling potential buyers.

Hope your strategy works I am in the market for a silverleaf timeshare but ONLY if endless escape and bonus time transfer and only on a week in the summer I KNOW I will use. Actually interested in owning two of these timeshares since a lot of the resorts are within driving distance and having two account where the bonus time and/or endless escape will transfer will give me more power to leverage using that time. Thanks goodness for this forum and estoppel letters.

Good luck in your search man!

Go to ebay and search for timeshares by state and look for a T/S within driving distance. Most are almost free. Try to obtain a T/S at a resort that you'd want to go to almost every year. Call the resort to verify what your usage cost would be. M/F, taxes, etc. Most T/S resorts have owner bonus time available on short notice. For owner usage, you do not need to belong to RCI or any other exchange company.

qwerty · Oct 10, 2014

kalima said:
I wonder about this too sometimes...but then I worry that if the MF are so cheap maybe they don't have enough reserves for maintenance etc...what do you all think about that? How does someone know if it's wise to take on a low MF TS?

Already owning weeks and points, you probably know that M/F don't usually equate to trading power. I own a total of fifteen T/S with three in points and twelve in weeks. Some of my weeks are rented by the resort and some are exchanged for RCI points. I seldom do a RCI week for week exchange. If starting all over and knowing what I know now, I would try to buy Grandview in Las Vegas as that resort seems to have a very good M/F to point ratio.

LarryMFookes · Oct 10, 2014

I have owned at the Windjammer Resort at Ocean Shores, WA for 25 years. I was on the Board for 8 years or so. It is a very well run locally managed resort and managed by the same man for 25 years or so. Ocean Shores has 2.5 million visitors per year. The maintenance fees for a 1br year around float are $305. They are affiliated with RCI. I recently purchased a second unit. You can get a unit for under $500 today. I trade into many very nice resorts in Hawaii, CA and FL. I do not use RCI. Call and ask for Charlie. You cannot go wrong here.

sierrasue50 · Oct 10, 2014

We own 2 weeks in a South African Timeshare, Silversands, in Durban SA. Our maintenance fees are very reasonable - usually works out to $250/year per week once exchanged from SA Rand. As we own another Points Resort Timeshare, we just roll these weeks over into our points account and get 27,500 for each week, each year.
We currently have these weeks for sale, here on TUG, as we don't need that many points any more.
http://tug2.com/TimeshareMarketplac...tingGUID=851a1652-961e-4361-9499-3ecc243faac2

Pretty good deal.

VacationForever · Oct 10, 2014

The issue is the quality of resorts with low MF. If you are planning to stay there each year/EOY, it is not an issue as long as you like the resort. The issue with extremely low MF resorts is that their trading power is likely to be very low so when you try to exchange for a better resort at a different location, you are going to be very disappointed.

gnorth16 · Oct 10, 2014

Is it to use or trade? If it was for personal use, I need a 2BR, so compare apples to apples. I also wouldn't stay at 90% of the TS out there due to location, quality, ametities, travel restrictions and cost to get to the destination. Take out the seasons I don't want (some are reflective in the MF's eg. Gold/Platinum season), TS's that are hard to give away, companies I refuse to deal with, excessive restrictions on buying/selling and those with limited resale benefits, only a few fit into my category for personal use.

Don't focus on the MF's so much as to the cost/benefit of each TS. Why stay at a dump in a place you wouldn't go, in a season that has nothing to offer??? Cause it was a good deal? :shrug:

Maple_Leaf · Oct 11, 2014

2BR Deluxe week 52?

nkldavy said:
... in LBV very close to Disney. Big 2-bedroom deluxe units will have $582 for maint fee in 2015. Compare that with others in Orlando area. Resort is older, but kept up-to-date. 3 heated pools, new wi-fi with no charge to use and more. Reserves are in very good shape and have done a lot of exterior big jobs in past few years, in addition to new applliances, furniture etc. I'm talking the POA side here, not the Westgate buildings. Our low fees have forced Westgate to keep theirs somewhere down close to ours.

Uncle Davey

How many TPUs would a 2BR Deluxe week 52 deposit get 1 year out?

Saintsfanfl · Oct 11, 2014

sptung said:
The issue is the quality of resorts with low MF. If you are planning to stay there each year/EOY, it is not an issue as long as you like the resort. The issue with extremely low MF resorts is that their trading power is likely to be very low so when you try to exchange for a better resort at a different location, you are going to be very disappointed.

This is true for most but not all. It pays to do research. There are also resorts that flatten their fees regardless of unit size, or relatively close to the same. I own at one that has the same fee for a 1BR as a 2BR lock-off or a 3BR. The QH which I already mentioned has a 30% higher fee for a unit that is more than 400% larger.

There are 4BR lock-offs out there that have low fees per split and trade very well. If a lock-off is overkill then an eoy is an option.

bogey21 · Oct 11, 2014

theo said:
After many years of timeshare experience and lessons, we now choose to own only at small, independent, HOA-controlled non-chain facilities where the maintenance fees are reasonable (...not necessarily "low" but at least still reasonable) and the on-site management has consistently proven to be reliable and competent.

Well said.

George

lawduck · Oct 11, 2014

decadude said:
What timeshares have the lowest maintenance fees?

If you are looking for quality, flexibility, and good trading with low MFs, you might look at Worldmark. Not dirt cheap, but great value IMO.

Maple_Leaf · Oct 12, 2014

Great advice, now let's apply it

theo said:
After many years of timeshare experience and lessons, we now choose to own only at small, independent, HOA-controlled non-chain facilities where the maintenance fees are reasonable (...not necessarily "low" but at least still reasonable) and the on-site management has consistently proven to be reliable and competent.

Some resorts that I believe meet these criteria:

Royal Dunes, Hilton Head Island, SC

Club Donatello, San Francisco, CA (NOT the Shell-governed side)

Blue Tree Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL (NOT the Wastegate-governed side)

Foxhunt, Sapphire Valley, NC

Maple_Leaf · Oct 12, 2014

Cypress Pointe Resort

Another resort that meets Theo's criteria, IMO:

Cypress Pointe Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL

Sugarcubesea · Oct 12, 2014

Thank you so much for putting the names if the resorts as that really helps this newbie.

gtripps · Oct 13, 2014

Sugarcubesea said:
Thank you so much for putting the names if the resorts as that really helps this newbie.

I have the Hawaiian Sun - one bedroom for $466.00 in 2015 I find it a bargain for Hawaii with decent trading power

boyblue · Oct 16, 2014

Plaza Suite Hotel Resort in New Orleans has MF below $500.00 & I think 71,000 RCI points

TheViking · Dec 21, 2014

WHICH places still have HOA?

theo said:
After many years of timeshare experience and lessons, we now choose to own only at small, independent, HOA-controlled non-chain facilities where the maintenance fees are reasonable (...not necessarily "low" but at least still reasonable) and the on-site management has consistently proven to be reliable and competent.

Even with "adequate" financial reserves at a well managed facility, surprise and unwelcome "special assessments" imposed in addition to customary annual maintenance fees can and do still arise unpredictably. We're looking at just such a surprise SA right now ($350+ per owned week, coming soon to a maintenance fee bill near you) at one of our very well managed places. We can't / don't strenuously object; in the bigger, overall facility picture the ownership is still of great "value" to us.

Looking only at "very low maintenance fees" in considering a timeshare is a naive bit of tunnel vision, IMnsHO. Far more often than not, very low fees are clearly indicative of a poor maintenance / upgrade program and grossly inadequate financial reserves --- and if the place is run down, then it likely also has little desirability for actual use or decent valuation for "exchange". As in so many other things in life, it's "pay now or pay later"; there are few real "bargains" --- and no free lunch.

Could you give me a lead on timeshares who still have HOA'S? As I am doing my research it seems to be a thing of the past?

pacodemountainside · Dec 21, 2014

Generally if original governing documents provided for, then still there as generally super majority required to change.

Ball park, if deeded ownership will have HOA. If RTU probably not!

TheViking · Dec 21, 2014

HELP WITH CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP/Mixed Ownership in same resort?

TY P for your reply,

Well I have a friend who states he owns the "deed" to a resort in the Islands(not US), from my reading here there was at one time a HOA but resort changed ownership (a not too uncommon theme here on TUG). I received a copy of a transfer in the same resort to acquire a different "owners" unit and it states RMF. These owners state they have had the unit 10 plus years (longer than my friend) It is for a fixed unit/week.
SO MY QUESTION is it possible that in one resort there are some RTU's/deeded ownership/and some Resort memberships? This is not a Marriott or the like ownership. ANY TUGGERS OUT THERE CARE TO ELABORATE? It would be much appreciated.
The Viking

DeniseM · Dec 21, 2014

Without knowing the name of the resort, this is very difficult to respond to.

TheViking · Dec 21, 2014

ST Marteen

Simpson Bay Resort and Marina

Passepartout · Dec 21, 2014

Other than 'vacation clubs', most TSs are 'deeded' ownerships. Even the 'points' or floating ones at least have an underlying deeded week. I see from the truncated post from The Viking, that as an afterthought s/he conjects either St. Maarten, Aruba, or Hawaii. Note that only one of those places is controlled by U.S. law. Other places can construct their ownerships by other local laws.

I don't see how this has anything to do with the OP's question about low maintenance fees

Jim

TheViking · Dec 21, 2014

But if it states Resort Membership isn't that the same as a vacation club?

What timeshares have the lowest maintenance fees

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