Patience is a virtue...
It seems that the more I read.....The more I get confused!! There is so much terminology and so many ins and outs of timsharing that my brain is squash!! <snip> Maybe some of you....can lay out some scenarios for me to better understand this whole system....
You're no dummy. On the contrary, the mere fact that you found this site and are researching and asking questions
before making any hasty, expensive and potentially irreversible purchase decisions or mistakes speaks quite well to your intelligence.
In the (sometimes bizarre and often quite serpentine) world of timeshares there are many (and all
very different from one another) systems, companies, points structures, flavors, usage and reservation rules, fees, etc. As a result, it would clearly be an impossible task to just boil it all down to a simple "board game" or any other such simple "visual". There is no "bottle feeding" option. It ain't simple --- period, amen.
In my personal opinion, all you can (and what you should) do at this juncture is exactly what you are already doing --- but don't look for non-existent "magic bullets" or simple answers. Read and learn and absorb what you can, when you can --- then read and learn and absorb some more. Then apply that acquired knowledge to your particular individual finances and vacation objectives ---leaving your checkbook tucked securely
away during the learning curve process. Thereafter, it certainly can't hurt to "rent before you buy" either, so that you can personally experience particular resorts / areas/ companies before deciding to take on the financial albatross of permanent ownership and annual fees.
Try to remember and repeat the mantra that "it's always easy to buy, but it's usually difficult to sell".
Try to also remember and repeat the directly realted mantra that "maintenance fees are forever".
Read and learn. Then read and learn and absorb more. Proceed slowly and with caution. Good luck.