would I be crazy not to purchase this?

jbuzzy11 · Aug 22, 2007

I have a chance to purchase a 2 bedroom at the Royal Sands, 1st week of September for $6k from a neighbor that wants out bad. How is a Royals transfer done? Does it just go through the resort?
Thanks, Johnny

Joe L · Aug 22, 2007

That is a fantastic price. The transfer of title is done through ISCO. There is a form on the Royals website. I believe the fee is $115. US. No other fees.

Blondie · Aug 22, 2007

Holiday group has a Royal Mayan week 35 for 3,800 and a Royal Caribbean week 39 for 6,900 for a comparison both two bederooms. Of course, dif resorts have a dif lease period which is reflected in the prices...

jschmidt · Aug 22, 2007

We just did a transfer. You will need to send the following to ISCO:

1. A completed “Request for Title Change to Membership Agreement / Contract” form. (See http://www.pelicannews.net/Generic_Title_Change_Package_08-04.pdf)
2. Original Membership Agreement / Contract
3. $115 transfer fee.

In about three weeks you will have your ownership contract.

pjrose · Aug 22, 2007

Go for it - that's a great price! The Transfer is easy through ISCO. If you don't want to go in September you can probably rent it out and/or deposit it with ISCO or Interval and then go there or elsewhere another time. If you don't want it, I'll buy it!

KarenLK · Aug 22, 2007

Exchange it!

A friend has a Sept week at one of the Tri-Royals and has never used it...she always goes to VCI at Easter time and has NEVER had a problem getting the exchange.

jbuzzy11 · Aug 22, 2007

I get some good trades into the royals with II with my other unit but how much better would it be with a Sept week at the Sands?

pjrose · Aug 22, 2007

I don't know if your trades would be better, but I'm confident that if you don't use it you can rent it out.
What's the location?

kwilson · Aug 22, 2007

Don't be stupid. September is the height of hurricane season, and even if there is no hurricane it will be hot and very humid. No Way!.

Barbeque · Aug 22, 2007

I agree with KWWILSON I started to read this thread and that was my first impression. We own week 41 in Cabo and it follows hurricane season. We have followed damage several times. I would hate to be in the middle of what Cancun must have just been through. I would pass on this one. And past trades are no guarantee of future trades. RCI has gotten much more difficult in the last couple of years.

buceo · Aug 22, 2007

kwilson said:
Don't be stupid. September is the height of hurricane season, and even if there is no hurricane it will be hot and very humid. No Way!.

I couldn't disagree more, even though we bought winter weeks I now like to go the end of Aug/beginning of Sep in order to go twice a year, ~6 months apart. Yes, hotter days than Feb, but it's a nonissue, the evenings are gorgeous. The scuba diving is calmer.

Yes, it is hurricane season, but look at the price.

Hurricane season is why they have weather.com et al. You might miss a year (and then again you might not), big deal for that price. This year, though not needed they were offering a ~$790 week at another Royal resort if you missed yours.

I wouldn't hesitate.

pjrose · Aug 23, 2007

Note that the posters who are positive about this almost all are Royal Resorts owners.....I would jump at it if someone offered it to me, and I'll bet I'm not the only one!

Mydogs2big · Aug 23, 2007

I second that motion....BUY! Saying that it's hurricane season, don't buy Cancun is like saying California has Earthquakes. You're chances aren't that great to be hit with a hurricane, although September is more likely.

The Royals facilities have sustained very little damage even through Wilma and the weather is much warmer and the water still swimmable, unlike most other places.

seenett · Aug 23, 2007

jbuzzy11 said:
I get some good trades into the royals with II with my foxrun unit but how much better would it be with a Sept week at the Sands?

ix-nay on the ox-run-fay trades into the oils-ra! We don't want that secret out!

JEFF H · Aug 23, 2007

I agree $6K for a Royal Sands week can be a good buy for the right person but I wouldn't buy it myself. If you want to visit during Sept each year go for it. At this purchase price you should have little trouble selling and getting your money back if it does not work out for you after test driving the week for a few years.
understand however that Sept is the lowest demand month in Cancun.
RCI even lists Sept weeks in Cancun as White Time when all the other months are RED.
Getaway weeks,bargain rentals have normally been very easy to come by if you want to visit during Sept. Trying to rent a Sept unit out OTHO would be much more of a challange with the low demand and glut of available units.
Even if you were able to rent it out After paying the maintenance fee you wouldn't likely gain much but would run the risk of not getting it rented out each year.
You could exchange it thru Interval for a different Royal sands week but as you know their are other lower cost weeks that can do the samething.
I suspect Interval would not give you a accomadation certificate for depositing a Sept week so you wouldn't even have the option of that benefit like many other Royal week deposits receive.

tonyg · Aug 23, 2007

The lowest priced weeks at the Royals are September weeks. Usage for trading will just make the annual cost closer to $ 900 ! RCI rates September in the white color code while the rest of the year is red. Selling a unit in the prime hurricane season is a challenge. I wouldn't buy it at half the price named.

Janis · Aug 23, 2007

I would take a pass. I own a Royal, week 15 - which is a much stronger trader than any September week. Last year, I could NOT get an Easter week at the Sands using my week 15. In fact, my week 26 Lawrence Welk got the exchange for me - not my Sands!! So much for the internal trading preference.

And, if you actually want to go to Cancun in September, I am able to see LOTS of availability using my II AC - so for $299 you can get a nice 2-BR at any of the Royals and not have to worry about capital costs and maintenance fees.

M&M · Aug 23, 2007

Flip It

Why not buy the week 35 (or is it week 36?) and then re-sell it?

If you buy it for $6K, I'm sure that you could re-sell it for more than that. A resale for $8K-$10K would probably go pretty quick.

JMHO,
Mike

jspang · Aug 23, 2007

We have been to Cancun in September and it was the best weather ever. The ocean temp. was perfect and no crowds anywhere. If you can get a Royal Sands week for $6K I would take that in a minute.

maja651 · Aug 23, 2007

WOW - I think someone else mentioned it already, but if you don't want this unit, I will buy it! (Assuming this is a week 35). We own week 34 at the Islander and enjoy going this time of year. And, for the years we don't want to use it then, we have traded internally through ISCO (NOT II). In fact, this year we traded it to go 2 weeks back to back in October (41 and 42). (we also traded our week 17). $6,000 is a ridiculously low price for the Royal Sands, even if it is September.

Michelle

Joe L · Aug 23, 2007

Checking TUG adds, Mexicondo and Redweek, I found 5 for sale for week 36, none for week 35. The cheapest listing was for $13,000 and highest $19,000. Of course these are asking prices, but $6000 is too good to pass up. Also, don't forget the residuals. The developers made sure that all VCI owners got what they were promised. They put up their own money to guarantee those who didn't buy back in, got the full residual value. BTW regarding hurricane season:

Hurricanes have hit Cancun 4 times in the month of September since 1873. Only once during the first week in September, in 1888.

http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/cancun.htm

JEFF H · Aug 24, 2007

Joe L;381428Also said:
I wouldn't say the Royals put up their own money to pay owners what was promised. Rather they are reselling VCI so the owners will get paid as well as a nice profit for the Royals.
owners who want their promised residual payout are receiving installment payments over a period of a couple years.
The Royal sands and Haciendas however are strutured much different than VCI was and They have no promised residual payout amounts.
Whatever the resorts are sold for in 50 years minus expenses are to be devided equally among all owners.

Joe L · Aug 25, 2007

I read the minutes of the VCI annual budget meeting. As written earlier, in another thread, 75% of members had to buy back in to guarantee the 100% residual for the rest. Only 32% indicated they would. This would have resulted in 46 cents on the dollar. However, the developers gave 8 million US dollars to ensure 100% residuals and for ongoing maintenance.

Maybe I'm being naive Jeff, but sounds like they put some money up to guarantee the residuals for those who didn't but back in.

T_R_Oglodyte · Aug 25, 2007

Joe L said:
Hurricanes have hit Cancun 4 times in the month of September since 1873. Only once during the first week in September, in 1888.

http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/cancun.htm

That's the same logic as blowing off the odds of being struck by lightning while playing golf because it's only happened twice on your course in the last 100 years. Just because it hasn't happened - when there is realistic likelihod of it actually happening - is poor logic.

Or, to take a more pertinent example, people in Belize claiming that Belize was not on the Caribbean hurricane track because Belize hadn't taken a direct hit in more than 100 years. (I actually saw people promoting Belize making that claim.)

I don't think there's any connection between time in the hurricane season and whether a particular area is or is not likely to get hit. The only that changes during hurricane season is the odds of a hurricane developing.

Cancun is just as likely to get with a hurricane the first week of September as any other location in the Caribbean. If you wouldn't buy a timeshare in the Bahamas the first week of September solely because of hurricane risk, you shouldn't buy one in Cancun for the first week of September either.

Joe L · Aug 25, 2007

For $6,000 I'd take my chances.

I love golf and always "blow off" the odds of being struck by lightening. I never think there is a realistic likelihood of it actually happening either. My poor logic is showing. I guess I just think the glass is half full.

BTW, Steve, Hurricane Keith hit Belize in October of 2000 while I was in Cancun.

IMHO the OP should buy. If you want it for a trader, I'd say no. If you want to go every year, then yes.

would I be crazy not to purchase this?

jbuzzy11

Joe L

Blondie

jschmidt

pjrose

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

KarenLK

jbuzzy11

pjrose

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

kwilson

Barbeque

buceo

pjrose

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

Mydogs2big

seenett

JEFF H

tonyg

Janis

TUG Review Crew

M&M

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

jspang

maja651

Joe L

JEFF H

Joe L

T_R_Oglodyte

Joe L