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White week exchange, where can you go?

Redterpos3

Redterpos3

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2005
Messages
126
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0
Location
Binghamton, New York
I was wondering if anyone knows what kinds of trades one can receive from a white/yellow week from Williamsburg? I like to vacation at off times, and was wondering if there are possibilities for a cheap week. I'm looking at Williamsburg because we do like Williamsburg and would like to go there more often.

Can you get Orlando? If so when? Beach in winter? Mountain in summer? Anyone doing this kind of thing that can give me pointers? I'd like to start timesharing for as little down as possible, and since we like Williamsburg and it is built up I figure I might be able to do this. I appreciate the thoughts!
 
If you understand that the trade value is low but will match up with offseason times - often at great resorts - and you intend to use it much of the time it may be an OK deal for your use. Also understand that it may be cheaper to simply rent rather than buy a low value week unless you really plan to use the specific resort and low time frequently.

You can also gain access to bonus times and Last Call that can be very inexpensive to use once you are an RCI member. Those don't require you to use your deposit to get the week(s).
 
JeffreyBohan said:
I was wondering if anyone knows what kinds of trades one can receive from a white/yellow week from Williamsburg? I like to vacation at off times, and was wondering if there are possibilities for a cheap week. I'm looking at Williamsburg because we do like Williamsburg and would like to go there more often.

Can you get Orlando? If so when? Beach in winter? Mountain in summer? Anyone doing this kind of thing that can give me pointers? I'd like to start timesharing for as little down as possible, and since we like Williamsburg and it is built up I figure I might be able to do this. I appreciate the thoughts!
Click to expand...

What you can get for a white/yellow week will depend a lot on which timeshare you buy, and which exchange company you are using. If your timeshare is considered high quality, it may trade fairly well in II, since II cares more about quality than about supply/demand. On the other hand, lower demand timeshares often don't trade very well in RCI, and high quality, low demand timeshares may trade especially poorly in RCI, since RCI generally blocks high quality timeshares from trading into lower quality ones. (II also blocks blocks high quality timeshares from trading into lower quality ones, but since II tends to treat all high quality timeshares as being fairly desirable or better, it's less of a problem.)

I own a yellow timeshare (not in Williamsburg) and it trades very well in II. It will get you Marriotts in Park City & CO anytime except ski season, and Marriotts in Oralando almost anytime (although mostly just studios at Christmas.) Right now, II is offering lots in Williamsburg in exchange for this timeshare, including plenty of Marriott units starting in September and continuing until end of June next year, including Christmas. (I don't think Marriott has started depositing much for next July yet.)

So, it is definitely possible to buy a yellow week and trade for the places you are interested in. I'm not certain whether any inexpensive resorts in Williamsburg would work for this, though, since I'm not too familiar with trade value there.
 
JudyS said:
RCI generally blocks high quality timeshares from trading into lower quality ones.

If I have a 2BR, but was willing to take a 1BR, would that open up the possibilities in both RCI & II, or would I also be blocked?

JudyS said:
trade value there.
Click to expand...

How can I find out about a resorts (or area's) trade value, when I'm not a member of either RCI or II? It seems that I need some timeshare to begin looking at what areas are prime areas and weeks?
Click to expand...
 
JeffreyBohan said:
JudyS said:
RCI generally blocks high quality timeshares from trading into lower quality ones.
Click to expand...
If I have a 2BR, but was willing to take a 1BR, would that open up the possibilities in both RCI & II, or would I also be blocked?

How can I find out about a resorts (or area's) trade value, when I'm not a member of either RCI or II? It seems that I need some timeshare to begin looking at what areas are prime areas and weeks?
Click to expand...

I don't think asking for a smaller size will help any with RCI's dreaded "VEP filter" (which prevents people from trading down in quality.) RCI doesn't want people to trade down in quality because they are afraid that owners of high-quality resorts will complain about the quality of the resort they have received, and demand a refund or a move to a different resort. If anything, asking for a unit smaller than one's own would just make that problem worse. It is possible to ask RCI to manually override the VEP filter, but this can only be done with an RCI guide via phone, it can not be done on an ongoing search, and sometimes RCI says no.

In general, though, asking for a smaller unit does help you get a trade -- it just doesn't do anything if you're blocked because your resort is higher in quality than the resort you have requested.

The fact that owners can't search until they've bought is a big problem for most timeshare buyer -- lots of resorts claim that their units trade well, and it's not until long after closing that the owner finds out this isn't true. However, TUG offers three very good ways around this problem. The first you've already done -- ask here about the trade value of a particular resort/area/time period. The second way is to check the Trade Tests found on the Sightings Boards -- it has historical data about how well various resorts have traded. The third way is to ask someone to do some searches for you and to email you the results. You can either ask for anyone here who has a unit similar to the one you want to buy, or you can ask the person who is trying to sell you a unit (this last way only works if the seller belongs to the exchange company that you want to use.)

If you'd like me to run some trade tests for you, just PM or email me.
 
Most resorts charge the same maintenance fee for every week of the year. Some also charge the same for a 1br and 2br. You also pay the same membership and exchange fees to RCI or II regardless of what you own (generally speaking).

I started out with a 1br and got decent trades, but realized quickly that for the same annual cost, I could do better with a 2br at the same resort. A quick calculation convinced me that paying a little more for the purchase price would more than pay off quickly in better exchanges. I upgraded and never looked back.

The initial purchase price doesn't mean too much in the long run if you're only talking a difference of a few hundred dollars between the bottom of the line and a mid-range unit. I'd go for a red week in a less overbuilt area myself, but that's just me.

I've had very good luck with Gatlinburg properties because the demand still seems much higher than the supply. Maintenance fees are quite low, as well. Tennessee hasn't gotten on the bandwagon in overtaxing the resorts like Florida and some other states.

Sheila
 
Willliamsburg is overbuilt in timeshare, which will impact trading power, but some Tuggers in the past have posted that it seems to trade significantly better in II than RCI.

You might also consider using some of the independent exchange companies, which do not charge membership fees, and have lower exchange fees, like

www.daelive.com
www.platinuminterchange.com
www.tradingplaces.com

Your resort does not have to affiliate for you to use these. They affiliate individual owners rather than resorts.
 
I had a white week studio in Cape Cod that I recently sold. I just used a deposited week to get a 2 Bdr at Orange Lake Country Club for Memorial Day week. I only put the RCI ongoing search in about 2 months before check in. I got the match within a week. The Cape Cod resort is only a standard resort. The m/f 's are less than $200 and white weeks can be bought cheaply.
 
Re: Pick a red week instead

If you like to trade off season, pick a nice II resort in the summer in Colorado. You can get some pretty inexpensive resorts (watch the maintenance fees) such as Sandstone Creek in Vail or Falcoln Point in Avon that trade really well in II. Look at ebay, bidshares, myresortnetwork.com or redweek.com. My studio at Falcoln Point has traded into Marriott Ocean Point in August, Marriott Grande Vista in July and Lawrence Welk resort (2 bedroom) in May. I would stay with a studio or possibly a one bedroom to keep down the maintenance fees. Good luck! Funtime
 
Re: Pick a red week instead

funtime said:
.... I would stay with a studio or possibly a one bedroom to keep down the maintenance fees...
Click to expand...

II tends to make it hard to trade up in size, though, so I wouldn't want to own a studio that traded with II.
 
Just a few weeks ago I traded a white week for a red, gold crown on Hilton Head Island. It worked with RCI but I was planning about 9 months in advance. I also traded a blue week for a red week in northwestern Minnesota but it was also almost a year in advance. These were both instant exchanges without an ongoing search. I've decided that the real trick is advance planning!
 
Carolinian said:
Your resort does not have to affiliate for you to use these. They affiliate individual owners rather than resorts.
Click to expand...

This I didn't realize. Is this true at all resorts, or do some limit your ability to exchange with a different company?
 
Re: Pick a red week instead

funtime said:
pick a nice II resort in the summer in Colorado...keep down the maintenance fees. Good luck! Funtime
Click to expand...

I am wary about buying a resort that I can't drive to. Although, if it is for exchange purposes I might be OK, I'll have to think about it. Thanks!
 
JudyS said:
RCI doesn't want people to trade down in quality because they are afraid that owners of high-quality resorts will complain...In general, though, asking for a smaller unit does help you get a trade -- it just doesn't do anything if you're blocked because your resort is higher in quality than the resort you have requested.

If you'd like me to run some trade tests for you, just PM or email me.
Click to expand...


So its the qualilty of the trade resort that counts more than the size room? The trade tests sounds like a good idea. I'll make a list of resorts I'm interested in. Thanks!! :)
 
KevJan said:
real trick is advance planning!
Click to expand...

Ah, OK, so with a non-red week working for in advance is helpful. I was thinking it was the other way around, that when you got closer to the week and no one had taken it yet they would release it to those with lower quality trades.
 
JeffreyBohan said:
So its the qualilty of the trade resort that counts more than the size room? The trade tests sounds like a good idea. I'll make a list of resorts I'm interested in. Thanks!! :)
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. RCI tends not to place as much emphasis on room size and resort quality when it comes to trade power as does II. With RCI, they tend to stick to a more pure supply and demand formula when calculating trade power. With II, room size counts much more as well as the quality of the resort in determining the trade power that you will be assigned.

Both do however take quality into consideration regardless of supply and demand concerns. You will be excluded from trading into resorts that both exchange companies deem beneath you in terms of quality. I used to always say that a high quality/ low demand week is the worst value in timesharing. This is so because not only will you have poor trade power, but you will be excluded from trading into many resorts deemed beneath you...a double whammy.

I always suggest that people study the Trade Tests that we have conducted here on TUG over the years on RCI and II. if you study these tests, you will learn a lot about trade power and how red, white/yellow and blue/green weeks within both RCI and II. These tests can be found on the Sightings board here on TUG.
 
I use to own a white week - Sunterra Greensprings Plantation - Week 5 in Williamsburg. I did traded it into Orlando for Spring Break time in end of March/beginning of April, but that search and reserved almost 2 years out. It was into one of the bigger resorts - Orange Lake Country Club into a 2 bedroom.
 
Set a budget and stick to it and you will not feel buyer's remorse. I suggest 1,500 for total purchase price and closing costs. You can get a lot of great red week timeshares on ebay for that amount -- even more if you slip up to $2,000. For a first timeshare this is a much better way to go. If you decide you want a different resort, you really are not out too much because you can then sell your first resort on bidshares or redweek for just about what you paid for it. The important thing is to jump in at a resort that you can resell later if you don't like it. By the way, I don't think white weeks qualify under that scenario as they are a tough sell. You need a summer week somewhere - last week of June to second week of August. Funtime
 
JeffreyBohan said:
This I didn't realize. Is this true at all resorts, or do some limit your ability to exchange with a different company?
Click to expand...

There are two types of exchange companies, affiliated companies (RCI and II) which require resort affiliation, and indepedent exchange companies (DAE, SFX, PI, HTSE, TPI) that do not. That are a small minority that make it difficult to use an independent but this is the exception rather than the rule, and the number of these seems to be declining.
 
funtime said:
Set a budget...I suggest 1,500 for total purchase price and closing costs. You can get a lot of great red week timeshares on ebay for that amount -- even more if you slip up to $2,000.
Click to expand...

This is around the budget amounts I've been considering, but I didn't realize that I could get summer red weeks for this. I'll keep an eye on ebay, and see what is around. Thanks!!
 
Carolinian said:
There are two types of exchange companies, affiliated companies (RCI and II) which require resort affiliation, and indepedent exchange companies (DAE, SFX, PI, HTSE, TPI) that do not. That are a small minority that make it difficult to use an independent but this is the exception rather than the rule, and the number of these seems to be declining.
Click to expand...

Are these independents almost like a bulletin board where everyone puts their week up and see what they can trade to each other? (Just more complicated?)
 
JeffreyBohan said:
Are these independents almost like a bulletin board where everyone puts their week up and see what they can trade to each other? (Just more complicated?)
Click to expand...

No, that is a third type of exchange company - called direct exchange. Examples include the direct exchange board on TUG , www.exchangesworldwide.com , and www.timex.to

The independent exchange companies work just like the affiliated companies. You bank a week and receive a credit that can be used for other equivalent inventory in the bank, and in some cases ANY other inventory in the bank.
 
JeffreyBohan said:
So its the qualilty of the trade resort that counts more than the size room? The trade tests sounds like a good idea. I'll make a list of resorts I'm interested in. Thanks!! :)
Click to expand...

Hi, Jeff

Basically, I want to second what Dani said -- II cares mostly about resort quality and about unit size. RCI cares mostly about supply and demand (although unit size also matters.) However, both II and RCI try to prevent members from trading for substantially lower quality units, and being willing to take a smaller unit doesn't help with that. The restriction against trading down in quality tends to be a bigger problem in RCI than in II; as Dani notes, RCI will offer very little in exchange for high quality, low demand units. In II, demand doesn't matter so much, so a high quality resort may be offered good trades even if there isn't much demand for the resort.

I will send you an email about trade tests...
 
Carolinian said:
No, that is a third type of exchange company - called direct exchange. Examples include the direct exchange board on TUG , www.exchangesworldwide.com , and www.timex.to

The independent exchange companies work just like the affiliated companies. You bank a week and receive a credit that can be used for other equivalent inventory in the bank, and in some cases ANY other inventory in the bank.
Click to expand...


So there are a lot of ways of exchanging, and these ones don't cost $$? Sounds better! I've heard that you can see how your week trades in II before you bank it, is that true of other exchanges also, or do you have to bank first?
 
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