Massanutten First time buyer - What Should I buy?

[Volkyro]

Hi all, new member trying to gather as much info as possible before making any purchases. My family and I visited Massanutten (in an Airbnb) last ski season, and we would like to return every year or at least every other year. I've been looking into timeshare options, but there is a ton of information. Would love some opinions or thoughts. The first question is there seems to be a lot of inventory in the free and almost free range, so are these timeshares that unappealing? Or is it just an issue where most people don't know how to use them? My group will range from 2 couples to 4 couples, and I've been considering Royal Vistas, Summit, and Woodstone. All seem well-reviewed and near the ski lodge. Are these the 3 best to watch for resales? Anywhere else worth considering? Data points that may help recommendations: no kids will be traveling with us, school and work calendars don't apply, budget is roughly $20k upfront and $2k per year. Everyone in my party is in an age range of 30 to 60. Some additional questions:

If I only ever have interest in visiting during ski season, is it smarter to get a ski week (51,52 or 1-8) or a floating week for exchanges and future exit?

I believe I've read the 4/4s at Royal Vistas can lockout into 2 2/2s. Is that the only 4bed in Massanutten that can lock into 2?

Royal Vistas seems to be notably more expensive than the other options. Is it significantly nicer?

Do any of the Massanutten resorts bypass a resort fee?

Is there so much availability that renting is just smarter?

Appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!

 

[missyrcrews]

The Summit units also lock into 2/2's. I stayed in one of those units several years ago. Royal Vista has garages, and are newer...but they are further away from "the action." Summit was fine for our purposes. The 4 bedrooms/4baths meant that everyone could spread out. Kids thought it was amazing to have their own bathrooms! One thing to note is that laundry is shared in most of these units when used as a 2/2. We really enjoyed our weeklong stay. Lots to do both on the resort and nearby.

 

[Volkyro]

The Summit units also lock into 2/2's. I stayed in one of those units several years ago. Royal Vista has garages, and are newer...but they are further away from "the action." Summit was fine for our purposes. The 4 bedrooms/4baths meant that everyone could spread out. Kids thought it was amazing to have their own bathrooms! One thing to note is that laundry is shared in most of these units when used as a 2/2. We really enjoyed our weeklong stay. Lots to do both on the resort and nearby.

Awesome, that's very helpful info! A garage wouldn't have much appeal to me, and I'm not sure distance matters much for us as I think almost all spots require a drive to the ski lodge. Unless I'm wrong on that?

 

[Carolinian]

We have traded into Massanutten a couple of times and enjoyed it, always in ski season. It is usually easy to trade into, and back when RCI trading power was opaque that meant its trading power was probably not so good. Now developers politick RCI for trading power if their resorts are still in developer sales, so who knows.

We used to have a very knowledgable RCI employee on these boards who posted under the name "Bootleg" and he frequently commented that there were four places RCI always had an oversupply of exchange inventory - Orlando, Branson, Williamsburg, and Massanutten.

That said, you are approaching timesharing in the best way to use the system, looking to buy somewhere you want to go regularly. After years enjoying the timeshare exchange game in the old days of RCI and with some great independent exchange companies, that game has changed so much and for the worse, we now just own two timeshare weeks where we want to go, oceanfront on the Outer Banks in summer and they are wonderful value. Our ownership gives us our beach vacations at half the cost of renting anything comparable.

I would suggest crunching the numbers at Massanutten and compare owning and renting. In high season, I suspect owning will save you money, but YMMV.

If you have a year that for some reason you cannot use your unit, you can use one of the independent exchange companies like SFX or Hawaii Timeshare Exchange that have free membership and lower exchange fees. After ditching RCI due to their adverse changes, we had great luck using Dial-an-Exchange Europe, SFX, and United Kingdom Resort Exchange and got some great trades with each of them.

 

[escanoe]

Your budget is enough to get you all the winter vacationing you want at Massanutten. If you go with an option other than staying at Regal Vistas, it is probably way more than enough.

The first question is there seems to be a lot of inventory in the free and almost free range, so are these timeshares that unappealing? Or is it just an issue where most people don't know how to use them?

These are two smart questions to ask. My answer to your first question: all of the RCI Gold Crown Resorts at Massanutten (Regal Vistas, Woodstone, and Summit) are appealing timeshares. However, unless you have a prime summer week or a week 51 or 52 that trades well, it will likely have negative value. Personally, I would much rather trade into an off-peak week at Massanutten than own it.

The answer to your second question above is timesharing can be complicated and a lot of people that buy do not make informed decisions.

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Personally, I would not own anything at Massanutten that was not a prime summer unit with good trading power OR a week 51 or 52 that has good trading power. (I own a summer 4BR week 29 at Woodstone enrolled in RCI Points. I also own a week 52 at Massanutten's Mountainside Villas that is very close to the ski slopes.)

If I was flexible schedule wise like you, I would not own a week 51 or 52 at Massanutten to use it. I would go up there for a week when it wasn't so crowded (especially if you ski).

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You should stay at Regal Vistas once to see how much you like it and if it would be worth the premium for you.

Conclusion I came to: Regal Vistas are the nicest units there. I have a preference to stay at Regal Vistas when I am at Massanutten outside of ski season, but to me it isn't quite worth the additional trading power and advance booking it usually requires. [I say outside of ski season, because in ski season I prefer to stay on the Mountain at either Summit or Mountainside Villas.]

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If I were in your shoes (with my preferences) I would buy a prime summer week at Woodstone or Regal Vistas (4BR lock-off) and use the trading power to stay at Massanutten whenever I wanted to. [I have an aversion to owning a timeshare with negative value that could be hard to get rid of.]

I would go the route (for internal trading at Massanutten) of buying something that trades in RCI Weeks instead of paying more for something enrolled in points. It currently is $159 exchange fee for a week for in internal Massanutten/Vacation Village (VV) exchange. RCI points will currently run $289 for the same exchange.

I would buy Massanutten to trade into Massanutten since they currently have a "1 in 4 rule" in RCI. Unless you own something in Massanutten, you can only trade into any one of their divisions once every 4 years.

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On your question of resort fees, ownership will not get you out of paying them. But if you own a Massanutten timeshare with Great Eastern (even resale) you pay an owner rate that is lower than what exchangers pay.

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[tonyg]

I would advise a lot of research and time before buying. Like Carolinian, many of us talked with Bullfrog back when and even looked at the varied trading power that the various sections of the resort had. Recently there have been discussions of fees and other items confusing potential buyers and exchanges. You might want to also take a look at ski resorts in northern New England as warming temperatures have been problematic and required a lot of snow making even north of Massanutten.

 

[Volkyro]

@escanoe that is all super helpful info, thank you! Some followup questions from your info if you don't mind:

I'm definitely with you on avoiding the crowds weeks 51 and 52. We prefer to ski during the week for exactly that reason. It's looking like I'd prefer a week in the range of 2-8. Knowing that, do you think it makes more sense to look a time share that is floating 1-52 weeks for flexibility? We live about 3 hours away and Massanutten is our preferred ski resort (we have a season ski pass), so I'm just looking for an option that will give us a ski week any time in Jan or February each year. Is it possible renting every season makes more sense for us? We also take several other week long vacations each year which was what started my initial interest in timeshares.

Is Summit less popular for summer travelers as opposed to Woodstone? I've struggled to find much good info on Woodstone other than all the images look super old though most reviews are quite strong.

 

[Volkyro]

I would advise a lot of research and time before buying. Like Carolinian, many of us talked with Bullfrog back when and even looked at the varied trading power that the various sections of the resort had. Recently there have been discussions of fees and other items confusing potential buyers and exchanges. You might want to also take a look at ski resorts in northern New England as warming temperatures have been problematic and required a lot of snow making even north of Massanutten.

Definitely worth considering, but unfortunately, New England isn't really an option for us. If we're going that far, it makes more sense to visit CO or UT as opposed to New England.

 

[escanoe]

@escanoe that is all super helpful info, thank you! Some followup questions from your info if you don't mind:

I'm definitely with you on avoiding the crowds weeks 51 and 52. We prefer to ski during the week for exactly that reason. It's looking like I'd prefer a week in the range of 2-8. Knowing that, do you think it makes more sense to look a time share that is floating 1-52 weeks for flexibility? We live about 3 hours away and Massanutten is our preferred ski resort (we have a season ski pass), so I'm just looking for an option that will give us a ski week any time in Jan or February each year. Is it possible renting every season makes more sense for us? We also take several other week long vacations each year which was what started my initial interest in timeshares.

Is Summit less popular for summer travelers as opposed to Woodstone? I've struggled to find much good info on Woodstone other than all the images look super old though most reviews are quite strong.

I WOULD NOT buy a timeshare at Massanutten and pay maintenance fees ONLY to use week 2-8. But that is just me. There are two main reasons I would not:

1) While you could get in cheap, any time share giving you usage of these weeks directly (either owning a fixed week or a "float week" available at Summit) will have negative value and you should plan and will require effort to get rid of when you no longer want it.

2) You should be able to rent any of those weeks at no more than what maintenance fees cost if you are willing to deal with TUG or RedWeek.

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Would you have the need for a timeshare for anything else? I would either buy a good summer/week 51 or 52 trader and trade in for multiple ski weeks or use the timeshare for something else and use your RCI Certificates/Rentals to book Massanutten ski week at less than maintenance fees.

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Current Availability of "Last Call" Rentals for Summit at Massanutten (goes out 45 days). You should be able to book about any week you want as a "last call." For 1 through 8, I would basically guarantee anything you want with you needing to book MLK weekend when it first becomes available and taking a chance you may have trouble getting the week of Presidents' Day. (If you are flexible and looking to avoid crowds, those aren't the weeks you want,

 

[Volkyro]

I WOULD NOT buy a timeshare at Massanutten and pay maintenance fees ONLY to use week 2-8. But that is just me. There are two main reasons I would not:

Would you have the need for a timeshare for anything else? I would either buy a good summer/week 51 or 52 trader and trade in for multiple ski weeks or use the timeshare for something else and use your RCI Certificates/Rentals to book Massanutten ski week at less than maintenance fees.

Once again, incredibly helpful. Thank you! I take approximately 4-5 week long trips each year. They are some combo of: Massanutten to ski, Breckenridge or Utah (Eden, not Park City) to ski, Hilton Head to golf in spring or fall, and Duck, NC for a week in the summer. The more I read the more it seems like accumulating points would be smarter or possibly starting with a floating 1-52 week of a 4/4 in Massanutten that I could use or exchange?

 

[escanoe]

Current maintenance fees for a Regal Visas (4BR that locks off into 2 units) are $1,305 (I assume for 2023 ... using what listings on RedWeek say). The maintenance fees are the same, regardless of which of the 52 weeks you own.

Trading Power of an ownership based on RCI Weeks Calculator:

Week 4 = 26 TPUs (13 per 2BR side)
Week 30= 46 TPUs (23 per 2BR side)

A prime week (in RCI weeks) has 43.5% more trading power than an off-season week. (In my view this is understated when trading in because the off-season weeks are much more likely to be discounted once they are not booked and the peak season weeks are more likely to be booked before being discounted.)

This is why I am a trader and not an owner when it comes to staying at Massanutten off season. This is also a significant reason why off-season weeks at Massanutten have a negative value to anyone not buying from the developer.

 

[escanoe]

I take approximately 4-5 week long trips each year. They are some combo of: Massanutten to ski, Breckenridge or Utah (Eden, not Park City) to ski, Hilton Head to golf in spring or fall, and Duck, NC for a week in the summer. The more I read the more it seems like accumulating points would be smarter or possibly starting with a floating 1-52 week of a 4/4 in Massanutten that I could use or exchange?

Being able to trade into a ski week in CO or UT would be a challenge with a timeshare (chance of success if planned well in advance, but nothing to rely on). Being able to use trading power to book something in the fall or spring in Hilton Head is certainly doable.

 

[Carolinian]

Once again, incredibly helpful. Thank you! I take approximately 4-5 week long trips each year. They are some combo of: Massanutten to ski, Breckenridge or Utah (Eden, not Park City) to ski, Hilton Head to golf in spring or fall, and Duck, NC for a week in the summer. The more I read the more it seems like accumulating points would be smarter or possibly starting with a floating 1-52 week of a 4/4 in Massanutten that I could use or exchange?

Buying a summer week at Duck would also be a good choice. Barrier Island Station Duck is the second highest demand timeshare on the Outer Banks. This is the time of the year to find a deal because maintenance fees will soon be due. If you go there every year, it will be a cost effective way to travel, and it has decent resale value.

If you own one week, the RCI fees are probably not worth using them for exchanges. Try an independent exchange compnay like SFX or Hawaii Timeshare Exchange instead which has no membership fee and a lower exchange fee, meaning they are cost effective to use them on occaision when you want to exchange.

 

[TUGBrian]

nearly 30 active listings on TUG alone for massanutten, its a popular giveaway!

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search Results - Massanutten For Sale

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search, Massanutten, For Sale

tug2.com

 

[Volkyro]

nearly 30 active listings on TUG alone for massanutten, its a popular giveaway!

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search Results - Massanutten For Sale

TUG Timeshare Marketplace Search, Massanutten, For Sale

tug2.com

Unfortunately, most are free for a reason.

 

[Volkyro]

Buying a summer week at Duck would also be a good choice. Barrier Island Station Duck is the second highest demand timeshare on the Outer Banks. This is the time of the year to find a deal because maintenance fees will soon be due. If you go there every year, it will be a cost effective way to travel, and it has decent resale value.

If you own one week, the RCI fees are probably not worth using them for exchanges. Try an independent exchange compnay like SFX or Hawaii Timeshare Exchange instead which has no membership fee and a lower exchange fee, meaning they are cost effective to use them on occaision when you want to exchange.

Thanks for the info on Duck! I'll take a look at Barrier Island. That's interesting about the RCI fees. I've been trying to locate timeshares already enrolled in RCI weeks or points for flexibility, but I haven't looked into any independent exchanges yet.

 

[VALabLover]

Hi all, new member trying to gather as much info as possible before making any purchases. My family and I visited Massanutten (in an Airbnb) last ski season, and we would like to return every year or at least every other year. I've been looking into timeshare options, but there is a ton of information. Would love some opinions or thoughts. The first question is there seems to be a lot of inventory in the free and almost free range, so are these timeshares that unappealing? Or is it just an issue where most people don't know how to use them? My group will range from 2 couples to 4 couples, and I've been considering Royal Vistas, Summit, and Woodstone. All seem well-reviewed and near the ski lodge. Are these the 3 best to watch for resales? Anywhere else worth considering? Data points that may help recommendations: no kids will be traveling with us, school and work calendars don't apply, budget is roughly $20k upfront and $2k per year. Everyone in my party is in an age range of 30 to 60. Some additional questions:

If I only ever have interest in visiting during ski season, is it smarter to get a ski week (51,52 or 1-8) or a floating week for exchanges and future exit?

I believe I've read the 4/4s at Royal Vistas can lockout into 2 2/2s. Is that the only 4bed in Massanutten that can lock into 2?

Royal Vistas seems to be notably more expensive than the other options. Is it significantly nicer?

Do any of the Massanutten resorts bypass a resort fee?

Is there so much availability that renting is just smarter?

Appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!

My wife and I have a unit at Eagle Trace, it's and every other Year White time. We would like to part with it. If you are interested, please let me know. very reasonable and just because of age we are shedding stuff so not a scam by any means.

 

[gumbow719]

Dont buy , rent, unless you buy on secondary market,red week,Ebay , look here on Tugs...Again use timeshare for going elsewhere ..I always that we made a mistake in buying from developer as it costs...Would have been easier to rent.even the timeshares rent their own inventory, then no lifelong rise in maintenance fees..hope this makes sense..Also if you get a week and belong to RCI, Rci rents weeks, cheaper then having a maintenance fee on weeks owned

 

[Carolinian]

Dont buy , rent, unless you buy on secondary market,red week,Ebay , look here on Tugs...Again use timeshare for going elsewhere ..I always that we made a mistake in buying from developer as it costs...Would have been easier to rent.even the timeshares rent their own inventory, then no lifelong rise in maintenance fees..hope this makes sense..Also if you get a week and belong to RCI, Rci rents weeks, cheaper then having a maintenance fee on weeks owned

That can indeed be true in overbuilt areas or off season, so if one buys, that is not what to buy. Summer timeshare weeks rent for multiples of the m/f when you can find them available. There are many summer beach locations like that.