Legal Descriptions

[Pamela Kay RN]

Hi,

I am fairly new to the TS industry and was looking at the San Diego Tax Sale next month. How do I decipher the Legal Description? I have looked online and cannot find any information about this. Can I contact the property and ask questions regarding the timeshares that are in tax default?

Thanks,
Pamela

 

[Passepartout]

You can certainly ask the resort for an estoppel letter that will tell you a wealth of in formation- like the week, size unit, amount of maintenance fees, and on and on. You should request this before bidding. It will help you make an apples to apples comparison. But really, there are enough basically free or low cost timeshares on the market that you don't need to haunt tax auctions to find a bargain.

Jim

 

[Pamela Kay RN]

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Passepartout]

Thank you so much for your help!

You're welcome. Before you start shopping for a bargain TS, hang around TUG for a while- we think that each system has a learning curve that takes from a few weeks to several months to nail down. Just because a TS is cheap, doesn't make it 'right' for everyone. Or ANYone. If you want some examples, look no further than the 'Bargain Deals' sub-forum at the top of this forum. So Hang around. There is newbie questionnaire you can answer and post to help us help you decide which-or if a timeshare is right for you. The vast majority of us are owners- many have several. About half of us bought our first TS from a developer before learning about resales. We're a pretty savvy bunch and mostly polite. You won't be flamed- even for asking the same question we've answered 10,000 times.

Jim

 

[Passepartout]

Here: https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/what-to-buy-questions-for-newbies.208742/ is that questionnaire.

 

[Pamela Kay RN]

I went and talked with one of the sales people at the resort and they cannot release the Estoppal letter without owner permission. I just need to know how to read the Legal Description.
US342TIMESHARE USE PERIOD 13DOC85-216356& UND INT IN LOT 1

I figured out the unit is 342 but have no clue how to figure out which week it is...I'm frustrated at this point. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pamela

 

[Passepartout]

Can you go to the county recorder's office? They might or might not be able to answer which interval it is. They are clerks, but they see more local descriptions than we do. The information is public record. Looking at the above description, I'd go out on limb and guess it's week 13 (usually early April) and it's an 'undivided interest' which means that each interval owner shares in the whole.

 

[Pamela Kay RN]

I was thinking week 13 too but wasn't sure. I really appreciate your help!

 

[sologirl]

It isn't a full legal description, it refers to a document, probably recorded as 13DOC85-216356. I'm in the tax lien business, and my advice is that you need to check the laws to make sure there aren't any other legal costs to acquire the tax deed.

 

[Passepartout]

Pamela Kay, Again, why bother with a tax sale that you may be required to pay back taxes and who knows what else when eBay, TUG, Redweek and other sites are full of free and very low cost timeshares. It looks like you're getting caught up in the chase, and in this market, that's unnecessary. Unless there's something special about unit 342?

 

[Talent312]

The "legal description" looks more like a county tax collector's shorthand for the account.
It may be week 13, but the DOC-numbers prolly refer to the book+page # for the deed.
You may be able to find the deed on the county's public records website.
You may be able to track account history using the county tax collector's website.

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