Confusing Responses ?
There are some people here who will tell you, often with lots of not so nice labels, to never buy retail. Remember, if no one ever bought timeshares retail, there would not be any properties, and the resale market would not exist !
I'm not saying all deals are good ! Maybe the one you bought is not right. However, perhaps my scenario will help.
I own a fixed summer week across from the beach in Southern California. It is a 2 bedroom unit. I never trade it. My cost ... about $ 15K. The maintenance fee is higher then many, but its by the water and that means it requires more maintenance because salt water is corrosive. This is a very nice resort, and people all enjoy staying there. I bought it retail and have no regrets. I've never seen a unit there for "super cheap" resale.
I bought a 2nd week there for its points values. Its floating and cost me a bit less. I get roughly 69,000 RCI points. I can usually trade those for about two, or more, weeks of time in the RCI system. I often get shorter stays ( 3 to 5 days ).
I book through RCI. Sometimes its frustrating, sometimes its OK. There are fees, and they do offer a lot of inexpensive last chance opportunities. With all of the competing programs, inventory can be limited. We have little flexibility for the next few years. Thereafter we could do great with this same investment.
The plus side is that my buy in was not as high as most examples I see here. It would be nice to have lower costs, but that would have tradeoffs. I do know this. I have the minimum capability of having 7 people vacation for 14 days each year. My cost for this ( maintenance fees ) is less then $ 2,000 / year. I can't rent quality hotel space by the beach for this low a rate. So that is value.
If you are unsure about this transaction, get out of the deal. Look at where you want to go. Everyone agrees you should buy where you would like to vacation. Then look to see if there are resales available that meet your needs. If so, great. If not, but retail exists, you may want to try negotiating a better deal. Otherwise, you might be best to wait.
Take a serious look at the trading options. Specifically, look at RCI. Many of the places you look at will deposit to RCI. Their Points option is not available at all resorts, but it gives you the flexibility of short term vacations. Also look at their resort lists, and travel deals ( inventory available for rental ). It will give you a good idea of the possibilities.
Finally, don't make a decision based on a sales pitch. Any legitimate timeshare company will be courteous when you say you want to think it over and will get back to them. The same offer, or a better one, will still be there if the inventory is still available.
I hope this is helpful.
or at least not mean .I know we can get the deal later, that is for sure.
