Resale Question

[John&Laurie]

My timeshare notebook filled with post-its, internet and bbs printouts, real estate flyers is screaming for a serious overhaul. I would appreciate your suggestions on how to track the timeshare resale market.

Does anyone have a system for keeping track of market values in order to make a more informed decision on their offering price to purchase a timeshare?

Thanks

John

 

[AwayWeGo]

My Baseline Is Way Low.

My baseline is what I paid in 2003 for my eBay Floating Diamond 3BR lock-off timeshare unit in Orlando FL.

It may well be unrealistically low, but that's my standard for comparison anyway.

Not only that, my experience with Last Call & Instant Exchange has skewed my points exchange expectation as well -- another set of lowball baselines.

I doubt I'll ever get into the top-rated resorts during the highest-demand weeks, but that was not my expectation going in.

My aim is luxury vacation accommodations at Motel 6 & Super 8 prices. So far, with approximately $3,500* tied up in 3 timeshares, that's pretty much the way it's working out.

As a more practical & less skewed standard, eBay prices work as a decent indicator of what resale timeshares really sell for in a market populated by lots & lots of sellers & lookers & buyers.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

* Purchase prices & closing costs only, not counting maintenance fees, special assessments, & exchange fees.​

 

[sfwilshire]

When I was interested in buying at a resort with lots of eBay resales, I just searched the completed auctions every week and entered the data into an Excel spreadsheet. If I wanted to know how a particular section was selling, I could sort the sheet and see the range.

Granted, eBay is just one of a gazillion outlets, but I felt like it at least gave me a general idea.

Most of the other resorts I have been interested in come up for sale so seldom that it's just a matter of grabbing one when you see it if you can afford it.

Sheila

 

[geekette]

This is a monumental task if you have not yet decided what you want to buy.

Once I determine what I want, I just make the rounds of the normal resale places daily. I don't "track" so much as know a bargain when I see one. Of course, I'm rather focused in what I want, so it's way easier to keep the stuff in my head. I would agree Excel would be a good way to go for tracking a lot of different resorts. You could also bookmark the pages in a special folder in your browser and let it sit in cache (helps to keep all the details of an offering together)

 

[Leturno]

This is a monumental task if you have not yet decided what you want to buy.

...

I agree with this, you have to know what you want to buy.

Sit down with your spouse or significant other or frequent travel companion and brain storm a short list of where you would want to go over the next several years. Also decide what size unit and level of accomodations you would like. From this form a timeshare strategy that will get there. You will spend more time in TUG databases and owners groups like the Fairfield yahoo group then you will at resale sites learning the in's and out's of the systems. Once you figured out what you need to get there then you can track eBay resales until you spot a bargain.

Scott

 

[jacknsara]

... ... Does anyone have a system for keeping track of market values in order to make a more informed decision on their offering price to purchase a timeshare?

Aloha
I copy & paste data off of ebay auctions into a spreadsheet with the columns listed below (hint: copy then paste special transpose). It evolved over time. I would modify it if I were starting over. (view type; season restrictions; ...) By limiting answers to a narrow range of possiblities in key columns, you can quickly focus on results of interest by activating Data/Filter/Autofiler (Excel talk). I have over 900 rows of data in a bit under 4 years (all of it Hawaii). There are many months when I don't collect anything. It takes a bit of time. The payoff begins after more than 100 rows if you only know the region and not the resorts that you are interested in.
Jack

e-bay item number
Title
Description
Sale or rent
Rental period start or A; E; O
week num
opening bid
buy it now price
reserve
final bid
# bids
sold (yes/no)
date listed
date closed
seller
bed rooms
bath rooms
Resort Name