Thank you all very much for your thoughts! You’ve all certainly given us food for thought. We have been stuck in decisonmaking-land. We got over the first hurdle of do we even want to buy. And think that is a YES because we are a large-ish family (3 kids) and like at least 2 rooms with beds for everyone, love the kitchens, love the resort atmosphere and the pools, hot tubs, and kids activities, and like the idea of planning ahead and pre-paying for vacations. So, now we are trying to determine WHAT we should buy. Thanks!
So, I own Marriott (just one now) Westin (WKORV) and Worldmark (2)
I bought Marriott to trade (MGR 3br) I'll probably never go there...unless I get some grankiddies soon.
I bought the WKORV to occupy; too expensive to trade and too hard to exchange into Maui (consistently)
I bought the Worldmark to play with and trade and give kiddies some vacations.
The Marriott is a fantastic trader. I'm very pleased. Flexibility is required. School days and limited vacation could be difficult. Depends on the dates/locations. If you're less choosy.... you can find a boatload of options. Pick one weekend in Hawaii in July...you'll be disappointed. It's a great option for trading.
The Westin is what we wanted: Oceanfront, large and premium. Would be a lousy solution for you because it's in Hawaii. But, another Westin/Sheraton with points might be a good option. Good flexibility and good trading. It's a thought.
The Worldmarks. Well, they continue to amaze me. They trade for fantastic trades at prices that are difficult to comprehend.(they are cheap)
If you can't decide and don't want to commit to something large, expensive, difficult to move etc..... Get a Worldmark and play. Easy to buy, easy to trade, easy to use, easy to sell. Not a bunch of east coast 'native' locations, so you'd be trading. But hey, it's a start that won't break the bank....and you can really make a few good vacations a year.
Like I say: If you're worried about sinking thousands into purchase, thousands into MF's, then grab something cheap (WM in this case) and give it a go. Or, maybe a Vistana with at least 81k points (better would be 144k) and take the kids some where fun every year. That's not too much $$$$ and if you're smart, you'll be able to slide into or out of the purchase without a herculean effort.
cheers.