People often ask: Whats the value of timeshare to you and your family? We would like to take a look at some of the ideas and issues that come to light when we think about “timeshare value”.
First, we should state upfront, that to buy and own timeshares is not a saving or an investment strategy. We frequently hear sales people talk about the idea of buying a timeshare as an investment. It is not, and you will probably not get what you paid for your timeshare when you go to sell, unless you have purchased your timeshare on the resale market.
We recommend that you not buy from the developer and suggest you read some of our posts on buying a timeshare. “Timeshare Resales”, “A Tip for Purchasing Timeshare” and “Buying Timeshares” are three to get you started. Along those same lines, you get no value from your timeshare if you do not use it. If you do not use all your weeks or points but instead let them expire, you are losing value and money.
When we look at the value of timeshares, we usually figure that you can probably sell most of your timeshares close to what you paid for them if you buy them all resale. So in calculating the timeshare value, we assume the purchase price to be a wash. So the yearly costs become your maintenance fees, membership dues to a trading company (RCI, II, etc), and the exchange fees you pay. It is a good idea to keep track of these expenses. We use a spread sheet on the computer to log these expenses. It then becomes an easy task to look at the totals for the year and divide by the number of weeks or days you spend in timeshares to get your costs.
We have found over the years that our costs run from $300.00 to $500.00 per week or $43.00 to $72.00 per day. This depends on how much we can maximize our weeks using some of the ideas we have written about previously in our Wyndham posts. Also, this cost varies based on if you go to a home resort or trade through one of the trading companies where you must pay an exchange fee.
When you compare this to the cost of hotels or condo rentals, we think we see an excellent value in timesharing. Also, keep in mind many of the other advantages we have talked about in the timeshare experience: better and larger accommodations, amenities and activities at the resorts, and the great people you meet. We have written several posts about timesharing and how superior we think it is compared to other travel methods. Take a look at “Why we timeshare” and “Timeshare Vacations-A Guide to Healthy Living”.
Don’t get as wrong, we think there are other travel options that can provide a unique experience at a fair cost. We have tried some of these and have enjoyed them. We have taken several cruises, found some great hotel deals, and have gone to some non- timeshare resorts that have provided a great value. We recommend that you look for these values and book them when you see a deal. Be sure to do a cost analysis of days of vacations vs. dollar amounts and compare the experience and costs of your timeshare vacations.
We think that timesharing is the best value in dollars for what you get. At any rate, have fun and enjoy!
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
What are your thoughts on the article here:
http://beforeyougo.com/node/58
That article would tend to say that timeshares are not the way to go, that they tend to be more expensive than other vacations and offer you less flexibility.