The Trouble With Timeshares

[gman]

The Trouble With Timeshares




by Dave Ramsey


Myth: I can get a great deal on a timeshare and go for vacation every year! Plus, I can always sell it if I get tired of it.
Truth: Timeshares are one of the biggest scams on the market today. Once you are stuck in one, you are stuck in a black hole.

The first word that comes to my mind when I hear timeshares is RUN! Run far, far away! If you run fast enough, you can eventually escape that annoying, high-pressure salesperson!
Let's think about this for a minute. Why in the world would you pay thousands and thousands of your hard-earned dollars for a place with minimal square-footage that you MIGHT get the chance to visit for one week each year? Add to that the fact that you have absolutely no equity in the place. And you have to pay extra ongoing "maintenance fees". And selling it is near impossible. And it's basically just an expensive, ongoing headache. And, and, AND!

Sounds completely ridiculous, doesn't it? That's because it is!
Why all the buzz?

Timeshares are one of the top sellers in the travel and hospitality industry. Thousands are available and millions of people "own" them. But that doesn't mean timeshares are a good idea. An article on MarketWatch.com tells us that timeshares are generally marketed and sold to people who really can't afford them. So if you think you can afford it, you can't. Even if you really think you can, trust me, your money is better off in a cookie jar.

Don't believe me? Check this out: The average cost of a timeshare in the U.S. is $13,000. If you put that money in a mutual fund averaging 12% over 10 years, you would have almost $43,000. Pretty good. In 20 years, you would have over $141,000. Even better. In 40 years, you would have over $1.5 million! That's a LOT of free money! Hope you like the vacation house!
Throwing money at a timeshare is not an investment and will NOT generate money for you. An investment implies that you can eventually sell it and make money. With timeshares, you're just pre-paying your hotel bill for the next 20 years whether or not you use it.

Getting out of the deal

If you've already taken the plunge and paid your stupid tax, here's how to get out of it. Call the place as a potential customer and find out what a similar unit is selling for. They will probably tell you that you can't do that. Just be strong and tell them you want to know what options you have available so that you can either sell it back or sell it to someone else.

Contact the executive director of sales if you are getting trouble from any of the sales managers. Tell the director you'll sell it for half of what the going rate is and pay double the commission.

You're definitely going to lose money on this. Timeshares go down in value worse than a car. But it's better to cut your losses than to continue to lose any more money. If you can't sell it back to the company you bought it from, don't go to one of the list services where you have to pay a fee. Donate it here.
Is it worth it to go to a "great presentation" just to score a free dinner at a nice restaurant? NO WAY. For the money you put into a crummy timeshare, you could go to Europe every summer for the rest of your life and never have a problem.

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[Fletch]

I'll kick this one up a notch.....using timeshares to buy a home (see Eastern Pennsylvania). Another thread, though!

Hopefully, with the credit/lending crunch, that practice is not done much anymore.

[Edith A. Giles]

This is VERY interesting...

I've been getting these e-mails about timeshares, and I just spam them.

I've heard MANY a horror story about timeshares, and I would NEVER waste my hard-earned money.

[Chuck P]

I have three time ownerships which are different from the original timeshares in that I actually OWN the week I purchased. I have a deed for it and can leave it to anyone I want.

I have NEVER gone to any of the three resorts that I own in and I pretty much get whatever I want in terms of making an exchange. I recently sold my timeshare in Vegas with no problem at all, sounds like it depends on who you buy from and where you are buying....

If anyone needs more insight, hit me on the PM I can definitely steer you in the right direction.

[gman]

I have three time ownerships which are different from the original timeshares in that I actually OWN the week I purchased. I have a deed for it and can leave it to anyone I want.

I have NEVER gone to any of the three resorts that I own in and I pretty much get whatever I want in terms of making an exchange. I recently sold my timeshare in Vegas with no problem at all, sounds like it depends on who you buy from and where you are buying....

If anyone needs more insight, hit me on the PM I can definitely steer you in the right direction.

Just curious as to whether you were able to sell the time share for more, the same or less than what you paid for it ? How much did each one cost ? What are the yearly maintenance fees ?


-G

[Chuck P]

Just curious as to whether you were able to sell the time share for more, the same or less than what you paid for it ? How much did each one cost ? What are the yearly maintenance fees ?


-G

Sorry for my tardy reply G, the first one we purchased was 16 stacks, the second and thrid ones were foreclosures so we just paid the balance of what was owed on them........

We sold the one in Vegas and made about 5 grand on it........

The other two are in Florida, and we use those to exchange with......

The only thing I didn't like is the first one we own is the only one that allows us to pay the maintenance fee monthly, the rest of them you had to pay at the first of the year and it got on my nerves.

This is one of the main reasons we ended up selling one because every Jan, we had to come up with a stack........

I'll keep the other two though, we've had good sucess with our time ownerships.......

The key is to buy in a location that everyone wants to come to, even if you don't, the more your week is in demand, the better your chances of getting stuff that you like in return......

Another thing, buy with a company that exchanges with RCI and not that other one, I think it's called International Interval or something like that, RCI is the biggest exchange company in the world, they have the largest inventory of resorts around the world........

[dYsKo]

I have a Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare... and I LOVE it!!!

I travel on business... pay rent at my timeshare through my business and my clients pay... so my yearly assessments are paid...

My wife and I can travel to ANY Hilton all over the world... and pay nothing.. we love it. it is deeded and we can send our friends and family and we can pass it to our relatives..