Understanding Timeshare Supply, Demand, and Personal Luxury.
If your considering buying a timeshare or joining a vacation club, having a clear understanding of timeshares and its potential to either increase or decrease in value. The value of timeshares and vacation clubs is measured by supply, demand, and personal luxury. The personal luxury measurement typically is determined by ease of usage, the amenities, the times eligible to travel, and the locations desirability. In short, if you have a fixed prime week, in a luxuries location, with premier amenities the personal luxury value may be at its peak.
Timeshare companies has low to high level accommodations. Depending on with timeshare company your bought or which vacation club you upgraded to will result in the luxury level. Some timeshare owners have nothing short of a motel room, while others have 6 room penthouse suites. All of the glory of luxuries status comes with a lifelong increasing membership fee billed at thousands of dollars to tens of thousand of dollars a year. These fee’s are called maintenance fee’s.
Every timeshare owner has felt the sting of maintenance bill. The invoice comes in for unwanted or unused timeshares every year for the whole life for many timeshare owners. The timeshare owner who is uninformed, scared, or doesn’t have a desire to terminate this maintenance fee typically pays $50,000-$74,000 in a lifetime of maintenance fees. Of course, there are timeshares with less or more in lifetime maintenance fees, but these are real averages.
Timeshares.
During a timeshare agreement, you’re paying for the right to use a vacation property for a specific length of time and with a specific frequency. This could be a single week, or a set of dates. Typically, timeshare properties are located in resorts in desirable vacation destinations. Timeshare “owners” usually pay s deposit fee to get into the timeshare agreement, plus regular maintenance fees and other charges later to continue ownership.
But not all timeshares work the same way. For example:
- Some timeshare agreements give you the right to stay at a resort for a week every two years. Which week you get may change every time.
- “Deeded timeshares” let you buy a specific unit for a specific week each year. Legally, these timeshares are considered real property that your heirs may inherit.
- Points-based timeshares let you use your allotted timeshare points at different properties. The amount of points needed will vary depending on the property, location, length of stay, and time of year.
The laws that govern timeshares are specific to the state where the property is located. The sales staff may tell you that a timeshare is a solid financial asset, but the value of a timeshare is in its use as a vacation destination, not as an investment. (States the Federal Trade Commission)
Vacation Clubs
Some vacation clubs are a variation of a timeshare: you pay a deposit fee, and once you’re enrolled, you select resorts to stay at. The difference is, you pay each time for the cost of staying there. Other vacation clubs claim that, once you enroll, you’ll get discounts on travel, lodging, or other amenities related to a vacation.
Before you enroll in a vacation club, be clear on what you’re getting. Even if marketers and timeshare salespeople are using the same term “vacation club,” they might be talking about different things.
Before you commit to a timeshare or a vacation club
- Find out the true cost. Add up all the payments, including the initial payment, fees, taxes, and travel costs to get to get there, plus any other yearly charges. Is that the amount you want to spend on a vacation every year?
- If there’s an exchange program, be clear on how it works. If they say you can exchange your points or weeks to vacation at different properties, find out if there’s an extra charge for booking a property through the exchange — or different charges for different types of properties. Is this still a good deal?
- If there’s a point system, understand the details. Many timeshares and vacation clubs use a point system, but not all work the same way. Typically, the number of points you need to stay where you want depends on
- Length of your stay.
- Type of unit you’d like.
- Where the resort is located.
- When you want to go.
Consider whether you’ll have the points you need to take the kind of vacations you want. Find out if you’re allowed to buy points and how much that costs.
- Keep in mind that a timeshare’s annual maintenance fees typically go up every year. Most timeshares have an annual maintenance fee. Those fees can rise at rates that equal or exceed inflation, so ask whether your plan has a fee cap. You’ll have to pay fees and taxes even if you don’t use the unit.
- Know what happens if you want to get out. In many instances, it can be tough to sell a timeshare. Find out if there’s an exit program and how it works. If you’re considering a vacation club, make sure you know how to cancel if you don’t want to be enrolled anymore.
This one is more of a timeshare/vacation club hybrid: you do purchase real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club Resort, but it comes in the form of an annual allotment of Vacation Points which you can use to book accommodations at other Disney properties. Most are in Florida, South Carolina, Hawaii, and California. Eligible Members receive exclusive invitations to special events like holiday celebrations, culinary experiences and “Moonlight Magic” events (complimentary after-hours celebrations at select Disney parks). Membership pricing starts at more than $300 plus an additional $100 and up in dues each month—but members can borrow points from upcoming years or bank points that go unused.