Let’s dispel the notion that it is impossible to resell timeshare. In 2009, the websites for Sell My Timeshare NOW generated 61,743 offers to buy timeshare resales and 85,949 offers to rent timeshares. That’s a lot of activity in any market, but especially during a time when consumers are evaluating expenditures more carefully than ever.

Yet even with the outstanding global visibility of the Sell My Timeshare NOW websites, there is still no one-size-fits-all option when it comes to selling timeshare. We’ve always offered timeshare owners the option to sell timeshare, advertising it by-owner, on our well-positioned websites. (That means websites that show up in all the search results, no matter which timeshare or timeshare-related words you may type into your computer.)

However, not everyone is comfortable with or has the time to handle their timeshare sale themselves, connecting with prospective buyers, negotiating the contract, and contacting the timeshare resort. That’s why it is important for us to bring our timeshare broker services, (which we have offered for years) into a more prominent role in our discussions with owners.

Timeshare Resale: You Have Choices

If you choose to sell your timeshare by advertising it on the Sell My Timeshare NOW website as a by-owner resale you pay $599 in a one-time fee and your timeshare ad is marketed until it sells. If your timeshare sells via some other outlet first, we refund the money you paid to advertise it with us.

But if you want a broker managed timeshare sale, you can turn the entire process over to a licensed timeshare broker who is part of Timeshare Broker Services. You timeshare broker will take care of everything—start to finish. For this ‘turn-key’ service, you will pay nothing up front, and then either a 15 percent commission or $2,000 (whichever is greater) when the sale of the timeshare closes.

Yes, you really can resell timeshare and now, you have even more choices about how you do it.

Read our latest media release to learn more: Timeshare Resales Leader Steps Up to Expand Timeshare Owner Options

Today our company, Sell My Timeshare NOW, released some important news about our expanding services and new options for timeshare owners.

We want to be the timeshare resale advertising company that steps up to the plate—to ‘man up’ if you will—by offering timeshare owners the full diversity of services they may need when they get ready to sell or rent their timeshare. To help us reach this goal we are transitioning to a sales team almost exclusively comprised of licensed real estate professionals.

For months, we’ve been involved in providing in-house training here in our Dover, NH timeshare sales offices to help prepare our timeshare sales professionals for the testing necessary to receive their state real estate license. Not only do we want to be the timeshare resale and rental company with the very best trained personnel, but we want to know we are making every option available to timeshare owners who want to sell timeshare or use their timeshare as a rental.

When you contact Sell My Timeshare NOW and want to talk about selling your timeshare, we will be explaining both your option to sell by owner, which we have always offered, and our expanded focus on selling with a timeshare broker, through Timeshare Broker Services, the brokerage arm of our company.

To read all the details, click on our latest media release: Timeshare Resales Leader Steps Up to Expand Timeshare Owner Options

(Hat Tip to Sharon Drechsler of Resort Trades for finding this timeshare industry good news item)

Interested in some timeshare industry good news? It’s out there, it just doesn’t always make the headlines, like this update for example:

Keith Trowbridge is a name well known in the timeshare industry. A pioneer of the timeshare industry, he is CEO of Executive Quest, an executive placement company that specializes in the timeshare, fractional and vacation ownership industries. He’s also the author of How You Can Invest In Inflation-Proof Vacations For Life (Simon and Schuster) and co-author with Richard J. Lynge of Real Estate Broker’s Guide to Resort Timesharing (Real Estate Education Company). Clearly a voice of experience about timeshares, and when he talks, we all listen.

So it was good news to hear Dr. Keith Trowbridge say the following, “We are now witnessing clear signs of a modest recovery. Companies across the glove are beginning to replenish their inventories. Global GDP and global trade are strengthening and job losses are declining. And, we are beginning to see incremental increases in leasing, and sales activity across the board, and absorption, while still negative in many markets, is moving toward positive territory.”

Thanks again to Sharon for sharing this in the most recent issue of Resort Trades.

Liberty Bank has established a new lending relationship with Breckenridge Grand Vacations timeshare providing an initial loan of $10 million. Bank spokesperson, Denise Brewer, Vice President, says, “We were very impressed by the company’s track record and well-respected position in their community.”

President of Wellington Financial, (the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Banks) Ron Goldberg says, “the Breckenridge Grand Vacations team has demonstrated a fantastic track record in developing, marketing, selling and managing Gold Point Resort, Grand Timber Lodge and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7, as well as being a great asset to the community.”

Rob Millisor, resort operator adds, “Over the last 25 years, we’ve (Breckenridge resort) developed a business philosophy to serve investors, owners-and-guests, employees and our community. This attitude governs everything we do and has allowed us to provide family after family with excellent vacations for many years. We strongly believe that our dedication to ensuring the satisfaction of all four of these constituents has given us the focus for our success in the vacation ownership business in Breckenridge.”

Sell My Timeshare NOW is the only authorized reseller for Grand Timeshare Lodge resales. Grand Timber Lodge is a 5-star, year-round resort located at the base of Colorado’s Breckenridge ski resort and within minutes of the shops, restaurants, and entertainment in downtown Breckenridge.

More information about Breckenridge timeshares on The Timeshare Authority Blog:

• Timeshare Sales Good News for Grand Lodge Timeshares in Breckenridge, CO
• Grand Timber Lodge Timeshare Resort

Taking a similar path to timeshare sales and timeshare resales legislation being negotiated by concerned governments worldwide, Alberta Canada timeshare laws are getting more stringent. In an effort to offer Canada timeshare owners more protection, the government of Alberta is revising its current timeshare laws and regulations that originally were enacted more than a decade ago.

Effective November 2010, the new regulations will require everyone in the timeshare industry in Alberta to obtain a license from the provincial government and to disclose their business terms and conditions. Amending the Time Share Contracts and Points-based Regulation, under the Fair Trading Act, all timeshare sales and timeshare related businesses will be required to pay $200 to obtain a license and also to post security. The terms of the security are still under negotiation.

Chris Wein, President of multifamily operations at Calgary’s UBG says the government in Alberta Canada is playing “catch-up in terms of business and legal trends.” He adds that he sees this effort as providing greater protections for Canada timeshare owners, buyers, and sellers.

Buying trends in Canada timeshare have recently indicated increasing popularity in fractional ownership real estate, away from consumer purchases of traditional timeshare. If this pattern sustains, it could result in greater numbers of timeshare sales on the secondary market as owners transition from timeshares to longer-term fractional ownership.

Follow this link to find current Canada Time Share regulations

The Timeshare Authority blog has been tweeting, twittering, and blogging about the HOT 100 List of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals for nearly two months. We’ve worked our way up through the HOTTEST 10 timeshares on the list and now we are finally down to the timeshare resorts that ranked number one and number two on the HOT List.

Coming in as the number 2 timeshare of the 100 properties ranked is Harborside Resort At Atlantis on Paradise Island, in the Bahamas. This Caribbean timeshare resort is known as one of the most amazing properties anywhere in the world and it is no surprise that it makes the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT List year after year.

Harborside Resort At Atlantis Timeshare is part of the Starwood Vacation Network and is one of six properties that make up the Atlantis resort Paradise Island complex. When you vacation at Harborside Resort At Atlantis, you have complementary access to all of the facilities and attractions, including the six-story Mayan Temple water slide that drops you—where else—but seemingly into a pool of live sharks.

Whether you choose to swim with the dolphins, snorkel with the marine life, test your luck at the casinos, or indulge yourself at the spa, there is practically nothing you can imagine in a Caribbean timeshare vacation that isn’t available in grand scale at Harborside Resort At Atlantis.

The Number 1 Timeshare on Everyone’s List

Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club is located on the sparkly white sands of Palm Beach, Aruba, looking out at the beautiful Caribbean Sea. This popular Marriott timeshare affords timeshare owners and timeshare guests access to the on-site Stellaris Casino and the Aruba Marriott Resort, as well as the Mandara Spa, waterfall pool and Las Vegas-style entertainment.

With your choice of one, two, or three-bedroom timeshare units, all with separate living and dining areas, plus fully equipped kitchens, Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club is a fantasy destination for family vacations, honeymoons, or just that special escape you’ve been promising yourself. Best of all as a Marriott timeshare owner, the Aruba Surf Club doesn’t have to be a once in a lifetime event; instead you can choose to vacation here year after year, taking advantage of the quality and dependability that is recognized in Marriott timeshare.

Headlines float around the internet with enticing messages about your personal debt bailout or your credit card relief plan. They imply that the federal government has in some way offered consumers the same type of debt relief that has been made available to big business and the banking industry—but this is simply misleading messaging. You will even find timeshare related articles that suggest that somehow these erroneously named ‘bailouts’ address timeshare mortgages. This is smoke and mirrors talk; no transparency to it.

Here’s what is accurate. Timeshare owners who are struggling to make their timeshare mortgage payment can find some timeshare relief from new governmental programs…indirectly. If you are able to renegotiate your homeowners mortgage (for your residential home, not your timeshare) to a lower interest rate, then you will have more cash flow in your monthly budget to make paying other expenses, including those related to your timeshare, a little easier.

And although credit card companies have always been approachable about payment plans and sometimes about reducing the overall amount of debt if you are in over your head, there is more pressure on them than ever before to work with consumers. If you successfully negotiate a consolidated monthly payment for your credit cards, or even just a lower payment on the ones that give you problems, then again, you may indirectly have more money to use to pay other expenses, including your timeshare mortgage or timeshare annual fees and/or taxes. Additionally, as part of the credit card reform act, your credit card bill should now be easier to read and communicate to you more clearly how much you are actually paying in interest—information that should make it easier for more people to control debt in the future.

Option: Use Your Timeshare as a Vacation Rental

Another alternative for offsetting the cost of your timeshare is to use your timeshare as a rental. Timeshare rental is a vacation accommodations option that is growing in popularity. And as more timeshare companies make renting timeshare easier to do, vacationers are realizing that timeshare rental affords them more space, typically for less money than renting a hotel or motel room.

Timeshare rental can be a win-win because it lets the timeshare owner retain ownership of the timeshare for use in the future while creating some income from it to offset the cost of ownership. If you think timeshare rental is an alternative that can help you, you can learn more here: Rent your timeshare

When someone tells you that you need a timeshare appraisal in order to buy or sell timeshare, think twice.

Many people will unknowingly pay for a timeshare appraisal as part of their timeshare transaction because they assume it is necessary—after all, you pay for an appraisal as part of a home sale, so why not one for timeshare sales? The answer is very simple when you think it through.

When you buy a home, you pay the price the price you are personally willing to pay for that home—the true market value. But if you finance the home, your lender won’t simply trust the buyer and seller to have settled on the appropriate price. The lender will require that you hire a professional appraiser to assess the authentic value of the home so that the lender knows it is not lending you more money than the home is actually worth.

The home mortgage lender wants to see that it can get its money back on the home it holds as collateral if you default on the loan. Barring an economic freefall in the housing market (such as we have seen in the past few years), a home appraisal protects the lender from loss.

But who buys timeshare with a home mortgage? The lenders who loan money to buy timeshare typically do so through consumer loans, which are based on the borrower’s good credit history, not on mortgage loans that hold property as collateral against borrower default. When there is no lender to require a timeshare appraisal, what value would getting that appraisal serve either the timeshare seller or the timeshare buyer?

Timeshare Appraisal, the Timeshare Sales Expense You Don’t Need

Timeshare sales are based on market value—that’s the price consumers are generally willing to pay to buy timeshare of a given size, location, and season. When you want to know the market value of your timeshare, click on market value survey and Sell My Timeshare NOW will provide this information to you at NO COST.

And doesn’t knowing this make you question why a timeshare sales company might ever require you to pay for a timeshare appraisal when no lender is requiring it? Unfortunately, timeshare appraisals can be add-on or hidden costs that some timeshare sales and timeshare resales companies use unethically to pad their profits. Before you pay for a timeshare appraisal, make sure you understand why it is required for your timeshare sales transaction and who will benefit by it.

People who are buying homes and residential real estate right now are doing so because this is an excellent time to buy. And many consumers are finding the same to be true when it comes to buying timeshares, timeshare resales, or other vacation ownership real estate.

Timeshare companies and timeshare developers who sell new timeshare are working hard to earn the timeshare sale … you may find them more negotiable than ever. But the best deals are usually available in buying timeshare resales from belt-tightening, budget conscious timeshare owners, who are anxious to sell their timeshare in order to get out from under annual timeshare maintenance fees and/or property taxes.

So if you are interested in taking advantage of the better-than-ever deals available in timeshare and timeshare resales, here are some important questions you need to ask before you sign on the dotted line.

Applies When You Are Buying Timeshare Either New or as a Timeshare Resale:

• Make sure you know the resort name and exact location. Pay special attention to timeshare resorts that have been built in phases because the description of the Phase I property could be very different from Phase V property. Know the specific address of the timeshare unit or the timeshare property usage you are buying.
• Know the annual maintenance fees, how much they have increased over the years, and the date of the last increase.
• Find out what the property taxes are, if they are included in your maintenance fee, and how and when you pay them if you are responsible for making the payment yourself.
• In a points based system, know the number of points you are buying.
• Know whether you are buying a fixed or floating timeshare interval.
• How many rooms are in the unit, what is the square footage, and can you see a floor plan?
• Find out both how many people the unit sleeps as well as the number of bedrooms. These will not be the same number!
• Ask about the view from your unit. Are you beachside? Have a scenic view of the mountains? Or are you staring at the parking lot? Desirability of view can affect the value of the timeshare.

Applies Specifically When You Are Buying Timeshare Resale:

• Learn what, if any, privileges of timeshare ownership cannot be transferred in a timeshare resale.
• Know how you will handle the timeshare title transfer, the escrow account, and the closing contract.

Applies Specifically When You Are Buying Timeshare New From the Resort or Developer:

• Know the exact sales price you will be paying and the duration and interest rate of the timeshare mortgage if you are using developer financing.
• Know if you can transfer to another financing source without paying a penalty on developer financing and if there are time limits for doing this.
• Find out if there are perks, loyalty programs, or benefits you can take advantage of because you have purchased a new timeshare at the developer’s full price.

And while all of these are critical questions to ask before you buy timeshare or a timeshare resale, based on the situation, there may be many other important questions to ask as well. To make sure you wind up owning a timeshare that fits both your vacation needs and your budget, do three simple things:

1. Take your time, don’t let anyone rush you.
2. Do your own research so that you know exactly what you are buying and the terms of the sale.
3. Do not “settle” for a property that is almost-right. There are too many great deals in timeshare sales and timeshare resales for you to buy anything less than a timeshare that is ideal for you and your family to enjoy for many happy years.

 

Topics: Timeshare Blog, Timeshare Brokers, Timeshare Buyers, Timeshare News, Timeshare Real Estate, Timeshare Resales, Timeshare Sales

We didn’t really know what to anticipate.

After all, most of our clients and potential clients at Sell My Timeshare NOW —some 2 million plus each month who come to our website — are looking for great deals on vacation ownership and vacation rentals or they are timeshare owners looking to sell or rent timeshare they no longer use. They come to us because they want to take advantage of by-owner ads on Sell My Timeshare NOW’s high-visibility websites but prefer to manage their timeshare sale or timeshare rental themselves.

Some timeshare owners need or prefer turnkey service for their timeshare sales transactions. For this reason, we added timeshare broker services and licensed real estate agents to provide sellers who go this route, the comprehensive services they seek.

We also recognized that if some people preferred turnkey services for selling timeshare, there might be timeshare owners who wanted turnkey services for using their timeshare as a rental, too. With this in mind, late in 2007 we launched Rental Assist. In 2008, it was a small effort and it wasn’t really until 2009 that the program began to get its legs and take off.

A Highly Successful Timeshare Rental Solution

Sell My Timeshare NOW is proud to report that the brokerage team of trained professionals at Rental Assist completed $2.6 million in timeshare rentals in 2009. Lucas Lanigan, Rental Sales Director, says, “With Rental Assist, our team of experienced timeshare real estate professionals match timeshare owners with timeshare renters, handling every detail of the process—turnkey service for the timeshare owner. In 2009, 1,450 timeshare owners rented their timeshare through this program for an average weekly rental rate of $1,808, which is more than triple the average owner’s maintenance fee.”

Lucas goes on to explain, “1,450 families enjoyed timeshare rental vacations last year because our Rental Assist team was able to get them the destination and price they wanted for their vacation during the dates that matched their schedule. Personalized service for the timeshare renter and worry-free, comprehensive service for the timeshare owner, and we are just getting started. In 2010, we expect to see timeshare Rental Assist soar, as timeshare owners recognize its value.”

The results of Rental Assist are very exciting. Imagine getting a weekly rental rate of $1,808 for your timeshare. This is easily more than enough to pay most owners’ annual fees for maintenance and to even let them put some money in their pocket.

Click this link to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s most recent timeshare media release about our exciting results at Rental Assist. And contact our timeshare rental specialists to learn how you can take advantage of this new and exciting comprehensive timeshare rental service.