Well Said, Mr. Timeshare Junkie

Earlier this week CanadianBusiness.com published an article on timeshares and timeshare resales, written by D G Southen. I wasn’t familiar with Southen’s writing before, but he sure captured my attention with an article entitled, “Confessions of a Timeshare Junkie.”

Southen blames the bad reputation that sometimes haunts timeshare sales on, “…the dubious ways they’re sold. Developers entice you to presentations with come-ons such as ski-lift tickets, cheap accommodation, even cash — and once you’re seated, the developer’s sales staff put the hard sell on you.”

Then he goes on to explain how he has avoided the heavy-handed developer sales approach, and at the same time, avoided paying too much for timeshare. He buys timeshare resales! As Southen explains, “Instead of paying thousands for the rights to spend a week once a year in a resort condo, I’ve paid as little as $150. I have an annual March Break reservation in Grand Cayman where I bought into a gorgeous 110 sq m (1,200 sq. ft.), two-storey unit with full eat-in kitchen, three full baths, two bedrooms and a full balcony overlooking the ocean. I paid less than $2,000 for it — and I can use it every year for the rest of my life.”

I’m quoting the author’s words exactly, because I simply could not explain the opportunities for timeshare ownership and fabulous vacations that timeshare resales affords, any better myself. Southen writes about attending a timeshare presentation and turning down the $8000 timeshare week offered at a ski resort, only to buy the same thing shortly thereafter as a timeshare resale for the ‘whopping’ price of $865.

Valuable Insights for Buying Timeshare Resales

What makes this author such an authority? He’s owned 20 timeshares, and he admits that sometimes he has made buying mistakes. So here’s a summary of this self-proclaimed timeshare junkie’s do’s and don’ts:

Buy at a resort where you want to vacation. Southen’s says it’s easier than buying elsewhere and trying to exchange timeshare for the location you prefer.

If your heart is set on timeshare exchange, buy timeshare at a resort that has properties in different parts of the country or different parts of the world. That way, you’ll be exchanging within a brand’s own network of timeshare resorts.

Shop around. While Southen suggests eBay, I suggest a timeshare advertising and marketing company, like Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Research maintenance fees. Timeshare maintenance fees that are too high will keep coming around to bite you, making your good deal not so good. Fees that are too low suggest a timeshare resort is not keeping up with repairs and necessary updates to the property.

And lastly, the author advises you to be patient about timeshare closings. Expect them to take at least three months.

To learn more about safe and economical ways to buy timeshare, read “Timeshare Resale Buyers FAQ,” from Sell My Timeshare NOW.