Great green (or sometimes orange) lizards are literally dropping out of the trees all over south Florida this week, meaning it could be “raining iguanas” at your Florida timeshare. The unusually cold weather that has impacted most of the US recently has even reached far into the state of Florida. In the Orlando area, citrus growers struggle to protect their crops while fern farms panic over a freeze so close to Valentine’s Day, when fern sales (added to rose bouquets) are at their yearly peak.

But slightly further south, the cold temperatures have create a very different kind of problem. From Ft. Lauderdale to Miami Beach, Boca Raton to Naples, iguanas are falling into a state of dormancy. Their bodies do not tolerate temperatures in the 40’s. The hibernation state seems to creep up on them, sometimes as they crawl from warmer waterways onto colder land, but often while they are sleeping in the trees and tropical plants. The result is a “rainfall” of comatose iguanas, dropping on to golf courses, bike paths, jogging trails and other areas typically lined with trees.

Animal lovers (and reptile lovers) need not panic. Unless injured in the fall, the brightly colored iguanas simply snooze wherever they land until the temperatures rise and their bodies become active again.

In the meantime, at beautiful South Florida timeshares, such as Marriott’s Villas at Doral and other Miami timeshare resorts, slumbering iguanas provide added interest for vacationers and timeshare owners who think overnight lows in the 40’s are not nearly as uncomfortable as the subzero temperatures they left behind.

Considering that Sell My Timeshare NOW has been blogging since shortly after our company was founded, you’d think we would have included a blog roll as part of The Timeshare Authority blog before now. Well, better now than never, so this week, The Timeshare Authority blog rolled out (pun intended) the first blogs to be listed on our blog roll.

These blogs represent some (but certainly not all) of the best reading out there on travel, tourism, theme parks, timeshares, and the timeshare industry. We’ve included blogs that deal with travel to specific cities, states, regions or countries, including the California Beaches Blog; 1001 Things to Do in NYC; Canadian Tourism Blog; Happy Happens San Diego; Orlando Vacation Blog; and Tourism Central Florida — all popular destinations for timeshare owners or vacationers who rent timeshare.

Some of the excellent blogs we’ve added to The Timeshare Authority blogroll focus on theme parks, either in general or a particular park because almost anywhere you find great theme parks you will also find great timeshares. These blogs include: Disney Parks Blog; Mousekingdom Blog; Sea World San Antonio Blog; The Disney Blog; and Theme Park Rangers.

Timeshare Blogs, Timeshare Industry Blogs, and Travel Blogs

Included on our blog roll you will find Marriott on the Move; The Timeshare Blog; and VacationBetter.org; these are all blogs about timeshares and timesharing. Other blogs we’ve listed are travel and adventure blogs, including: Absurd Adventures; National Geographic Adventure Blog; Intelligent Travel; or travel industry blogs such as: The Tourism Research Blog; and The Travel Mole.

Finally, The Timeshare Authority’s blogroll includes some blogs that just fit into a niche all their own: Cruise@ddicts Blog; Get Outdoors; Hotel Check In; and The Mindful Tourist.

We’ve added this list to our timeshare blog because we want to share with you resources that you may find as helpful as we do. But we’ve only just begun with this travel and timeshare blog list. The internet is rich with fascinating and informative information, much of it brought to you in the form of blogs, so expect the list to grow and change as Sell My Timeshare NOW and The Timeshare Authority continue to expand this list of valuable resources for timeshare buyers, timeshare sellers, renters, and anyone interested in travel and vacation ownership.

By the way, if you haven’t already found it, our new blog roll is located on the lower right hand side of this page.

Perspective Magazine released an interesting study of the readership of Owners Perspective Magazine in the publication’s November edition. Their justifiable point is that Owners Perspective Magazine offers an effective venue for advertisers who want to get their message to timeshare buyers, timeshare owners, vacationers who consider they may want to buy timeshare in the future and even travelers who rent timeshare.

But in the process of making this point, the publication also offers all of the timeshare industry, as well as individuals who want to sell timeshare, a reliable profile of who is interested in buying timeshare or who may want to buy timeshare soon.

Profile of Timeshare Owners and Prospective Timeshare Buyers

The timeshare survey shows that the most popular countries for timeshares owned are:

• Europe timeshare (including UK timeshare) at 57 percent.
• US timeshare (which includes always-popular Hawaii timeshare) and Canada timeshare at 31 percent.
• Asia timeshare and Australia timeshare at 7 percent.
• Caribbean timeshare and Mexico timeshare at 3 percent.
• Middle East timeshare and Africa timeshare at 2 percent.

The average age of timeshare owners and owners of vacation property is between 56 and 62 but the average age of those who are interested in buying timeshare is between 42 and 48. They are 54 percent males and 46 percent females, and include 42 percent that are currently non-owners of timeshare but who want to buy timeshare in the future. Another 36 percent are current timeshare owners; 16 percent own fractionals; and 6 percent who are overseas property owners.

The Perspective Magazine article describes its readership as, “… more highly educated on average … technologically hip and like to compare prices. … they have an understanding of the pros and cons of vacation ownership and they’re aware of (timeshare) scams. They demonstrate an aversion to OPCs and scratch cards, they don’t trust telemarketers, and they are generally suspicious of sales techniques.”

Remember that these facts are not based on timeshare owners across the board but specifically on timeshare owners who also read Owners Perspective Magazine. However, one can’t help but assume that this look offers a reliable overview of timeshare ownership and timeshare interest.

And the takeaway? Don’t let the naysayers fool you. Timeshare owners are not frustrated and dissatisfied with their timeshares and vacation ownership; even in a declining economy, occupancy rates are around 80 percent and reported satisfaction rates even higher at 86 percent, according to a recent study from Smith Travel Research.

Neither are timeshare owners a group who were duped into making a purchase they did not understand. Timeshare and timeshare resales are a strong industry that has served millions and millions of timeshare buyers and timeshare renters well, and that continues to make improvements to all aspects of its products and services.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Timeshare

Here’s a link to some of the Frequently Asked Questions by timeshare buyers and those who are looking to buy timeshare in the future: http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/timeshares/index/content/buyerfaq/

People who have money to spend these days are often home shopping and why not? The residential real estate market is flooded with homes at rock bottom low prices, supported by the lowest interest rates in decades. And if it is the right time to buy real estate, does this include buying timeshares or timeshare resales?

Yes, suggest Bankrate.com in an article titled, “Should you buy a timeshare now?” that was published on the real estate section of their website. The article starts by pointing to the 2009 decline in annual timeshare sales as validated by ARDA that reported timeshare sales down 8 percent from 2008 to 2007.

But—and this is a valid and unchanging truth about timeshare sales—DO NOT buy timeshare as an investment strategy. Bankrate.com quotes Judi Kozlowski, a broker with Re/Max Properties SW in Orlando, Florida who says, “Only those who want to use the timeshare should get into the market. Timeshare is an investment in your time and family, not a financial investment.”

Lisa Ann Schreier, founder of Timeshare Insights reinforces the message, “Timeshare isn’t a business for consumers; it’s a vacation alternative. A timeshare should only be thought of as an investment in your future vacations.”

Buy Timeshare and Timeshare Resales

I don’t know where you are investing these days; most of us are pretty perplexed by that challenge. But I do know that there are a few things definitely worth your “investment”.

• Invest your time in creating a greater sense of stability and more peace of mind. Buying timeshare today means you lock-in today’s vacation accommodation rates (currently at very competitive prices) for a lifetime of vacations. When you buy timeshare, you make vacation planning the easiest it can possibly be.
• Invest your heart in those people you care about most. Build stronger family bonds and create more meaningful moments and lasting memories. Even young children are affected by the negative news of an unstable economy, a collapsing job market, threats of terrorism, and today’s “reality”. Timeshare vacations afford you and your loved ones a time and place to forget about the daily grind, reconnect, and restore.
• Invest in yourself. Take better care of your health, which often includes both exercising more and relaxing more. Carve out time to recharge yourself in new venues and favorite vacation spots. Not only do you owe it to yourself, you owe it to those who depend on you.

As Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA points out, a timeshare has a value proposition that comes from using it. Yes, now is a great time to buy timeshare, especially right-priced timeshare resales, but buy timeshare because you plan to use and enjoy it, and never because you are looking for a financial investment.