Sell Timeshare

Timeshare resales online are proving to be the long-awaited solution for timeshare title transfers — whether they’re timeshare sales or timeshare rentals.

Say you don’t necessarily want to stop timesharing altogether, but you’re tired of the resort you’ve been going to for a few years and want to shop around. How would you find out about other resorts? And if you found something you liked, how would you sell what you had to get what you wanted?

You can’t put a sign in the window, like you might with an old car: “timeshares for sale, call 555-5555.” You have to put what you’re selling where people who are interested are going to see it. To sell timeshare effectively, you’ve got to get it under people’s noses, and not just any noses, the right people’s noses. People who really really want to buy your type of timeshare.

Timeshare Resales and the Best Way to Sell Timeshare

It takes a lot of work to get those people who are looking to look in the right place. That’s why we have an entire company dedicated to it. SellMyTimeshareNOW.com makes sure that each timeshare sale is seen by people who really want to buy your timeshare, or campground membership, or even a timeshare houseboat!

Typically many people who buy timeshares deal with a big timeshare company that sells new property owned by a developer. But by-owner timeshare promotion companies, like SellMyTimeshareNOW, are using the internet to redefine the ways people buy, sell or rent timeshare vacation homes and condos.

David Koenig, a business writer with Associated Press/Dallas, recently interviewed Elizabeth and Robin Wood, owners of a second home in Florida. The Woods were in the market to rent out their Vero Beach property during the months they were not using it themselves. Their first step was to hire a local real estate agent to look for renters. They also paid $300 to list their home on various specialized websites. The arrangement with the real estate agent included a 25 percent commission to the agent on any rentals, even the ones the Woods found online.

According to Elizabeth Wood, who recently parted ways with her realtor, “every tenant came through my listings on the web.” Of course, this meant that the property owners were still paying the realtor the commission even though he or she had actually played no part at all in the transaction.

The Woods’ story is not unusual; instead, it is a perfect example of how the internet is changing the way people make a vacation home or timeshare deal. More and more satisfied timeshare vacation property owners are bypassing the heavy handed timeshare promotion done by development companies. They are buying or renting their timeshare vacation property directly from the owner through a company that specializes in timeshare promotion and advertising of by-owner timeshare resales and rentals.

When you are interested in renting or buying timeshare, deal directly with the person who owns the property. There is no reason for a vacation home owner or timeshare vacation property owner to pay commission to a third party real estate or timeshare company.

On the world wide web, companies like eHarmony, Monster Job and eBay have already changed so many of the ways we interact and conduct business. It really is no surprise that well-informed vacationers recognize the benefits of an online vacation home or timeshare deal that eliminates the need for commissions paid to a middleman.

Beware of timeshare resale companies that refuse to disclose their location. If they won’t post their physical address on their site, or if they hide behind a PO Box… they’re probably up to no good!

(Author’s note: for the purposes of today’s post, I’ll be using the term “transparency“. According to business-in-asia.com’s Business Glossary, “transparency” is defined as:

“The concept of making trade-related administrative processes easier to follow, including opening them to public scrutiny and subject to clear methods of challenge or amendment.”)

As stated in earlier posts, my goal for this weblog is to provide quality timeshare tips and advice for timeshare owners instead of promoting my own company. However, for today’s post, I would like to use my own company as an example to make a few observations about the current state of the timeshare resale industry.

I’ve often remarked that the timeshare industry is changing for the better. When big hotel brands entered the timeshare marketplace over a decade ago, these ushered in an era of greater accountability and honesty in the timeshare business. True, this multi-billion dollar industry attracts its share of scammers, but so does any other lucrative business. Essentially, the entire industry is undergoing a massive change in business practices, from the top down.

Though corporate policy is decided at the highest level, it can take a while for all these changes to filter down to the base of the pyramid, where most timeshare owners feel the difference. This is why, even while the entire industry is reaping the long-term rewards earned by years of sound business practices, it is an ugly fact that the timeshare resale sector has been the one segment of the industry LEAST receptive to these positive changes. Each day ARDA and other groups within the timeshare industry are taking new measures to put an end to “antiquated” high-pressure timeshare sales tactics. At the same time, hundreds of boiler-room operations across the world dazzle their prospects with false promises, badger their victims when they don’t rise to the bait, and eventually take the money and run.

Timeshare owners and resale companies have at least one thing in common: we’re both sick and tired of the deceptive practices in the timeshare industry. As a resale company, we compete with some of the most nefarious scam artists this side of organized crime. It frustrates me that these people actually get a share of the timeshare resale market while at the same time dragging the entire industry through the mud.

It is time to put an end to these lousy business practices once and for all. One way we can do this is to educate first-time timeshare buyers about the timeshare industry. Common sense dictates that a well-educated consumer is much harder to scam. The same consumer will inevitably respond well to honesty and fair treatment. This mode of thinking has caught on in some circles of the timeshare sales community, and I think that it is time to apply it to the resale sector too.

Another way to promote better business practices is through integrity, transparency, and honesty. For instance, a timeshare company that refuses to disclose its physical location probably has reasons for being duplicitous. If a company does not post its physical address on its website, or hides behind a post office box, there’s probably something funny going on. Maybe it’s a one-man operation conducted from a basement somewhere. We’ve all heard stories about fraudulent “businesses” based out of a cell in a maximum-security penitentiary. The bottom line is, if something that claims to be a timeshare resale company will not give out its actual physical location, do not give it any money!

In summary, transparency is the order of the day. It is the only way for a company to attain any degree of credibility in the modern age. This is especially true of online businesses, who by their nature can be subject to the scrutiny of millions of people all over the world at any time. Our business model is centered around long-term success in a modern business climate. Not only for ourselves, but also for our advertisers. It is in our best interests as a company to provide openness and accountability to both potential clients and long-term advertisers.

Want to sell timeshare quickly, with as few hassles as possible? Here’s key information for anyone who wants a successful timeshare sale.

In the marketing business, the successful promotion (and the subsequent sale) of a product or service boils down to three things: location, location, location! Even in the field of online business, this adage still applies; in fact, now more than ever! The key is to expose your product to the greatest number of people who are specifically searching for your product or service. When selling timeshare, why not position your advertisement so it will reach the largest possible number of prospective timeshare buyers?

Consider this: many people have tried to resell timeshare through the newspaper, using either online or print ads. While these publications can certainly reach a large number of people, they simply don’t reach enough prospective timeshare buyers to even justify the cost of placing the ad. The traffic that newspapers receive is simply not targeted. All kinds of people read classified ads for all different reasons. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were pages of classified ads just dealing with timeshare? The good news is, these exist. The bad news is, though these attract a more targeted readership, they receive minimal traffic because nobody knows where to find them. Various timeshare forums exist, and veteran timeshare owners will often recommend online classifieds services that deal with timeshare. However, if you aren’t a long-standing member of the “international timeshare elite”, how do you find out about these services? In many cases, they are practically invisible to people searching the web, largely because they are not going out of their way to attract attention to themselves. Why should they? They already enjoy a good reputation with people in the know.

In this day and age, is word-of-mouth advertising really the most effective way to promote a resale timeshare?

In this business, we frequently encounter people who list their properties with an online classified-advertising service specializing in timeshare. These are usually “self-serve” sites which usually charge a minimal monthly rate of around $20.00. Again, because they specialize in timeshare, these websites are frequented regularly by a small number of timeshare owners, so they receive targeted traffic. What most people find challenging is that using a service like this does not give them the broadest possible exposure for their property. The timeshare market is booming, with millions of eager first-time timeshare buyers searching the net every day! People who sell timeshare are looking for a more aggressive timeshare resale company who can promise to drive the most qualified, relevant traffic to its website. Sure, an online classified ad site is cheap, but can it really get the job done?

Most high-profile timeshare resellers charge a one-time, upfront fee of several hundred dollars to advertise a timeshare. Why does this cost so much, in comparison with the small monthly fee charged by a timeshare classified site? The lion’s share of this money that a resale company charges (if the company is reputable and actually does what it promises) goes toward driving qualified, relevant traffic to the site. This means more exposure, which ultimately translates into a faster timeshare sale with fewer hassles. You aren’t just marketing your timeshare to an assorted few seasoned timeshare owners already hip to the inside track, you’re breaking out into a huge new market filled with millions of people actively seeking to buy their own timeshare!

We encourage our clients to obtain the maximum amount of exposure for their property. If it is cost effective to pay $20.00/month to advertise their timeshares in an online timeshare classified page, we say “go for it!” However, know that you are by no means limited to just one timeshare resale company. We’ve even had clients who enlisted our services in addition to those of a competing timeshare reseller, effectively pitting two companies against one another to see who can sell timeshare fastest!*

Tips for Selling Timeshare

Though timeshare classified advertisers exist, a high-traffic, highly visible timeshare reseller that continually invests in web site optimization is your best bet for a successful timeshare sale. Here’s some tips on what to look for:

• Do a search for a specific geographic area, or a specific resort on Google or another major search engine, for example “Fairfield Branson at the Meadows” or “buy Arizona timeshare resales”. A company that comes up on the first page (ideally number one for any search results page) is a strong company to go with.
• Make sure the company ranks well for basic terms like “timeshare resale” and “buy timeshare“. Most people who are searching for timeshares start with vague search terms (unless they are looking for time at a specific resort or geographic area). The higher the ranking, the better.
• If a company depends on sponsored results (also known as “pay-per-click” advertising because it costs money every time someone clicks on the link), know that it is spending large amounts on maintaining visibility. It is only cost effective to do this for a few terms. Most companies can spend upwards of $10,000/month on pay-per-click. A company that depends on paid listings is likely not to do well across the board when it comes to natural, or “organic” listings. Paid ads are best used to complement natural results. Look for a company that doesn’t have to resort to paid advertising to maintain its search visibility.
• Check out how your ad will look- sometimes, an ad can get lost in a heap of other ads competing for attention on the same page. Ideally, the ad for the timeshare you want to sell should have its very own page. It is especially nice if this page is well optimized for search terms relevant to that property (example: “El Cid La Ceiba” is a search term used by people looking for timeshare at this resort), so it ranks with good visibility when someone searches for it.
• I have to reiterate that it is absolutely vital that, before you give your credit card information to any company, check to see if they have a record with the Better Business Bureau! If so, how many complaints have they received? How were they resolved? Is this company a BBB member in good standing? Be wary: timeshare companies with an appalling BBB record will sometimes create new websites with slightly different domain names, so they can pretend to have an unblemished history. In reality, it’s just the same shoddy product with a fresh coat of paint.

If you want to promote your timeshare resale property before the largest possible number of timeshare buyers, please consider SellMyTimeshareNOW. We employ the very latest and most successful internet marketing strategies in order to bring a fast, safe, and trouble-free timeshare sale to our clients.

*SellMyTimeshareNOW offers this money-back guarantee for all timeshares advertised on our site: if you sell your timeshare through a competitor’s services before we can sell it, present us with a proof of the sale within thirty days and we will refund your money, with no exceptions.