Timeshare Real Estate

Hard hit by civil and political unrest in the Middle East, tourism in Egypt has struggled as lingering domestic upheaval, post Arab Spring, deterred vacationers and travelers.

In a country where the tourism industry employs approximately one in eight workers, the problem of job decline leading to unrest leading to tourism decline leading to more job loss is cyclical and frustrating for all. While challenges in this economic sector are only a part of the puzzle Egypt isworking to piece together, it is one that Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour is determined to resolve.

During a recent press conference in Dubai, Minister Abdel Nour told reporters, “My aim for this year is to see the number of tourists to Egypt this year rise to 2010 levels.”

Through April, tourist arrivals in Egypt have increased by roughly 40 percent over the same period in 2011. If the country reaches its goal of 14.5 million tourists in 2012, it will be near its pre-revolution 2010 count of 14.7 million visitors.

Speaking during the Arabian Travel Market, Abdel Nour stressed that the images the world has seen of revolution in Tahrir Square do not accurately reflect Egypt as a whole. The website 7DaysinDubai quotes Minister Abdel Nour as saying, “… there is a great majority who live their life normally … The farmers grow, the people who work in the factories produce and the hotel managers run their resorts – everybody is doing his job smoothly.”

How a Changing Political Climate could Impact Egypt Timeshare and Tourism

Tourism is rebounding first, Abdel Nour says, in the Red Sea beach areas of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the popular Dive Inn Resort, the Grand Sharm Resort, and the Gardenia Plaza Resort are located and in Hurghada, home of the Dana Beach Resort Hotel.

Concern has been that with Islamists now dominating the Egyptian parliament, laws could be enacted to restrict alcohol sales, perhaps ban modern-day swimwear, or implement other guidelines that would change the relaxed resort atmosphere of Egypt’s vacation and tourism destinations.

In a recent article published by the Washington Post (“Egyptian tourism minister predicts return of tourists to near pre-uprising levels this year,” April 30, 2012) Minister Abdel Nour disputed these concerns, saying, “… the tourism industry is ‘doing everything in the book’ to woo visitors again. For example, it is trying to attract more charter airlines and discount carriers, and rolling out new offerings like longer Nile cruises.”

With the election of an Egyptian President not scheduled until later this month (with a run-off in June, should it be necessary), immediate answers about Egypt’s future remain unclear. But what is clear is that global tourists and Egyptian family vacationers seeking to enjoy the timeless sun, sand, and shoreline of an Egypt timeshare vacation are currently faced with excellent opportunities to buy or rent Egypt timeshare at highly competitive prices.

For many Egypt nationals now living abroad and others with Egyptian heritage, buying Egypt timeshare is an ideal way to plan annual visits to family and friends still living there. For vacationers from the United Kingdom and Northern Europe, who have always  flocked to Egypt’s sunshine and beaches, now would seem  an opportune time to vacation in Egypt while yesterday’s uncertainties are passing and today’s red carpet and competitive pricing for accommodations, dining, and attractions remain strong.

The following article, written by Michael Freeman, appeared on Freeline Media, April 20, 2012. Timeshare in Celebration reaches out to the military and vacation home guests is reprinted below with permission of the publication. Be sure to visit Freeline Media for news and happenings in the Central Florida community.

And click here for more information about the opportunities of Florida timeshare vacations in a Mystic Dunes timeshare resale or rental.

Timeshare in Celebration reaches out to the military and vacation home guests

Chris M. Crosby has spent a lot of time on military bases in Florida and Georgia recently, and he’s learned quite a bit on his tours about what members of the armed forces like to do when they’re not serving their country and have some down time.

“You’ve be amazed at how many people in the military love to play golf,” Crosby said. “We want to facilitate that.”

Crosby is the golf sales manager at Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club, the timeshare at 7600 Mystic Dunes Lane in Celebration that rolled out a patriotic new plan at the beginning of the year: to assist members of the armed services who are coming home from the conflicts in the Middle East by giving them an opportunity to relax with their family in a very pleasant, enjoyable setting.

Mystic Dunes is offering a special discount, providing 50 percent off the walk in rate at the golf club for guests who want to play a round of golf there. They also get a sleeve of golf balls while they’re there.

“It’s called the Military Voucher program,” Crosby said. “I’ve actually been on the road promoting that to military bases.”

It was, he said, a successful promotional trip.

“I gave away 330 rounds of free golf in five days,” Crosby said. “Part of the goal was to get people to come out and try our courses.”

Mystic Dunes is a timeshare resort in Celebration that opened nearly a decade ago. The people who either own or rent a vacation villa there get units that are fully furnished. Options for the guests include 986 one, two and three-bedroom villas, each with a breakfast bar and dining area and a kitchen. There’s also a private whirlpool bath in the master bedroom.

The resort is also well known for the par 71 course designed by Champions Tour Player and NBC golf analyst Gary Koch, popular for its 80-foot elevation changes, rolling sand dunes, mature oaks and large wetland areas. The course also includes several signature holes, 36 bunkers, two holes with surrounding water and two designated island holes.

The military voucher program was conceived as the resort’s way of paying tribute to, and thanking, this nation’s members of the armed services.

“It gives them a round of golf at a 50 percent rate,” Crosby said. Anyone who walks in with a military I.D., he said, will be honored.

Mystic Dunes is also introducing a new “All You Can Play for the Day” guest services plan, which is being offered to members of the vacation home industry — and their guests.

Tourists who stay at vacation homes in Central Florida, and who refer their guests to Mystic Dunes’ golf course, will be given a special discounted rate as well, Crosby said. Normally $98 for 18 holes, between now and June 4, guests referred by vacation homes can get the same thing for $69. Between June 5 and Sept. 30, the rate falls even lower, to $59.

 “Any of their guests can come play at our golf course all day,” Crosby said. “We started doing the $69 deal on April 16, and it’s All You Can Play For the Day, and that includes green fees and carts.”

It’s part of Mystic Dunes’ efforts to build alliances with other members of the local hospitality industry, he said, and to see if they can work together to bring more visitors to Central Florida.
“I oversee and run this referral program, and it’s geared to the guest services market,” Crosby said.  “It’s geared to the people who stay at vacation homes. Ultimately, we want to be able to offer them an amazing rate.”

Vacation homes are fully furnished houses with multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, game room and private pool, rented on a short term basis to tourists and business travelers. It’s become a booming industry in Central Florida, particularly in Polk and Osceola counties. Crosby made his presentation on Thursday to the members of the Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association, which represents the managers who oversee short term vacation rentals in this region.

Mystic Dunes is also advertising other special packages available to the general public, including a Bed & Breakfast package that gives accommodations in a one, two or three bedroom villa, complimentary daily breakfast for two at its Kenzie’s Restaurant and Lounge, and a 50 percent discount on greens fees, good for up to two people.

There’s also a Golf Getaway package offering accommodations, providing one round of golf per person each day — including greens fees and a shared golf cart — complimentary range balls, and 25 percent off the club rental.

Kenzie’s Restaurant also hosts “Date Night With Sinatra,” an evening of entertainment in the clubhouse, on Wednesdays from 7-9 p.m.

Last summer, Mystic Dunes was purchased by Diamond Resorts International, a global hospitality and timeshare firm based in Las Vegas. One of the largest hospitality companies in the world, with more than 200 branded and affiliated resorts to offer, Diamond boasts of having more than 27,000 guest beds in 20 countries, and 418,000 owners and members of its timeshare brand.

“Last July we were purchased by Diamond Resort, and we now have half a million vacation owners,” Crosby said. “In Florida alone, we have 19 resorts at Diamond.”

Their success, he added, shows that the timeshare industry is still doing well, particularly in Central Florida, despite the recession.

“It’s a points-based system,” Crosby said, adding that owners can build points and use them for any of the resorts within the Diamond brand.

“That makes it easier that you’re not tied down to that one week,” he said.  “We also have renters rates. Someone can make available their unit to be rented out.”

That system has worked well at Mystic Dunes, he added, because the timeshare resort is rarely hurting for guests these days.

“We have been over 90 percent full for months now,” Crosby said.
For more information or to make a reservation, call 1-877-747-4747.

In yesterday’s The Timeshare Authority blog we talked about selling timeshare by owner, (FSBO) a service we offer through our company and one of two reliable ways to sell your timeshare now. (See: Sell My Timeshare NOW and the Timeshare for Sale By Owner Choice)

By owner timeshare resale is one way an owner can resell timeshare, but for many timeshare owners, it is not the best option. If your schedule is busy, if you are uncomfortable handling your timeshare sale yourself, or if you simply have no interest in the do-it-yourself approach, then timeshare brokerage is the best option for you.

As we explained yesterday, different choices fit different owners and different types of property ownership, which is why we offer dual option resale:  (1.) by owner or (2) through a licensed Broker.

Timeshare Broker Services

If you choose to sell your timeshare through a timeshare broker, the process couldn’t be simpler. You turn the responsibilities of marketing the timeshare, working with buyers, and handing the timeshare closing over to a licensed timeshare Broker (a real estate Broker) who handles it all, start to finish. You pay zero up front—that’s no upfront fee—to sell your timeshare.

A Timeshare Broker Works for You

For some timeshare owners, selling their timeshare themselves is a perfect choice. But many people find, that this is one responsibility they prefer to hand off to an experienced, licensed professional. Here’s how one couple described the sale of their timeshare through our timeshare broker services:

My husband and I were so pleased with the sale of our Mexican timeshare at Cabo san Lucas. It was a scary thing to try and do but we found that with your help nothing could have simpler. We made the deal and you pretty much did everything for us. We just needed to provide the papers that you needed and to sign on the dotted line wherever it was necessary. Thank you so much. We recommend your service to anyone wanting to sell a timeshare….it was a piece of cake!”

There are two trustworthy ways to resell timeshare: (1) by owner or (2) through a licensed Broker.

At our company, VacationOwnership.com, (the companies you formerly knew as SellMyTimeshareNOW.com and Timeshare Broker Services) we offer timeshare owners a dual option—that is, a choice in whether they choose to sell their timeshare through by owner advertising or choose to use a licensed Broker.

Why this choice? Because timeshare owners can have many types of needs and the timeshares they own come in all brands, sizes, venues, and popularity levels. And now more than ever, when the daily news is filled with accounts of timeshare scam and timeshare resale fraud, it is important for owners, sellers and future sellers to understand which choices are reliable and effective.

Timeshare for Sale By Owner

FSBO –for sale by owner—is a term many people have gained familiarity with through the residential real estate market. Homeowners choose to resell their residential homes themselves for a variety of reasons. Some homeowners have limited or no equity in their properties and cannot afford to pay the commission a real estate Broker would require from the sale. Other owners believe they can show off their property’s features and benefits better than anyone else. Still others have different reasons for wanting to be hands-on in the real estate resale process. And timeshare owners are no different; they select the sell-by-owner option for the same reasons that motivate sellers of residential real estate.

For sale by owner timeshare requires that the owner market his or her timeshare property to an audience of prospective timeshare buyers and that he or she then handle inquiries about the timeshare as well as the negotiations and the steps necessary to bring the transaction to closing. Along the way, the timeshare seller may choose to pay a professional to handle some of these steps on an à la carte basis.

For many timeshare owners, the most challenging part of this process is advertising and marketing the timeshare. How do you get your timeshare real estate in front of a large base of interested buyers?

Typically your best option is to turn to a timeshare company that can offer you high visibility on the internet through a site that targets potential timeshare buyers. Our websites receive more than 1.8 million pageviews per month from website visitors who have demonstrated an interest in buying or renting timeshare.

To maintain this level of visibility takes a team of technology professionals who understand how to analyze search patterns and the behavioral intent of consumers and know how to maximize the internet marketing and optimization strategies necessary to keep your timeshare ad in front of people have demonstrated an interest in buying a timeshare just like yours. It’s a constant process of adjustments, updates, and monitoring, and we think our team is the best in the industry at doing this.

When you choose a timeshare for sale by owner service, expect to pay an upfront fee to advertise your timeshare. Note, this is not a fee to sell your timeshare, which is what  consumer protection agencies rightfully warn against. If you bought advertising space in a magazine for the purpose of privately advertising your timeshare resale, you would have to pay for the space before the magazine ran your ad.  In the same way, timeshare owners are charged a fee to advertise their timeshare on a website.

Marketing your timeshare resale on a high visibility timeshare sales website that has targeted web traffic from prospective buyers is probably the best possible way for you to advertise your timeshare by owner and offers the greatest likelihood your timeshare will sell.

But for sale by owner is not the right choice for all timeshare owners who want to sell their timeshare. In tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority, we will look at our second option for resales: timeshare Broker sales.