Published as a report, the Shared-Ownership Resort Real Estate Industry In North America: 2012,consolidates data on sales in the fractional industry. The findings show that although buying patterns are below what they were at their peak, sales in 2011 were on the upswing.
As fractional resort real estate expertRichard Ragatz, Ph.D. of Ragatz Associates explains, “The key finding is that total sales volume in 2011 was about $552 million, a slight increase from $530 million in 2010. While this increase is nominal, it represents a four percent gain. We also learned that a significant number of developers said that sales were better during the second half of 2011 than in the first half, giving the impression that the bleeding has finally stopped and that we may be turning the corner.”
Of the $552 million sales, there were in-house sales, presales, and new closed sales.
19 percent were Florida projects, accounting for $103 million
40 percent were destination clubs, accounting for $221 million
41 percent were private residence clubs, accounting for $228 million
This year’s Ragatz Conference included all components of the resort real estate industry, from timeshare, to rental clubs, fractional interests, and whole-ownership vacation homes. The complete report is available for purchase from Ragatz Associates at (www.RagatzAssociates.com)
Growth at Timeshare Broker Services Begins with Choices for Timeshare Owners
Yesterday Timeshare Broker Services and Sell My Timeshare NOW announced the relocation of our Orlando, Florida offices to new, larger office space and the continuing growth of our timeshare brokerage business.
In 2011, through our licensed timeshare brokerage, we sold 1756 timeshares—an average of 34 per week, every week. This represented a 42 percent increase in broker-assisted timeshare sales over the previous year. Best of all, we are projecting 50 percent year over year growth for 2012 over 2011 and we are on plan to meet or exceed that projection.
Timeshare Broker Service provides full, start-to-finish service for your timeshare resale transaction. Our brokers are licensed real estate agents and all of Timeshare Broker Service’s business practices have been reviewed and vetted, at our request, by a recognized third party. This ensures that every aspect of the service we deliver is in full compliance with Florida Real Estate law.
Timeshare Broker Services and SellMyTimeshareNOW.com – this is timeshare resale and timeshare rental service with a choice. When you are ready to sell or rent your timeshare or vacation ownership property, we offer both for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) service in which you choose how much of the timeshare resale or rental transaction you handle yourself and full service, no upfront fee, timeshare brokerage. You choose, the service that is right for your needs and your budget.
Can You Hear a Sanibel Island Timeshare Calling You?
If the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast of Florida aren’t calling to you these days, then perhaps it is only because your life is too caught up in the daily grind to hear the soft sounds of waves on the shore and wind in the palms. No matter what the weather where you are, a Sanibel Island timeshare is calling you.
Recently, Arthur Frommer announced that Sanibel Island, Florida is his favorite vacation destination in all the world. And we have to agree, whether you are planning a romantic getaway or a family reunion, there are few more beautiful and relaxing destinations on earth than a Sanibel Island timeshare.
The following article about Sanibel Island appeared in the vacation owners news letter for Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel. We are very appreciative to them for permitting us to share it with you. www.casaybelresort.com
We think that as you read this article you may begin to hear that relaxing sound– it’s the waves, the gulls, balmy breeze. And it might be worth planning a Sanibel Island timeshare vacation and bringing home a few seashells, just so any time you wanted to, you hold one of those shells up to your ear and, for a moment, recapture the magic.
Sanibel Stoop Shellers Seek Record
Shell seeking is so revered on shell-laden Sanibel Island, there’s a socially correct posture for carrying it out. It’s called the Sanibel Stoop. While the angles may vary, the body is generally bent from the waist to retrieve shell treasures with the posterior up in the air.
In promoting this year’s 75th anniversary of the Sanibel Shell Show & Fair (the longest running event of its kind in the country), the Sanibel Community Association enlisted participants in a competition to beat the Guinness World Record for group shelling. To break the “largest treasure hunt” record set by 250 schoolchildren in Bucharest, Romania, over 251 participants were needed. But once the word was out and tee shirts promised to the first 500 attendees, over 800 showed up!
The group-stoop enlisted islanders and visitors for a short “treasure hunt” at Bowman’s Beach on Feb 17, followed by an aerial photo of the shell-bent crowd to secure aerial evidence with images of hovering hineys reaching to the sky. The photos and participant registrations have been submitted to Guinness World Record for consideration with a response expected in about two months.
Shell-mania has run wild on Sanibel since the early 1900s, when guests at Casa Ybel Resort and The Matthews (now the Island Inn) engaged in friendly competition. Long considered one of the most spectacular shelling beaches in the world, the island’s shallow water shoreline and occasional storms and cold fronts trigger prolongs winds that push shells onto the beach. Sanibel’s curved “upside-down boomerang shape” and west-to-east orientation also helps to act like a trap for the 300-350 shallow water shell species that can be found here.
By the way, the Sanibel Library offers more than 350 shell-related books for your reading and research convenience.
Sanibel Ranked #1 In World by Frommer
Arthur Frommer has ranked Sanibel Island as his #1 favorite travel destination in the world – beating places like Bali and Paris (ranked #2 and #3)!!! The travel guru is the mastermind behind Frommer’s guidebooks and budget travel magazine.
Sanibel has won much recognition over the years, but being the personal favorite of such a renowned travel expert is high praise. Frommer calls Sanibel an “idyllic haven of white-sand beaches, condos whose sea-front apartments are available for weekly rentals, excellent restaurants, good shopping.” He then singles out for special praise, J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, “visited by thousands of birds of every species, who bask in the sun after diving for fish and are one of the great natural sights of wildlife in America.”
We love Sanibel, not only for the reasons Arthur Frommer lists.
Photo credit: Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau
It’s Spring and Timeshare Conferences are in Full Bloom
Conference season for the timeshare industry is full steam ahead with the 12th Annual Ragatz Fractional & Resort Real Estate Conference coming up in just a few weeks. Scheduled for March 12-13, 2012, in Scottsdale, Arizona, this event will bring together leaders from the timeshare, resort real estate, and fractional industries.
Timeshare Conference Schedules
To be hosted at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, the conference kick off will include opening comments by Dick Ragatz, Ragatz Associates; Keith Cox, Resort Equities; Christel House International; and Brian Hammill, Native Spirit Productions.
Among the speakers for day one of the conference will be a panel discussing the Status of the Primary Resort Real Estate Markets. The panel will include: Howard Nusbaum, President and CEO, American Resort Development Association, representing Resort Timeshare; Lindsay Culbreath, Smith Travel Research, representing Resort Hotels; Rick Norton, Norton Consulting, representing Vacation Homes; and Jim Chaffin, Chaffin Light, representing Master Planned Resort Communities:
Other topics scheduled for the two-day event include:
Fractionals 101
Status of the Primary Resort Real Estate Attractors (Topics: Ski, Golf, Marinas, and Spas)
Annual State of the Fractional Interest Industry Report presented by Dick Ragatz, Ragatz Associates
A Word From The American Resort Development Association presented by Howard Nusbaum, ARDA.
Lessons Learned in the Fractional Interest Industry in 2011
How To Re-Position and Re-Launch Struggling Fractional Interest Projects
Proper Resort Real Estate Offering
Some Emerging Alternatives to Traditional Ownership of Resort Real Estate
The Issue of Funding and Sources of Money
Trends in Consumer and Market Behavior and the Resort Real Estate Industry
How Industry Practitioners Respond to the Market Researchers
The Critical Challenge of Marketing Resort Real Estate: Part I and II
Creating an Integrated and Successful Resort Real Estate Industry
You can find out more details about the 12th AnnualRagatz Fractional & Resort Real Estate Conference at: http://ragatzconference.com
