timeshare resale

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.

The South Florida Business Journal reports that research from Deloitte has found, “45 percent of U.S. consumers planned to take a leisure trip involving an overnight stay at a hotel, motel or timeshare from the beginning of Thanksgiving week through March.”

photo credit: Michal Zacharzewski SXC

In the state of Florida alone, AAA estimates that 2.1 million Floridians will be traveling during this Thanksgiving holiday, marking a 3 percent increase over Thanksgiving travel last year. Across the country, as many as 38 million people will travel at least 50 miles (or more) this Thanksgiving holiday weekend—a nearly one and a half percent increase over 2008.

Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president of AAA Auto Club South says, “We take the projected increase in travelers as a sign that economic recovery may finally be taking root and we believe many Americans certainly share the same hope.”

Your Drive-To Timeshare Resale or Timeshare Rental Destination

While many of us are traveling this Thanksgiving, more of us are driving vs. flying. With increasing costs to fly, add-on charges for luggage and other services, and fewer flights translating to more delays, only 6 percent of Thanksgiving travelers will fly, which is a drop of a staggering 62 percent since 2000.

Thank goodness, the flexibility of timeshare exchange and timeshare rentals makes it easy to plan a drive-to vacation. And if you don’t already own a timeshare that is conveniently located so that travel time doesn’t become the most important aspect of the flight, now’s a great time to be looking at the many opportunities in timeshare resales.

The website InvestorWords.com gives us these definitions of the word, “investment”:

• Definition 1
  In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
• Definition 2
  In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.

Over the past six years, since Sell My Timeshare NOW was first founded, we have written, stated, tweeted, and probably shouted from a few rooftops, “timeshares are not an investment.”

Timeshares are a fabulous way to vacation, offering ease of vacation planning, spacious accommodations, and amenities to suit every member of the family. But you should not buy timeshare because you expect to be able to resell it at a higher price. And our legal system, including the Securities and Exchange Commission takes a dim view of people who try to tell you otherwise.

Case in point from this week’s Legal Newsline:

This story comes packed with lots of lessons.

• Don’t take tax advice from anyone who is not certified to provide it.
• Don’t transfer your timeshare to anyone or any company on a promise.
• And most importantly, if it seems too good to be true… don’t believe the hype!

Yes, you can resell your timeshare. You can also donate your timeshare, give it away, or use it as a timeshare rental, and these are all strategies for offsetting or eliminating the cost of continuing to pay annual fees on a timeshare you no longer use. But before you take any of these actions, make sure you are dealing with a reputable timeshare resales advertising company or timeshare brokers who are giving you a reasonable and accurate picture about timeshare resales.

Don’t let fear of swine flu (H1N1) get in the way of enjoying Mouse fever.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of people who really enjoy a Disney vacation. The Orlando Disney theme parks alone attract between 25 and 45 million visitors annually, depending upon whose unofficial stats you follow. Any way you look at it, Disney theme parks mean huge numbers of people, many of whom are not vacationing with their kids!

Psychologist Donna Dawson calls it, (appropriately) the “Peter Pan” syndrome. “Unencumbered by kids,” Dawson explains, “couples can selfishly go on the rides that THEY want to, as many times as they want, without anyone dragging them away; they can keep acting like excited children without anyone telling them off!”

According to a media release from Attraction Tickets Direct, specifically studying the holiday patterns of British vacationers, one out of every three adults going on a Disney theme park holiday was not bringing any children along on the trip.

The year-in, year-out and apparently ageless popularity of the Disney parks is one of the reasons Disney Vacation Club (Disney timeshares) are such a success. People who suffer from ‘Mouse fever’ can happily go back to the Disney parks again and again, finding new things to enjoy and re-experiencing old favorites.

What Does Mouse Fever Mean for Disney Timeshare Owners?

The ongoing popularity of Disney theme parks impacts Disney timeshare owners in multiple ways, all of them good.

1. The popularity of Disney theme parks with adults has not gone unnoticed by Disney’s visionaries. They are continually developing new attractions and features to target adults and the young-at-heart of all ages.
2. Sufferers of mouse fever appreciate staying in Disney resorts. They value the convenience of Disney timeshares and the fact that both the Disney themes and Disney customer service keeps the Disney magic going long after they have stepped off the monorail.
3. Disney timeshare sells and Disney timeshare occupancy is strong. It has dips and declines, just like everyone else, but even with a bad economy and public concerns over H1N1 flu, Disney timeshares are still a popular vacation destination.

No one can guarantee you if you buy Disney timeshare you will be able to resell it in the future. No one can ever tell you if, when, or for how much you will be able to resell timeshare, even Disney timeshare. But the popularity of Disney timeshare is proven and surprisingly, that’s not just in a family market… there are a huge number of adults who perennially experience strong bouts of Mouse fever.

Opportunities in Disney timeshare resales:

• Disney’s Old Key West Resort Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Boardwalk Villas Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas Timeshare Resales