There are several critera to consider when purchasing a timeshare. There are many options to consider when considering buying a timeshare property and by making a list of the demands for the property you wish to locate and buy, you will be better prepared to make a decision.
Location Week and Season
Depending on the type of option you choose to buy timeshare property, your demands may differ in order of importance. If you decide to buy a fixed or floating week, location will probably be your first demand to address. If you desire to visit different locations each year, you may still buy a fixed or floating week, but you will have to become a member of an exchange system and try to exchange your timeshare property for another resort or location. Regardless, resort location is still a very important demand if you choose to use an exchange program. Foremost, the location you buy must be in high demand and during a highly demanded season if you expect to get great offers for the exchange. Also, the location you choose for a fixed or floating week when you buy timeshare property should be a location you are willing to use if you are not able to exchange your property for something sufficient or to your liking. If you choose to buy into a points program, location or destination may not be as important since you can use your points for a variety of resorts.
In the timeshare industry, specific weeks are referred to by number. For example the first week in January is week 1, and the last week in December, or the last week of the year is 52. The week for which you choose to buy timeshare property will be a very important factor to consider. Unfortunately, many of us have to vacation around the same time each year. Because of the scheduling of school, work, and holidays, many of us are required to pick and choose what’s available to us instead of setting out own vacationing schedule. For people that have children in school, Christmas break, spring break, and summer break are the most favorable times for vacationing. This puts weeks eleven thru thirteen, weeks twenty six and twenty seven and weeks fifty one and fifty two in extremely high demand. When a week is in high demand, don’t be surprised to find the price paid for that specific week extremely high compared to a week that is not in demand when you are shopping to buy timeshare property.
Another factor to consider when determining the week you want to buy is the season. Each resort has a specific time of the year in which the resorts are in high demand. For example, a resort that serves as a ski lodge will be in high demand while there is snow on the ground and in even higher demand during the Christmas holiday. It is not uncommon for the difference in price for a season in high demand to be up to ten times as much as the same property in the off season. Each resort has their own classification of seasons. Some use the Red, White and Blue season where some use winter red, low blue copper, all white, summer red, treasure, etc. The season naming system varies, but it all relates to the demand of that a specific week.
Location and week number should be considered foremost when you’re ready to buy timeshare property because of the difference in price proposed simply by demand. If your original vision is to spend Christmas week at a ski lodge in the mountains with your family, budget accordingly as this week is in high demand at all ski resorts. This point in the path to purchasing can be an area where you may determine a need to surrender some demands to meet your budget, or to increase your budget to meet your demands.
Selecting Amenities
The ocean front view and the dishwasher. These are two completely separate things. One is as path of a sight from a given point and the other is an appliance. Though these two words are different in every seemingly possible sense, and doubtful that any logical connection could be made between the two, yet they are indeed connected and very important amenities within the timeshare industry. When you’re looking to buy timeshare property, amenities cannot be assumed. These details are important components of your vacation property and could create the difference between sufficient and comfortably convenient. I casually mention dishwasher, but, if one of the reasons for choosing a timeshare property for a vacation is to prepare your food in place of eating out for every meal, you may be disappointed to hand wash dishes every night. If your ideal vacation invokes visions of a self-cooked dinner on the veranda while watching the tide roll in, I would advise you to ensure each aspect of your vision has the required supporting amenity.
Rest assured every story is told in the details and the details of every timeshare rest in the amenities. The importance of each feature or service offered by a resort is only important as the person visiting the resort deems it to be. If I had to board the family dog before heading out to a weeks stay at my favorite vacationing destination, I’d probably not think twice about it. I do care for our pooch, but I wouldn’t want the hassle of him being around during our vacation. Some people however, may be too attached to their beloved pets to leave them behind, or may want to experience their vacation with the family pet in their presence. This is only one example of how an amenity can vary in importance from one person to the next. Luckily for the pet lovers out there, many resorts do allow pets at the resort. But not all. Do not assume that because it is a common amenity that all resorts provide it. Some places may simply not be equipped to, or because of local laws or policies, may be prevented from allowing pets at the resort.
When considering amenities they can be grouped into two categories. One classification is specific to your unit and the other category being specific to the resort itself. When listing your resort specific amenities and unit specific amenities demands, one of the first things you will determine after location and week will be how many people the unit will accommodate. This detail is a very important unit specific amenity that should be understood in it’s entirety before a decision to buy timeshare property is made. Some if not most timeshare properties are listed as bedrooms vs. number that can sleep comfortably. For example, if you have a 3 bedroom unit that sleeps six, this means that the unit has three bedrooms, but may also have a sleeper sofa, or two beds in each bedroom or a king size bed in the master bedroom that can accommodate two, and two beds in each of the other rooms. It could essentially mean anything with the end result being that there are indeed three bedrooms, and six people can sleep comfortably. It’s going to be up to you to get the explanation of the details of accommodations and lodging before you make a decision to buy timeshare property.
One resort amenity that is often overlooked is parking. Not all resort locations have parking garages and you may find yourself parking within a garage across the street or a block away. This may not seem like a hindrance at first, but when it becomes a 10 minute walk each time you need to drive somewhere, it can quickly become annoying. Some resorts do have parking garages, but may charge an extra fee for parking. At some resorts it is not uncommon to be charged up to and more than $50 a day for parking. When you add this fee with the nominal tip you give the valet each time your car is retrieved or parked, this can weight heavily upon your budget at the end of a weeks stay. Or not. Once again, this detail may be something you could easily shrug off if you have no qualms about spending several hundred dollars in parking fees.
A complete list of amenities would be too lengthy to list, and depending on what kind of activities or lifestyles your chosen resort caters to, the list of amenities may vary from one resort to the next. The ones I listed above were just example to get you thinking about the kinds of features you will need to consider. To get an idea of what amenities to list as demands when you are ready to buy timeshare property, think of the types of amenities in categories. Determine what amenities you will not be able to do without, what amenities you would rather have than do without and what amenities would be nice to have, or enhance your stay at your destination. Once you sort out your amenities this way, it will be easy to determine what you can and cannot sacrifice when you begin shopping around to buy timeshare property.
Another important amenity that should be mentioned is view. The view from a specific resort can cause a drastic price fluctuation simply because consumers will pay more to have a view of the ocean as opposed to the view of an external wall of an adjacent building. The term view can be a misleading term when considering the variations of the term. Beach front view, ocean front view, bay side view, these are all just a few terms to describe the kind of view. Some resorts may be what is considered beach front property, but the view in your specific unit may not be of the beach. If having a balcony that overlooks the beach and ocean without obstruction is an important amenity, then it would be imperative that you completely understand the resort’s description of the view offered and ensure that is acceptable to your demands.
The location of a resort relative to attractions and activities is just as important as the resort’s city location. People looking to buy timeshare property will often pay extra to own a resort that is within walking distance of popular destinations, attractions, and activities. If you want to be close to the heart of your favorite city or within walking distance of historical sites to explore, the location of your resort relative to your desired attractions will definitely be an amenity to consider. You may want to be close enough to walk or take a shuttle to all your desired destinations so you can omit the rental car expense over the period of your stay. le previously to sell their property through the FSBO method.
