TimeshareGuru

Wyndham Vacation Ownership announced Jan-08 it bought the Royal Garden Hotel and Spa in Waikiki from the Royal Hotel & Spa LLC, which is owned by Jupiter Holdings Group.  The 140-room hotel will operate under Wyndham’s FairShare Plus resort portfolio after renovations.   Hotel and 1BR units have been made available to Wyndham owners Sep-08 and I can provide reservations for you now!  Currently units are available for 2008 and the 1BR units are booking out quickly!  Soon we will see 2009 availability, primarily in Hotel and 1BR units.  But as the renovations are complete owners will be able to use and offer for rent Studio, 1BR and 2BR units.  The time-share resort will include a swimming pool and sauna, restaurants and fitness center.

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a member of Wyndham Worldwide, has 13 resorts in Hawaii.

Art Clokey, grandmaster of stop-motion animation and the artist behind beloved icons from the early years of children’s television - Gumby, Pokey, Davey and Goliath - is the focus of this fascinating documentary by Robina Marchesi. In his 80s when interviewed, Clokey reflects on his playful work and life, which included time in an orphanage, seminary school, divorce, years as a hippie and spiritual quests in the East. Featuring a rich assortment of film clips and interviews with leading animators, including Ray Harryhausen.

 Gumby Dharma was broadcast on local PBS station KQED and other Public TV stations in California, and will have its national broadcast premiere on the Sundance Channel later this year.

GUMBY DHARMA BROADCAST DATES

SUNDANCE CHANNEL!  DirecTv chanel 549 for Los Angeles customers

Mon, Sept 15, 2008 — 9:00pm EST
Fri, Sept 26, 2008 — 11:00pm EST
Tues, Sept 30, 2008 — 10:00am EST

WORLD PREMIERE OF GUMBY DHARMA:

15th HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
October 20 - October 29, 2006

Malco Theater - 817 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, AR
www.hsdfi.org

Screening times:
Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 @ 7:10PM Theater 1
Friday October 27th 2006 @ 6:45PM Theater 1 (with filmmaker Q & A)

Here is a 2009 list of most likely school spring vacation dates. The schedule is useful in determining what weeks will likely be very busy at various resorts but should not be relied on for your own school district plans, since schedules often vary among school districts within a state.

Where multiple weeks are listed and separated by “or”, each such week is vacation in at least one school district. Easter falls on April 12. The weeks immediately before and after Easter are popular vacation weeks. Also popular are the last two weeks of March and (in New England) the third week of April.

AL – 3/16-20
AK – 3/9-13
AZ – 3/9-13
AR – 3/23-27
CA – 4/6-10 or 4/10-17
CO – 3/23-27 or 4/13-17
CT – 3/23-27 or 4/8-17
DE – 4/10-19
DC – 3/23-27
FL – 4/6-10
GA – 4/6-10
HI – 3/23-4/3 (two weeks per state law)
ID – 3/23-27 or 3/30-4/3
IL – 3/30-4/3 or 4/6-13
IN – 3/30-4/3
IA – 3/16-20
KS – 3/16-20
KY – 3/30-4/3 or 4/6-10
LA – 4/13-17
ME – 4/20-24
MD – 4/6-13
MA – 4/20-24
MI – 4/6-13
MN – 4/6-10
MS – 3/16-20 or 4/10-17
MO – 3/16-20 or 4/6-10
MT – 3/30-4/3 or 4/6-10
NE – 3/9-13 or 4/6-10
NV – 4/6-10 or 4/13-17
NH – 4/20-24
NJ – 4/6-10
NM – 3/23-27
NY – 4/9-17
NC – 4/13-17
ND – 4/9-13
OH – 3/23-27 or 4/6-10 or 4/8-13 or 4/2-8
OK – 3/16-20
OR – 3/23-27
PA – 4/6-10 or 4/9-13
RI – not yet available
SC – 4/6-10
SD – 4/10-13
TN – 3/16-20 or 3/23-27
TX – 3/16-20
UT – 4/13-17
VT – 4/20-24
VA – 4/6-10
WA – 3/30-4/3 or 4/6-10
WV – not yet available
WI – 4/6-10 or 4/10-17
WY – 3/16-20 or 3/23-27 or 4/9-13

I’m reserving Spring Break now so call me for your weekend or weekly vacation!

Peter

714 - three two eight - 7121

www.capecomputers.net

www.timesharevacationnow.com

A word about Deeds:

I have often been asked the difference between a Quitclaim Deed and a General Warranty Deed and I would like to explain it more thoroughly to my customers. A “deed” is a document which meets certain legal requirements and has the effect of transferring ownership or some other interest in land.  A deed is used to determine “title” to land; that is, who has an ownership interest in land.  A deed offers conveyance of ownership. The title to land in any state depends upon the nature of the deeds used in the transactions affecting the land.

One of the most important differences between a Quitclaim Deed and other types of deeds is that the seller makes no guarantee or promises that the property is free of debt. Additionally, the seller makes no promises that no other party claims to own the property. The Quitclaim Deed says, in effect, that the seller is signing over whatever ownership interest he or she may have in the property and does not guarantee that the seller has any ownership interest at all.  A Quitclaim Deed is the worst form of conveyance that you can receive in real estate.  It is usually used in quitting a title to one’s property, such as a divorce to remove a former spouse, for example.

A General Warranty Deed is a deed in which the grantor warrants generally the title to the property conveyed to the grantee. That General Warranty of Title is a promise and representation by the grantor that the grantor will defend the title which the grantor conveyed to the grantee against the claims and demands of all persons whomsoever, back to the beginning of time. If anyone else (other than the grantee) comes along claiming any interest in the title conveyed, the grantor is obligated to defend the title of the grantee against any and all such claimants.

For these reasons, I would always recommend a General Warranty Deed over a Quitclaim Deed

RCI Points benefits

RCI introduced
the world’s first points-based global exchange program in 2000, a revolutionary
enhancement to traditional week-for-week exchange, offering vacationers additional
flexibility. From the length of a stay to how the points are applied (toward
accommodations or other travel products), points-based exchanges have given
owners an ever-expanding wealth of options. 
As is customary for points based programs though, use of points for
timeshare lodging provides optimum value and most other use for points is best
utilized only when points would otherwise expire.

Why Points?

In 1974, RCI
introduced the RCI Weeks exchange program. This concept of week-for-week
timeshare exchange provided timeshare owners with the ability to trade one
vacation week for another. As of today, the program serves over 2.7 million
subscribing members worldwide, more than any vacation exchange program in the
industry.

Nevertheless, in
looking at changing lifestyles and demographics, RCI anticipated that there
would be growing demand for a more flexible exchange system as well. When
surveyed, many RCI subscribing members confirmed that they would like more
flexibility and greater ability to leverage the value of their timeshare
purchases.

The RCI Points
exchange program has grown quickly. Today, the program serves
more than 550,000 subscribing member families in North America; more than
660,000 worldwide. There are currently more than 900 RCI Points
affiliated resorts in destinations around the globe, from Mexico, the
Caribbean, South America and Europe to the Middle East, Asia, China, and the
Pacific region.

Key reasons to participate in RCI Points:

1: RCI Points offers flexibility. Unlike
traditional week-for-week exchange, the RCI Points program allows subscribing
members to stay a single night or longer at hundreds of RCI Points affiliated
resorts. RCI Points subscribing members can convert a one-week interval into
several vacations. This valuable feature can benefit subscribing members even
when returning to their home resorts. For example, the owner of a two-bedroom
unit who booked a studio during the same interval would use only the amount of
RCI Points needed for the studio and still have the RCI Points differential
“in the bank” for future vacations.

2: RCI Points can be saved and used in the
future. Because unused RCI Points can be saved for up to two years and
borrowed up to a year in advance, owners can “save up” to splurge on
a vacation they desire. Subscribing members who are shy a few RCI Points to
book their vacations might carry over some RCI Points from the previous year
and borrow from next year’s allotment.

3: RCI Points can be exchanged for
travel-related products. Choices include airfare, cruises, car rentals, and
hotel accommodations from leading travel service providers, including American
Airlines, Avis, Ramada, Hyatt and Carnival Cruise lines.

4: RCI Points subscribing members get access
to budget-friendly non-exchange vacation options. RCI’s non-exchange travel
benefits such as special rates on cruises, non-exchange resort stays and
last-minute getaways, long enjoyed by RCI Weeks subscribing members, are also
available to RCI Points subscribing members.

5: RCI Points subscribing members use their
ownerships more. With .92 annual exchanges per member (1), the RCI Points
program has one of the highest usage rate of any
global vacation ownership exchange program in the industry.

Getting Started

Owners at RCI
Points affiliated resorts have the option to become RCI Points subscribing
members. Once accepted, subscribing members can exchange within the RCI Points
system. Many existing RCI Weeks affiliated resorts have also joined the RCI
Points program. These affiliated resorts then can offer owners the option of
converting their ownerships to RCI Points for a fee. People whose resorts don’t
offer RCI Points conversions sometimes persuade their
boards to participate in the RCI Points program.

For RCI Points
subscribing members who also own vacation weeks at RCI Weeks affiliated resorts
which are not participating in the RCI Points program, RCI offers a
“Points for Deposit” program.. This allows RCI Points members to convert vacation weeks at RCI Weeks
affiliated resorts into RCI Points and deposit those RCI Points into their
account.

One question that
often arises is why affiliated resorts charge owners to convert from the RCI
Weeks program to the RCI Points program. One explanation provided  is the operational costs resorts incur
in changing over systems from weekly to more frequent check-ins. Operating a
resort with varied check-in dates is also more expensive than a fixed-date
weekly turnover in terms of bookkeeping systems, front desk and housekeeping
services. The conversion costs and pricing to owners varies greatly from resort
to resort.  But the primary reason is
that resorts want to offer new services and products which they can profit
by.  If the initial reasons were truly
significant cost, those costs would be added to the timeshare owners’ annual
maintenance and the RCI exchange fees and thus the up front
fee has nothing to do with actual costs to manage the points
participation.

Assigning RCI Points values. Each purchased or
converted vacation week is assigned an RCI Points value. The RCI Points value
of a specific week is based on several factors, including the supply and demand
at that particular resort location, the season of ownership, the type and
location of the unit, and evaluations from members who’ve stayed there.

RCI and the
resorts allocate points at the beginning of each member’s Use Year and
subscribing members can view their RCI Points balances
and expiration dates at any time on RCI.com. On line, subscribing members will also find the
RCI Points values of resorts worldwide. Additionally, on-line booking is
available or in the works in most regions of the world.

Saving and borrowing. Each membership is based on a
Use Year, a recurring 12-month period. Use Years always start at the beginning
of a month and end on the last day of the previous month. For example, if a Use
Year begins on July 1, 2007, it ends on June 30,2008.

Unlike many
traditional exchange programs, the RCI Points exchange system allows owners to
save and borrow points. As long as some RCI Points are utilized within a Use
Year, the balance is “saved” and automatically carried into the next
Use Year. If a subscribing member does not utilize any RO Points in a Use Year,
those unused RCI Points can be extended for a fee. However, RO Points cannot be
saved indefinitely and can only be carried over for two Use Years.

RCI Points also
can be borrowed at no charge from the next Use Year as long as annual
subscribing membership fees are up to date through the next Use Year. For example:
a subscribing member and his or her RCI Guide have determined that a vacation
will require 40,000 RCI Points. The subscribing member has a balance of 34,000
RCI Points. So, the member is 6,000 RCI Points shy of what is needed. The
subscribing member can then borrow the 6,000 RCI Points from the next Use Year.

Planning Ahead. RCI Points Reservation
Windows make it easy for owners to plan in advance. Each type of reservation
has a different “window of opportunity” when home resort or home
group reservations can be requested with little competition from other RCI
subscribing members.

Easy exchanges. One of the big advantages
for RCI Points subscribing members is ease of use. Vacations are not limited to
a week and owners exchange their RCI Points only for the days they use. Owners
whose resorts are very desirable might leverage several vacations out of a
single week. On the other hand, owners of less desirable vacation weeks can
save and borrow points to upgrade their vacation experience.

RCI is always
looking at ways to better serve its affiliated resorts and their owners with
new options and enhanced services. In fact, RCI plans to make some enhancements
to RCI Points to make the program even better and more valuable for its
affiliated resorts and its subscribing members.

 (1) With ..92 annual exchanges per member,
the RCI Points program has one of the best utilization rates of any vacation
ownership exchange program in the industry.

OK, I know this has nothing to do with timeshares, but I’m a big fan of prudent retirement planning!  If oyu can plan to have the cash to take advantage of this Social Security planning, I highly recommend it! 

Wall Street Journal 16-17 Aug-08 page B2ASK ENCORE | Focus on Retirement - By Kelly A Social-Security Play: Paybacks for Bigger Checks 

I started taking Social Security at age 62, and now I am 70.I read someplace that Social Security will allow me to return all the money I collected from 62 until now and let me restart. This would mean I would collect a much higher monthly rate, and after eight to 10 years, I would get back the money I sent in because of the higher monthly payments. Can I do this?

It may sound too good to be true, but the strategy is legal. You can pay back your Social Security retirement benefits— and then file a new application allowing you to receive larger monthly checks, based on your older age.Consider this example: A married couple, both 70, started collecting Social Security retirement benefits in their early 60s and each will get $13,250 this year. But if they had waited to apply now, each would get $20,693 a year, or 56% more, according to an example developed using ESPlanner, a computer program designed by two economists to calculate “your highest sustainable living standard.”(To read about this example in more detail, go to www.ESPlanner.com click on “Case Studies,” and then click on “Double Dip on Social Security”)There is some paperwork involved. You must file Social Security Form 521, “Request for Withdrawal of Application.” (You can download it at ssa.gov/online/ssa-521.pdf. Instructions at: ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.15/handbook-1515.html.) When you return your past benefits, you won’t owe any interest, and there’s no adjustment for inflation. You also may be able to recover federal income taxes you paid on those benefits. Internal Revenue Service Publication 915 has instructions and worksheets, starting on page 15, to help you work through the taxes. (Go to irs.gov, click on “More Forms and Publications,” and then scroll down to Publication 915.).What’s the catch? There really isn’t any in your situation, given that you already have received Social Security retirement benefits for a number of years. Assuming you have the cash on hand to pay back the money, you can start collecting bigger monthly checks shortly thereafter. “It’s very straightforward,” says B.J. Jarrett, a Social Security Administration spokesman in Baltimore.For people in their early 60s who are considering taking Social Security payments earlier than they otherwise would specifically to use this strategy, there is an outside chance that the rules could change before they would be able to do so. But that seems unlikely—unless an onslaught of retirees with the discipline and financial wherewithal to pay back the money suddenly start doing the same thing.  

I couldn’t resist sharing a deal like this, even if I found it almost two months after it started!

Summer Fun Pass Begins

This week [Mid Jun-08] begins the Southern CA Resident only promotion, the new Summer Fun Pass for the Disneyland Resort. You can pick up the Ticket (Gift Card) at most major Southern California Supermarkets (Stater Bros., VONS, Ralphs, Food4Less, Albertsons and Gelson’s). These tickets are also available at the Southern California Disney Stores and Disney Desks (Concierge style locations at selected Shopping Malls), but you MUST buy them in advance, and are not available at the Main Entrance Plaza at the Disneyland Resort.

This ticket is just for Southern California Residents, and are clearly marked that every person who uses the ticket should have proof of living in the correct zip codes (US ZIP codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California, Mexico residents within ZIP codes 21000-22999.) In the past, Disney has not checked every person using similar types of tickets, but they do check, at least on occasion, so be prepared to have the proper ID. For a kid, the parent/adult needs to have the proper ID. The same ticket is valid for adults and children at the same promotional price.

This special promotion requires that the first day of use to be on or before August 30th, 2008, and then you have 45 days to use the other 2 days. (Ticket is Blocked out on July 4th, 2008).

The current price of a regular 3 day ParkHopper is $189 for adults at the Disneyland Resort Ticket Booths, or $169 if you buy it in advance at Disneyland.com. (Kids 3 through 9 are normally $30 less, but the Summer Fun Pass price of $99 is for all ages), so this offer is about half the price, and instead of the normal 2 week period to use all 3 days, the “Summer Fun Pass” allows you more than 6 weeks to use the last 2 days.

Disney is also allowing the full price of $99 to be applied to upgrading to any Annual Pass, including both Southern California versions. So for someone who does not have a current Annual Pass, you can visit 3 times during the summer, which is blocked out for Southern California Annual Passes, and then on the third day, take the ticket to the Bank of Main Street and for just a few dollars more, get a Southern California or Southern California Select Annual Pass.

OK, I’ve been writing off and on for about a month now, hoping to learn a few things about blogging!  I’m looking forward to seeing user comments, I mean REAL comments!  I receive 2-20 spam comments each day for drugs, sex, and other misc items I know nothing about!  So please be kind to me and let me know I have interesting words for you!  Let me know a few tips of your own for timesharing, such as what resort you like to buy with the best ability to secure exchanges for other resorts.  Or better yet, tell me a few things you like about your resort, the points system you use, the best discounts you receive and why you receive them (Direct purchaser, elite level achieved by buying xxx amount of units/points).  I’d love to hear what you don’t like (OK, Pandora’s box, don’t tell me everything!).

So go ahead and help me feel better!  Show me you like my simple blog!  Submit a real comment!

LODGING-        Exchange No. 011490109 Confirmed To: 
Westgate
Flamingo
Bay 5625 West Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV, 89103  702-251-3435 • WFB Unit: UUU2 (2 bedrooms) Week: 21 Sun, May 27, 2007 to Sun, June 03, 2007-        http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=dspv&&itid=&itdx=&itty=new&from=m-        Expedia has good info on the resort, go to Expedia and search for “

Westgate
Flamingo
Bay”-        http://www.wgflamingobay.com/resort.asp-        I’m liking the BBQ, pool/hot tub, awesome looking room, and interesting activities-        Activities http://www.westgateresorts.com/resources/pdfs/activity_guide_flamingoBay.pdf

-        The activities are a bit more focused on kids than at the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya (Best resort I’ve Stayed at yet!), but there’s still hoops competition, ping pong, mini golf competition, horse shoes, a blackjack and poker night, a Pool Party BBQ, and wine and cheese social!  They also have board games, water basketball and water volleyball, shuffleboard (old folks, look out!), but the morning exercise walk was disappointing.  I mean, take me on a walk to see something interesting.  If I want to walk thru boring neighborhoods I can do that on my own!

ACTIVITIES

-        Legends of the Fall - great impersonators  [we got these at the half price ticket places]

-        Cirque du Soleil:  KA (awesome) and Zumanity (interesting but not a performance to go back to)

-        Lance Burton - best magician in Vegas.  He’s not as campy or flashy and doesn’t profit off of exotic animals. He just puts in an honest  night’s work making stuff disappear and reappear, with a great deal of square humor.  At The
Monte Carlo, 702-730-7160. Wednesday-Saturday, 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 p.m. Price: $66.50 and up.

-        UltraLounges

1.     Caramel, Bellagio Hotel Hours: Nightly, 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Cover charge: None Information: 702-693-8300

2.     Light, Bellagio Hotel Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. Cover charge: $20, or complimentary for local women Information: 702-693-8300

3.     Risqué, Paris
Las Vegas Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Cover charge: $20 for men, $10 for women and local men, complimentary for local women Information: 702-946-4589 At Risqué, the male and female restrooms are separated by a translucent wall creating silhouetted views of the opposite gender.

4.     Tabu, MGM Grand (

5.     Mist,
Treasure Island Hours: Nightly, 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Cover charge: None Information: 702-693-8300

6.     After a decadent dinner at Ah Sin, the stylish pan-Asian restaurant downstairs, couples can nuzzle on private terraces and enjoy treats by a French pastry chef at the city’s first free-standing dessert bar. Unattached patrons can ogle female servers in short black dresses or, at one of the bars, Kama Sutra dolls in various sexual positions.

7.     Playboy Club/Moon Nightclub (The Palms? 4321 W. Flamingo Road; 702-942-7777; cover $40), a unique two-in-one ultralounge and dance club connected by escalators and a uniform cover charge on the 52nd and 53rd floors of the Palms’ new Fantasy Tower. The lower level is the sleek Playboy Club.  For a more energetic experience, there’s the upper-level 12,500-square-foot Moon Nightclub with the only retractable roof over a dance floor in
North America.

8.     Pure (

9.  Light (

10.  Ghostbar - exquisite sidelong view of the Strip (

11.  Studio 54 (

12.  Tangerine Lounge & Nightclub (Treasure Island

13.  Seahorse Lounge One of the cutest, most clever lounges in Las Vegas is the Seahorse Lounge (

-        First Friday - (702-384-0092), a monthly four-hour crawl among about 50 galleries, restaurants, thrift shops and other funky locales in downtown
Las Vegas. The event usually runs from 6 to 10 p.m., with a special trolley that ferries attendees between nine stations in an area of about two square miles. This event was generally disappointing.  It is not comprised of attractive arts as the
Laguna Beach art & wine (held first Tuesday or Thursday each month), and most places offering refreshments charged for them.  This is more of a teenagers’ street fair with twenty somethings in funk also having fun.  In my opinion, even for the twenty somethings this event would rate fairly low, except for the possibility
Las Vegas doesn’t offer them anything better.  There are many antique stores with amazing collections, but you won’t find any bargains.

Remember me when you’re booking lodging!  Peter 714 - three two eight - 7121 www.TimeshareVacationNow.com and www.TimeshareRentalsNow.com

Depending on how long the timeshare has been owned, or the policies of the timeshare company/resort, units at the same resort can be weeks or points based, or both.

I rent timeshares for a living.  Admitting I’m involved in the timeshare industry makes me feel dirty.  A very large portion of all my experiences with timeshares is not positive.  Every portion of the “not positive” has to do with people in the timeshare industry though!  Using and enjoying the benefits of timesharing have been extremely enjoyable.  Why can’t the people in the timeshare industry be just as honest and enjoyable?  I’m stiving to change that … one timeshare rental or sale at a time!  Check me out at www.mnop.biz or www.capecomputers.net - I’m about to launch timeshare related websites this month as well!

Back to “the last minute”.  80% of the people inquiring to rent a timeshare attemt to do this less than 60 days in advance, and most of them attemt to plan less than 3 weeks in advance.  This conflicts with the basic timeshare process being that timeshare availability to owners is best four to twelve months in advance.  To be certain, a lot of owners get nervous holding onto a reservation to the last minute and so renters at times can secure fantastic deals for lat minute planning because the owners don’t want to have an unused unit!  Please reconsider!  Timeshare owners already offer tremendous value in contrast to renting directly from the resort.  I know you want a great bargain, but nearly ANY price an owner offers their unit for is far lower than the cost of paying the resort direct.  Just wait until you are a timeshare owner (hey, never say never!) and want to rent your unit.  You won’t believe the number of scams you must be aware of, people promising to rent your unit if you just pay them $300 to $900 first!  Then bargain hunters want to rent a unit with $900 annual maintenance for $600 when the resort charges $2,500?

I was reading the forum at Redweek yesterday and ran accross a number of posts complaining about re-sale company scams.  The primary complaint of course is when Sales Departments make assurances they can get your unit sold or rented for prices so lofty, you deserve to lose the money you pay them because you should know better!  PEOPLE, PLEASE.  If I told you I had a buyer for your car willing to not only pay more than you want for it, but more than you paid for it, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER than to pay anything in advance to get it sold.  Why then, do so many people agree to pay (more than once it seems) based on false promises common sense can often discern the truth of?  But I digress …

What is not so easy to avoid is being scammed by your resort or timeshare company.  You’re an owner, your company is there to take care of you, right?  In our world there always comes a time when you must rely on or trust others.  We are supposed to build relationships on trust and trustful interaction.  Timeshare companies often don’t participate in this type of relationship though.  For them the relationship is based on money and profit.  They appear to lose sight of the possibility they can be profitable if they take care of their owners, choosing instead to be profitable at the expense of owners.  Diamond Resort International is a cse in point.  We all know timeshare resale prices are far less than direct purchase prices.  There are many facotrs, including professional sales staff working for the sdevelopers and developer budgets for marketing.  The individual timeshare owner does not have this marketing muscle.  The timeshare resale vultures make it worse, since they charge fees and for the most part do not exert a significant effort to market the resale units.  After all, what incentive do they have once they get the owners’ money?  Owners also act as individuals, people who will lower the price of their units to get them sold which causes buyers to learn they can always wait to get a great deal.  There’s noghting wrong with this, but it hurts all the direct purchase owners tremendously.

Diamond Resorts international (DRI) takes this one step further.  They are happy to sell you a timeshare  for top dollar, then buy it back from you for less than market value.  That’s right.  DRI has a buyback program which is not made known to many people.  In fact, often when owners need to sell their units and they call DRI about buying their units back, DRI will state they have no program to do so.  In fact though, they do.  However, that $20,000 timeshare you bought last year they are happy to buy back for $3,000 (if that)  and they will charge you over $500 in closing fees to boot!

One of my favorite shows is Californication.  Hank Moody is a brilliant but hoplessly lost individual too full of self loathing to get off his ass and make his life better, but women and publishers are happy to make his life quite enjoyable anyway!  At least in material and physical stimulation terms.

Timeshares can be like that.  Too many timeshare owners buy their units after listening to the sales pitch promising happiness and smart financial prowess only to later learn they invested in one of the least promising items in their life.  They don’t understand their ownership, the Timeshare resort/company can be less than helpful, and before they know it the new owner accepts that they have been duped and either  sells their ownership for a fraction of what they paid, or quite often pays their annual maintenance and taxes without even using the unit.  It doesn’t have to be this way! 

I wish to bring to light what can be done to improve your timeshare experience, complain about developers who work to enhance their profits at the expense of their owners, generally bring to light unacceptable practices by developers, timeshare management companies, and those vulchers asking you to pay $300-$1,000 to sell/rent your unit for the Valhalla prices deep down you know aren’t possible but want to believe so badly you actually pay those robbers to do nothing at all for you.

Be smart timeshare owners.  Be brave.  I don’t have all the answers but I want to help.