Hello-- Thinking of buying a timeshare and found this site and forum while searching the web. If anyone here can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate any advice you can offer. Don't want a sales presentation or pressure, I just want to hear from other owners and hear about what to look for or look-out for. I live in Maryland and was thinking of a multiple-destination type timeshare, so I'm not locked into going to the same resort everytime I vacation. I know about 'trading' companies, but I've read some have frustrations with them, so this is a concern and the reason I am inclined towards buying a multiple-destination type timeshare.

Thanks for the help....

Hi wt4ever....Make sure you plan to use your time share almost every year or you pay fees for nothing. It's hard to find a good exchange even if you bank the week early with your exchange company. Im not real sure about using this company but it looks likr they have some good deals. Good luck. Oh yeah....don't buy your time share from a resort...just buy from an owner and save a lot of money.

My parents have owned a Club Intrawest timeshare for several years and they have used it to the max. It is a point-based ownership with nine locations to choose from and they can exchange/trade their vacation with RCI and visit any RCI affiliated property. My parents are retired and can plan ahead, so for them RCI trades have worked out. I have used this timeshare ownership a couple times in Whistler for ski trips and it's always very nice.

So, I recommend the point-based, multi-destination timeshare. It seems to make the most sense for someone like you.

Be sure to get everything in writing. My husband and I made the mistake of believing everything the salesman at the resort told us and we quickly learned that this guy would have said anything to get us to sign-up and buy the timeshare we now own. We purchased in Orlando, which is a great place and the resort is beautiful, but we have been trying to trade our week for any week, at any resort in Hawaii for years and the exchange company we pay to belong to has been unable to accomodate us. We love the timeshare idea, but trading has not been as easy as the salesman told us it would be. The salesman told us that we could go almost anywhere in the world by simply joining an exchange company, giving them our week in Orlando and choosing a week at any of the resorts in their system. I have read about some smaller trading/exchanging companies on this forum, so I think I will try using them. My advice; Take the salesmans promises with a grain of salt and get everything in writing.

wt4ever,

There are a few things I can advise you about the purchase of a timeshare. I own a timeshare that's deeded in Hawaii and has good "trading power" with Interval International. Interval is an exchange company that allows you to trade your week or points for one of the resort properties they are connected to. Anyway, be sure to buy in a location you want to visit more than once and check with the affiliated exchange company and inquire about the trading power the resort you buying offers. Since our timeshare ownership is in Hawaii and since Hawaii is so popular, we can pretty much go anywhere in the Interval catalog when we trade our week. I have also learned that the sooner you make your trade or vacation plans the better chance you have of getting what you want.

Good Luck,
Winston B.

Hi WT4ever, you can email me and I can tell you about a timeshare that has no large upfront costs, no black out dates, no maintenance fees, and is probably the best in no pressure sales tactics. We own two timeshares already and this is the third and the best. I wish I knew about this timeshare before we got into the other ones. Let me know if I can send you the info. Stephen

Stephen....Why don't you post your resort name here and share your good expierence with all of us?

Makes me kinda skeptical as well...like to learn more about this, but sure seems "too good to be true". No upfront cost, no annual dues, and being able to go nearly anytime? Sound great, let's hear about it!

I have talked with some owners of vacation memberships like the one you've described during my search for a timeshare or vacation home and it sounds great, but some of the people I've talked to have said that it can be hard to get whst you want, because everything is based on availablity. I'm really attracted to the options offered by this kind of timeshare, but a bit shy because I want to be able to get what I want. Thanks for the info.

My family has recently come back from a reunion at the Westgate Town Center in Orlando. We enjoyed the resort imensely and listened to a presentation for sale since we had exchanged a week through II
.
Does anyone have experience with Westgate resorts?

This was a great place, but their prices were a bit high.
Thanks.