They are terrible things.
The presenter tries very hard to be your friend. Weasels their way into your family and then works very hard to get you to buy an over priced piece of realestate.
They will show you beautiful vacation properties that you can stay at like this one at Sun Peaks Resort. I mean isn't it a cute looking ski lodge?
They will show you the really pretty vacation village that you will get to visit. Like this one with snow lined streets and happy people enjoying the outdoors. They may even show you the horse drawn carriage rides or going for a ride with sled dogs. Both of which are happy times for yourself and your family. .... and sled dogs are really cute too :)
Of course what they will really try to sell you on are experiences and time spent with family. I mean celebrating my son's 18th birthday in a beautiful ski village in an nice steak restaurant, all enjoying a wonderful dinner, after the kids had a great day skiing on the slopes. What a great memory that is!
(all images are mine)
Then they will say that for a one time purchase these great times can be yours!
The pictures above were from a weekend trip my family took last week. It truly is a beautiful ski village. It is a really nice, peaceful ski lodge, and it really was a wonderful dinner with family.
The lodge itself usually rents for about $250HBD per night and that's one of the least expensive places in the area. However, as I own a timeshare which is associated with that lodge I paid roughly $50HBD for two nights. With my timeshare I could have stayed as long as 3 weeks if my family had that much time off.
In short: About $5000HBD without a timeshare and about $700 as an owner
And this isn't just the only time I've been able to turn an expensive family trip into a much less expensive one. I've been able to spend time in London just a short walk from Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. I've spent time at Atlantis in the Bahamas. Right beside Central Park in New York (and near Wall Street there also). Head to Leavenworth ski resort. On the beach in Hawaii. In both Disneyworld and Disneyland plus so many more wonderful places. All for a price that is cheap compared to regular tourist rates.
Memories are
The true importance of the timeshare was about family memories. Every year we make sure to use our timeshare. That means that I've travelled all over the world with my family and we have the memories to prove it. Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea, Iceland, Ireland, UK, Bahamas, USA, (Hawaii, Florida, New York, California and others), Canada, France, and Italy are some of the places we have visited over the past 18 years with the family.
The Memories with family are so important to me. Plus it helped my kids have a much broader view of the world. How similar it can be (because people are still people wherever you go) but also how different it can be (customs, language, and viewpoints vary wildly!). How can I put a dollar value on the broader world view my kids have and the memories the family has?
After all the good memories I have and after all the money I've saved on vacations you might think that I'd highly recommend timeshares. However, for most people I would say :
The presenters are either misinformed or flat out lie about the benefits.
They mention making money on reselling your timeshare. Making money from renting weeks. They mention vacations anytime and anywhere. They mention luxurious places with exquisite amenities at a moments notice.
But the true reality is this:
There is limited availability as the good resorts and virtually no availability at the best ones. The average or poor ones are the ones with space.
Everything is booked for Spring Break, Summer Vacation, and Winter break. If the kids are out of school then the places are already booked.
Maintenance fees go nowhere but up year after year. Plus you are stuck with them for life. Your maintenance fees often turn a great deal into an ongoing nightmare.
If you don't travel than you are paying fees for nothing!
MY ADVICE: Avoid the presentation
In my case I actually ended up purchasing three timeshares. One has worked great for local getaways. One has worked great for luxurious hotel stays. One has worked well for annual income (except during COVID year). However, I'm a little but of an oddball. For myself I love looking at all the fine details and fine print. I love looking at all the little known perks and benefits. I have no issues planning in advance.
My wife also really loves travelling!
Between the two of us we have made sure that we use every possible benefit from the timeshare and it has been one of our best purchases. For the next 17 years I expect it to become an even better purchase!
Once the children are out of school and I retire then my wife and I want to travel the world. We also want to do it during "off peak" seasons. I'm certain we will work the timeshare program to get us into all sorts of different areas that we would never consider visiting at a fraction of the usual cost.
How awesome is that?
truly a one time purchase that will have paid for itself many times over. Best purchase ever...
There come a time when travel ceases. Medical insurance gets expensive. Mobility and health decline. The newness of travelling gets old. Home looks so much more appealing. When people hit the age of 71-74 leaving on vacation becomes a much less appealing chore. Carrying luggage and waiting in airport queues to go to a new place surrounded by unfamiliar faces? No thank you.
But the timeshare fees roll on.
When I'm lying on my deathbed and my wife sitting dutifully by my side...There will still be a maintenance bill coming in yearly for trips we will never take again. How galling will that be?
Just the thought of trying to get out of a lifelong contract and the paperwork involved...when I'm aging and in mental decline... make me shudder. Even worse...The thought of my wife having to do that after I've passed on? Very unpleasant thought.
Now some timeshares are easier to get out of than others and it appears that the ones we have are better than most. However, the fact remains that my timeshares have given me some of the best moments in my life, will likely give me many more in the future, until in the end it becomes a lodestone which grinds away at me every year as I become elderly.
**The best and worse purchase in my life
