My Buy Essay

It worked well, and the idea spread throughout the world.1

There are two main types of timesharing plans: deeded and non-deeded. With the deeded type, you buy an ownership interest in a piece of real estate. In the non-deeded plan, you buy a lease, license, or club membership that lets you use the property for a specific amount of time each year for a stated number of years. With both types, the cost of the unit is proportionate to the season and the length of time you want to buy.2

Before You Buy

As with any major purchase, you need to understand what you are getting before you sign any papers or pay any fees. The general information should be accompanied by careful analysis and perhaps even professional advice that concerns all aspects of a particular timeshare purchase.

Before purchasing a timeshare consider the following points.3

* A major reason people buy timeshares is for the convenience of having prearranged vacation facilities. Therefore it would be wise to determine whether you will be able to use the timeshare facility regularly. When evaluating a timeshare with units in several locations, consider whether sufficient units are available at the sites you prefer at the time you want to use them.

* Question any investment claims made by the seller. The future value of a timeshare depends on many factors. Resale of timeshares is almost impossible.4 So, if you are considering buying a timeshare, do it, realizing that you will probably not be able to resell it; and, even if you are able to sell, you probably won’t be able to sell it for anything close to your original purchase price. Closing costs, broker commissions, and financing charges also must be considered as part of the investment costs.

* The total cost of a timeshare includes mortgage payments and expenses, such as travel costs and annual maintenance fees. The annual maintenance fees usually rise to equal or exceed inflation and could add hundreds of dollars to the purchase price. To help evaluate the purchase, compare the total timeshare costs with rental costs for similar accommodations and amenities for the same time in the same location.

* Do not act on impulse or under pressure. Review all documents or have someone familiar with timesharing review them before you make a purchase. Do not be pressured into making a purchase without having a couple of days to think about it. Find out if the contract provides a cooling-off period during which you can cancel the contract and get a refund.

* Be sure everything the salesperson promised orally is written in the contract.

* Remember that exchange programs, which offer the opportunity to arrange trades with other resort units in different locations, cannot be guaranteed. When you trade your timeshare unit for another, expect one of approximately the same value.

* Many timeshare sellers offer gifts to potential buyers who will listen to a timeshare sales presentation. Consider the value of these gifts or prizes. Most are of little value.5 It would be to your advantage to attend a sales presentation only if you are interested in the program.

* Your timeshare will be a good place to vacation only if it is run properly. Therefore you should consider researching with local real estate agents, Better Business Bureau, and consumer protection offices, the track record of the seller, developer, and management company before you make your purchase.

* If you are considering buying a timeshare on property where the facilities have not been completed, get a written commitment from the sellers that the facilities will be finished as promised, and require that a certain amount of your money be held in escrow.6

* Find out what your rights are if the builder or management company has financial problems or in some way defaults. Make sure that your contract has both non-disturbance and nonperformance clauses. A non-disturbance clause ensures that you will continue to have use of your timeshare unit in the event of default and subsequent third party claims against the developer or management firm. A nonperformance clause allows you to keep all your ownership rights even if a third party is required to buy out your contract.

* If you have any questions or complaints regarding timeshares or a timeshare that you have purchased, contact the Real Estate Commission of the state in which the timeshare property is located, as well as the Correspondence Branch, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580.

How Timeshare Resale Scams Operate

If you already own a timeshare, be cautious about people who offer to help you resell the timeshare for a fee. Because many of these types are rip-offs, be careful to deal only with legitimate sales companies. Companies that use questionable resale practices operate like many other telemarketing scams. You might be contacted by a telephone salesperson or through a postcard, asking you to call a particular telephone number about selling your timeshare. The salespeople are likely to tell you that the market for resale of timeshares is “hot” and that their company has a high success rate in reselling these units. They may even claim that they have extensive lists of sales agents and potential buyers for timeshares and for an advance fee of hundreds of dollars these salespeople promise to sell your timeshare for a price equal to or greater than the amount you originally paid.7

The market for resale is actually extremely poor, because there is no secondary market for timeshares.8 Currently American consumers own 1.5 million timeshares. Approximately 870,000 of these are presently available for resale, with 845,000 for sale far below the original purchase price. In truth, over the past 20 years, only 3 percent of owners who have wanted to sell their timeshares have been successful, and the vast majority of those have had to sell below their original purchase price. So, it is highly unlikely that a company can sell the timeshare at all, let alone for the original purchase price.

There are some precautions to consider if you decide that you want to resell your timeshare and are approached by a resale company. (1) Do not agree to anything over the telephone. (2) Ask the salesperson to send you written materials to study. (3) Ask for company references of customers who have used their services. (4) Ask where the company is located and in what states it does business. (5) Ask if the company’s salespeople are licensed to sell real estate by the state where your timeshare is located, and check with the state licensing board to verify the information. (6) Be cautious of any company charging an advance “listing” fee for its service.9

Conclusion

Timesharing is not an investment product and is not intended as a way of making money. It is, though, a financial commitment to your leisure enjoyment. So, how much is leisure and preplanned vacation time worth to you? This is the question that must be asked before you decide to buy a timeshare. If it is not worth thousands of dollars in initial investment, plus hundreds more in maintenance fees, then you should probably stay away from timeshare promotions. But if, on the other hand, you enjoy preplanned vacations and realize that timeshare is not a money making investment, then it may be a good choice for you.

Look! You are going to steal any timeshare you buy on the resale market anyway. The resale market is just starting to come into it’s own. Prices fall in a market vacuum and there has been a market vacuum in resales since the timeshare industry started twenty-five years ago. Now, people such as us are starting to make a serious business of resales. This means that the least expensive weeks are going to get sold first. Like harvesting apples, you shake the tree and pick up the apples. The next time you have to shake the tree harder. The long-term prognosis is that resale timeshares will increase in price. I believe that anyone buying a resale in today’s market just isn’t going to get hurt unless they are entirely unknowledgeable about current market value or they are not looking for good product. At these prices, buy the best! It’s affordable.

So how do you find out what you should pay for a given property? This publication is certainly a good start, but not everyone advertising has a realistic idea of what their property is worth. The Internet also lists weeks for sale, but it is still young, therefore imperfect. The resort itself should yield some information and is always worth a call. Although it sounds self-serving, the best bet is to call a Real Estate Broker if one is involved with that property. Normally, people in general real estate are simply not yet knowledgeable about timeshares. Seek out a broker specializing in what you want. They are going to want to make a deal and will tell you what you will actually be able to purchase at the lowest price. They will also give you accurate detailed information about the resort itself. Further, a good broker will counsel you about your needs and try to direct you to the product, which will actually end up best serving you. They are not emotionally tied to any specific week or project. They know that if they do a good job for you, you will refer others to them and return for more yourself.

The most important criteria is to buy into the project you like the best. If you are buying just to exchange, this is still important. If you think you can buy a cheap February week in Hog’s Breath, Idaho and exchange it for the Whaler at Maui over Christmas, think again. It might happen once every 50 or 60 years, but generally you are not going to get great exchanges using an unexciting week to trade. It seems almost redundant to say, “Buy Quality!” but it needs to be said here… particularly at these prices. You can buy quality resort timeshares today for 20% to 30% of replacement value! Why would you not go for the best? Another thing just coming into the business is resale financing. We offer 80% four year loans to our customers so immediate cash requirements should not be a big problem. All we require is good credit and a good resort with the timeshare being purchased at a realistic resale price.

After you have selected your week and have obtained a good price, there are still a few things you should do for your own protection:

Get a policy of title insurance unless you know the history of the timeshare week. Sometimes people get a “great deal” only to find that there is a tax lien of several times the entire value attached to the week. In others, the original loan was never satisfied. The Seller might have paid it, but they never received a reconveyance. The great Savings and Loan debacle was famous for this. By the time the loan was paid, the S&L was no longer around and there was no one to sign the reconveyance. Some resale brokers do not bother with this. Our advice is that if they do not, don’t bother with them. In some cases, the title policy is so expensive relative to the price, it just doesn’t make sense to buy it. If that is the case, you should still research the title to make sure there are no visible defects.

Go through an escrow. Unless you are buying from someone you know, (and not often even then) you will be better off having the neutral third party holding the funds and deed until it is time to make the swap. In the east, attorneys perform this function.

The Seller is required by law to disclose anything wrong with the property, but how many know that? Further, what guarantee do you have that the Seller even knows that something might be wrong? Your best bet to protect yourself is still the Broker. Get references. Check with the usual agencies including the Real Estate Department to make sure that the Broker has a license. The resort itself might be able to refer someone who has had no problems. Title companies are also a good reference.

Have you picked up a trend here? Notice that as the industry matures, resales will start to look more like resales in the regular housing market. A fledgling resale marketing system will mature, develop good standards and the boomers will leave. As that continues, price of resales will start to stabilize at higher levels.

The timeshare product is incredible. It really enhances people’s lives and saves them a fortune on truly splendid vacations. As more understand this, more will purchase. The truly smart ones will purchase a resale through a licensed Broker just as you would a house. They will have many years of enjoyment and eventually probably get their investment (or at least most of it) back.

With timeshare the use and costs of running the resort are shared among the owners. While the majority of Timeshare resorts are condominium vacation resorts, developers have applied the timeshare model to houseboats, yachts, campgrounds and motor homes.

History of Timeshare

The notion of a timeshare was originally created in Europe in the 1960s. A ski resort developer in the French Alps innovatively marketed his resort by encouraging guests to “stop renting a room” and instead “buy the hotel”. The developer was successful in increasing occupancy and the idea spread worldwide.

Timeshare Methods of Use

Timeshare owners may elect to:

* Use their usage time

* Rent out their owned usage

* Give it as a gift

* Exchange internally within the same resort or resort group

* Exchange externally into thousands of other timeshare resorts

Timeshare owners can elect to stay at their resort during the prescribed period, which varies depending on the nature of their ownership. They can rent out their week or give it as a gift to friends and family.

Timeshare offers owners the possibility to exchange their week, either independently or through several exchange agencies, to stay at one of the thousands of other resorts worldwide. The two largest exchange agencies are Resort Condominiums International (RCI) & Interval International [II] and there are several independent exchange agencies. RCI and II both have resort affiliate programs and members can only exchange to affiliate resorts. It is rare to find a dual affiliate resort, it is more common for a resort to be affiliated with only one of the larger exchange agencies. RCI is the largest with over 3,800 resorts split between its weeks and points programs. II has more then 2000 resorts. It is important when considering timeshare ownership to consider which locations and resorts you may want to travel to before making your purchase, because the timeshare resort you purchase at will determine which of the major exchange companies you can exchange through. Both RCI and II charge membership fees and exchange fees. They also bar members from renting weeks they have exchanged for.

Timeshare owners may also arrange a direct exchange, this requires locating a timeshare owner with the location and weeks both mutually desire. This form of exchange is rare but since it can save in exchange fees it is often sought after.

Color Time

Color time refers to the travel season for any given resort. For RCI, the designations are:

* Red: high demand season

* White: intermediate season

* Blue: low demand season

For II, the designations are:

* Red: high demand season

* Yellow: intermediate season

* Green: low demand season

Types of Ownership

* Fixed, Floating and Rotating Weeks

Ownership is often sold as weeks, the use of these weeks can be fixed, floating or rotating weeks.

* Fixed Week Ownership

The most basic timeshare unit is a fixed week; the resort will have a calendar enumerating the weeks roughly starting with the first calendar week of the year. As an owner you may own a deed to use a unit for a single specified week. For example week 26 normally includes the Fourth of July Holiday. If you owned Week 26 at a resort you could use your week every year.

* Floating

Sometimes a timeshare is sold as floating weeks. The ownership will be specific on how many weeks you own and from which weeks you may select for your stay. An example of this, a timeshare may be a floating summer week where the owner may request any week during the summer season generally weeks 22 through 36. In this example there would be competition for prime holidays such as the weeks of Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. The weeks when schools may still be in session would not be so high in demand. Some floating contracts exclude major holidays so they may be sold as fixed weeks.

* Rotating

Some timeshare is sold as rotating weeks. In an attempt to give all owners a chance for the best weeks the weeks are rotated forward or backward through the calendar so one year the owner may have use of week 25, then week 26 the next year and then week 27 the year after that. This method does give each owner a fair opportunity for prime weeks but it is not flexible.

* Deeded vs. Right to Use

A major difference in types of timeshare ownership is that between deeded and right to use contracts. With deeded contracts the use of the timeshare resort is usually divided into weeklong increments and these are sold as fractional ownership and are real property. As with any other piece of real estate you may use your week, rent your week, give it away, or leave it to your heirs.

With right to use, the timeshare purchaser has the right to use the property in accordance with the contract but at some point the contract ends and all rights revert to the property owner. In other words, the right to use contract grants the right to use the resort for a specific number of years. In many countries there are severe limits on foreign property ownership so this is a common method for developing timeshare resorts in countries such as Mexico. Disney Vacation Club is also sold as a right to use.

* Vacation Clubs

Vacation clubs are organizations that may own timeshare units in multiple resorts in different locations. They are sold both as deeded or right to use and club members may reserve vacation time at any of the owned resort units based on availability.

* Points Programs

Resort based points programs are also sold as deeded and as right to use. Points programs annually give the owner an amount of points equal to the level of ownership. The timeshare owner in a points program can then use these points to make travel arrangements within the resort group. Many points programs are affiliated with large resort groups offering a large selection of options for destination. Many resort point programs provide flexibility from the traditional week stay. Resort point program members may request from the entire available inventory of the resort group.

Exchange company point programs are not a method of ownership nor are specifically associated with one resort or resort group. With the exchange company points programs the members may be limited to exchanging for weeks deposited by other members.

A points program member may often request fractional weeks as well as full or multiple weeks stays. The number of points required to stay at the resort will vary based on a points chart. The points chart will allow for factors such as:

* The popularity of the resort;

* The size of the accommodations;

* The number of nights;

* The popularity of the season;

* and the specific nights requested.

There is flexibility as well as complexity in point programs.

Important Note on Ownership

* With any of the above mentioned ownership methods, a timeshare owner is legally and contractually tied to that ownership.

* A timeshare owner has rights, responsibilities and legal obligations. Once the timeshare contract is made it is not easily ended.

* These contracts and obligations belong to the timeshare owner until the timeshare is sold or ownership is transferred through some other means.

Rescission Period

In many developer contracts (and often required by government statutes and/or regulations) there may exist a Rescission period. The Rescission period outlines how many days after a timeshare purchase, from a developer, that a buyer has an opportunity to change their mind and cancel the purchase. The Rescission period is usually only a few days long and the buyer must follow the cancellation procedure exactly or risk the request to rescind being ignored.

Types and Sizes of Timeshare Units

Timeshare properties tend to be apartment-style units ranging in size from studio units (with room for two) to three and four-bedroom units. These larger units can comfortably house large families. Timeshare units normally include fully equipped kitchens with a dining area, dishwasher, televisions, VCRs and more. It is not uncommon to have washers and dryers either in the unit or easily accessible on the resort. Kitchens are equipped to the size of the unit, so that a unit that sleeps four should have at least four glasses, plates, forks, knives, spoons, and bowls so that all four guests can sit and eat at once.

Timeshare units are usually listed by how many the unit will sleep and how many the unit will sleep privately.

* Sleeps 2/2 would normally be a one bedroom or studio

* Sleeps 6/4 would normally be a two bedroom with a sleeper sofa

Sleep privately refers to the number of guests who will not have to walk through another guests sleeping area to use a restroom. Timeshare resorts tend to be strict on the number of guests per unit. Unit size can effect demand at a given resort where a two-bedroom unit may be in higher demand than a one-bedroom unit at the same resort. The same does not hold true comparing resorts in different locations. A one bedroom with a great location may still be in higher demand than a resort with less demand. An example of this may be a one bedroom at a great beach resort compared to a two bedroom unit at a resort located inland from the same beach.

The concept of vacation timeshare has also been extended to luxury items such as planes and luxury cars.

Scope of Timeshare Industry

Today’s timeshare industry includes over 5000 resorts worldwide, for a total of 11 million timeshare “intervals” that have been individually sold to nearly 7 million families around the world. There are timeshare resorts around the world. Global timeshare sales total over $9 billion annually. ARDA, American Resorts Development Association, reported that in the USA, as of January 1, 2005, there were 1668 timeshare resorts serving 3.87 million US households. Ownership has increased in the USA 16.2 percent in 2004 and 13.8 percent in 2003.

There exists a resale industry for the resale of timeshare intervals. Many of these can be found searching the Internet as well as an active market in the online auction sites such as that on eBay.

Pros and Cons of Timeshares

The timeshare industry has been widely criticized and even sometimes likened to a travel scam. Unlike the customary renting arrangement, where the customer decides every year on the quality and price of accommodations, timeshare requires to make a major payment up front. There exist doubts as to whether timeshare buyers ever recover the money spent, but the vast majority of timeshare owners have no desire to exit the system and find the quality of their holiday accommodation makes their financial outlay a logical expenditure.

There are also some complaints that owners have to return to the same resort every year, but there exist several companies - the best known being Resort Condominiums International (RCI) & Interval International - that enable timeshare owners to exchange their weeks into literally thousands of resorts around the world. There are a growing number of independent timeshare exchange organizations available to timeshare owners.

Other complaints include issues surrounding the yearly maintenance fee. Some critics talk of ever escalating fees that mean owners cannot afford to keep their weeks due to financial pressure.

One of the major benefits of the product is the fact that vacation timeshare is real property. Resort developers purchase land in a location and develop a timeshare resort. They are actually selling consumers deeded weeks of real property at a specific location, meaning customers can do what they wish with the weeks they own. This flexibility includes the opportunity to rent out weeks that are not used or indeed to lend them to friends or family.

Like any other product, timeshare exchange is subject to the law of supply. This should make the exchange mechanism a fair and meritocratic system. For example if a timeshare owner deposits a studio apartment in low season that owner is unlikely to be able to exchange into a villa during a country’s high season. In practice the major exchange companies have proprietary exchange formulas that add complexity to the system. The study of and issues revolving around exchanging are beyond the scope of this article and should be researched before making any timeshare purchase.

As he walked into our little land office in Placerville, California (about sixty miles west of South Lake Tahoe), he said, “I’ve got the keys to the bank” and proceeded to tell me about this new concept called timesharing. I responded with “Forget it, Jack. It won’t work.” Jack was persistent, persuasive and before long we were the developers of one of the first timeshare projects in the country (RCI #0078). And so I began what would become a lifetime journey.

Fast forward to several years later after Jack’s retirement. Along came Larry who became another close friend and sales associate. During this time the two of us were selling it. I would tell Larry that this was no scam and really had substance. His response was, “Yeah, yeah, sure”, but he kept going until it was done.

Now it was time for the first general Owner’s Association meeting. I coerced Larry into attending. After the very upbeat meeting, one of the Owners’ wives approached us. Larry kind of slunk over behind me thinking I would absorb most of the blows. She took my hands and with tears in her eyes said, “Thank you, thank you so much! You have really improved our lives!” One of the funniest things I have ever seen was the look on Larry’s face. His jaw had dropped and he was absolutely stunned. It would be a few more years before he would completely accept that this concept was so sound, but he eventually became an active owner of several timeshares himself.

As we were selling that property in the early 1970s I would tell people, “You better buy one of these now, because if you don’t, you will be paying a hundred dollars a night for a hotel room.” They would say, “Nah, that will never happen.” Today it is hard to find a Holiday Inn room for under a hundred dollars a night.

Guess what the rack rate of the Mark Hopkins hotel in San Francisco (Top of the Mark) was in 1942. It was $5 single and $7 double. For servicemen it was $3 single and $5 double. By 1974 it was $45 single and $55 double. Now it is $210 to $270 single or double depending on the location. Projecting this ahead another fifty years and you will be paying $9,058 a night for a hotel room there! And I can just hear most people saying, “Nah, that will never happen.”

The reason for owning a timeshare is the same as the reason for owning your own home. It will cost you much less in the long run and you will end up with something of value. Just think of the value to your children who stand to benefit the most from your foresight. It is a shame that more of them don’t realize how important this is and only focus on the upkeep. The smart ones will be enjoying vacations that are way beyond their means for the rest of their lives.

After thirty years, my take is this: You will save about half of what you are currently spending on vacation lodging. But the real kicker is that you will be staying in facilities that are more luxurious than anything you would even consider. How many of you will spend $350 to $500 a night for a place to sleep? Not me! Ever! But I do enjoy that level of vacationing through my timeshare ownership.

So much for the financial side. Now how about the real value? What do you remember the most about your childhood? Isn’t it the family holidays? The times you spent together and felt so close to your family? An observant doctor once said, “I never saw anybody who, on his or her death bed said “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” In today’s crazy world no one has time for even the most basic activities. The family is under the greatest stress ever. The sad fact is that in the time of the greatest need most families don’t even get that so important vacation together.

One of my greatest satisfactions in life is selling a timeshare to a family that really needs it! They can be in a family business and prone to never taking a vacation. Or they can simply be stressed from having to pay for meals and lodging for themselves and three or four children and blowing the family budget for the next three years. That situation with the woman who thanked me so much at the first Homeowner’s meeting has repeated itself many times. Whatever the situation, I know that I have improved their lives in terms of real value. Whether I end up rich or poor, I will always be rich for the good I have done for people in terms of helping them to achieve the real values of life.

The security of other Timeshare owners at your resort.

Many resorts to choose from with the exchange program world wide .

Lock in your timeshare vacation accommodations.

For example: If you purchase a timeshare today at $5,500.00, use it 10 years and sell it at the same price you paid for it originally…you end up with equity.

In contrast: if you rented a hotel room you would have useless receipts. As with most deeded resorts you can rent it , sell it , lend it , exchange it or present it as a gift of precious memories for that special event in your life… honeymoons, anniversaries, family reunions.

Time share makes sense.

Time share vacations are diverse…. from a log cabin next toski.jpg (15090 bytes) a trout stream to an exotic tropical paradise in the South Pacific to the exciting ski slopes of The Rockies, you can be assured that your accommodations are first class .

You don’t have to be a millionaire to enjoy luxury vacations. You also get many benefits when you are a timeshare owner, travel agents ,discount air fares ,bonus weeks you can even gift these to your business associates and loved ones for that vacation of a lifetime .

Are you interested in Vacation Resort Ownership?

Here is some basic information you will need to know before you buy a timeshare :

When you buy from an owner there is a TITLE company that will guarantee clear title for you. When you buy from an owner you pay far less than you would if you bought from a DEVELOPER or a BROKER .WHY? you are eliminating the middleman when you buy directly from a timeshare owner.

Types of Time-share Ownership:

Deeded: You will have a recorded “Deed” with this type of ownership. Your period of ownership is forever.

Right-to-Use: This type of ownership is for a set amount of time. After the agreed time of ownership expires, ownership converts back to the Grantor. During your ownership, you can convey your ownership to another party.

Membership: This is not an ownership, it is a “Membership”. You pay a large sum of money to buy into the membership plus there are annual membership fees. Be very cautious of this type of Time share. Usually the language in the membership agreement states: if you miss one of the annual payments, your membership will terminate. Some of these memberships can be transferred, some can not.

NOTE: Some Resorts also offer bi-annual ownership. (check your paperwork)

Periods of Time-share Ownership:

Usually your time share period (check-in date) is numbered from 1-52. Week “1″ starting in the first week of the year. Week “52″ being the last week of the year.

“Floating/ Flex” periods. Which can be divided into Seasons (Blue Floating/Flex) (White Floating/Flex) (Red Floating/Flex). If your ownership is for a Floating/Flex period, you can check-in on different dates according to your ownership.

Blue Season (Good): Also known as “off season”. This would be the time of year which the Resort and location is of the least demand. If you own a “Blue Floating/Flex” period, you will only be allowed to check in during these “off season” dates. If you are planning to buy a “off season” week, plan on getting it for a cheap price.

White Season (Better): Also known as “mid season”. This would be the time of year which is between “Off Season” and “Peak Season”. The time of year right before the “Peak Season” starts and right after the “Peak Season” is over. If you own a “White Floating/Flex” period, you are allowed to check-in during the “mid season” and the “off season” dates. If you are planning to buy a “mid season” week, plan on getting it for a reasonable price.

Red Season (Best): Also known as “high/peak season”. This is the time of the year everyone wants to be at the resort (highest demand). If you own a “Red Floating/Flex” period, you can check-in any time of the year. If you are planning to buy a “peak season” week, plan on paying a pretty penny for it.

NOTE: Interval International (an exchange company for timeshare) rates Blue as Green, White as Yellow and Red as Red.

Size of Time-share Ownership:

Studio: A small unit, usually similar to a hotel room. Sleeps two, sometimes four.

One Bedroom: Similar to a small apartment: a living room area, kitchen area, with a private bedroom. Usually sleeps four (two in the bedroom and two on a pull-out sleeper sofa in the living room area).

Two Bedroom: Usually sleeps six (two in one bedroom, two in the other bedroom and two on a pull-out sleeper sofa in the living room area). Some two bedroom units can sleep eight, if it has a loft.

Lock-Out: These units vary in size, usually divided into two separate apartments. Each with its own living room and kitchen areas. If you own a Lock-Out unit, you can use one and exchange or rent the other. These units can be big enough to sleep eight to twelve people.

Obviously a Deeded two bedroom unit during “Peak Season” would cost a lot more than a Studio unit during “Off Season”. Of course, there are other factors to the value of a timeshare unit, but this is the basic frame work of timeshare value.

Costs of Time-share Ownership:

Purchase Price: The amount of money paid for ownership plus any “transfer fees” (can range from $50 to $500).

Maintenance Fees: The amount of money paid annually for maintenance of your unit. This amount can range anywhere from $100 to $700.

Property Tax: The amount of tax to be paid by you for your time share unit. This amount is usually reasonable, ranging from $10 to $100.

Special Assessment: This the amount of money the Resort can require you to pay on a un-regular basis. Usually for a re-modeling project, check your timeshare documents for the max amount they can charge you and how often they can charge you. This amount can range from $20 to $400, you may want to check the Resort history record for past amounts and times.

Time-share Resale:

Why not buy a time share directly from the owner? Buying a time share directly from an owner can save you thousands of dollars….No Commissions, No hidden charges ever!

When that subject was introduced, the entire auditorium started yelling, “Yeah, why can’t we ever get bonus time?” At that point one gentleman stood up and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been there on bonus time fourteen times in the last six months.” I became concerned that we might have a riot and all the other unhappy Owners would injure him. Now, how come the experiences were so different?

First, you must remember what Bonus Time really is (that is besides a sales feature). Originally, not all the time was sold in specific resorts. Anywhere from 48 weeks to 51 weeks of the 52 available were sold. The rest were designated “Maintenance Weeks”. They were the time when the resort would be refurbished. It was later found that most of this kind of maintenance could be accomplished “on the fly” and 52 weeks were actually sold. Theoretically, if everyone showed up for their reservations and the maintenance weeks were actually fully used, there would be no bonus time…none! Unfortunately, some original salespeople said, “You can have bonus time whenever you want in addition to your reserved week.” Again, theoretically possible, but not really practical.

So Bonus Time is actually the unused maintenance time plus the time that certain Owners either don’t make a reservation, don’t show up at all, are unable to use their time because of failure to pay their maintenance dues or leave early. That’s it and it is spotty. It does, however exist. Most resorts will end up with a vacancy factor of between 5% and 15% of their usable time. So where does it go? Those who know how to use it do. Here’s how you go about it.

When are people most likely to not show up? In the off season and even more so midweek in the off season. Thus the most likely time you will be able to get Bonus Time in Southern California will be November through February at the beach and July through September in Palm Springs. This doesn’t necessarily mean that these are not good times. Some November days at the beach are among the best you will find, warm days and beautiful sunsets. Early mornings and late evenings in Palm Springs are uncrowded and delightful. If you aim for midweek off-season you will probably be pleasantly surprised at how many times you actually get Bonus Time.

Next is when should you ask for Bonus Time? About 3:00 PM on the check in day is when the husband will turn around, look in the back seat of the car and ask, “What are those funny looking spots on the kid’s faces?” The call canceling the reservation will be made by about 4:00 PM. If your call comes in at 4:15 PM, you have a good chance at snaring that spot which was suddenly left vacant. And that is the secret that the gentleman used at the beginning of this article. He would simply call at the last minute and if there were space he would come. If not, he wouldn’t. Another good time is after noon of the day after check in day. That is when the front desk will tally up the no-shows, call them and verify that they in fact are not coming. Suddenly, their reservation becomes a bonus time potential.

Every resort will have it’s own idiosyncrasies. To be successful with Bonus Time, it is up to you to figure them out. Another tip is that it always is a good idea to be on good terms with the front desk personnel. If they like you they may sometimes be able to help you. You will most certainly get the nod over the grouch who is always demeaning and criticizing them.

So the tricks to achieve Bonus Time are: 1) Use your head to figure out when your odds are best; 2) Be on good terms with the people who can help you; and 3) Call at the right time. I tell people that it is hardly worth the price of the phone call to try to get Bonus Time at the height of the high season on a weekend but those who exhibit flexibility and will roll with the system end up with more than their share. Every project is different but you can figure them out. With this knowledge you should have good luck with your Bonus Time. But, as I have always said, “I would rather be lucky than smart.”

Educated Consumers

Not too long ago, a colleague asked me why we invest so heavily in consumer education. We have made a conscious decision to spend marketing dollars on consumer education for a very simple reason. Educated consumers are simply better customers.

Lets take a closer look at why educated consumers are better customers.

Less Technical Support.

1.) Educated consumers require less technical support. The reduced technical support results in lower overhead costs. Often educated consumers can further reduce the support burden by assisting or educating other customers or potential customers in forums, newsgroups, user groups or elsewhere in an industry community.

Often users with a strong technical background or understanding will often assist in the forums and provide users technical support. The result: an educated consumer is a happy and helpful customer.

Easier Sales.

2.) Generally speaking educated consumers have a better understanding of the technology, how it can be used and how it will benefit them. A customers understanding that an application will result in saved time, can easily justify the software’s expense. Cost becomes less of an issue when long-term value is understood.

Reasonable Expectations.

3.) I hate to say it, but back in 1996 when we started out, consumer ignorance resulted in unrealistic expectations. Consumers purchased expecting that software would do their dishes and vacuum. Regardless of how well the software did what it was designed to do, if a customer expects it to do something else, they will not be a satisfied customer.

Educated consumers have realistic expectations and understanding of what can and cannot be accomplished.

Kinds of Consumer Education

1. Articles.

Educational articles not only propagate the success and understanding of a technology, but well written articles will often establish the writer as an industry expert.

Example .feedforall.com/newsletter.htm (on the bottom)

2. White Papers.

Real world examples of how other users are using software to resolve problems or save time are often great illustrations of technology in action.

Example .notepage.net/whitepapers.htm

3. PPT Demonstrations.

Power point presentations not only assist with user education, but also can be used by User Groups to further evangelize and educate potential users.

All in all, educated consumers result in a happier user with realistic expectations. Ignorance often results in dissatisfaction and unrealistic expectations while education leads to long term happy and helpful customers.

Permissions:

Permissions and notification of use not required.

More and More people are lured into affiliate marketing and you might be one of them. Indeed, affiliate marketing is one of the most effective means of generating a full-time income through the Internet. It’s a fair deal between the merchandiser and his affiliates as both benefit from each sale materialized. Like in other kinds of business, a great deal of the profits in affiliate marketing depends on the affiliate’s advertising, promoting and selling strategies. Everyday, as affiliate marketing industry expands, competition heightens as well so an affiliate marketer must be creative enough to employ unique and effective ways to convince potential buyers to purchase or avail of the products and services offered.

Compared to traditional advertising practices, affiliate programs are more effective, risk-free and cost-efficient. But why do many people still fail in affiliate marketing? There are a lot of reasons and a lot of areas in the program to look into. The most critical aspect in the affiliate program is advertising. Many affiliate marketers fail in this aspect because they lack hard work, which is the most important thing in affiliate marketing and in all other kinds of business as well. Although it pays to be lucky, you cannot merely rely on it. Affiliate marketing isn’t as simple as directing customers to the business site. If you want to earn big, of course, you have to invest time and great amount of hard work in promoting the products. As earlier mentioned, the competition is very high and customers nowadays are very wise, too. After all, who doesn’t want to get the best purchase&ndashthat is, to pay less and get more in terms of quantity and quality.

Lack of preparation is also a reason why one fails in affiliate marketing, whether he is a merchandiser or an affiliate. Part of the preparation is researching. On the part of the merchant, he has to be highly selective in choosing the right affiliate websites for his affiliate program. In order to be sure he has the best choices, he must have exhausted his means in looking for highly interested affiliates whose sites are sure fit to his products and services. The affiliate site’s visitors must match his targeted customers. On the other hand, the affiliate marketer must likewise research on the good-paying merchandisers before he signs up for an affiliate program. He must ensure that the merchants’ products and services match his interests so he can give his full attention and dedication to the program. He can get valuable information by joining affiliate forums, comparing different affiliate programs and reading articles on affiliate marketing where he can get tips from experienced affiliate marketers on how to choose the best merchants and products with high conversion rate.

The website is a very important tool in the whole affiliate program. As an affiliate marketer, you should plan how your site is going to be, from domain name to the design, the lay-out, the content, and ads. Some users are particular about what they see at first glance and thus when they find your site ugly, they won’t read through the content even if your site has many things to say and offer. On the other hand, there those who want information more than anything else. Affiliate marketers with “rich-content” web sites are usually the ones who prosper in this business because the content improves traffic to the site. Websites with high quality contents&ndashwith relevant keywords and more importantly, right information about the product and not empty hyped-up advertisements&ndashallow you to earn big in affiliate marketing even when you’re asleep. If you won’t be able to sustain the interest of your site visitor, you won’t be able to lead him to the merchants’ site. No click-through means no sale and thus, no income on your part.

Selecting a top level domain name is also crucial to the success of the affiliate program. Lots of affiliate sites don’t appear in the search engine results because they are deemed by affiliate managers as personal sites. Major search engines and directories would think of your site as transient ones and thus, they won’t list it in the directory. Before you decide on the domain name, know first what you are going to promote. Many fail because their sites are not appropriately named, so even when they feature the exact products the customer is looking for, the customer might think the site is not relevant and thus, won’t enter the site.

Above all, an affiliate marketer must be willing to learn more. Certainly, there are still a lot of things to learn and so an affiliate marketer must continue to educate himself so he can improve his marketing strategies. Many fail because they don’t grow in the business and they are merely concerned about earning big quickly. If you want long-term and highly satisfactory results, take time to learn the ins and outs of the business. Continue to improve your knowledge especially with the basics in affiliate marketing ranging from advertising to programming, web page development, and search engine optimization techniques. Likewise, study the needs and wants of your site users and how different merchandisers compete with each other.

Keep on trying; don’t get disappointed if your first attempts did not pay off. Thousands are attracted by the possibility of generating skyrocketing incomes through affiliate marketing and so they sign up in any affiliate program without carefully understanding every aspect of the business. When they don’t get instant results, they quit and sign up for another program and repeat the process of just copying links and referring them to others. When you sign up for an affiliate program, don’t expect to get rich in an instant. Work on your advertising strategies and be patient. You’ll never know how much you can get if you don’t persevere.

Don walked across the street from his house to mine to announce he had finally retired. “But I’m not ready for the golf course,” he said. “I want to make a living on the Internet. What can I sell?”

This is a question many of us struggle with as we see money, freedom, and a bright future for those who manage to find their niche online. You may have tried to sell something from the Internet only to find it is difficult to get visitors to your web site and even harder to get them to buy.

The biggest hurdle is simple: most folks are trying to sell products to consumers. That’s not where the money is. It is a more daunting task than most realize.

Only one percent of retail sales happens on the Internet. Even though selling to consumers should be gargantuan one day, we have a long way to go before the majority of people are placing orders the Internet way.

Instead, sell something to businesses. While consumer sales amounted to many billion last year, business-to-business purchases vaulted to a whopping ten times that much. Clearly, if you want the easiest path to tapping into the landslide of Internet cash, sell a product or service needed by business.

So, you say, I should sell a product to businesses? Not exactly. Most products need to be sold in large volumes by many distributors before they turn a profit. Chances are the product you sell is also being pushed by hundreds or thousands of other affiliates. In the end, many business buyers will simply click to the main corporate site to make their purchase.

Your best bet for starting a small Internet business and earning a living online is to sell a service to businesses. Unlike products, it is hard to mass produce a service. Most service providers find their competition is relatively thin. This is especially true if you provide a very specialized service or do your job in a particular way that is hard to duplicate. Because services require time spent by an experienced expert, rates can be high, especially for business customers.

But I’m not an expert in anything people on the Internet would want to buy, you exclaim. Not true.

Sit down with a pen and jot down all the things bosses have paid you for during your work career. Add to your list things you have done on your own time that friends, neighbors, or co-workers have felt were valuable.

Which of these things could be sold on the Internet? If you kept books for a business with twenty employees, you can sell your bookkeeping service to the vast number of small Internet businesses who don’t have the time or expertise to manage their growing firm.

If you produced your church newsletter for several years, your desktop publishing and editing skills could fill the hot demand for people who can write and publish e-messaging campaigns, web sites, and print newsletters. Best of all, a writer/editor deals in pure information which is easiest and cheapest to deliver over the Internet.

My neighbor Don decided his skills from a career in law enforcement would be hard to sell on the Internet. But he knew lots of things businesses needed and he had a list of town residents who could fill those needs.

If you don’t readily have a service you can sell to business, find someone who does. Many in-demand people don’t know how to market themselves on the Internet or haven’t the time to try. Represent their service online and take a commission for each sale.

Put up your own web site with some articles business customers will find helpful. They can do double duty, showing you know plenty about your line of work.

Post testimonials from satisfied customers or other experts in your industry. To get full impact, be sure to list the person’s full name and the name of their business or city they live in.

Offer to send customers and prospects a monthly update via email. Include brief updates on important developments in the industry. Mix in three line ads promoting your service.

Selling a service to business is your least-expensive way to get started making money online. It is also the quickest way to tap into the huge amounts of money traveling from business to business.

Do you have a website but having a hard time generating traffic? Don’t you wish you could just sit back and let someone else do the promoting for you? Well you can! And they’ll do it for you for FREE. That’s right, we’re not talking about paid advertising here. What we’re talking about works better than paid advertising and doesn’t cost you a thing! We’re talking about article submissions.

Submitting an article to an article directory is a great way of generating traffic for your website, whether you’re just starting out or just trying to increase the traffic to your site. All you have to do is write an article that would be useful to your prospects, and put a resource box at the end of the article with a link to your website. A resource box is just a small statement about yourself with a link to your site for them to find out more information. Then you submit it to a few article directories. That’s it. Other people take over from this point.

So what exactly happens when you post articles on an article directory? Well your article gets posted on their website. A lot of other website owners check these article directories for articles they can use as content for their website or newsletter. But when they use your article, they agree to not change the article and to leave YOUR resource box on it. They advertise your website for you! You don’t have to do anything.

I can hear you now, this all sounds great but I’m not that great at writing. Well you don’t have to be! You’re not trying to sell a novel here. All you are doing is writing something that you think would be useful for someone else to know. As long as it is helpful I’m sure there will be plenty of people who WANT to read it. And the more you write, the better your writing is going to get. So don’t sit around procrastinating because you don’t feel you can write good enough. Just do it. You’ll get better.

This looks good but is it really better than paid advertising? I would say yes and there are several reasons for this. First of all it is FREE. Second, it’s viral. Take a look at this scenario. If you post an article on a couple article directories and only 10 people decide to use it in their newsletter. Each of these people has 2,000 people on their list. This advertises your site to 20,000 people. Now imagine if 100 people used your article or if they had 20,000 people each on their list. This stuff is powerful. Third, it establishes you as an expert in that field. People will trust you more and will be more willing to by your product if you’ve already given them useful information. Forth, after you’ve written a lot of article you can compile them into your own ebook and give it away for free (with links to your site of course) or sell it. Paid advertising doesn’t even compare to this. Don’t waste any more time. Start writing articles now!