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Re: Better Business Lodging (by Lance C.):

bena70 wrote:

Yes I am quite aware of all the issues out there when it comes to timeshare but what do you recommend lance? I pay upfront every single year for my maintenance fees that just keep on going up almost every year and i get nothing for that upfront fee except an opportunity to use it if i want to deal with all the booking hassles and bad service or spending time trying to exchange which is not nearly as easy as they made it seem when i purchased. Lance do you own a timeshare? If so which one and have you taken any pro active measures to get it sold or rented either by yourself or with a company you paid upfront too? Has anybody on this forum paid a company upfront to help rent or sell?

My first recommendation would be to find out what your unit is worth on the resale market. One oft-mentioned way is to log into E-Bay and search for the resort where you own and then check completed (not active) sales to see what they sold for. You might find that some auctions closed without garnering any bids. If you find that it has value, then you can try listing it here on RedWeek or other reputable websites such as My Resort Network, E-Bay, or Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG"). Yes, they will charge you a fee to list but it's a modest, reasonable fee as compared to these other scams that charge an upfront fee in the hundreds or thousands.

If you find that your unit has little or no resale value, then you can try giving it away. Use the websites that I mentioned in the first paragraph. I know TUG has a Bargain Deals section where you can list for free that you want to give it away. If you are dead serious about giving it away, you might want to give the new taker an incentive such as offering to pay closing and transfer costs and perhaps even the next year's maintenance fees.

You can also contact the resort's Homeowners' Association, mention your situation and ask if they will take your unit back. They might make you pay transfer/closing costs but it will work out cheaper than paying many of these "Get out of your timeshare" companies and law firms.

BTW, we used to own a timeshare but we sold it via an advertisement right here on RedWeek.