Timeshare Resales

What's the advantages/disadvantages of buying a resale timeshare on Redweek versus buying the timeshare from the resort? We are looking at a two bedroom lockoff at Atlantis Harbor Side Bahamas?

NEVER buy from the resort . They inflate the prices . My best advice is to purchase weeks not points . Also pick a resort that you plan to visit over and over . I own a week at a timeshare on the Las Vegas strip that I visit every year unless unable to for a what ever reason . I either bank that week or rent it out . Do your homework before you sign on the dotted line and commit yourself to a lifetime of ever increasing maintenance fees and assessments . There are some great values our there if you take the time to find them .

Hi Don,

I thought purchase point is more flexible and you can book different resort.

thanhl18 wrote:

I thought purchase point is more flexible and you can book different resort.

Maybe so but as any timeshare veteran will tell you, whatever benefits you get from buying developer over resale is nowhere near worth the cost of buying from the developer.

Read through a lot of posts and you will find so many people unable to get an exchange using points . You are at the mercy of the resort if you want to trade it and hear all the complaint from the owners not being able to get week they want.

This is true. We put in a request for the Marriott Los Suenos in Costa Rica. We waited 5 months for a reply. We were lucky to get what we wanted but this was the first time of several tries to get a decent exchange.

Buying resale - There is much apprehension about buying resale timeshares, largely promoted by sales personnel at the resorts. We own several weeks purchased from Marriott (convertible to points) and the same number purchased in the resale market. I can assure you there is no difference "in use" beyond the ability to convert to points. Oh, sales personnel may tout the ability to use points to acquire some vacations, tours, etc. But this is easily resolved by renting out resale units and using the cash for tours, etc. Points are restricted in use, but cash is a universal currency. Tell me, would you rather have script you could only spend at Target, or cash you could spend anywhere????

We do attend sales presentations from time to time. I earnestly try to find a reason to buy from Marriott.

One other thing - point reservations are not so easy to get. There are too many points chasing the better weeks at the better resorts.

And finally, some people are really smart and just rent the weeks they want on Redweek!