First of all, there is not a “best way” to sell a timeshare.  Timeshares are simply very difficult to sell. First, there are few buyers that want a timeshare on a day-to-day basis. Even though the timeshare industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, most buyers buy at the resorts where they can see, smell and experience the timeshare that they are buying. To buy a timeshare sight unseen is like buying a home without ever being in it.

The second part to this is that there are many people trying to sell timeshares. People’s lifestyles change. They no longer want to use their timeshare or cannot use it at all. For example, the kids go to college, or a loss of a job, or health issues arise. So, as the maintenance fee bills come in every year, it becomes more of a burden than a vacation getaway.

You’ll find people willing to give away their timeshares for free (minus the closing costs) or for very low costs just to eliminate these fees and the contractual obligation that timeshares place on owners. But, this leads to a flood of inventory on the market. Looking on some popular timeshare selling websites, there are easily tens of thousands for sale just on single websites alone. There are some estimates that millions of timeshares are either on sale or want to be put on sale. So, every timeshare starts to look the same and with buyers not wanting to buy something they’ve never seen or experienced, very few transactions get done.

The last point to think about when selling a timeshare is the amount of money that goes into the marketing and sales of timeshares by the timeshare resorts. For every timeshare that is sold at a resort, roughly 33% to 60% of that goes to marketing and sales of the timeshare. That’s an incredible amount! Some of the best salespeople in the world sell timeshares because of how lucrative it is. But, as a single owner who has little budget or time, is it even possible to compete with the resorts themselves?

Selling any type of real estate is especially difficult right now with the recession.  Timeshare sales are down several billion dollars from their record highs in 2008.  Typical timeshare owners do not gain any equity on their timeshare, so it makes for a harder deal than other forms of real estate.

Although it may seem self-serving, Timeshare Relief would prefer timeshare owners not go through some of the trials and tribulations of trying to sell a timeshare. It really pains us to see owners paying out so much money for so little in return. If you would like more information about how to avoid the timeshare resale industry entirely, give our friendly expert advisors a call at the special Timeshare Relief hotline: 1-866-797-0535. There is no obligation and we want to provide all the information you need to make a good decision for you.

Interviewer:                       All right, for the record, if it’s okay, what is your name?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Peggy Peasnall.

Interviewer:                       Are you satisfied with the service that Timeshare Relief has provided?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Yes.

Interviewer:                       Are you still paying for your timeshare?

Peggy Peasnall:                 No.

Interviewer:                       Did you enjoy receiving the notification of final transfer?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Yes.

Interviewer:                       Have you tried any other service besides Timeshare Relief to get you out of your timeshare?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Yes.

Interviewer:                       What did they do and how did they work for you?

Peggy Peasnall:                 They charged us $500 upfront for each of them and we probably did it on four of them and never heard a word from them after, and so I would call them once a year.  And this has been like five or six years we’ve done this, and I never got any results at all; not even one call.

Interviewer:                       Why did you decide to go with Timeshare Relief?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Because we didn’t use the timeshare and we were tired of paying the fees and everything for something that we weren’t using.

Interviewer:                       On a scale of 1-10, what is your overall satisfaction level with our service?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Very satisfied.  10.

Interviewer:                       Based on your experience, would you recommend our service?

Peggy Peasnall:                 Yes, I would.

Interviewer:                       Okay.  It sounds like you were pleased with your experience with us.  Thank you so much –

Peggy Peasnall:                 Yes.

Interviewer:                       Thank you so much and have a nice day.

Peggy Peasnall:                 Thank you.  Bye.

This Timeshare Relief testimonial was not paid for her interview.  Timeshare Relief makes no claim that its service works in all cases for all timeshare owners.  Timeshares must be paid off in full.  Other qualifications may also apply.

Over the nearly seven years that Timeshare Relief has been in business, the company has helped over 50,000 timeshare owners escape the financial burden of timeshare ownership.  The track record of the company of providing outstanding service and caring about their clients stands alone in the industry.  If you want to get out of your timeshare, call the special hotline at 1-866-797-0535 or go to http://www.timesharerelief360.com and fill in your contact information so that a Timeshare Relief representative can give you a call.

Leo Brosseau was in this situation.  He felt like he was going to get “shafted” before meeting with us.  Soon, he realized that Timeshare Relief was there to help him.  Hear it in his own words below…

Interviewer:                       Alright, for the record, if it’s okay, what is your name?

Leo Brosseau:                    My name is Leo Brosseau.

Interviewer:                       Are you satisfied with the service that Timeshare Relief has provided?

Leo Brosseau:                    I am more than satisfied with it.  I wish I’d heard about you ten years earlier.  You did a great job for me.

Interviewer:                       Are you still paying for your timeshare?

Leo Brosseau:                    No, sir, we are not.

Interviewer:                       Did you enjoy receiving the notification of final transfer?

Leo Brosseau:                    I was overjoyed, believe me.

Interviewer:                       On a scale of 1-10, what is your overall satisfaction level with our service?

Leo Brosseau:                    10.

Interviewer:                       Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with Timeshare Relief?

Leo Brosseau:                    Well, I just think – I’d like to tell you that I thought all of your people were more than courteous and patient with people like me, who thought we were going to get shafted in the beginning.  And due to the patience of your own people, I found out that you were doing me a favor.  So, that’s about all I want to say.  I think you done a great job for me and I would recommend you to anybody that wanted to talk to me about it.

Interviewer:                       All right.  It sounds like you were pleased with your experience with us.  Thank you so much for your time –

Leo Brosseau:                    Okay.  You have a good day.

Interviewer:                       You too.

Leo Brosseau:                    Okay.  Bye-bye.

Timeshare Relief did not pay for this testimonial.  The interview occurred after the timeshare transfer process was completed a few months after the initial meeting.  Timeshare Relief makes no claims that it can take every timeshare.  Timeshares must be fully paid off, and must be qualified for transfer.  The timeshare transfer service requires a fee.  If you would like more information, please go to www.timesharerelief360.com and fill in your contact information, or call 1-866-797-0535 and speak to one of our friendly expert representatives.

Timeshare Relief Before Foreclosure

With the economy continuing to sputter, timeshare owners, like you, may want to consider getting rid of their timeshares in order to save their homes.  Timeshare relief may be the only saving grace between being obligated to pay maintenance fees and special assessments versus keeping homes from foreclosure.

Many people are having a tough time right now because they are struggling with paying their mortgage, the bills, and the ever-rising cost of gasoline among other things.  Others have to contend with layoffs, pay cuts, reduction in benefits or other crises that may result in less disposable income.  We have all heard stories about people – some that we know – who have lost homes due to foreclosures in record numbers.

If you own a timeshare, you may be facing an even tougher uphill battle to get your finances under control.  On top of the other bills that can stack up, you have maintenance fees that you have to pay annually on your timeshare that consistently increase over time.   Incredibly, those maintenance fees may not be the only timeshare fees.  Special assessments can come at any time.  You do not want that crushing financial blow at a time of difficulty.  When you put all that together, it seems that there has never been a better time than now to get rid of your timeshare.   Doing so can cut down on the financial hassle your household may be dealing with right now.

Timeshare Relief can help with this burden.  Just call 1-866-797-0535 to speak to one of our friendly and expert representatives who can tell you more about the Timeshare Relief service.  We can transfer the ownership of your timeshare so that it is no longer in your name, thereby alleviating you of the timeshare fee obligations.

Since you probably financed your timeshare, the best thing to do will be to pay it off quickly to get rid of all those high interest payments.  If you cannot pay it off, at least attempt to transfer the debt to another source, like a credit card or borrow from a friend or family member.  Timeshares with liens on them are next to impossible to dump.

The market is currently flooded with timeshares that don’t have mortgages. It’s hard enough to find a buyer for a timeshare that is currently paid off, so if you have an existing mortgage on the timeshare you will experience great difficulty selling it.

Timeshare Relief can only take timeshares that are completely paid in full.  Clients pay Timeshare Relief a fee for this service.

A timeshare can lose 40% to 75% of their market value immediately after you sign the contract with the timeshare salesperson. One factor that contributes to the steep drop in value is that the salesperson and the company immediately receive their percentages on commission.

In the short time that it takes for the ink on your contract to dry, the timeshare turns into a notch on the timeshare salesperson’s belt. Immediately considered an asset to the timeshare resort, the clock starts to siphon money from the fresh timeshare owner in the form of maintenance and special assessment fees.

After a while, the timeshare resorts have little incentive to provide upkeep and to upgrade the timeshare. There is a reason for that. The timeshare contract guarantees revenue through all the fees the resorts collect from timeshare owners, so they do not need to bother with improvements. They take this money and use it to build new resorts that guarantee that they can collect even more maintenance fees from new timeshare owners.

As the timeshares age and the maintenance fees increase, there is less desire to purchase a condo unit from that location.  Most potential buyers would prefer new, more modern timeshare units.  At the same time, if the value for the increased maintenance fees paid begin to annoy timeshare owners, how do you think it will affect a potential owner who never vacationed there before?  For many owners, they end up paying for something they don’t use and no one is looking to purchase from them.   So, the value of that timeshare is negative — below zero — it’s taking money away constantly.

Timeshare Relief helps people out of this vicious downward spiral of value and get rid of those timeshares.

Flat…out…hilarious…

Here’s an excerpt:

Our sales person Sir Ken of Amway introduced himself and led us to our table where he promised we would spend no longer than 90 minutes listening to a very low key fairy tale about magical destinations after which we would be free to have our prize bestowed upon us.

And another:

The Rogue offered us COOKIES! He even played the “I was a single dad and I regret not spending more quality time with my kids” card.   Oh yes, HE DID go there! The man was a WIZARD I tell you!

Here are seven reasons why timeshares should never be considered investments:

1. The Timeshare Resale Market has an Over-Supply
According to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), there were 1,629 timeshare resorts in the United States in 2008, representing approximately 182,100 units. If every unit is divided into 50 weeks, the result is over 9 million timeshare weeks available for sale just in the US (not internationally).  There just are not that many buyers.

2. Upfront Timeshare Cost
The money that a timeshare owner pays upfront does not have a rate of return. It could be used for other purposes like true interest-bearing investments, or for future vacations. The money is spent regardless if the timeshare is used or not.

3. Maintenance Fees
Timeshare owners pay mandatory annual maintenance fees whether they stay at the timeshare or not. Maintenance fees in the US averaged $646 in 2008. They typically increase every year. These fees do not include special assessments that may occur due to emergency repair or other non-maintenance related cost.

4. Depreciating Asset
Timeshares are worse than new cars in terms of holding their value. Much of the upfront cost of timeshares goes to the marketing and sales of the units. Once the timeshare contract is signed, it can lose as much as 50 percent of its value. There are certainly timeshares where the resale value can go to zero over time. Check out eBay and the number of unsold timeshares priced at $0.01!

5. Developers Compete Against Owners in the Rental Market
In order to bring prospective owners to the timeshare resorts, the developers establish lower rental rates as incentives to visit their timeshare resorts. Many times these rents are lower than the maintenance fees charged to owners.

6. Exchanges
A perceived highly-valued benefit of timeshares is the ability to exchange a timeshare for another one in a different location. This benefit comes at the cost of annual exchange fees that again must be paid annually whether or not the exchange is used. Many owners have found it difficult to schedule an exchange to a desired location. As a timeshare ages, it also tends to lose desirability for exchange.

7. Long term Timeshare Contracts
Timeshare contracts have very long durations. Some are written so as to be virtually perpetual. With the financial obligations previously described, very few organizations or astute investors would want to pay so much annually without a guaranteed return (outside of the vacation accommodation that a timeshare provides).

These seven reasons are why many financial advisers do not recommend and even discourage their clients from purchasing a timeshare.

On this Timeshare Relief blog, we’ve addressed a number of the issues that  Wilkens brings forth to highlight such as the fact that “you never finish paying for your timeshare” (Disappointment No. 1 according to Wilkens) due to the long term contracts and the ever-rising maintenance fees.  Also, “surprises can be costly” (Disappointment No. 2) when timeshare owners receive special assessment bills.

Wilkens’ Axiom No. 1 is “A timeshare is a prepaid vacation expense, not an investment” By coincidence, I recently published an article titled “Top Seven Reasons Why Timeshares Should Never Be Considered Investments“.

Wilkens continues his article and advice to potential timeshare buyers.  If you absolutely need to purchase a timeshare, do so on the timeshare resales market.  It’s definitely a buyers market, but realize what you are getting and know that getting rid of a timeshare is difficult.  Because of the mandatory fees, Wilkens does not recommend buying a timeshare, but renting instead (Companion Rule 3B).  He also claims that timeshare exchange programs are too expensive for the value they provide (Axiom No. 2 paraphrased).

While dispensing his first-hand experiences, he provides all the pricing information and presents the facts transparently.  He’s enjoyed his timeshare experience, yet wishes he had paid less for that enjoyment.

At some point he’ll have to get rid of his timeshares.  Perhaps he’ll come to visit Timeshare Relief.

So, it’s important to keep in mind that every opinion, article, blog post that you read has a particular bias stemming from a vested interest in the topic being discussed.  This holds for any subject on the Internet, and timeshares are no different.  Many of the websites about timeshares are produced and maintained by those in the timeshare industry who are in the business of pushing timeshare sales & related services.

The timeshare industry is a huge one.  In 2008 in a down economy, timeshares generated $9.7 billion in revenue with the average timeshare cost of over $20,000 according to ARDA, the American Resort Development Association.  The large developers and hotel chains that dominate the industry certainly have the financial resources to invest in timeshare promotion and marketing.  As a result, the Internet is now permeated with pro-timeshare messages and positive marketing spin by using the anonymity of the Internet to contribute to forums, post blogs, write articles.  The aggressiveness of such marketing has tended to drown out those who are dissatisfied with their timeshares.

There is a reason why a number of online forums and discussion boards have so many positive comments about timeshares and why you can find the very same posts repeated across different websites.

Of course, this blog and the content produced through Timeshare Relief has a bias as well.  We see it as a voice for the silent and sometimes desperate timeshare owners who have no other place to turn.  Our goal with our content is to appeal to common sense rather than hype and exaggeration.  Our research and our experience with timeshare owners provide a level of understanding of the difficulties of timeshare ownership.  We take it as our responsibility to educate buyers about the timeshare industry, to discuss the options available to buyers who no longer want or need their timeshare, and to listen and address any related concerns that timeshare buyers might have.

So, a question that comes to mind is why would any timeshare owner NOT use Timeshare Relief to get rid of their timeshare?

Some owners flat-out LOVE their timeshare(s).  They use them every year and don’t mind paying the timeshare associated fees like maintenance fees, special assessments, and exchange fees.  Timeshare Relief fully supports these ardent fans of timeshares as they are maximizing their use of their timeshares.  Unfortunately, many timeshare owners fall very short of maximizing the use of their timeshare units, and hence the need for Timeshare Relief

Owners who owe on a mortgage on their timeshare cannot participate in the program.  There is simply no entity that will take on that type of debt.  Timeshare contracts are really liabilities, not real assets, so having a mortgage on a liability is like owing more debt on debt.

There are also a handful timeshare resorts that unequivocally refuse to transfer ownership.  Unfortunately for these owners, they must abide by their contracts and continue to pay the maintenance fees and special assessments.  There are no other options.

Finally, there’s a group of people that simply do not believe in the solution provided by Timeshare Relief.  No matter what 3rd party documentation, hundreds of testimonials, tens of thousands of timeshares transferred, positive reviews from business publications & consumer watch-dogs groups like the Better Business Bureau, something prevents them from their own relief from their timeshare.  But, this is true about most anything that’s good – the skeptics will always find the proverbial glass to be half empty and the hole in the doughnut.