Thursday, November 09, 2017

Timeshares? Really?


Ballater, Scotland.  The white windows were our rooms. 
In 2014, consumers bought almost $8 billion worth of timeshare properties in the U.S., with an average sales price of $20,020 and average annual maintenance fees of $880. Though the median age of timeshare owners is 51, the concept resonates loudly with younger people. Among owners who have bought in recent years, the median age is 39. And half of them have children younger than 18 living at home.

...

“You’d be foolish to buy a timeshare for investment purposes,” says Randy Conrads, co-founder of RedWeek, a website that lists timeshares for sale or rent. “It’s a lifestyle investment, not a financial one. You’re buying a vacation property that you thought you’d use.”

...

But consumers who are disappointed that their timeshare has little or no value after lengthy ownership are missing the point. Think of it this way: You enjoyed that once-in-a-lifetime meal at a four-star restaurant. When it’s over, it’s over, and you don’t expect to get your money back.
-----

 So.  To "come clean."  We own Hilton Grand Vacations timeshares.  Yes, more than one.  Finished laughing?  Good.  We bought them for several reasons.  Not to be poo pooed but to -force- Mr&Mrs Dawg to take vacations.  Far too easy to say "next year" and then the next.  Family obligations aren't supposed to count as vacations either.  Second we got very good deals.  Timeshares are like new cars where once you buy them they lose half the value driving them off the lot.  Not our buys.  Finally, seeing we could be sucked into this type of money pit we bought HGV stock.  Check the HGV stock track record. 

 There is a problem.  The third (three way ties for 1st, 2nd, 3rd) nicest place I've ever stayed is the Trump in Las Vegas.  This was before the recent political... ummm...  frictions.  Mrs Dawg declines to ever accept an "upgrade" to stay there ever again.  

38 comments:

LBD said...

They fit some peoples life styles but to say they are an investment is wrong just like an RV. No more vacation homes for me. Things changes and the RVs are cheaper to operate then vacation home cost. Then there is race cars. What the heck are fun coupons for any way? :)

Rob Dawg said...

You have it exactly. Strangely one of our purchases got a surprise boost. With the Raiders coming to Las Vegas that fractional timeshare is worth near what we paid.

Lawyerliz said...

Wow. A lot of them had mtges and were foreclosed.

Cinco-X said...

I used to go to a time share that my Mom owned with an ex husband, and we always had a great time.

Cinco-X said...

That timeshare went the way of the dodo in the divorce

Rob Dawg said...

These are not your parent's timeshares. In the past year or so; Las Vegas, Park City UT, Scotland, and Hawaii in February. The days of week #36 in Building 3 in Bakersfield every year are no more. Between travel points and annual replenishment we are thinking New Zealand or Chile in CY'18.

dilbert dogbert said...

A friend we visited down Messico Way called them Crime Shares.

dilbert dogbert said...

MMMMMM??? How do you fit lake front and a dock on an RV?

Cinco-X said...

Think outside the box... You fit the RV on a lakefront and a dock...

Rob Dawg said...

Self driving RVs are going to be great. Press the Yosemite button and start binge watching season 7 of Dirk Gently.

LBD said...

Some RV resorts have lake side spots with boat launches and docks. ;)

Rob Dawg said...

Look at the map and all the “hook up” spots.

http://www.casitaswater.org/campground-map/

Lawyerliz said...

Family blog! Good night.😀

dilbert dogbert said...

In those RV resorts can you walk a couple of yards to the dock and not have the Hoi Paloi get in the way? My neighbors don't run their cabin/RV generators all night nor do they party all night. Been there done that.
Some things are cheap and some are priceless.

LBD said...

RV resorts usually have electricity, water sewer, cable TV. some even have their own golf courses. Never had anybody party at night and most have a curfew. No need for a generator. Camping is another story, even many have electricity. We camp at waters edge a couple times a year at state camp ground.

Lawyerliz said...

My daughter camped a.lot at on point and the people sometimes ran their generators all night. She hated that. Why did the want to be in nature, then?

Lawyerliz said...

I really glad you enjoy camping. But personally I like hotels.

Lawyerliz said...

I don't like bugs. They bite me.

LBD said...

Good Morning!


http://islanderlakehavasu.com/rv-sites/


This is a RV resort, not camping. Everything you want $100 a day Motor home waters edge. There are other upscale places like in Las Vegas for the rich. You have to have an upscale motor home not over 7 years old and worth less the a $1MM. Uber rich to WalMart spread for your pocket.

Rob Dawg said...

Think of a good RV as the airplane, the shuttle, the rental car and the hotel with no baggage limit. There are downsides that can be minimized but on the whole the appeal is obvious. Moreso when autonomous driving arrives in a few years.

Cinco-X said...

You go camping with the bugs you have, not the bugs you wish you had

Cinco-X said...

I suspect that for most folks they'd be better off without the RV. My dad and his GF bought one, but it ended up being too expensive to maintain, and they actually ended up selling it and then renting one when they needed one.

Lawyerliz said...

Gluten morgan .😀

Rob Dawg said...

See the tie in? Autonomous, RVing and fractional ownership?

Lawyerliz said...

Liz is bored. Somebody post. Somebody say something extravagant. Dawgster, how many seats are the reps gonna lose in the house? Dilbert, how is the interesting daughter doing. Tom stone, how have the fires affected real estate in your neck of the woods

Lawyerliz said...

Fractional ownership of an RV. If I wanted to use one, I'd rent it.

LBD said...

Take your own bed bugs with you. :)

Lawyerliz said...

When I started working for Chicago title, theY were closing a lot of timeshare weeks. They liked that because each unit produced 26 to 51 closing and could be done assembly style fashion.

Lawyerliz said...

I never could see the sense of them, wouldn't you want to go someplace different each year?

Lawyerliz said...

Florida has many bugs, but for some reason, no bedbugs.

Lawyerliz said...

Now that Trump has twice as many characters, will his trees be better or worse?

Lawyerliz said...

Trees == tweets

Rob Dawg said...

Trump's tweets are helping crush the dead tree news media so "trees" works too.

Lawyerliz said...

They were dying anyway due to the Internet

LBD said...

The Past liar in Chief or Tweets. I could do with out the Tweets but in the new world it keeps the silly people going nuts. Things with T are going as expected from my view. Reps didn't want him and they are continuing to be bought off as usual. The 4 Repub traders who vote down everything seem to have no bills of their own. Undoing the messes left for decades will be a slow and painful process. Repubs have their chance now and can't get it done which goes back to where did the party of conservatives go?

Lawyerliz said...

I think they never were

LBD said...

When we bought American they still made a win,win out of it. Selling out to the world doesn't. T gets it but has a hell of a struggle to get anywhere.

dilbert dogbert said...

Lawyer Liz,
Iff'n you want to contact Tom Stone go to the Muddy Economist blog. He has a link up on the first page
With respect to the interesting daughter, she delivered a grandson to us in Oct. The good daughter in San Joe's Nose also delivered a grand daughter in Oct. The sweet and wonderful wife just came back from baby sitting there. I can see me doing a lot of bactheloring in the next couple of years.
The interesting daughter and her arab terrorist looking boyfriend ran away to Geogia during the hurricane. Her house escaped any damage. WhoRaw.
We will leave the light on for you if you ever escape to Kalipornikateya.