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Author
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Topic: Is RCI worth it?
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OwenandBarb
Non MemberPosts: 3
From: Harrisonburg, VA (Eagle Trace @ Massanutten)
Registered: May 2005
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posted 05-21-2005 22:02
    
My wife and I just bought a timeshare located about half an hour away. Obviously we don't plan to stay there (although it will be handy to use the facilities throughout the year, as I believe their usage comes free with ownership).I believe I understand fairly well how RCI works, although we haven't joined yet. It seems like it will cost us a few hundred dollars a year to use their services (in annual fees and trading fees). My question is, "Is it worth it?" I have been encouraged by what I've seen on the TUG pages. It seems we might be able to make trades with other members here and avoid the RCI costs (as well as having to make such early commitments to a certain time and location). I believe we will be fairly flexible about where we stay, as we want to see various parts of the country. We have a 2-BR lockout where each part can sleep six people (six people who know each other quite well I might add!), so we'd be happy if annually we could rent one side to cover our annual expenses and trade the other side for a timeshare elsewhere. In a nutshell, will we need to join RCI to do this? IP: Logged |
Judy
TUG MemberPosts: 1938
From: Melbourne Beach, FL & Steamboat Springs CO. owner: Celebrity Resort World of Orlando; The Ridge Tahoe; Hatteras High; Worldmark. member:II,RCI,DAE,SFX
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 05-22-2005 05:59
Did you buy from the developer? If so and your priority is day use of the facilities, you might want to confirm that benefit while you can still recind. As a matter of fact, if you bought from the developer you might want to recind anyway and find something a lot cheaper as a resale.
As for renting one side and exchanging the other, I hope an Eagle Trace owner will address the question of whether or not you can reasonably expect to do that. I've seen Massanutten on rci.com many times, both as an exchange and as a rental. That indicates to me that it might not have wonderful trading power. Your exchange power and rental possibilities will depend partly on what time of the year you own.
Do you need RCI to exchange your week? Not really. You can join the independent timeshare exchange companies for free and pay them a lower exchange fee than RCI would charge. They tend to have less inventory than RCI except in certain areas but they could well have what you want. Check them out at www.dialanexchange.us , http://www.tradingplaces.com , http://www.platinuminterchange.com and www.sfx-resorts.com SFX only takes selected resorts/weeks. I don't know whether they would take Eagle Trace. I've used Dial an Exchange and SFX and can recommend those two. [This message has been edited by Judy (edited 05-22-2005).] IP: Logged |
boyblue
TUG MemberPosts: 415
From: Nassau, Bahamas
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 05-22-2005 08:23
I am truly intrigued by your idea. If I were just starting out I might be tempted to try your plan. I guess it’s not a new idea but I don’t hang around the exchange forum much so I probably missed it. I know www.redweek.com has added direct exchanges to their listings and I could see a mega timeshare exchange site on the horizon so, you might have something.We’re sort of like you. We’re on the “See North North America Plan”. We vacation in the northern states and southern provinces during winter. We have the flexibility of traveling during shoulder & off-season periods. Because our ownership is during prime times we feel that, one for one trades are a huge waste. RCI Points allows us to get more for our money. If you are looking for value for dollar, it’s hard to get around Points. For example our most recent acquisition is a 3br unit with $315.00 Maintenance Fees. We can get up to 6 weeks with the 56,000 points that this unit receives. With direct exchanges the up side is you save $250.00 ($400.00 if you exchanged both halves). The only down side I can think of is that when you exchange you will be liable for what your guest does at your home resort. I don’t know if there is any way to transfer that liability. Success really depends on the desirability of your unit (week number & location). There is no harm in trying your plan. If it proves more difficult than it seems you can then try RCI.
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A Toast: Champagne to our real friends & real pain to our sham friends. IP: Logged |
OwenandBarb
Non MemberPosts: 3
From: Harrisonburg, VA (Eagle Trace @ Massanutten)
Registered: May 2005
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posted 05-22-2005 09:10
Thank you for the tips on alternate agencies--I'll look into them.We purchased Eagle Trace on the resale market. The use of their facilities is of secondary importance to us, but we'll take advantage of them if they indeed transfer. In theory, I don't think the Gold Card transfers, but in practice it seems to. I quit asking questions because I realized that the more I asked, the more likely the left hand would figure out what the right hand was doing. I'll explain more once we have our Gold Card in hand! You noted that Eagle Trace might not have great trading power. I think I tend to agree with you, based on a cursory glance through the "Want to Rent" pages of the TUG classifieds! Most folks want to be on the beach, afterall. However, Massanutten is a 4-season resort and they are in the finishing stages of completing a huge waterpark. Hopefully that will add to its attractiveness. We have a floating red week, so we'll have to determine whether it is more desireable to reserve it during ski season or summer months. IP: Logged |
Kathy347
TUG MemberPosts: 26
From: Minnesota . . . owner at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay in Mazatlan
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 05-22-2005 10:26
If you can use the Extra Vacations or the Last Call Vacations, RCI is a very good deal. We like our resort and usually do not trade, but I will keep my RCI membership just to get access to those features. IP: Logged |
Mel
TUG MemberPosts: 1707
From: N Smithfield, RI - owner: Orange Lake Country Club, Kissimmee FL; Tropical Breeze Resort, Panama City FL
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 05-22-2005 11:52
The Massanutten property is pretty large, and has an oversupply - they are very easy to trade into through RCI. So, using RCI to exchange won't be great - you won't get the best trades. That also means that any of your rentals will be competing with RCI's excess inventory. Since you live nearby, you probably can't count on renting your unit to friends & neighbors, avoiding that competition.Direct exchanges may work for you, but massanutten has a limited appeal to most people - It's an nice resort (I stayed there 3 times when we lived in Maryland), but you're not likely to pull west coasters or even New Englanders for the skiing, we'll stay closer to home, or fly to Colorado. As for the day privileges, verify that ASAP. I know when we stayed there we had to pay for a pass to the recreation center. When we toured, they mentioned something about a special membership that was included in the sale, that would not be included in any resales, but that may have been bogus as well - I don't know how they track it, so don't know if it really wouldn't transfer with the sale, or if they're actually screwing newer owners by effectively charging them more on the back end. They include this in your sale price, but plan to charge $1000 or more to the new owners for this "club membership" when you sell down the road - making it that much harder to resell. Not that much different from some of the resorts with exhorbitant transfer fees to chenga a name & address in their computers. ------------------
Melinda Towne Come visit my homepage IP: Logged | |
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