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Timeshare - Beware of the Frauds and Scams

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By Paul Hata

 As with any kind of investment, the chances of your timeshare investment ending up in a fraud or scam are very much possible. A fraud or a scam can prove devastating for you both financially and mentally. It may take a while for you to recover from its backlash.

Those of you who have already been a victim of these notorious frauds and scams can understand the trauma that they have experienced and gone through. That dream vacation that you may have been planning since a long time ended up being a nightmare for you.

But if you think you are the first person to have been scammed hold on there are many more people may be in hundreds who have been the victim of this unscrupulous behavior of some individuals.

As a matter of fact the timeshares are one of the safest ways of experiencing many popular vacation places. How about a secluded journey to the geographical wonders of the world? How about that romantic getaway in a beach resort?

Sounds exciting, but these are one of the marketing tactics used by the scammers to lure people into thinking about buying a timeshare. In fact this is their first victory in setting a trap for you. This does not mean that every timeshare company who uses this tactic would be a scammer.

The essence of that is to be precautious and not get impulsive about it in the first go. Always think and rethink before making a decision on buying a timeshare. Restrain yourselves to the maximum.

One of the important criterions is selecting a right timeshare company. As a rule of thumb, always go with large, well established timeshare companies who have been in the business for years.

In this way you know their history very well and their reputation in the market. They are less likely to fraud a person than a new or a small company. This is applicable when it comes to the resale of your timeshare property.

Many times the catchy style of marketing techniques of these scammers can easily raise red flags and you can avoid being scammed. It first starts with an invitation to a timeshare presentation.

They offer you a gift if you attend the presentation which may look expensive but in reality is not. Sometimes they may also inform you that you have won a gift and you can claim it by attending the free presentation.

And then once you fall prey to it and attend the presentation which turns to be nothing more than a gimmick, they start using pressure selling techniques and they won’t let you go out unless they have you sign something just like dealers selling used cars who say we will sell you this car for this much price if you buy it today.

They may say the property is only 5 minutes walk from the beach but in reality it may turn out to be 15 minutes away from the beach. Sometimes the property might not be the same they described in their presentation taking advantage of the fact that nobody would go to Florida or Carolina to see the property themselves before buying it.

And in some rare cases the property might not even exist at all. What we learn from this is to read the fine printed lines in the invitation if you are sent one. Never ever succumb to their pressure tactics and refuse to sign any kind of paper.

A much better idea is to consult a lawyer before signing any contract documents and see if all the promises that were made verbally are being fulfilled or not. Do your home work before buying a timeshare by researching the market prices in the location you are buying. And also ask for contact numbers of the previous customers. Make sure you call them and find out everything you want to know about the company and their properties.

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Timeshare - The Frequently Asked Questions
By Paul Hata

 Although the concept of timeshares is not new to the public still people have many questions about timeshares. Few of the most important frequently asked questions that people enquire about are discussed below :

Is renting a timeshare better than buying it?

Buying a timeshare gives you much bigger choices. As an owner of the timeshare you get the amenities are better and cost much less. Owners can get discounts on lodging, entertainment, food, travel and many other resort facilities.

The average rental fee is way higher than the average maintenance fee and is also increasing every year. In addition to all the above benefits a timeshare owner has equity in the property which can come to the advantage of the owner when he wants to sell it.

Is buying a timeshare good investment?

Many people get this question in their minds whether to buy timeshares as an investment. The answer can be disappointing to you because it has been seen that the value of the timeshare depreciates with time and they can go do as much as 30%-50% depending on the location and season.

A timeshare should be thought as an investment in life, for guaranteed vacations and better facilities. Also if you compare the cost of owning a timeshare with a hotel in long term period, a timeshare would save you a lot of money.

Can you rent your timeshare to somebody else?

Sure you can as long as you are the legal owner of that timeshare meaning you cannot rent out a timeshare that is received in exchange.

What is the procedure of making an exchange?

Most timeshare companies have business network with timeshare companies and you are automatically enrolled into exchange program and also the fee for the first year is paid by the timeshare developer in most cases.

You can also go to the timeshare exchange company and put your timeshare for exchange. But keep in mind few things like you will get similar kind of unit meaning you can’t expect to get a two bedroom timeshare in exchange of a one bedroom.

Also plan in advance if you plan to exchange timeshare as it may take a while depending on the availability. Also remember there is a fee for exchanging timeshares.

What are fixed week and floating week?

In a fixed week plan you are entitled to use your timeshare only at a specific week each year and specific unit. But in a floating week you have the option of choosing a range of week but only on first come first serve basis as many owners would like to do the same thing.

The advantage of a fixed week is that your timeshare week is assured and also the unit you want. While floating week is advantageous to people who have schedule conflicts with fixed unit timeshare.

Are there any other additional fees when you buy a timeshare?

The answer is yes. Typically there is a maintenance fee and other fee like transfer fee if you are transferring a timeshare. There may be property tax also.

Should I have to pay any upfront fee while buying or selling a timeshare through a broker?The answer is strict no. Experts say never every pay an upfront fee to buy or sell or rent timeshare.

Like any other industry timeshare industry is also prone to many scammers and frauds. There have been instances where people paid huge upfront

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What Is A Timeshare
By Paul Hata

 A timeshare is a name given to a piece of property shared among number of owners. This involves use and cost of maintaining the property. Although the majority of the timeshare properties are condominiums resorts but it will not be a surprise if you find a hotel timeshare or a motor home timeshare or a cruise timeshare or a campground. The choices are increasing by the day.

The idea of a timeshare property originated in Europe in 1960s when the property rates were skyrocketing and it was impossible for people to afford a full time vacation house. But by sharing the ownership the burden of maintenance and other costs on single person were greatly reduced.

These also boosted the fortune of real estate developers as they were able to successfully market and sell the properties to a greater number of people. But a key point to remember in timeshare properties is that a timeshare is owned by a number of people who have no relation to one another like a standard home ownership.

A technical definition of timeshare property is that an owner has specific time to share you own in a property. But as more and more properties are being converted into timeshare, flexible timeshare options cannot be ruled out. The flexible timeshare offers owners the option of choosing more than one timeshare destination and also more than one specific time of a year.

Timeshare properties are usually found in warm destinations like Florida where people like to vacation a lot. They can also be found in cold weather areas near ski resorts. The timeshare properties are typically furnished in full and usually have one to three bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. It may not come as a surprise if you find timeshare properties with indoor or outdoor pools. They have become a common feature of most timeshare properties nowadays.

The typical duration of a timeshare ownership unit is one week. Depending on what time of the year you own the timeshare the price may vary. For example, a timeshare property in the month of April in Florida will be much higher than in August.

So the rates may vary with varying season and demand. Some resorts give color coding to different seasons depending on the demand. For example some resorts term high demand season as red season meaning the prices of the timeshare will be highest in that season.

Timeshares can usually be inherited to your children like any other real estate property. Timeshare offers not only a great vacation but also great investment. Most people rent their timeshare to others when they do not use their timeshare. This has a double advantage.

You earn rent also along with appreciation of the property with passage of time. Timeshare properties are exchangeable and tradable with other properties in most of the cases. While it may be easy for the owners of the red season timeshares to exchange their unit with other owners in any season it might be impossible for owners of low season timeshare owners to get a high season timeshare unit in exchange.

Timeshares can be purchased through financing also but mostly the resale properties purchased from individuals are paid in cash. The cost of maintenance, management and cost to maintain common areas like pools and tennis courts are paid by timeshare owners. Fees may vary and always make sure to find it out before buying a timeshare.

There are many types of timeshare properties. A fixed unit, fixed week, deeded timeshare allows you to own a specific timeshare at a specific time each year. A floating time agreement allows you to be flexible about the dates that you can use your timeshare. But reservations may be only first come first serve as many owners would like to go for that option. Right to use timeshare is a leased timeshare. You no longer have rights to the property after the lease expires.

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Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.