What's My Timeshare Worth

If you are looking to sell you timeshare, you are probably wondering how much it is worth. There are several ways to look at it. You could assume appreciation over time like your home, determine the price based on what you paid for the timeshare, or perhaps just let the market determine the timeshare sales price. Those options will get you distinctly different prices. No wonder prices are all over the map. Let me see if I can help bring some light to this timeshare subject.

"Timeshare is real estate so it appreciates". You bought your home 20 years ago and it has appreciated (even after the real estate crash is factored in) so why wouldn't your timeshare appreciate the same way? Your logic is correct. In fact, I agree with you but we would both be wrong. That's just not how it works. Timeshare values have never appreciated in value over time. The price of timeshares sold from the resort developers has gone up over the years but not the "value". Those two prices should be the same but they're not. So unfortunately this way of determining a value is just not going to work.

"I paid $20,000 so I'll sell my timeshare close to that". That's not going to work either. I've heard people blame "big marketing costs" for resort developers as the reason for inflated purchase price and why resale prices are so poor. That doesn't make sense. Every home purchase has marketing and sales costs. Sometimes home builders hire a local real estate agent to sit at the property and sell homes to buyers or hire their own sales team. So home prices have marketing and sales costs too but for the most part you can sell your home for more than the price you paid even after the sales and marketing costs get wrapped in.

"My timeshare is selling for $20,000 from the developer right now so that's the correct price." I wish that were the case with timeshares. If you think that makes sense then you'll use the most recent sales price from your resort. You're thinking that 2 houses of the same size in the same subdivision would be priced similarly so should my timeshare. You are certainly well within your rights to try that but I don't think you'll get very far. It just doesn't work that way in timeshares.

"Oh no, my timeshare is selling for $2,000 on EBay!" The last and most practical method is letting the market decide. The biggest market you have access to is probably EBay. You can reach millions of people and potential buyers. The problem is that the going prices for timeshares are enough to give you a heart attack; that should tell you something. The problem is not that you don't have a big enough market to advertise your timeshare on because you do. And it's certainly not the fact that timeshares are no fun and a waste of money because that's not true either. The problem is the poor perception and value of timeshares, timeshare exchange companies, and the timeshare industry overall. Timeshare struggles with having a positive review outside this timeshare world. Unfortunately, this is the most feasible way to derive the sales price for your timeshares.

"It's about the value, stupid!" Like Dick Morris' famous quote to then President Clinton "It's about the economy, stupid", the timeshare problem comes back to "value perception". Let's admit it; timeshares have a lot of baggage. The timeshare industry has corrupted or allowed corruption of this product . Not every company has had an active part but some companies have and others have sat idly watching this not saying a word because they were making money. So why should you rock the boat, right?

Once the new timeshare buyers get a reality check on the constant barrage of fees, the headlock-like clauses and use rights, the rules from resorts and exchange companies (RCI Directory and Interval World), they want to run for the hills. The industry players need to pull together and stop trying to squeeze every last nickel and dime out of them perhaps the industry could garner a positive reputation. If the industry focused on how to bring more value to timeshares then timeshare values would rise.

At the end of the day, Superman himself would have to admit that selling a timeshare is not easy. Determining price can be difficult. Perhaps while you're deciding what price to sell it at, you might consider trading it for a family vacation this year. What if you could trade the timeshare for free? If times are a little tough this year, perhaps a vacation is just what you need. At the end of the day, perceived value is the only thing that will continue to drive up prices.

I wish for you the most memorable vacation of your life this year.

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