I Want to Buy a Timeshare
Have you ever told your partner "I want to buy a timeshare"? If so, what was the first thing they said? Don't be daft; timeshares are a scam, what do you know about owning a worldwide timeshare, can we afford it? All these are valid questions and concerns.
The trick is that you do your research first, and then you may be able to convince them how worthwhile they can be.
Well, neither of you are wrong - timeshares are an excellent way to make your vacations hassle free for years to come, but you do need to know what you are doing.
Timeshares have certainly taken a battering over the past few years and rightly so.
In the earlier days, scams and rip-offs were certainly frequent and much publicised by the media.
What was rarely mentioned then or now, is the fact that there are a lot of happy timeshare owners out there who have had perfectly happy experiences with the timeshare companies they dealt with.
One of the main things to know is what type of timeshare you are interested in.
The most popular are the fixed week and location timeshares.
These allow you to know exactly where and when you will be on vacation and what to expect when you get there.
You can often trade your week with another owner if you want to try somewhere else.
The most flexible option is a floating week, but this will be more difficult to trade in as the week you 'own' will rotate across the years.
In the early days, high pressure sales were particularly rife and many succumbed to the hard sell techniques that make you feel guilty for one reason or another.
Today, if you want to buy a timeshare, most people are more aware and this makes it harder for some of the timeshare companies to ply their trade.
Thankfully, all of these companies are not bad, but the best thing you can do is to do your research thoroughly.
The Internet is an easy tool for this purpose.
Provided you do that and get specialist legal advice to go over your contract to make sure it is exactly what you are expecting, then owning a timeshare is a perfectly safe thing to do.
Always be wary if you are offered a time limited deal and never, ever sign on the spot.
A legitimate company will encourage you to check over your contract.
Do not make the mistake of convincing yourself that a timeshare is an investment.
The only type of investment is in terms of your vacations.
Timeshares rarely increase in value and will cost you more money every single year in maintenance or membership fees.
Therefore, unless you can readily afford it, may be for now you should stick to booking your vacation yearly as you never know when something untoward may happen.
If it does, timeshares are not always easy to sell on.
So, when you tell your partner, "I want to buy a timeshare" be ready with the answers! It is far from a daft idea if you can afford it, and know what you are getting into.
If you can answer their questions quickly and efficiently by doing your research first, your enthusiasm is bound to rub off!
The trick is that you do your research first, and then you may be able to convince them how worthwhile they can be.
Well, neither of you are wrong - timeshares are an excellent way to make your vacations hassle free for years to come, but you do need to know what you are doing.
Timeshares have certainly taken a battering over the past few years and rightly so.
In the earlier days, scams and rip-offs were certainly frequent and much publicised by the media.
What was rarely mentioned then or now, is the fact that there are a lot of happy timeshare owners out there who have had perfectly happy experiences with the timeshare companies they dealt with.
One of the main things to know is what type of timeshare you are interested in.
The most popular are the fixed week and location timeshares.
These allow you to know exactly where and when you will be on vacation and what to expect when you get there.
You can often trade your week with another owner if you want to try somewhere else.
The most flexible option is a floating week, but this will be more difficult to trade in as the week you 'own' will rotate across the years.
In the early days, high pressure sales were particularly rife and many succumbed to the hard sell techniques that make you feel guilty for one reason or another.
Today, if you want to buy a timeshare, most people are more aware and this makes it harder for some of the timeshare companies to ply their trade.
Thankfully, all of these companies are not bad, but the best thing you can do is to do your research thoroughly.
The Internet is an easy tool for this purpose.
Provided you do that and get specialist legal advice to go over your contract to make sure it is exactly what you are expecting, then owning a timeshare is a perfectly safe thing to do.
Always be wary if you are offered a time limited deal and never, ever sign on the spot.
A legitimate company will encourage you to check over your contract.
Do not make the mistake of convincing yourself that a timeshare is an investment.
The only type of investment is in terms of your vacations.
Timeshares rarely increase in value and will cost you more money every single year in maintenance or membership fees.
Therefore, unless you can readily afford it, may be for now you should stick to booking your vacation yearly as you never know when something untoward may happen.
If it does, timeshares are not always easy to sell on.
So, when you tell your partner, "I want to buy a timeshare" be ready with the answers! It is far from a daft idea if you can afford it, and know what you are getting into.
If you can answer their questions quickly and efficiently by doing your research first, your enthusiasm is bound to rub off!
