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Author:
David Chandler

A timeshare is the name given to piece of real estate where a number of individuals share ownership in a piece of property. By owning a timeshare, you have bought time and you share the vacation property. Most time-shares are condominiums at vacation resorts, but they may also be recreation vehicles and cabins aboard cruise ships. Chances are good that you will find a timeshare wherever you plan to vacation. If you buy a timeshare, you are getting tomorrow's luxury resort vacation at today's prices

The timeshare industry experts estimate that the majority of new time-shares depreciate immediately after purchase by at least 20 to 30 percent. However, the timeshare industry is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. Several highly regarded resort-hotel chains have gotten into the timeshare business. Vacation ownership has enjoyed substantial growth over the years with approximately 3.3 million timeshares sold since 1980.

When you buy timeshare on the resale market, you are already ahead of the game, as used properties are significantly less expensive than new ones. You also have the right to a brochure and written contract setting out basic information on the property in your own language. Ownership requires you to pay an initial purchase price and periodic maintenance fees. Should you decide that you cannot use your timeshare, you may be able to rent it to others. Terms such as these should be defined in your contract.

If you determine that purchasing a timeshare or vacation home makes sense, comparison-shopping is your next step. Consider whether you will be able to use a timeshare facility year after year. Never be pressured into purchasing by high-pressure sales people. Consider the vacation area and imagine what the area will be like several years later. If the area that your timeshare goes down, so will the price of your timeshare if you decide to sell.

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For more information about timeshare properties, visit Timeshare

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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Timeshares... Timeshare Salesman - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Actually I did not find much of anything good to say about timeshare salesman. You be the judge. It is a sales persons job to sell you their product, make money for the company and make a living for themselves. All well and good. When you pay your money for anything, whether it is a candy bar, a car or a house you expect to get fair value for your money. You would not expect to pay $100 for a candy bar. And if you spent $10,00 for a car you would expect it to have at least a steering wheel and tires. And if the person selling you the candy bar said it was 100% chocolate you would reasonably expect it to be chocolate. And you would expect to be able to eat it anytime you wanted to. When you run into a timeshare salesperson just throw any thought of truth out the window. Their job is simply to take your money no matter what it takes. And the truth will stop them cold in their tracks. Because buying time shares from a presentation is probably one of the worst deals imaginable. So the salesman has no choice but to lie to you. It is as simple as that. And how do you know when they are lying to you? Simple - anytime their lips are moving. Now I ask you again, am I being to harsh? So what are some of the ridiculous stories that you will be told. Well let's start with the one about this being a very good economic decision. Do the numbers work out that way...? Lets see what happens over the next 10 years. You purchase a timeshare for say $15,000 and have a 10 year payout of the loan. Financing through their company will cost you at least 15% interest. So that is $1932 per year. And then there is yearly maintenance fee of around $450 per year. And then there is exchange membership of around $100 per year and vacation exchange of around $130 per vacation. For a grand...