At SellMyTimeshareNow.com, we pride ourselves in being your one-stop shop for all things timeshare. Whether you need to sell, buy, rent, or rent out a timeshare, we have the knowledge and expertise to walk you through the process and help you along the way. But when you’re looking to buy a timeshare, there are so many things to put into consideration.

We’ve created this comprehensive timeshare buying guide to show you many of the options you have when searching for the best timeshare to buy for you and your family. Take a look at all the options, and then feel free contact one of our friendly timeshare resale specialists for expert advice.

Deeded Versus Right To Use

The two main types of timeshare ownership are deeded timeshares and Right To Use (RTU) timeshares. A deeded unit you have for life, whereas RTU gives you ownership rights until a specific year, as stated in the contract.

The benefits of a deeded property is the ability to use the timeshare for life, and additionally, pass it down for your children to enjoy. With a RTU timeshare, the benefit is enjoying the ownership perks and usage for a set number of years without the lifetime commitment.

Deeded properties are good for families to ensure endless affordable getaways. Older couples without kids may be more interested in RTU timeshare for a set number of years of getaways without having to worry about who will take on the ownership down the road.

Fixed Versus Floating Week

Timeshares are traditionally sold in weeks with both fixed weeks and floating weeks as options to purchase. A fixed week gives you the same number vacation week each year (or biannually, if you choose) and a floating week gives you the option to vacation within your ownership season, based on the weeks available when you go to reserve.

Fixed weeks go by number, and can best be found by using our timeshare calendar. Certain resort weeks will vary, so be sure to contact the particular resort you are interested in for confirmation. Resorts will also have different names for their floating week seasons. Some go by color (Red, Silver, Gold, Platinum), some will go by popularity (low season, high season), and some will go by actual seasons (winter, summer, spring/fall). Be sure to check our advertisements and verify with our specialists or the resort on what type of seasons they use and when it is during the year.

Fixed weeks can be convenient for families with young kids to always have the same week reserved, such as a school vacation week or specific holiday. This makes it easy to never have to worry about making a reservation and helps to make your annual vacation a fun family tradition.

Floating weeks are great for those with busy lifestyles and crazy schedules. You can choose the general time of year you like to vacation, and then reserve the week that works best for you on that given year.

Points-Based Ownership

The newest, and probably most popular type of ownership are the points-based timeshares. These are often sold by vacation clubs including Disney Vacation Club, Marriott Vacation Club, and Club Wyndham.

Points-based timeshares allow you to be completely flexible with your vacationing. When you buy a timeshare on the resale market, you’ll see different timeshares come with different values of points. Use these allotted points like currency to reserve when, where, and how long you vacation. Many points-based timeshares also allow you to indulge in other travel benefits and perks like flight, entertainment ticket, and rental car discounts, to name a few.

This type of ownership is most popular for those who want to use their timeshare travel more freely and experience a new destination every year. However, you need to be ready to be flexible and plan ahead with your desired travel dates and location. And the more points you purchase, the more flexibility you have.

Internal and External Exchange

As mentioned above, points-based timeshares allow you to choose where you vacation through the benefit of internal exchange. As part of a vacation club like Marriott or Disney, you are able to utilize your points to reserve your vacation at any of the resorts in their network. You are not tied to one resort or week, giving you the ability to experience more places through your ownership.

If you don’t own in a vacation club or prefer the week-style of ownership, you still have thousands of travel options through external exchange. Many timeshare resorts are affiliated with one or more exchange company, including industry leaders like RCI and Interval International. If you own at an affiliate of one of these companies, you can purchase an annual membership and gain access to their individual networks of thousands of resorts worldwide.

Points-based timeshare owners are also able to deposit their points with any external exchange company their resort is affiliated with, with each company having their own exchange rate for your timeshare points.

If you are looking for the best timeshare to buy for traveling all over the globe, be sure to note your home resort’s trading power (RCI Gold Crown and Interval International Elite Resort are the highest ratings). This will make it easier for you to exchange to any destination you desire.

How to Buy a Timeshare

We make it easy and affordable to buy a timeshare on the secondary market, with savings as significant as 70% off the going retail value. Browse our extensive inventory of timeshares for sale from your own home while using the convenient search filters to narrow down what sort of property you are looking for. Then, make an offer or contact us for further assistance! Happy shopping!