Vacation ownership is one of the best ways to guarantee a yearly vacation to a favorite timeshare resort or property within a timeshare brand and there are two main options for purchasing them: through the developer and through the secondary market. There are benefits and drawbacks to buying a timeshare resale vs developer and vice versa, but knowing which timeshare buying option is “best” is subjective to each vacationer and their specific travel needs.
Traditionally, when people think about purchasing a timeshare, they think about buying it straight from the resort developer. This process includes traveling to a specific resort, sitting through a lengthy sales presentation, and then having the opportunity to purchase a unit if they so choose. Nowadays, there are additional avenues for purchasing timeshares, like buying a resale on the secondary market.
A timeshare resale is a by-owner advertisement of an unused or unwanted timeshare. These timeshare advertisements can be found on online timeshare resale marketplaces where owners and interested buyers can communicate and negotiate the final purchase price—all from a smart device. These marketplaces can be navigated and filtered by ownership brand, location, resort, unit size, and a plethora of other features to help narrow in on exactly what buyers are searching for.
Some of the more significant perks of purchasing a timeshare through the developer include eligibility for all ownership benefits, clubs, and higher membership statuses, and a better opportunity to purchase ownerships at new properties. Drawbacks include inflated sales prices, high-pressure sales pitches, a significantly lower resale value, and limited access to popular resorts that are sold out through the developer.
Timeshare resales offer benefits such as opportunities to purchase timeshare resales at otherwise sold-out resorts, prices up to 70% off retail, the convenience of completing the entire transaction from the comfort of home, and the ability to resell at any point in time. Downsides to resales mostly involve resale limitations such as eligibility to vacation clubs and membership statuses.
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