Frequently Asked Questions about Buying Timeshare (FAQ)

Does buying a timeshare resale really save money?

Buying a timeshare resale almost always saves thousands of dollars compared to buying timeshare through the resort. This is because resorts boost their prices by 50-60 percent to cover sales and marketing costs. After all – someone has to pay for all those free meals and discounted long weekends the resorts offer up as incentives to visit the resort, and it’s the new buyers who pay.

On the timeshare resale market, those costs no longer apply so the resale buyer reaps the reward and stays in accommodations that are exactly like the ones occupied by the new sale owner who bought through the resort.

How does timesharing work?

Owners purchase timeshare vacation accommodation that essentially operates in one of two ways:

• Timeshare week – which is deeded to a specific resort and gives the owner the right to vacation at a resort for a week, either at a specific week of the year (fixed) or from a selection of weeks in a given timeframe (floating or flex).
• Right to Use/Points Program – generally a non-deeded ownership where owners can book the right to stay in a resort during their preferred vacation week. They can also choose from other resorts within the resort’s affiliated network. Some points programs are deeded to a specific resort, such as with Disney Vacation Club, with owners using points to stay in their home resort or other affiliated resorts.

With both options, owners can also exchange the use of their timeshare through an exchange company such as RCI, Interval International or 7Across to book a stay in a different resort.

Speaking of timeshare seasons ... what does the term mean?

Every resort experiences peak seasons when it is busier or more in-demand than at other times of the year. Naturally, peak season timeshare ownership costs more to purchase or requires more timeshare points to book than timeshare in a lower demand season.

Additionally, timeshare seasons don’t match calendar seasons; for example, winter is a peak season at most ski resorts but can be a lower demand season at a beach resort. For this reason, timeshare seasons are typically categorized as: red; white (or yellow); and blue (or green) seasons.

How long is the average timeshare vacation interval?

Timeshare is generally sold in blocks of one week of vacation time, although timeshare points may be sold in incremental amounts, especially when purchased as timeshare resales. Many timeshare owners purchase multiple weeks of timeshare or a large number of vacation ownership points, in order to enjoy multiple getaways or longer vacations each year.

How does the process to buy a timeshare resale work?

Interested buyers shop for a timeshare to fit their vacation preferences here on SellaTimeshare.com. When they find the timeshare deal they want, they submit their offer to buy through this website. The owner is then notified of the offer and has the right to accept it, reject it, or counter the offer.

SellaTimeshare.com is a self-service timeshare resale website. However, once a buyer connects with a seller through placing an offer on an ad, the offer is verified by licensed agents with our sister company, Timeshare Broker Associates.

This verification protects the seller from rogue companies potentially using phishing tactics to get the seller’s personal information. It also ensures the legitimacy of the offer and that the seller does not miss out on the offer, since buyers don’t typically want to wait too long for a response.

Once a sale is completed, the deal goes to closing. Timeshare closings generally take from 60 to 90 days and include closing costs, possibly transfer fees, and in states that require review by an attorney, legal fees. Despite these necessary expenses, the decision to buy a timeshare through this simple online process remains one of the most cost-effective ways available today to buy timeshare.