With the current recession, selling your timeshare may not be the easiest thing to do, you seen many people are in need of funds and vacation properties are considered more of a luxury than a necessity.  What this means is there is a lot of competition on the market, but fear not,    today’s owner has a variety of options for selling their property. Since timeshare is real estate, the sale is best transacted through a licensed real estate broker. Using a licensed broker gives both buyer and seller benefits only a professional can offer and all the protection of the law. Selling your timeshare can be a complicated real estate transaction. Most individuals are not equipped to sell their own. A licensed real estate broker, specializing in timeshares, can smooth the way for transactions not only across state or province borders, but also around the world.  An alternative to selling your unit would be to consider turning it into a timeshare rental, this can be an very effective way to raise funds that will not only cover your maintenance fees but also put a little money in your pocket.

Making contact with a reputable broker, locally or Online is the best way to sell your unit. Instead of incurring advertising costs in many newspapers or trade papers the seller listing with an Online realtor has the advantage of their worldwide listing services. Whether you want to sell Florida timeshare or one in Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, or Hawaii, to name a few hot spots, your licensed local or Online real estate broker will know how to sell the property best.

Remember that many agreements will have a “Right Of First Refusal”.  What this means is that when you reach an agreement with a buyer the resort has a legal right to buy your timeshare for a previously agreed amount, this varies from resort to resort.  If they choose no to purchase your week(s) or waive the ROFR then the sale can proceed, make sure you check your original agreement when you bought your unit.

When you want to sell timeshare it’s truly a numbers game with the number of potential buyers knowing about your listing is a far larger factor than its location or price. Selling a timeshare to someone who doesn’t know your unit exists is clearly not possible. That is why Online listings are far more efficient than traditional newspaper advertising or multiple listing services. When your unit is listed online the information about it is available 24/7 to thousands of ready buyers worldwide.

When selecting an Online listing service read their Terms of Service and verify their statistics. The Internet’s largest timeshare marketplace documents over 12,000 new visitors to their site each and every day and they average over 70,000 total web page clicks daily. Charging only a nominal fee, such a site is invaluable to the timeshare owner wanting a quick sale.

How To Sell A Timeshare

How to sell your timeshare is not a mystery. The process can be smooth and easy. The best way to sell a timeshare remains listing with a reputable real estate broker that is experienced in the timeshare industry and has worldwide exposure, these are your keys to success.  Many are also choosing Ebay as an inexpensive alternative to renting or selling their vacation property, Ebay provdies a special online guide to increase your successs, this is to their benefit as well.  You see ebay charges a basic listings fees as well as additional  fees if you are successful in selling your property.  Tallying these fees ahead of time and comparing them to what a real estate agent or vacation property specialist will charge will give you an idea on the value of their prospective services.

Best Of All Worlds
Renting a vacation property provides options hotels and resorts seldom offer. They are fully furnished, complete with kitchen, dining and sleeping facilities, linens, dishes, cooking utensils and towels. They may also include such amenities as a pool, BBQ, fireplace, spa, hot tub or Jacuzzi, satellite or cable TV and Internet access. Children are often welcome and many vacation  rentals are pet friendly. Spectacular mountain, lake, or ocean views are almost assured. The vacationer might choose their location because of the availability of deep sea fishing, access to water skiing or sailing, golfing, cycling or scuba diving. Just relaxing is often the vacationers goal. There are timeshares to suit every vacation need.

Vacation accommodations are available in every size, from cozy little honeymoon cottages to luxury lodges suitable for business purposes or family reunions, more modest accommodations are also available in seasonal homes, apartments, cottages, even hotel-type rooms. Location choices are diverse, one year the seaside might suit the vacationer’s needs, a mountain chalet the next, it’s no coincidence that California, Arizona, Nevada and Florida are some of the most popular vacations destinations worldwide, so you won’t be surprised to hear that Disney timeshare rentals are also some of the most sought after. The choices available are only limited by your imagination.

If you’ve ever thought to yourself gee I’d like to sell my timeshare,you may want to consider participating in the RCI vacation exchange. Listing their own timeshare, they can select a comparable unit in the location of their choice and have a confirmed exchange within minutes. Because of the flexibility of the exchange system timeshare exchanges are often preferable to selling a timeshare and buying another in a different location. For example; a Colorado ski location might be exchanged for a timeshare in the South of French, an Italian villa traded for a Maui beach location or an Alaskan lodge exchanged for a Disney vacation property. The options are limitless as vacation rentals are located almost everywhere across the globe.

There are many sites available where you can select from your desired country, state, location along with price range options, photos, contact information and detailed descriptions of all surrounding amenities and places of interest. Bookings can be made directly with the timeshare owner or representative via phone or email. A confirmed reservation can occur immediately.

Participating in an exchange can also provide you with an alternative if you want to sell your timeshare, having the ability to exchange to a different resort  may change your mind and allow you the flexibility you desire and eliminate the need of selling your unit.  You’ll be free to explore many other locations around the world.

Easy Online Searching

One of the best resources online offers a free service namely Vacation Timeshare and Rentals @ www.vacationtimeshareandrentals.com, they are a licensed timeshare real estate broker, offering vacation timeshare rentals by owner as well as corporate timeshares. A leader in the timeshare vacation rentals and sales field, Vacation Timeshares and Rentals was the first timeshare broker on the Internet and revolutionized the industry with their No Upfront Fee concept. Their founder has been a licensed real estate broker since 1969.

A major factor to a successful timeshare sale is assessing its current fair market value. A comprehensive analysis includes recent (past 365 days) sales data from timeshares identical to yours in size, amenities, and location. Such an evaluation is essential if you are a seller wanting to sell your timeshare fast. To obtain an unbiased evaluation of the value of your property you need to do some research into what other units of similar size, week in year, decoration/condition and location within the building i.e. view etc.

You might want to include information about financing your unit, if you’re able to finance it to a prospective buyer yourself or through a third party. Timeshares can qualify for home equity loans or traditional financing with as little as 10% down, plus certain up-front fees.  Since potential buyers for your timeshare might live anywhere in the world, it makes sense to advertise worldwide. That means online. And, you can do it yourself.

Buyer confidence is another point to consider. Advertising your timeshare through a reputable online site and using a payment option such as Pay Pal provides safety factors for both buyer and seller.

The current economic situation has created a huge turnover in timeshares. This can be to the sellers’ advantage because buyers worldwide are looking for availability and value. Fairly priced timeshares, whether luxury, mid-range or economy units are in demand.

Buyers are looking for timeshares in every location. Whether your unit is in a mountain location, beachfront property, or any place between. Buyers are available for everything from a five bedroom luxury lodge to a simple studio unit, houseboat, or even a hotel room or motor home.  Now may not be the best time to sell your timeshares for the highest price but if you need to liquidate your unit recooping some funds is better than nothing.

Seller flexibility when listing online at Vacation Timeshare and Rentals includes everything from free to paying a small monthly fee, or for the seller wanting to keep their listing before the public longer, a nominal yearly fee, this is the way to go if you want to move your unit quickly, the more exposure you have the better, this can also increase your rental capacity if you choose to rent your timeshare if you’re not able to use it from year to year. For the seller wanting to change locations or units every few years a very affordable lifetime fee is available.

The Vacation Timeshare and Rentals website provides detailed guidelines on how to sell a timeshare on your own.The online site http://www.vacationtimeshareandrentals.com provides a world wide listing service and step by step instructions on how to sell your timeshare, they also offer a commission option based upon the timeshare selling price.

Selling your timeshare might at first seem like a daunting task. However, using a reputable online medium between you and potential buyers makes it both easy and affordable.

Growing Industry

Timeshare ownership is a growing area of tourism. However, it can be a tough sell during these economic times as individuals are uncertain about their financial futures. Currently, about 3 per cent of Americans are timeshare owners. The industry, however, is still growing despite the declining economic times. In 2007, the industry’s sales revenue reached 10.5 billion. The number has grown since 1997, when the sales were only 2.7 billion.

Florida, California and South Carolina are popular destinations and share 39 percent of the timeshare market share. Las Vegas, NV is also a popular destination for timeshare ownership.

Points To Keep In Mind

When planning to buy a timeshare, it is important to know the quality of the resort network and also what is being purchased: Is the owner buying time, like fractional jet ownership or a deed to a piece of property? This is important because if the owner plans to sell or give away the property later, then he or she needs to know if they have any rights to do so.

Buying a timeshare is typically not viewed as an investment. The purchase may be however a more comfortable, more spacious and more luxurious way to vacation, depending upon the network, for less money than you would spend sharing a small hotel room with a family of four. Buying a timeshare is only more economical, if you plan to vacation a certain amount of time per year, every year for a given period of time. Otherwise, it can be a waste of money.

In the past, the individual would buy rights to a week in a particular location for a given number of years. In order to vacation in another location, the owner would have to find someone who wanted to “trade” locations with him or her during the desired week of travel. This process was restrictive and frustrating to some, because if the purchaser owned in an undesirable location, it was more difficult to trade to a more desirable location.

Flexibility With Purchase

The new process of buying timeshares, involves some of the old constraints with slightly more flexibility. With new policies, it’s almost guaranteed that you can vacation in an any given area for any one week out of the year, with advanced notice. This new process also includes a deed of ownership where an individual can sell, lease, will or rent their timeshare to whomever they choose.

Many of the new timeshares can be quite luxurious complete with all of the comforts of home. However, do your research to determine the consistency and quality of the accommodations throughout the chosen network. Though there is a significant improvement, not all timeshare companies are as reputable as others. Be sure that the company has good business practices before deciding to buy a timeshare.

As individual’s begin to shed luxury items to conserve money, many people have turned to eBay to buy timeshare. Typically, if the individual is not using their week that particular year, an interested party can purchase the week or purchase the entire deed outright. Be sure to read the company’s policy before engaging in a sale over eBay. Although, you may find a timeshare at a fraction of the cost, the deed may or may not be transferable or the property may be in ruins. So the question ‘how to buy a timeshare’ may seem easy to answer at first but as in all real estate transaction you need to be sure to perform due diligence prior to making this type of purchase.

How To Sell A Timeshare Tips:

Reselling your timeshare can be a stressful process but remember, it doesn’t matter when you bought your unit, you are allowed to resell it at any period.  Life happens and circumstances change, even if you financed your timeshare and are still making payments you are still allowed to sell it, keep in mind you will be required to pay off any outstanding balance to give the unit a clear title before the sale.

1. There should be no appraisal fees or commissions when you’re selling your timeshare.
2. The company’s reputation is also something to look at. Asking for references is perfectly acceptable. If the company does not
   want to provide references, you should probably continue looking. Any reputable company would be very happy to provide you
   with good references.
3. Accreditation is something else that does not hurt. The National Timeshare Owners Association and the American Resort Developers Association are two organizations that will put their name on the companies that are worthy of the recognition.
4. Be open minded about the resale of your property. There are many things to consider like the season, age of the property, location and its size. You would want to balance the cost of maintenance.
5. With many timeshare resorts you may be required to use their agency when transferring ownership.
6. Compile all the necessary documents in the process of selling your timeshare. This should include tax records, mortgage information, and any other documents for maintenance and developments.
7. Make a list of all the reputable real estate agencies. You will need to check with an attorney or lawyer for the best options so that you are covered legally.
8. Place your property on the classified ads of the paper. You have to consider keeping those target audience in mind. You might want to place all your ads in the travel or recreation or leisure and even on the senior publication papers, both on the domestic, regional and national paper. The cost of this ad might be considered as well.
9. Familiarize yourself with the timeshare related laws in the industry. There may be upfront fees that are illegal in some states. Going to US.gov and type in a search like “selling timeshares” will yield you a wealth of information on the legalities state by state.
10. Make a documentation and records of the process. Contact a broker and even an agency regarding the responsibilities that they have to fulfil and demand the rights to the property. Notify all the persons who need to be notified of the purchase like the resort managers.
11. Other resources include listing your timeshare on sites like craigslist.org, kijiji.com can be fruitful, these are also free to list.  If you don’t mind paying a fee you can also list your weeks on Ebay, although the competition will be more prevalent but Ebay does offer a complete tutorial on listing your timeshare to help you along the way

Selling Your Timeshare

The process of timeshare sales can be time consuming and very difficult especially if your timeshare is located a great distance from where you live.  During these difficult economic times there seems to be an increased number of timeshares on the market and increasingly many vendors are in need of funds and are saying ” I want to sell my timeshare now! “.  If you were to call a real estate agent about putting your timeshare for sale they will list it for you, but there are a few things you should consider before consulting a real estate broker to sell your timeshare for you. Remember that real estate agents work on a commission basis and timeshare’s value is not going to be as much as that of a home. Chances are that your timeshare is not going to be marketed as aggressively as they would a house where their commission is much larger. You may find yourself making several calls to your real estate agent asking “why aren’t you selling my timeshare?”

Know Your Resort

Many resorts have their own sales associates that specialize in the buying and selling of timeshares.  There are also many online services coming into the marketplace that specialize in the sale of timeshare properties.   When deciding to sign up with a company there are some qualifications you should look for:

• Do they offer experienced, fully trained vacation ownership agents?
• Do they have offices that offer person to person contact between timeshare owners, sellers and renters?
• Do they offer you immediate access to your listing online so you can update your listing and offers?
• Do they provide you with a full service ownership transfer?

Timeshare Resale Sites

There are many highly regarded companies will have a broad customer base which will assure a lot of traffic viewing your timeshare for sale. The more people see it, the better chances you have of getting it sold quickly. If there are any fees for the sale of your timeshare, they should be for placement. Most honest timeshare sales sites will list your timeshare for free. For a nominal fee you can get more prominent placement among the other timeshares available or if you choose to pay a small percentage of the sale price
you can have your timeshare featured on the website.

Conclusion

Carefully research the proper evaluation of your timeshare will ensure that it is priced competitively. Check on the prices of comparable timeshares in and around the same area. There is no need to pay for a formal appraisal, but doing a thorough review your timeshare’s value is crucial. Pricing it properly will be the difference between asking “how do you sell a timeshare ?” and finally closing the sale of your timeshare.