Food Tourism with Timeshares
Food Tourism is quickly becoming one of the newest trends (dare we say obsessions?) in both the travel and culinary circles. People have always made sure to stop by the “best BBQ in town” on their family trip to Houston, but they haven’t necessarily always traveled there for the food.
These days, as evidenced by prime-time television shows like Around the World in 80 Plates, dining on local cuisine is the vacation experience. And with the culinary world’s growing focus on local, farm-to-table dining, the natural landscapes of each locale serve to beautifully complement the dining experience.
Timeshare owners, in particular, have begun developing an interest in this type of tourism, due in part to time shares’ flexibility. Owners simply exchange their property through RCI or Interval International (the two largest timeshare exchange companies) to visit virtually anywhere their taste-buds take them. Not sure where to start? We’ve compiled a short list of our food-tourism dreams (both stateside and abroad) maybe one will spark your interest!
New Orleans, Louisiana – New Orleans is famous for its Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisines. New Orleans distinct flavor profiles have developed from centuries of amalgamation of the local Creole, haute Creole, and New Orleans French culinary traditions. French, Spanish, Italian, African, Native American, Cajun, Chinese, and a hint of Cuban traditions combine to produce a truly unique and easily recognizable Louisiana flavor. From fluffy beignets to spicy gumbo, we’re ready to sample some New Orleans specialties. Stay at: The Quarter House Resort (RCI)
Napa Valley, California – In Napa, we’re counting on wine, wine, and food-that-goes-well-with-wine. Bring on the farm-fresh cheeses, plump local fruits, organic-grass fed beef and light, refreshing sauces. You’ll also find myriad Tuscany influences and references in both the architecture and cuisine. Stay at: RiverPointe Napa Valley (II)
New York City, New York – If we could only visit one place on our culinary tour, it might just be New York City. With so many distinct cultures in New York, you can find delicious, authentic cuisine from almost any country. From traditional Arabic cafes to high-end Japanese specialties, New York City is, perhaps, the culinary epicenter of the world. Stay at: West 57th Street by Hilton Grand Vacations Club (RCI)
Barcelona, Spain – Fresh-caught seafood, tiny gourmet restaurants, traditional Mediterranean specialties and breathtaking open-air markets are just a few reasons we’re dying to dine in Barcelona. The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria (known simply as “la Boqueria” by locals) is regarded as one of the finest outdoor markets in Barcelona. Home to fishmongers, butchers, cheese-makers, veggie markets and dozens of small charcuterie shops specializing in Spanish hams and cured meats, la Boqueria is the perfect place to stop for lunch… every day. Stay at: Citadines Barcelona Ramblas (II)
Provence, France – We couldn’t make a foodie-travel wish-list without including this historic region in the South of France. The cuisine of Provence is the result of the warm, dry Mediterranean climate and abundant seafood on from the coast. The area is virtually brimming with culinary artisans who specialize in creating foie gras, honey, fresh lavender, wines and cheeses, fruit preserves and fragrant spices, most of which are used in local restaurants. Stay at: Club Le Bristol (RCI)
Guilin, China – We’re enchanted by the never-ending landscape of terraced rice paddies and the uniquely traditional foods of nearby Longji. Guilin cuisine is a combination of Cantonese and Hunanese styles. Characterized by its sweet, delicately spicy taste, the food of Guilin is unlike any “Chinese food” you’ve ever eaten. Among the area’s Three [culinary] Treasures: Guilin pickled tofu, Guilin chili sauce (made of fresh chili, garlic, and fermented soybeans) and Guilin Sanhua Jiu (a variety of rice liquor). Stay at: Guilin Royal Fortune Golf Club & Resort
Honestly, we could go on and on. Where would you go, if you could dine for a week anywhere in the world? Will you be exchanging your timeshare for a food-tourism trip anytime soon?
Timeshare Broker Sales Owner Becomes LTRBA Membership Chairman
We’re proud to announce that Donald Nadeau, owner and managing broker at Timeshare Broker Sales, has recently been appointed Membership Chairman of the LTRBA.
The Licensed Timeshare Resale Brokers Association is an organization of licensed real estate professionals, who hold strong business ethics, and place the interest of the client before their own interests. Our Professional representation offers a safe and legitimate platform in which the public can rely upon to buy and sell timeshares. – LTRBA.COM
As Membership Chairman, Don will be responsible for ensuring that new and current members meet the strict membership qualifications enacted by the LTRBA for the protection of timeshare consumers.
This new appointment serves once again to underscore Timeshare Broker Sales’ commitment to creating a safe, secure secondary market for vacation ownership interests; while fostering an environment where legitimate real estate brokers may flourish.
Like-minded vacation ownership brokers interested in growing their business while helping the LTRBA police the timeshare resale industry are encouraged to contact Don Nadeau at: don@timesharebrokersales.com or fill out LTRBA’s online membership application.
“We welcome all brokers involved in interval ownership, including timeshare, fractionals, or whole ownership, that offer a traditional fee-based brokerage service of listing and selling vacation property, to apply for membership,” says Nadeau.
Timeshare Broker Sales is Officially an ARDA Member
Timeshare Broker Sales is honored to be ARDA’s newest corporate member. ARDA membership symbolizes a commitment to industry excellence that we’ll continue to demonstrate to both our clients and colleagues.
Our affiliation with ARDA provides us with invaluable connections and relevant information about the evolving vacation ownership industry. Corporate membership with ARDA will allow us to provide our clients with extra exposure and a competitive edge above and beyond our comprehensive brokerage services.
How does ARDA serve the vacation ownership community? ARDA promotes development of the timeshare industry in a number of ways:
- Advocacy: ARDA monitors regulatory issues that affect vacation ownership with lobbying efforts focused establishing a legislative environment that enhances consumer confidence and protection.
- B2B Partnerships: ARDA pursues business and growth opportunities through alliances with organizations in related and complementary industries in the U.S. and overseas.
- Knowledge: ARDA shares market intelligence and keeps its members informed of industry trends and events through a variety of informational tools.
- Networking: the ARDA Annual Convention and Exposition offers ARDA industry professionals networking and educational opportunities each year.
- Outreach: ARDA keeps its members updated with the latest industry news.
Our membership with ARDA serves to underscore our continual commitment to ethical business practices, industry growth, and transparent brokerage.
Timeshare Resale Accountability Act Becomes Law
It’s finally official – this week, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed Florida’s Timeshare Resale Accountability Act into law.
The main goal of the Timeshare Resale Accountability Act is to protect timeshare sellers from deceptive or unethical business practices and timeshare scams. Unfortunately, the economic climate of recent years has contributed to timeshare resale scams being Florida’s No. 1 fraud complaint.
These scams generally involve thousands of dollars in upfront fees; and until now were made possible by lax governmental regulation. The new timeshare law outlines a number of provisions, most based on transparency, to protect timeshare sellers. Among the most important:
- Timeshare resale advertisers must provide sellers with the purchaser’s name and address before they can claim there is an interested buyer.
- Timeshare resale advertisers must provide a written contract for agreement of services. This contract must be signed by the timeshare seller before the resale agent may collect any fees or engage in any resale advertising activities.
- Timeshare sellers have seven days to cancel any signed contract with a timeshare resale advertiser. Once cancelled, timeshare resale advertisers have 20 days to provide a full refund to the seller.
- Penalties will be enacted on any timeshare resale advertiser which violates the law’s provisions. Penalties may not exceed $15,000 per violation under the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
These are great first steps in helping to prevent fraud and scams in the timeshare resale industry. As licensed timeshare brokers, we stand in full support of the provisions listed above, and applaud lawmakers for taking the time to pass this important act into law.
That said, there are a few issues that the law still doesn’t address. Agencies can still charge a big upfront fee (often several hundred dollars) to “advertise” your timeshare. The act also fails to address the question of unlicensed timeshare resellers, who are typically the most active in misrepresenting what they can accomplish.
Nonetheless, at Timeshare Broker Sales, we’re pleased to see this important step in protecting vacation ownership consumers all over the country.
Your Timeshare Could Help Support Troops in Afghanistan
Will your timeshare go unused this year? What if you could boost the morale of a serviceman or woman and their families by offering them use of your timeshare week? Well, now you can.
Former UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox, in partnership with Afghan Heroes (a non-profit group supporting British troops in Afghanistan), has set up the charity Give Us Time. Give Us Time provides vacations to help families adjust to life after combat.
This innovative program allows owners of unused timeshare properties and second homes to donate weeks at their vacation ownership properties for service families to get away for a week or two when their loved ones return from the frontline.
“I know through personal experience how difficult it can be for those who have suffered loss or injury to recover.” Afghan Heroes’ founder, Denise Harris, said. “Give Us Time is a fantastic initiative and will go a long way to help those who have put their lives on the line readjust to a normal civilian life.”
Calling on his experience as a military doctor, Fox believes that it’s extremely important for morale to keep service personnel families happy. He believes that while medical advances have improved physical recovery, the psychological scars take longer to heal. Fox says of the program:
“It may be a family who has lost a father in combat; it may be someone who is injured back with their family, or just a family who is having difficulty adjusting to post-combat life. I think if we are able as a society to help them… without any tax-payers’ money then so much the better.”
Want to donate your week? Visit: www.giveustime.org.uk. You can learn more about Afghan Heroes and the Give Us Time program by visiting the pages listed below.
Buy a Timeshare for a Dollar?
Stop by almost any timeshare forum and you’ll find discussion about purchasing a timeshare for $1 on for-sale-by-owner websites like eBay and Craigslist. These days, you’ll even find sellers advertising their property on personal Facebook pages! So what’s the deal? Why are there timeshares available for $1, and is it a good idea to buy timeshare from owners on FSBO sites?
The primary reason you’ll find timeshares for sale at such drastic discounts (often listed for $1 – $100) is because the current owners are no longer able to afford their maintenance fees and simply want the property off their hands. Sounds great, right? Well, that depends.
The truth is, there are some great timeshares available on FSBO websites; but there are almost always strings attached. The trick is to research carefully and ask the right questions. Knowing which questions to ask comes from knowing the challenges associated with buying and selling timeshares this way. Here are a few key questions to ask FSBO owners, along with a brief explanation of why they’re important.
Is the deed paid in full? This one’s important. If the deed isn’t paid in full, you’re not getting a timeshare for $1, you’re inheriting a debt. If the amount owed is still acceptable to you as a purchase price for a timeshare – great! But, if it’s more than you were looking to pay, or if there are any penalties associated with late or missed payments, you might want to consider purchasing a timeshare whose deed is paid in full.
Are there any maintenance fees or penalties owed? This one is in line with the previous question. If the owner is selling their timeshare for $1, chances are he or she is having trouble making their maintenance fees. Find out from the seller if there are any maintenance fees or penalties for non-payment associated with the account. If there is remaining debt, who is responsible? Will the seller take care of the remaining balance, or will you inherit that deficit?
Who’s paying the closing costs? Just like traditional real-estate, when a timeshare deed is transferred from one owner to another, there are administrative costs associated with everything from document preparation to taxes. Closing costs may comprise origination fees, title search and title insurance fees, discount fees, survey fees, appraisal fees, attorney’s fees, credit report fees and prepaid expenses such as insurance and taxes. As a buyer in an FSBO transaction, it’s important to discuss who’ll be covering these costs, and how much they’ll amount to.
What is the escrow process? If you and the seller determine that you’ll be responsible for the closing costs, who will conduct your closing and where will the money be held?
Is the contract of sale valid? Finally, be sure the owner actually has the right to sell their timeshare. Ask to see their contract. In some cases, an owner is not legally entitled to conduct the sale of their timeshare property, so any contract you sign may be invalid. It’s a good idea to hire a lawyer to take a look at all associated contracts and paperwork.
The above questions might sound like a lot, but it’s extremely important to have all the facts before purchasing any kind of vacation ownership from a previous owner. If all this sounds too complicated, or if you’re looking for a way to streamline the buying process, you may want to work with a licensed timeshare broker like Timeshare Broker Sales, who can help you though every step of the process.
Club Interval Gold
We’ve gotten a few requests for more information about Interval International’s newest product, Club Interval Gold.
Club Interval Gold is a points-based exchange service for owners of fixed or floating-week timeshares. The progressive program combines all the membership benefits of Interval International and Interval Gold®, offering their most flexible vacation exchange experience yet.
So what exactly is Club Interval Gold, and how does it work? Interval’s chief operating officer Jeanette Marbert explains:
“Since 1994, Interval has offered members with points-based interests the ability to trade points for traditional weeks. More recently, Gold members have also been able to take advantage of ShortStay Exchange for as many vacations as their points allow,” said Marbert. “Now, Club Interval Gold offers week-owners the flexibility to convert theivr vacation time into points. They can use points to access resorts in our worldwide network, or redeem them to travel as they choose, from a weekend golf getaway to a weeklong family cruise.”
So there you have it, straight from the source. Club Interval Gold members can utilize their points to enhance their vacation exchange experiences in the following ways:
- Exchange throughout Interval’s worldwide network of approximately 2,600 resorts.
- Choose ShortStay ExchangeSM to take as many quick trips (from two to six nights each) as points allow.
- Select Interval Options® to apply points toward the purchase of a cruise, spa, or golf vacation.
- Combine deposits to increase the points balance and trade up to larger units and/or higher-season vacations.
Additional Club Interval Gold ownership benefits may include:
- Interval Travel® for rates often unavailable to the general public on cruises, hotel stays, rental cars and airline tickets.
- Attraction & Dining Discounts – Access to more than 75,000 premium discounts from Entertainment® at IntervalWorld.com.
- Getaway Discounts – $25 off the prices of all Getaway vacation rentals.
- VIP ConciergeSM – 24/7 personal concierge service.
- Hertz #1 Club Gold® – Complimentary membership that provides expedited car rentals at more than 1,000 locations in 23 countries.
“Club Interval Gold represents the ultimate in transaction flexibility and is a valuable sales tool that makes the vacation ownership product even more desirable to new purchasers and existing owners,” said David Gilbert, Interval’s executive vice president of resort sales and marketing.
SOURCES:
International Theme at ARDA 2012
Every year, the American Resort Developers Association (ARDA) holds a World Convention focusing on the vacation ownership and timeshare industry.
This year, the 2012 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) World Convention and Exposition ran from April 1-5, and focused on global vacation ownership issues, with an “international theme” present throughout all educational forums and workshops.
International Timeshare Market
Sessions included information on the similarities and differences in sales practices across the globe, tips on how timeshare brokers and resort developers can break into international markets, and exclusive ARDA research findings on the state of international timeshare resales, which appear to be on the rise.
Social Media, Technology & Timeshare Resales
In addition to information on leveraging potential international sales and markets, industry leaders focused on social media as a way to use “the industry’s most powerful marketing tool – happy owners – to turn the tide of online commentary, engage a new generation of prospective buyers, and turn interest into bookings and sales.”*
Finally, the ARDA Technology Forum examined the efficacy of web-site marketing, exploring how to attract and engage users in a market where consumers are naturally wary.
At Timeshare Broker Sales, we believe the best way to serve our clients and potential customers is to provide them with honest, relevant and up-to-date information about vacation ownership right here on our website, and to engage with them via social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. We also invite consumers to contact us any time with their timeshare resale questions.
*SOURCE: arda.org
The Number One Mistake Timeshare Sellers Make
Selling your timeshare can be a tricky business. Unfortunately, unprepared sellers too often fall victim to timeshare scams or ineffective marketing schemes. Many sellers find themselves in difficult financial situations and, out of desperation, make rash decisions without proper research. Others simply don’t know the warning-signs. So, what’s the number one mistake timeshare sellers make, and how can you protect yourself?
Paying an upfront fee is the number one mistake timeshare sellers make. Whether a company is selling you ad-space on their “highly visible” website, or promising to close the sale for a “ready and waiting” buyer – it’s rarely worth taking the risk to pay upfront for services.
Scammers trick vulnerable sellers into cutting them checks to “close a deal” while ad-sites charge a flat fee to list your property among thousands of others – with no guarantee of sale. After all, once they’ve got your money, what’s their incentive to sell your timeshare?
So What can Timeshare Sellers Do?
Always use a licensed timeshare broker to sell your timeshare. Timeshare brokers, like other real-estate agents, don’t collect any payment until the sale is complete. Brokers work on a commission basis, meaning they’ve got true incentive to sell your timeshare. Additionally, brokers must maintain licensing to practice – ensuring a measure of reputability and transparency.
Other Timeshare Selling No-No’s
Now that you know the number one timeshare selling sin, rethink your strategy. Take the time to research carefully, and consider the following final “no-no’s” before jumping into a sale:
- Under or Overestimating your Timeshare’s Worth – Don’t know how much your timeshare is worth? Get a free market survey or contact a licensed broker to find out how much your timeshare is worth and price accordingly.
- Forgetting to Check the BBB – Not sure if a resale company is BBB Accredited? Find out what the Better Business Bureau thinks about your potential reseller, and think twice about working with a company that isn’t listed or accredited.
- Being Afraid to Ask Questions – Too many sellers don’t ask important questions – like how a broker works to sell your timeshare, or what percentage commission they’ll make off the sale. The right brokerage company will take the time to make sure you understand the whole process.
So there you have it. Don’t fall victim to the number one mistake timeshare sellers make: never pay an upfront fee to sell your timeshare. Follow these simple suggestions, and choose a licensed broker for a safe, reliable resale experience.
LTRBA Gets Today Show Shout-Out
Timeshare Broker Sales is a proud member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Brokers Association. This morning, the Today Show recommended the LTRBA as a safe and reliable resource for selling your timeshare! Start the video at Minute 3:32 if you’re pressed for time.
http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46130614#46130614
LTRBA brokers are a trustworthy source of help for timeshare consumers. Buyers and Sellers can work with Licensed Resale Brokers who are matched to their needs. [LTRBA’s] “No Upfront Fees” policy ensures service and protects against fraud.
Always check your potential timeshare reseller against the LTRBA Member Directory. Check out our listing here!
