Are Timeshare Owners Dummies? Part 1, Defining The Battle for The Hearts and Minds of America's Timeshare Owners

Now, before you lynch me, NO, I don’t think timeshare owners are dummies, though many in the timeshare industry apparently do. Over the last few years,
a battle for the hearts and minds of America’s timeshare owners has been quietly brewing
. Big players, and millions of dollars are involved.  Two
verydistinct, and
verydifferent, viewpoints have emerged; polarizing the industry, and pitting owner against owner:

On one side
, there’s the belief that buying timeshare makes financial sense, as opposed to years of vacationing in hotels. That while some people may be pressured into buying timeshare, the fashion in which it’s sold doesn’t determine its value. That timeshare is real estate, and like any other real property, it can be sold – if not for a profit, at least for an amount equal to its fractional value. That families who buy timeshare from a developer might buy resale instead, if given the opportunity, and if there is a savings involved.

On the opposition side
, there’s the belief that buying timeshare is a foolish decision that owners will inevitably come to regret. That no one would buy a timeshare, were it not for slick salesman, high pressure tactics, and the fact of being a dummy. That expecting to get more than a couple hundred dollars on the resale market is just plain stupid, and that the sum of the parts (weeks) add up to far less than the whole (traditional ownership.) That since timeshare owners are dummies, they can be exploited for a profit. That since timeshare is invariably worthless, to simply be relieved of it will cost you
thousands of dollars.
With the economy recovering,
one side will be proven wrong
. The battle is heating up, the gloves have come off, the web spammers are spamming… This is the story you haven’t heard
yet.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be explaining both sides of the argument, and what’s at stake for millions of timeshare owners. If you own timeshare,
you need this information
. Staying neutral is not an option, and staying uninformed might very well make you an unwitting accomplice in the destruction of your timeshare resale values.
Subscribe to this blog feed now, and share this important story with friends who own timeshare.