by Bryan Farrow
Firstly, a top tip that can save you a bucket load of cash. If the reason that you are selling is simply so that you can buy another timeshare week somewhere else, perhaps at a better resort or more promising location, you should look into part-exchange options before you do anything else.
But for those of you wanting to just ‘get rid’…
Step one is to make sure that you haven’t already seeded the coming years occupation rights to an exchange company like RCI. If you have already ceded your week, see if this right to occupy is still transferable.
Get a realistic valuation of your apartment ny looking at what others are selling their weeks for on craigslist, ebay and other websites. Some sales companies may exaggerate what they could obtain for your apartment in order to secure upfront fees.
Check with your home resort to see if they would be willing to help in selling your timeshare week. Some may offer a timeshare resales scheme although most won’t, simply because it’s a lot more profitable for them to sell new inventory.
List as much truthful information as you can, ready to present to the world. Like selling a house, your list should contain information that potential buyers will find useful, whilst still extolling the main virtues:
Your sales ‘list’ sheet that you are going to make out should contain the usual information such as the resort name and location, the week number or time of year, the apartment size and number of beds, then should also contain factual information that states benefits, such as close to the beach, lots of local restuarants, ideal base to explore the area…
Describing the things to see and do in the resort area, along with naming major attractions and other benefits, then including pictures of the best features and locations can add significant perceived value for potential buyers.
Selling your timeshare:
Many people first turn to ebay or craigslist. When you don’t get the sort of offers that you were hoping for, either in terms of the number of offers or the amount that you are trying to sell for:
Think BENEFITS. If your timeshare has a great golfcourse on it - or a famous one nearby - then don’t hesitate to start advertising you timeshare for sale to golfers! This includes the odd trip (or three) to all of your local golf clubs and asking if you can put a message on the members boards, in their newsletters, to their email base and so on. Get creative with your sales efforts and you will be surprised at the level of interest. THINK - who would most benefit from owning my timeshare? is it a scuba diving fanatic? A fishing fan? A bird watcher?
Look for FREE advertising where possible e.g. craigslist.com , or whatever you can find. Go to any internet search engine and type free advertising and youll get plenty of ideas of where to advertise. Remember: people dont buy products they buy solutions and opportunities ” just like you didnt really buy a timeshare, you bought a luxury vacation opportunity. Make sure that this concept is reflected in your sales copy!
Local newspapers usually have a free section for (classified) private sales, as do many local websites ” which can have an astounding reach in terms of national readership.
Putting an advertisement in the customer advertising section at your local supermarket can work too. The cards in those sections get a surprising number of readers and besides, they are usually free. Try titles like One Week Luxury Golfing Retreat only $4,000 for Six people.
Tell the world that you wish to sell your timeshare week. Everyone that you know and meet up with - and offer a reward for an introduction leading to a sale. Your friends, family, people at work, your email contact list, your kids facebook friends, whoever. You never know!
The more people trying to sell your week for you = a greater chance of success so start listing your timeshare for sale on free websites that offer a free listing service. And look at as many timeshare resales companies as you can bear to deal with, just don’t bother with the ones that charge an upfront fee.
Need a quick overview of how good sales copy can turbocharge your efforts? take a look at the following two sample advertisements and you’ll get some ideas:
FAMILY LUXURY HOLIDAY EVERY YEAR We are forced to offer our luxury timeshare week for sale, due to illness (can no longer travel far!). 2 Bed, 2 Bath, luxury rooms, choose from any week you want every year. Based in Tenerife. Ideal for family or two couples although weve only been there one time as we just use it to swap yearly for luxury villas or apartments in Barbados, Florida, Italy and last year Cancun and just pay for cheap flights. Currently seling at over $10,000, will accept $6,000 for quick sale. call Jon or Kate on 555-5245 (private sale)
Timeshare for sale, 2 bed red rci, floating, only 6,000 call …
Last point: it pays to be prepared. Get together all of the legal documentation that you will need to transfer the ownership to someone else. Your home resort should be able to offer assistance here and remember, seek legal advice ALWAYS when dealing with property transactions. Good Luck!