Do you know that you can resell your residential home (or any other type of real estate) without hiring a real estate agent or Realtor(r) to assist you? Of course you know that, and you’d be indignant and probably downright angry if it was any other way.

If you own a home, a piece of land, an office building, or other type of property, you have choices when it comes to reselling it. You can handle the sale yourself or hire a real estate professional to help you. You can use a buy-owner company to assist with part of the process, or you can select a range of services, from title agents to real estate attorneys, using only those you need to help you.

And the fact that no law requires you to buy or sell real estate from a real estate professional hasn’t done a thing to harm the real estate industry as a whole. In fact, the diversity of ways to sell is part of what makes the industry competitive and fair.

Millions and millions of people, who have sold their homes by a method, other than hiring a real estate professional, will tell you that they saved a lot of money that would have gone to an agent or a broker for advertising and showing the property or other fees that are paid as part of the commission. You also see the same ads on television that I see, with testimonials from people who have used a buy-owner real estate company to help them sell their homes, and are thrilled with the money they saved, or other features of the service they received. And as with anything, there are stories of people who tried to sell property themselves, and for whatever reason, got burned and wished in hindsight they had used a Realtor(r).

In any industry, including those that involve the sale of real estate, and those that involve the sale of timeshare real estate, there are good services and bad ones; there are services that work well for one person but maybe not for another. But American business is built on our freedom to choose to work with companies that we think, best serve our individual needs.

Ways to Sell Timeshare and Timeshare Resales

Timeshare developers, timeshare resellers, and timeshare advertising and marketing companies are all valid and contributing parts of the timeshare industry. Professional associations, such as ARDA, the American Resort Development Association, recognize this and support all factions of the industry.

While a few timeshare developers offer buy-back programs, the majority does not, leaving timeshare owners to come up with their own ways to sell timeshare they no longer wish to own.

Some people have a network of personal contacts that is so large, and a way to get the word to all of them, that they can sell timeshare themselves. But most of us don’t, nor do we want to hit on our friends and family members, trying to convince them to buy timeshare from us.

Some people want to sell timeshare but be separate from the process, letting someone else handle all the details, and for them it may be a great idea to work with a timeshare broker. And other people, just need help marketing their timeshare resale or perhaps handling the closing paperwork. The right choice for them could be a timeshare advertising and marketing company or perhaps a timeshare title transfer company. But it all goes back to choices…

Real Estate and Timeshare Real Estate in the US

Let’s face it. The residential real estate market in the US is about as bad as it has been in many years. But who do we blame for that? We can lay part of the blame on the rising price of oil that leaves people pumping larger and larger chunks of their paychecks into their gas tanks, with less and less money to spend on a new home.

We can blame a greedy element of the mortgage industry, that put people into mortgages that were so riddled with hidden charges the people couldn’t get out of them before the one obvious cost - that ever- adjusting interest rate, soared through the roof. We can blame politicians, heads of business, or just a predictable swing in the pendulum of life, but we can’t logically say that buy-owner or help-u-sell real estate services are to blame for the falling value of home prices. And it wouldn’t make any sense to say that timeshare resale companies are responsible for the resell price you can or can’t get for your timeshare property.

Whether you are looking at residential real estate, timeshare deeded property, timeshare points, or something totally different like new and used refrigerators, things sell for what the market will bear. People, not companies, set prices by what they are willing or able to pay.

New cars sell for prices that are comparably much higher than the price for which used cars sell. And new cars will continue to sell for that higher price because we are willing to pay the price, and because auto manufacturers spend huge dollars on advertising to convince you to buy their product instead of someone else’s. When that same car is resold, the second buyer pays market value (the price the market will bear) because he or she no longer has to absorb the cost of the car manufacturer’s pricey advertising.

The lower resell price has nothing to do with the used car dealer; it is just a fact of economics that applies in much the same way for resale timeshares as it does to resale automobiles. The economics of this aren’t complicated, but sometimes, you have to keep explaining them over and over again, because a few people, just don’t get it.

Recently the Dover, NH newspaper, Fosters Daily Democrat, ran a nice human-interest article about charitable giving. It was especially interesting to all of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW because four of the “humans” in this human-interest piece are part of the timeshare team here at our company.

Jessica Nason, Kayla Peach, Karen Gearwar, and Kevin Curran were each asked what they would do if they won that day’s $230 million Powerball jackpot, and were directed to give half the money to charity.

Jessica said, “I know there’s a lot of problems overseas, but we have to take care of problems at home before we spend money on other countries.” She explained that she would donate her $115 million to starving children in America; a concept that Kayla endorsed.

Karen was thinking along the same lines, and said her money would go to homeless children in America, while Kevin said, “I’d save animals that are malnourished and have been kicked to the curb. I hate seeing that happen.”

Sell My Timeshare NOW - Solving Problems Every Day

It doesn’t surprise me that Sell My Timeshare NOW employees are eager to share; I see them giving every day with their dedication, hard work, and genuine commitment to helping people buy, rent, or sell timeshare. Because they know we provide a valuable service and that our company is built on integrity, they come to work enthusiastic about helping people enjoy vacation ownership at affordable prices or assisting timeshare owners who are ready to sell timeshare they no longer use. Either way, they make an important contribution to helping families manage their dollars and maximize their vacation experiences.

And in today’s overworked, overstressed world, that is a pretty important contribution in itself.

Call us at (877) 815-4227. Jessica, Kayla, Karen, Kevin, and about 100 other dedicated timeshare specialists are hard at work making good things happen for people every day.

In a very short time, eBay has created a powerful, effective global marketplace that serves as yard sale, antique auction, real estate showcase, trading post, and memorabilia collector’s paradise. Old, new, valuable, eclectic, or pure junk, you can find it all on eBay.

Beyond creating a worldwide flea market, eBay has also afforded a way for people to supplement their incomes or even build small (and sometimes not so small) businesses. eBay entrepreneurs are a whole new category of business people, so much so, that the eBay empire has also established eBay University to train aspiring merchants in their structure and business model.

When You Sell Timeshare or Buy Timeshare Through an Online Auction

Yes, you can even buy timeshare or sell timeshare on eBay. When you sell timeshare through eBay, you have the choice to handle the sale yourself or to go through an eBay store that resells timeshare. Selling your timeshare weeks this way may work for some people, but online auctions are truly a situation of both buyer beware and seller beware.

For example, I just checked today’s timeshare resort properties advertised on eBay and found timeshare weeks listed at a starting bid of one cent—that’s right—one penny. Some have a reserve amount on them, meaning the timeshare will not be sold until a minimum price is met, but others are sold without the reserve. This is potentially a one-penny selling price; received after you (the timeshare seller) pay a fee to advertise your timeshare resale on eBay. And as a timeshare buyer, don’t assume that these rock bottom prices are actually the amount that you are required to come up with at the close of the auction. Instead, be sure you read all the fine print, because you are sure to be hit with closing costs, maybe advance or past maintenance fees, and other costs that turn your penny-priced property into a much larger expenditure. Additionally, as a timeshare buyer, you may not be given the choice of which timeshare closing company you wish to use to finalize your transaction, giving you even less control of the final dollar amount your budget priced timeshare deal will cost.

A timeshare owner posting on the TUG website recently observed: “Did you see the auction on eBay, a small 1 br gold week so that was an original Starwood went for the whopping amount of $3.25. Yes the decimal point is in the right spot.”

Another reason to be cautious in any online auction is that there is often nothing to standardize the information provided about the timeshare resale. If a timeshare seller knowingly or unknowingly, misrepresents the facts about the timeshare weeks he or she owns, the prospective buyer has no real way of sorting out fact from fiction. Important details about the timeshare weeks being advertised can be omitted or misstated. As a timeshare buyer, your risk can be great. As a timeshare owner who wants to sell timeshare, you will find the timeshare resort ad you credibly present is competing with ads that may promise amenities or terms they cannot deliver.

When you try to sell timeshare in an online auction, you are attempting to sell timeshare in a marketplace that contains timeshare properties owned by people who are apparently willing to pay to give them away! Combine that with how quickly eBay’s ads expire and you have a tough way to sell timeshare unless you too, are ready to pay someone to let you give them your vacation property.

In an interesting move this week, eBay announced that beginning in May, sellers will not be allowed to leave negative comments about their customers. They will still be permitted to leave positive ones. According to eBay spokesperson, Usher Lieberman, “The No. 1 reason buyers cited for decreasing or ceasing their activity on eBay was negative unwarranted retaliatory feedback they received from sellers.”

Remember that no one solution is best for every person who wants to sell timeshare or buy timeshare. Your needs and your objectives are unique. But before you turn to any online auction to buy or sell timeshare, consider all your options. An online auction is truly a case of caveat emptor…buyer beware…and sometimes, it is “seller beware” as well.

To learn more about safe, effective ways to sell timeshare or buy timeshare resales, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Sell My Timeshare NOW releases its End-of-Year 2007 Statistical Synopsis today. Because we are a privately held company, we do not publish quarterly earnings reports or an annual report to the stockholders.

However, we do want to keep the business world and the public apprised of the trends within our company, so three times a year we release a quarterly synopsis of business. At the end of the year, we also release an annual summary, which we make available on our website; by general distribution to the media; and as an attachment to a Sell My Timeshare NOW electronic press release distributed by PR Web.

You can download the four-page Sell My Timeshare NOW End of Year 2007 Statistical Synopsis here.

2007 proved to be another record-breaking year for Sell My Timeshare NOW. We set new highs for website traffic, number of unique visitors to our site, revenues and both the dollar amount and the quantity of offers to rent timeshare or to buy timeshare.

2008 will be an interesting year for the economy and the nation. America is facing one of the most unpredictable presidential elections in years. Consumers and businesses stand poised to march forward or push the panic button on their finances. Everyone waits to see what impact recent cuts by the Federal Reserve, the Wall Street rollercoaster, the slowing job market, and the dismal real estate market will have on their personal financial situation.

However, if 2008 follows the path of 2007, it will prove to be both a good year to sell timeshare and a good year to buy timeshare. Timeshares always attract people who are looking to reduce their vacation costs. Timeshare resales offer a way to create a hedge against inflation by locking in today’s vacation lodging costs. People who were considering buying new timeshare from a developer will be paying attention to the great values timeshare resellers can offer. All of which should spell relief for timeshare owners who want to sell timeshare and get out from under their annual fees and commitments as they pare down their household budgets.

Sell My Timeshare NOW is a timeshare advertising and timeshare marketing company; it is also a genuine win-win solution for people who want to buy timeshare and those who want to rent or sell timeshare.

You know what they say about anything that sounds too good to be true…

An Orlando timeshare resale company agreed last week to pay nearly $100,000 to consumers as part of a settlement to end the investigation into a series of complaints about the company’s practices. More than half the money will go directly to clients who complained to the Florida Office of the Attorney General, Bill McCollum. The balance of the money will go toward the cost of the investigation itself.

The Orlando Sentinel quoted McCollum as saying, “Time-share resale businesses are often mistaken for real estate brokers when they are simply providing an advertisement service to promote the sale of a consumer’s time share.”

The allegations, some of which go back 5 years, claim that the timeshare resale company made the promise that, if it could not sell your timeshare in 180 days, you would receive two free airline tickets to certain destinations. According to consumers who received the promise during telemarketing calls from the timeshare resale company, the tickets had so many caveats and restrictions that they were useless. Some customers of the timeshare reseller say they never received the tickets at all.

Other alleged false claims by the company included the timeshare resale company’s membership in the Orange County (Florida) Convention & Visitors Bureau and affiliation with the Orange County Convention Center.

What a Timeshare Resale Advertising and Marketing Company Should Do

A good timeshare resale advertising and marketing company should present all the information about your timeshare property to the largest possible market of potential timeshare buyers. They should be on the cutting edge of internet marketing strategies so that your timeshare resale or timeshare rental is advertised in a global marketplace of people who want to buy timeshare or rent timeshare.

More than that, any timeshare resale company should be able to tell you:

• • How many visitors come to their website each day. (Sell My Timeshare NOW averages more than 10,000 unique visitors to their website each day and over 30,000 total visitors.)
• • And the dollar amount of offers made to rent or buy timeshare they advertise. (Sell My Timeshare NOW averages over $800,000 a day in offers made to buy timeshare or rent timeshare.)

Not only that, but at Sell My Timeshare NOW, if your timeshare sells at the asking price or higher through any other source, bring us proof of the sale, and we will give you back the fee you pay to advertise and market your property with us. That’s a promise, and it’s one we keep.

Sell My Timeshare NOW just keeps growing.

Where will you be on Monday, December 17, 2007? If you are in Dover, New Hampshire, you could be about to embark on an exciting and rewarding new career, because Sell My Timeshare NOW is expanding.

Timeshare resales and timeshare rentals are thriving, as evidenced by the $254 million made in offers to buy timeshare or rent timeshares advertised on the Sell My Timeshare NOW website. Offers are up 16 percent from last year, which itself was a record-setting year.

With this much business, the only way we can continue to give top-notch customer service is to double our sales staff.

So if you are interested in a career where your income potential is linked directly to the effort and hard work you bring to the job, and if you like the idea of working for a growing timeshare company, that is setting new industry standards for service, performance, growth and excellence, then we invite you to visit our corporate offices.

Our hiring campaign kicks off with an open house, Monday, December 17, from 6:30PM to 7:30PM. The location is the Cocheoco Falls Millworks Building, 383 Central Avenue, in beautiful (and snowy) Dover, New Hampshire.

We are serious about this; so if you’re seriously interested, call us at (603) 516-0200 or toll free at (877) 815-4227.

There are always many topics to blog about in the world of timeshares and vacation ownership, but there are some questions that come up so frequently, I want to take a few blog posts and really focus on them.

So here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions that I receive about timeshares, timeshare resale, timeshare rental, and the whole industry of vacation ownership.

Q. Can I trust the timeshare industry? I’ve heard about timeshare fraud and unethical practices.

A. YES you can safely buy timeshare and sell timeshare! Timeshares in the US (and for the most part worldwide) are a highly regulated industry. I think timeshares got off to a rocky start because 30 to 40 years ago, when the first timeshares were established, they were an entirely new business model. There just weren’t existing laws in place to regulate their development and sale because there had previously been no product like them.

Because of this, there were growing pains, while developers, management companies, hoteliers, consumers, and legislative agencies worked out what types of guidelines and restrictions needed to be implemented. Today, in the US, every single state has laws on the books to protect the consumer in buying and selling timeshare.

Some states wrote new laws unique to timeshares and vacation ownership, while other states adapted for the timeshare industry, laws and guidelines that govern other types of real estate transactions.

Yes, there have been scam artists along the way, but these types of people exist in every industry. There are also people who use heavy-handed sales tactics, and other approaches that do not put the consumer first in the transaction. But most of those people go out of business when faced with the competition of legitimate companies, offering worthwhile and straight up opportunities to people who want to buy timeshare.

In fact, often, when you hear about timeshare scam today the fraudulent business is not about the sale of individual timeshares to buyers, but refers to schemes designed to entice people into investing in the development of timeshare resorts.

I am not dancing around the fact that there are still disreputable people in the timeshare industry. There are also disreputable doctors, lawyers, ministers, schoolteachers, and pizza delivery boys. No industry, no matter how tightly regulated it becomes, can entirely eliminate shysters. Sadly, crooks will always find a new angle as long as there are consumers who buy in haste, don’t research what they are getting into, and fail to get reliable answers to important questions.

The warning “caveat emptor” used so frequently in real estate transactions applies just as much when you want to buy timeshare or sell timeshare. Caveat emptor means literally, let the buyer beware.

So here are some important tips you can apply to help you make wise decisions when you buy timeshare or timeshare resales or you look for a company to help you sell timeshare you already own:

1. Contact the Office of the Attorney General for the state in which a timeshare company is located and check that the company has a clean record, without complaints filed against them. If you have never done this before, it’s simple to do, because consumer protection is one of the main purposes of this division of state government. You will find the Attorney General’s Office to be easily assessable and very helpful.
2. Go on line and search the timeshare company by name. Look at their website. Find out how long they have been in business. Check to see if they are a member of the Better Business Bureau. Visit timeshare forums, like Sell My Timeshare NOW’s forum, where you can read the comments of actual timeshare owners and learn from their experience.
3. If you buy new timeshare from a timeshare developer, don’t let anyone rush you into your decision. Study the contract. Ask questions. If the deal seems “wrong” or “too good to be true” - walk away from it.
4. Before you sign a contract to buy timeshare, know the rescission laws for timeshare transactions in the state or country in which you are buying. In some states, you may have only 24 hours to change your mind. In others states, you will have longer. Know this information before you sign the contract.
5. When you buy timeshare in other countries, be doubly cautious. The laws that protect you in the US, do not protect you when you sign contracts in foreign countries.
6. Above all else, take your time. There are many opportunities to buy timeshare and to buy timeshare resales. You can purchase from a developer, from a timeshare broker, or directly from the current owner. Shop around. There are too many options in timesharing and too many different types of timeshares on the market for you to settle for something that is not a perfect fit for you.

Timeshares are one of the fastest growing segments of the hospitality and leisure industry. Don’t let the old image of timesharing stand in the way of you enjoying one of the best opportunities in vacation accommodations available today.

Check back in on Monday. I’ll be continuing in the next Timeshare Owners Blog post, responding to frequently asked questions.

Before I get in trouble with the knitters of the world, let me make it clear that I’m not making fun of knitting. I recognize that knitting has become seriously popular in recent years. Many people have taken up their knitting needles as both a creative and relaxing outlet.

But I have to admit that I was a little surprised to learn there is a market for knitting-themed cruise vacations. Next February, Norwegian Cruise Line is offering The Great Balls of Yarn Cruise. The cruise was started two years ago by the owner of a chain of knitting stores in Florida, and brings together knitting enthusiasts along with celebrities from the world of knitting.

During these cruises, you can take classes to improve your technique, learn to knit a different garment each day of the cruise, and socialize with other knitters at yarn sales that masquerade as cocktail parties.

The next Great Balls of Yarn Cruise tours Belize and Honduras, which is really what caught my attention most. Belize happens to be one of the most incredible vacation destinations on the planet. I could easily devote all my blog posts for the month of October to the wonders of Belize and never cover the same information twice.

And while I applaud anyone who recognizes the value of a hobby, especially one that is as productive, yet rhythmic and relaxing as knitting, it makes me cringe that visitors to Belize might be distracted by any endeavor that caused them to miss the splendor of this tropical getaway. I’ve used the word “un-Belizeable” to describe this amazing country so frequently on our Sell My Timeshare NOW website that our marketing department has tried to ban me from saying it again.

Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America. It is where the tropical Caribbean meets ancient Mayan ruins and is culturally both Caribbean and Central American.

The Belize Barrier Reef is over 200 miles of lacework coral, second only in size to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. A Belize vacation not only means swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, and sport fishing, but the opportunity to explore ancient ruins, an amazing network of inland caves, and some of the most pristine jungles in the world.

Hotels in Belize tend to be a bit pricey, which is one of the reasons that Belize timeshare vacations are so attractive. You can take advantage of a Belize timeshare resale or a Belize timeshare rental at a great price, leaving you plenty of vacation dollars for exploring, renting scuba gear, or even buying more knitting yarn.

If you have your heart set on cruising, you’ll be interested in Forbes Magazine’s recent article on the, “World’s Most Unusual Cruises”. Who knows, you may even be able to exchange timeshare points through your timeshare exchange company for an Elvis cruise, a motorcycle lovers cruise, or that knitting cruise you’ve been dreaming about.

With so much in the news about homeowners trying to refinance home mortgages, I thought it was a good time to also look at the question of timeshare financing and refinancing.

At Sell My Timeshare NOW, we are sometimes asked if an owner can sell timeshare when they still owe money on their timeshare mortgage or loan.

To sell timeshare that you do not own free and clear is just like selling a home on which you still owe money. Selling property requires that you be able to provide the buyer a clear deed or title to it, whether it is a single-family residence, condo, or timeshare. If you still owe the mortgage company for your timeshare, you must arrange to pay the mortgage or lien holder before you can provide the deed to the new owner.

For example, if you own a timeshare that you financed, and you still owe $3000 on the debt, you will want to try to resell that timeshare for $3000 or more. Any amount of money you receive in the sale that is above what you owe to the lender is yours. If you sell timeshare for $5000, and you must pay the lien holder $3000, the remaining $2000 is yours. This money is held in escrow during the transaction of the sale, until everything is completed.

But there are other approaches to sell timeshare on which you still carry a loan. You can borrow money from another source, such as a home equity line of credit or low-interest credit card and pay off your timeshare debt. Under these circumstances, the timeshare itself does not collateralize the debt. While you will now owe money to a new lender, you will own your timeshare in entirety, without mortgage debt on it.

This frees you up to enjoy the timeshare, which is now financed at a lower rate or better terms. It also means you can sell the timeshare, keeping all of what you make on it for yourself, or using those funds to pay off the new debt you took on in order to gain full title to the timeshare.

There are not as many options for refinancing timeshare as other types of property, but timeshare is legally considered real property and you do have some choices. One resource to investigate is Tammac Financial. Another possibility is any lender who will loan you money based on your good credit or other measure of creditworthiness.

As I always tell you, I am not a financial advisor. Paying off your timeshare mortgage can mean that you lose the option to deduct your mortgage interest from your state or federal income taxes, and the lower interest rate is not worth the amount you lose in mortgage interest deduction. It is always advisable to turn to a reputable tax or financial advisor to help you determine what is best for your individual circumstances.

The Timeshare Owners Blog warned readers about this scam, back in April in a post titled, Warning: Timeshare Fraud Targeting Older Investors.

At that time, the Missouri Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, had issued cease and desist orders against four Missouri men, a business in Panama, two Mexican businesses, and a Nevada promoter who were targeting elderly Missourians with a “get rich” timeshare investment scam.

According to Bloomberg News and the Washington Post, the Securities and Exchange Commission is now cracking down on this scam and the people behind it. The list of those being charged has expanded to include Michael E. Kelly and 25 other people or companies who are being sued or are facing charges for their role in the $428 million fraud. The lawsuit, filed in Chicago federal court, is intended to not only bring justice in this particular situation, but to prove that the SEC will, in the words of Merri Jo Gillette, the SEC’s regional director in Chicago, “vigilantly pursue those who target older Americans, no matter what the obstacles.”

The fundamental nature of this timeshare scam is that individuals were led to believe that by purchasing timeshares, they would receive regular revenues from the ongoing rental of the timeshares. They were also told that anytime they wished to sell the timeshare, the leasing agency would buy it back for the full purchase amount.

This sounds incredible…which should be the first red flag. If this “investment” deal was solid and afforded this kind of guaranteed return, then lending agencies and investment firms would be jumping at the chance to be part of it; and the people behind it wouldn’t be looking for senior citizens to make it happen. As we hear all the time, when a deal sounds too good to be true—assume it is!

In fact, this timeshare scam is a “Ponzi scheme”, a type of fraud that takes its name from Charles Ponzi, an infamous turn of the century shyster. In a Ponzi scheme, early investors are paid returns from the money that subsequent investors have used to become part of the deal. These payments do not represent genuine net revenue as they should, and because of this, a Ponzi scheme will ultimately fail 100 percent of the time. Yet those who get into the deal early on, do receive the returns promised (for a while) and are often eager to vouch for the deal’s validity in living up to its promises. A Ponzi scheme can be highly tempting to others; while we may not trust the salesperson pitching the deal to us, we tend to place great faith in endorsements and testimonials of other investors like ourselves.

The saddest part of this specific deal is, according to Forbes Magazine, more than $136 million of the money invested in this timeshare scam came from individual retirement accounts, meaning that it obviously was not expendable income on the part of those who invested it.

Timeshares should never be purchased as an investment for financial return. Timeshares are a lifestyle investment—they promise no financial rewards, only the benefit of great vacation opportunities. If anyone implies to you that buying timeshare is an investment, that person is not only lying, he or she is violating Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.

Buy a timeshare because you want to enjoy vacation ownership. Buy because owning timeshare is a commitment to a lifetime of great vacations for you and your family, typically in luxurious surroundings, at high-demand venues. Likewise, you should sell your timeshare as soon as you find that you are no longer using and enjoying it. The value of timeshare is in using it, not in holding it for financial return.

Before you enter into any transactions involving timeshares, check with the Office of the Secretary of State or the Attorney General for the state in which the timeshare company or timeshare resale company is located.

If you would like to read the complete list of those named as defendants in this case, you can find it on The Bizop News blog, where Michael Webster has posted all the names and some additional information about the case.