If you are thinking of selling a vacation timeshare you've no doubt
found that the Internet is literally cluttered with websites offering the seller the
opportunity to place an online timeshare classified ad to sell their timeshare.
Wrong. The problem is that in the real-life timeshare resale, for both the seller
and the buyer, the scenario just doesn't work out that way in the vast majority of cases.
With over 20 years of experience in the timeshare industry, I would like
to explain to you the reasons why:
1. Sellers will NOT necessarily net more money by selling on their own
compared to using a real estate professional. A trained timeshare broker who is experienced
at sales techniques and skilled at negotiating offers from buyers can often
get a higher price or structure a better deal for sellers than the inexperienced
seller could obtain independently.
2. Buyers will NOT necessarily be able to buy at a lower price directly
from a seller. Sellers on their own usually price their units way above fair market
resale value. Brokers can assist buyers by showing comparable
sales to the seller, and factually justifying an offering price that is at fair
market value even if it is less than the asking price.
That broker in most cases
can actually get a better price for the buyer and the seller wins too because a
formerly unsellable listing becomes a sold listing.
Since the typical buyer is not experienced, an offer for less than the asking price,
with no factual market experience to substantiate the offer, will usually serve
only to anger the seller and subsequently that buyer completely loses the opportunity to buy
the timeshare at all!
A buyer and seller who go through a licensed timeshare broker have a professional
who is responsible in seeing that there are no surprises in what is being sold, as
to unit description, fees, and all terms of the sale that would not otherwise
be verified.
3. Classified ad timeshare websites are there to sell ads. They don't provide
personal assistance to help you sell your timeshare. They have no licensed real
estate agents, not even someone to whom you can personally talk in order to
receive counsel as to sales strategy and how to properly price the timeshare so it will sell.
These companies offer zero service and they are not interested in
selling your timeshare. Their only interest is to charge you to place an online
ad that somehow magically is supposed to sell your timeshare with no one
to advise you and no one to prompt and encourage the buyer. Such sites may offer you a link
to a closing agency, but they don't disclose hidden costs and the fact that closing agencies do
not handle many of the common problems that come up during the escrow sales
closing procedure.
These web sites are NOT licensed real estate brokers and
they do not have to follow the comprehensive laws a licensed broker must follow for
your protection.
4. The majority of buyers simply do not like the idea of dealing directly
with a seller. They want to make an offer but they want someone else to do the
negotiating because they find it distasteful to deal directly with the seller.
An online classified ad will miss these valuable offers from this type of buyer.
Similarly, sellers in reality don't really like negotiating
directly with the buyer either.
Experience proves that buyers dealing directly with
a seller will propose all kinds of "mickey mouse" insecure ways to try to accomplish the
transfer and handling of funds, all of which could have been done easily by
a trained licensed professional timeshare broker who knows how to structure the transaction so
that it flows smoothly and follows strict real estate laws that are already in place
to protect BOTH buyer
and seller. Plus, the timeshare broker services the sale and follows it through
from start to finish, expediting the signatures, forms, funds, etc.
Virtually ALL online ads you see on such sites are OVERPRICED, will never sell,
and the seller has wasted their money and more importantly their time.
Buyers who are browsing these sites until they are cross-eyed, eventually learn
the listings are over-priced (or no longer for sale), and the buyers
sooner or later narrow their search to the professional sites where there
are actually trained professionals they can speak to, as opposed to the
speaking to the seller who is obviously biased in his/her own favor.
5. A broker serves to protect the seller from frivolous offers. There are
many many buyers who constantly browse the Internet and make ridiculously low offers to sellers.
Such buyers are "bottom fishers" and they are very "brave" sitting behind their
computers and sending ridiculous and disgusting offers.
They can actually get
quite hostile. They will make offers and say things that they would probably
never do in person. Kind of like the drivers we've all met who "hide behind the wheel" of
an automobile, honking the horn and acting far more aggressively than they would if
they were face-to-face with the other person.
The seller who wisely
has a licensed real estate broker representing the listing, will be shielded from
such distasteful buyers.
6. An online ad is limited because it is only one source of locating a buyer. A licensed real estate
broker brings many other sources to the table for you, such as walk-ins to the office,
repeat business from previous buyers, referrals of buyers from previous buyers, large databases
of proven buyer sources, referrals from timeshare industry related agencies, Internet
and print advertising, direct mail, and more.
There is just no comparison between an online classified ad, and a dedicated licensed
professional timeshare real estate broker who lives, works, and experiences the
business day in and day out.
7. As a seller, please think it through - is it really to your
advantage to try to cut out the professional licensed timeshare real estate broker?
Do you really want to deal directly with a buyer?
If problems come up during
the sale, do you really want an angry buyer on your hands who probably has your home
telephone number and address?
What problems, you ask? I can only tell you that misunderstandings and
problems are so common during the sale, it still amazes me even after all these years
in the business. And these problems are not handled by the closing agencies.
There are many entities involved in a timeshare transfer, far more than most would realize,
and the greater the number of agencies, the more chances for misunderstandings.
The entities include the resort management company, the lender, the exchange companies,
the escrow companies, taxing agencies, local governmental agencies and more.
Each can represent a problem or misunderstanding.
If you have no broker you
are on your own. A broker serves a very important "referee function" and often
pays out of his/her own pocket to save sales that would otherwise fall through. Very common, believe me!
I am speaking about real-life experience here!
The following are reasons why we believe we offer the experience and professionalism
so vital to a seller of a vacation timeshare ownership:
Timeshare Resales Worldwide® is the oldest licensed timeshare Real Estate
Broker on the web, specializing exclusively in timeshare since 1981. We specialize
exclusively in resales of vacation timeshare ownership.
We have extensive premium
resort information on our website which draws premium-class buyers to our
site and listings.
We are the only broker who will publish your listing with pictures free of
charge on not one, but seven very busy websites.
We have one of the largest and most well-known databases of listings on the
Internet - our tracking has proven this definitely draws buyers!
We insist on the most thorough escrow sales processing in the business. Please
see escrow Frequently Asked
Questions for an in-depth description of the comprehensive procedure we require.
For maximum exposure, all timeshare brokers in the U.S. are given access to sell your
listing in our exclusively owned Timeshare MLS - MLSTimeshare.com
Our office enjoys an exceptional high-traffic prime location in the heart of southern
California timeshare resorts, attracting walk-in clients from all over the country.
Our powerful exclusive BuyerPowerMatch software, custom written for us,
automatically matches buyer inquiries to your listing.
Each timeshare developer has its own unique procedure, fees, documentation, and requirements in order
to transfer ownership to the new owner. We are well-trained and familiar with them.
Don't trust your valuable ownership to online timeshare classified ads and novices, use a professional
with a long track record of success, and the powerful tools to get the job done right!
