Orlando Airport

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From the Dayton Daily News. By Clark Howard

Contributing Writer

You can’t walk through the lobby of any Orlando hotel these days without seeing signs for reduced rates or free tickets to the area’s amusement parks. Of course, there’s a hitch: You have to hear the pitch of salespeople who want you to buy a time share.

The dream they’re selling is having a place at a luxurious resort where you can vacation each year. You buy either a specific week or points that can be exchanged for any week. There are people who adore this system, so much so that they buy multiple weeks at various places.

They like that it forces them to take a vacation when they may not otherwise have left town. Other people love that you can buy a share in a particular place but use it like a voucher for another place anywhere in the world.

Owning a time share means having a perpetual obligation. You own it forever, and you can pass it on through your will. It’s fine as long as you want it. But that’s the end of the good news.

The shock sets in when people see their maintenance fees go up or get hit with assessments that leave them with no rights to appeal. When you buy a time share from a developer, most of what you pay for is marketing, sales, promotions and commissions. Almost none of the money goes to the value of the time share. Typically, time shares lose 80 percent of their value immediately. What other purchase would you want to make that loses that much?

Another problem arises when you want to sell. Most people find that it’s almost impossible to do. I get a lot of calls and e-mails from people who want to give their time share away, and nobody will take it! Because they lose so much value and are so difficult to sell, I consider time shares to be a defective purchase.

Another problem arises when you want to sell. Most people find that it’s almost impossible to do. I get a lot of calls and e-mails from people who want to give their time share away, and nobody will take it! Because they lose so much value and are so difficult to sell, I consider time shares to be a defective purchase.

People who are still sold on the idea would do well to buy one from someone who’s desperately trying to get rid of it. Some buyers have found good deals on eBay, but I’d suggest doing a lot of study on the resort before you buy. Check out the Timeshare User’s Group site, www.tug2.net, for information.

If you have a time share you cannot sell and you just want to be rid of it, consider donating it. Look at donateforacause.org. They’ll be happy to take it off your hands!

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I am not sure why, but in Orlando it’s common to call vacation rental homes ‘villas’. To me, a villa is in Tuscany or someplace similar. I guess I’m not quite as sophisticated as some.

However, this doesn’t change the fact that villas in Orlando are extremely popular, mainly because of the economics of a visit to DisneyWorld (or disney orlando walt world if you like a little backward sequence word play) or the other theme parks, and the economics are this:

… most people do not visit Orlando alone.

Think about it. Manhattan? Maybe your spouse, or maybe alone. Las Vegas? Maybe your spouse, but even more likely alone, given that What Happens in Vegas… theme.

Orlando? Family, kids, grandparents, a companion-family even. This is why it makes sense to rent a house instead of staying in a hotel. Per person it’s cheaper, and you almost certainly get your own pool, plus you definitely get your own bedroom, kitchen, etc.

And in case you didn’t know, your theme park ticket is good for the whole day(s) it’s issued for, so you can come and go as often as you please. Go home for lunch, or to take a nap (or to avoid paying 3 bucks for a Coke). Then go back again. It’s your choice.

Anyway, the point of this post is to tell you that I have been thinking about villas, and I think there’s an opportunity to perform a public service here, letting people provide reviews of the houses they rented and if they would recommend them to others. Who knows, according to the search engine data this is a busy field with almost zero chance of getting noticed, but I might try anyway.