First things first, any timeshare owner looking for the best way to sell a timeshare should keep this in mind: It’s extremely hard to sell a timeshare, and many timeshare owners are not successful in doing so. That’s because timeshare companies make it nearly impossible to escape your contract and pass on timeshare ownership, especially for a profit. Knowing this, let’s explore the best methods for selling timeshares for those who are legally able to undergo the timeshare sales process.
Whether due to financial or personal reasons, if you find yourself thinking, “I want to sell my timeshare,” there are a few routes you may be able to take to make a successful timeshare exit. Among these are selling your timeshare on an online resale market, hosting your own timeshare sales presentation, or hiring a Realtor to help you sell your property. Be mindful that most companies place restrictions — like a right of first refusal — onto their customers that can make it very difficult (and sometimes impossible) to sell timeshares. If this is the case for you, it may be necessary to seek the help of a Timeshare compliance exit company.
Are Online Resale Markets the Best Way to Sell a Timeshare?
When you check the search engine for timeshare sales on an online marketplace, like eBay and Craigslist, you’ll see that timeshares are a dime a dozen. And many timeshare owners can barely get a dime off their resale! So many of them have a sale price of $1, yet they sit on these sites for months or even years without being sold. And why is this? Because there is an overabundance of people looking to escape their timeshare contracts and pass on their ownership to someone else and very few people looking to saddle themselves and their families with an expensive timeshare.
Many people see selling their timeshares on online marketplaces as one of the few feasible ways of selling timeshare property. While not usually a profitable route, if selling your timeshare on an online secondary market is the route you choose to take, here’s how to create an honest and professional online listing.
Listing Your Timeshare Online
In order to create a proper online listing, you must include all the pricing and logistical details related to your timeshare property:
Timeshare sales price
Annual maintenance fees
Rules of your timeshare property
Policies on timeshare rentals
Timeshare’s specific weeks or point exchange program
Unpaid transfer fees, loan payments, and closing costs
Basically, any information enclosed in your estoppel letter should be included on your online timeshare listing. Otherwise, buyers may conflate a low-priced listing with a timeshare scam and will look elsewhere. No matter how inflexible your timeshare weeks are or how high your maintenance fees are, you need to be 100% honest about your timeshare if you don’t want potential buyers to think you’re a scammer.
Unfortunately, using an online market isn’t a feasible option for timeshare sellers who want to sell their property for more than a dollar and don’t want their property to sit on the market for months while they continue to pay expensive maintenance fees.
Ultimately, listing your timeshare is a passive option that may not actually lead to selling. If you want to take a more active approach, you might want to host your own sales presentation.
