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Study and learn FIRST --- buy only LATER... (by KC):

janicer98 wrote:

We always say no to time shares....until we found the perfect one in Cabo Mexico. Unfortunately it was in the beginning phase of building and the developer ran off with everyone's money. now we're still paying for something that doesn't exist:( I've been looking around and it seems timeshares make sense, but "once bitten twice shy". What about resells? worth it or not? points vs. weeks? is it possible to find a resell that is for life and not just a number of years? again, worth it or no?

First off, for U.S. citizens, Mexican timeshares are only available as "right to use" (a.k.a. RTU) contracts, for a defined period of time (typically 20 years). That situation is distinctly different from actual deeded ownership, which is more permanent. Deeded ownerships are common in the U.S. (... there are also some RTU "membership clubs" here as well, but only a VERY few of them are worthwhile).

There are no easy or simple "25 words or less" answers to your various questions. You need to make the effort to study and learn about the various different timeshare resorts and systems, study and understand points vs. weeks (and which would likely work better for YOU), study and learn about resale market values, decide where you might want to buy --- and when (which season) you might want to go there. Until you gain real knowledge, clarity and confidence on these issues on your own, you really shouldn't consider buying ANYTHING, in my personal opinion. Remember several important points; buying is always easy, selling is almost always hard --- and maintenance fees are FOREVER (or until you can sell, whichever comes first).

Study and learn. Then study and learn some more. It's a very steep learning curve and you should probably spend a few MONTHS reading through the BBS forums on sites like http://www.tug2.net to gain the basic fundamentals of a timeshare education.

One other suggestion --- DON'T buy something just to "trade" or "exchange" it for something else with one of the exchange companies. If you do, you will be disappointed far more often than not ---and the "exchange" rules change all the time. Buy ONLY what you are actually willing to use (and only buy resale, NEVER from a developer). Buy ONLY in a place you can afford to travel to without going broke just to get there. In the meantime, study and learn. Then study and learn some more. After that, you'll be in a much better position to consider buying something. No offense or disrespect intended, but your questions suggest that you are NOT there yet...