Timeshare Memberships for a Buyer

I'm wanting to make an offer for a TS and the owner belongs to Sunterra. Sunterra says they don't transfer memberships with the sale from this owner. This is understandable but they also say we can't join without purchasing a unit from them. Is this so individualized from company to company? If all of them were so rigid how could the resale marketplace be so popular? Any suggestions on how to proceed would be appreciated!

johnw418 wrote:

I'm wanting to make an offer for a TS and the owner belongs to Sunterra. Sunterra says they don't transfer memberships with the sale from this owner. This is understandable but they also say we can't join without purchasing a unit from them. Is this so individualized from company to company? If all of them were so rigid how could the resale marketplace be so popular? Any suggestions on how to proceed would be appreciated!

There is a fairly new tactic coming from the developers that is aimed at trying to differentiate a resale from new sales. It involves restricting the use of the internal exchange system to only those who buy from the developer... whether a new or a resale. This is certainly within their power to establish these kinds of rules. You might however ask some hard questions about the value of the memberships... If a company seems rigid to you at this decision point, what else might they do to restrict your use of your vacation ownership.

For the most part it appears that the main benefit of membership is the use of the internal exchange. With services like RedWeek.com, this internal exchange benefit could be losing some value. You have to look at the premium they expect you to pay and then decide if it is worth that to YOU.