Sell or Buy a Marriott Timeshare

How much a Marriott timeshare costs depends on how the timeshare is purchased in the first place. If bought directly from Marriott at one of their resorts or sales centers, it is common that you would pay north of $25,000 for a week’s worth of timeshare. On the resale market, you would pay much less – 50-60% less to start depending on variables such as the resort, season and size of the unit.

Keep in mind that Marriott only sells points packages as their new timeshare product and has not sold new weeks-based timeshares for a number of years. So if you are looking for the security of a specific week of timeshare ownership at a given resort such as Marriott Aruba Surf Club, buying resale from an existing owner looking to sell is the only way to get it. Marriott began the conversion to points in 2011 and launched an upsell program to convert existing owners, then transitioned to full-time points sales.

The reason Marriott timeshare resales are so discounted is because of the way the product is initially sold at the resorts. Similar to way a car is sold, Marriott timeshare prices at the resorts are loaded with sales commissions and marketing costs included in the price. These expenses are often 50-60% of the original sale price and removing those costs gives you a more accurate starting price as a resale. Then, factoring in variables such as those mentioned earlier can bring the resale price even lower.

The cost of Marriott Vacation Club maintenance fees depends on the resort and variables such as the type of ownership (points vs weeks), season, whether the ownership is annual or biennial, etc. Maintenance fees in general for timeshares go up about 2-3% each year and average $1,170 per interval according to the American Resort Development Association. So this is a good benchmark to use when estimating fees.

Keep in mind that fees are calculated based on the resort at which the purchase was made, regardless of whether it is points or weeks. In the case of Marriott Vacation Club’s more lucrative destinations such as Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club, maintenance fees could be higher than $1,000. For example, a one-bedroom platinum or gold annual use would be about $1,500.

Now, keep this in mind when looking at Marriott Vacation Club maintenance fees. The initial price paid for the timeshare goes a long way toward determining the overall value of the timeshare. If a one-bedroom timeshare such as the one above at Aruba Ocean Club was purchased as a resale for, say, $7,000, then the average annual cost of the accommodation with fees would be about $1,850 when the total cost is spread over a 20-year period. That’s not bad for a week’s accommodation in a multi-room unit in Aruba. This is why it is crucial for buyers to buy on the resale market.

Like all timeshare purchases, Marriott Vacation Club is a good deal if it is used properly, and especially if it is bought on the resale market. The issue with many timeshares is that owners are either unable to, or don’t quite know how to, use the product the way it was intended.

Timeshare is a use product, meaning that the value is in the owner’s ability to use it. Owners need to have the mindset to take vacations at least on an annual basis to get value from the program. Reports come out each year detailing how Americans are notorious for not taking all of their annual vacation days. Making the decision to not only take all of your vacation days but to plan in advance. This is where Marriott Vacation Club provides better value than most branded timeshare operations.

With nearly 50 resorts in the U.S. and internationally, Marriott provides a network of timeshare resorts that offer just about any type of vacation imaginable. Whether hitting the beach, the slopes, the links or the big city, you can choose a different location each year. If you own points, you can even break up your days into multiple long weekends for even more experiences. And even if you want to travel outside the Marriott network, exchange providers such as Interval International give you a choice from thousands of resorts around the world.

Plan ahead. It pays to book 10-12 months in advance and, while that may seem like a long time, once you get into the habit you’ll have vacations coming up every year that you’ll always look forward to.

Buying as a resale is always the best way to get a good deal on Marriott Vacation Club timeshare. You can save 50-60% off the cost compared to the resort prices, which adds up to thousands of dollars off the “new” sale prices at the resorts.

You sell a Marriott timeshare essentially the same way you sell any other product – by advertising it. Because timeshare ownership is a use product and not something physical like a car or clothing, you’ll need experienced industry help in order to sell.

First, make sure you have your ownership documents in order so you can prove what you own. You’ll be amazed how many owners don’t actually know specifically what they own. Copies of deeds and sales contracts will document this. Also – see if you have any photos of your Marriott timeshare resort or unit that you can use. This will show how much fun you’ve had, the same kind of fun a buyer can have.

Now, you’re ready to find an outlet to sell your Marriott timeshare. This is a specialized market, so look for high traffic websites that specialize in selling timeshares such as BuyaTimeshare.com. Ask about marketing plans and how much targeted traffic the website gets. Get any promises in writing – since many states such as Florida require resellers to provide a written contract for services.

Once you put your Marriott timeshare up for sale, be proactive by providing photos and adjusting your price as needed to tap into the market for your ownership. When you have a buyer interested and have agreed on a price, you’ll need to provide a purchase and sale agreement for both parties to sign. If you need help with this, contact the advertising company and they should be able to refer you to a company that can assist with the contract and associated elements such as securing deposits. If you have these elements in place, even better since you can enact this yourself.

When everything is in place, you can engage a closing company to handle the actual processing of the transaction. This can take from 60-120 days depending on the ownership and the efficiency of the resort. Once you are notified that your timeshare is sold and closed, look for the check and start planning to spend that money!

The Marriott timeshare resorts closest to Disney World would be the three resorts that are part of the Marriott World Center complex, which would be Marriott’s Royal Palms, Imperial Palms and Sabal Palms. Technically, the closest would be Sabal Palms, but visitors to all three would need to leave the complex through World Center Drive and proceed across I-4 to the Main Gate of the Disney property. Once through the Main Gate, Epcot Center would be the first park to access, with the ability to proceed on to the Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs and other parks and locations within the Disney complex.

Other Marriott timeshares relatively close the Disney World complex are Marriott’s Harbour Lake, Cyprus Harbour and Grande Vista – all of which are close to the part of International Drive near SeaWorld – with Lakeshore Reserve a bit further out off John Young Parkway.

The best way to get out of Marriott Vacation Club timeshare ownership is obviously to sell your ownership to a new buyer and make some money in the process. However, there are a few other ways you can consider that may not be as beneficial.

Marriott Vacation Club owners have the opportunity to sell by advertising their ownership - just like any other type of product. In this case, the owner would find an outlet that they can use to promote their ownership to buyers, such as a timeshare resale website, negotiate with interested potential buyers and come to an agreement to sell. As this is considered a by-owner method of selling, you as the owner would be responsible for securing the contract and associated details, then turning the process over to a closing company to finalize the sale. You would keep all of the proceeds for yourself, with the buyer most often paying those closing costs.

Owners can also choose the services of a licensed broker to handle the process. In this case, an agent would handle the process on your behalf with a commission to be paid at the end of the sale. Such commissions are often more expensive than an advertising fee, but the commission is not paid until after the sale is closed.

There is also the opportunity to contact Marriott for their help. Marriott offers owners their own resale program, but the commissions are 40% of the resale price which is substantially higher than nearly any other resale method available. Keep in mind that Marriott is also selling timeshare points as new sales so it is not in their best interest to sell your timeshare as a resale.

Another way to get out of Marriott Vacation Club timeshares could be through so-called exit companies. These programs cost upwards of $5,000 and above but even though they claim guarantees, the final say comes down to the approval of Marriott. And they have been very reluctant to work with such legally dubious operators, with state Attorney Generals such as the Washington State AG filing a lawsuit against one prominent exit operator. Others have been shut down in states such as Tennessee and Florida, with even more under state legal scrutiny.

Marriott points are some of the best timeshare products available, so it is definitely worth buying Marriott points on the resale market. The discounted prices of resales make this an easy choice to open you up to the vast network of Marriott timeshare resorts around the world.

About 50 resorts in the U.S. and overseas are part of the Marriott timeshare network, giving points owners amazing flexibility when choosing a vacation destination. You could choose a different resort each year and, because there are no restrictions on using these points when buying Marriott points as resales, you can look forward to unique vacations every year.

The real worth is in the discounts you get when buying resale. Buying Marriott points through the resorts or Marriott sales centers will set you back about $14 per point. That quickly adds up when looking at how many points it takes for a week’s vacation in a resort such as Marriott Newport Coast Villas. At minimum during the slow season, you are looking at nearly 3,000 points. Even a summer trip to Orlando at Marriott Grande Vista for a week in a one-bedroom unit would take over 1,700 points. That’s $24,000 for the points you’d need if bought directly from Marriott.

Compare that with the resale costs of Marriott points and there is no comparison. A glance at sites such as BuyaTimeshare.com shows prices advertised as little as $3 per point, with the majority of prices under $10. That’s thousands of dollars, and in some cases tens of thousands of dollars, in savings by buying the same product on the resale market. And remember that those prices are the asking prices before any negotiations begin with prospective buyers.