I have been surfing around trying to get some education on whether time shares are a good or bad thing. My wife and I have a little baby (less then a year old) and would like to figure out the most economical way to vacation in the years to come. I happen to like the idea of going to the same "little town" year after year for one of our vacations as the place becomes special and it helps develop some traditions. So the downside of being stuck going to one place is OK if we love that place. The idea of being able to trade to other locations is a nice option too.
From what I have read so far it seems smarter to always buy a timeshare on the secondary market and not from the developer. I also understand some timeshares have very high maintenance fees and some have lower fees. I am not sure what drives this variable, is it a lower entry cost and higher fees vs paying more upfront and less per year?
If any of you have experience with timeshares would you mind outlining some of the plus and minuses of owning a time share? Am I crazy for thinking this could be a smart way to lower our overall costs for vacationing in the future?
From what I have read so far it seems smarter to always buy a timeshare on the secondary market and not from the developer. I also understand some timeshares have very high maintenance fees and some have lower fees. I am not sure what drives this variable, is it a lower entry cost and higher fees vs paying more upfront and less per year?
If any of you have experience with timeshares would you mind outlining some of the plus and minuses of owning a time share? Am I crazy for thinking this could be a smart way to lower our overall costs for vacationing in the future?