World Peace Begins with Bringing Peace Into My Own World by Taking Time Off

…You may be thinking, why is a Karen posting a blog about World Peace on her timeshare blog? Read on!

I remember back in the early 70’s as a young girl, seeing Volkswagen Buses, which often had a non-conforming ‘hippie’ at the wheel. A “Visualize World Peace” bumper sticker was a common sighting on a VW Bus, and seemed almost a ‘staple’ accessory for a free thinker who owned a car.

Then the age of the “Yuppie” came along in the 80’s, and more luxury cars rolled off the production lines to meet the demands of this new breed of people. The purchases they made seemed to place a high priority in ‘making a statement’ in the world. Some owners of yuppie cars sometimes donned a different version of the 70’s bumper sticker that said “Visualize Whirled Peas”…! I remember laughing at that bumper sticker whenever I’d see it, admiring how clever it was… but perhaps the owners really believed the sentiment of World Peace was a joke.

Now more than ever, people are overly-worked, overly-burdened, overly-stressed, and overly-ill, spinning wildly, due to simply not prioritizing the time and space to simply relax and take time to re-group, on the excuse that ‘time is money’, or the list of responsibilities is never-ending. Rest and Relaxation in our world is pushed in the back of the line, in the name of getting ahead, staying ahead, or simply catching up. Westerners are operating at such a high pace, often an entire year passes by without even the thought of taking time off to restore the body, mind, and spirit.

Instead of spending money on vacationing, some people are instead spending money on medical bills and other therapies due stressful lifestyles. Even doctors are telling patients to take time to relax, encouraging vacation time. Rest and Relaxation is no longer a luxury. It is a matter of survival.

I can personally testify that this has been a part of my life story. I, too, have been overly-stressed for years on end, foregoing valuable timeshare vacation time in the name of getting ahead or staying ahead in my career, only to find that earlier this year, I was sick for almost 2 months. My body crashed. My mind crashed. I just couldn’t keep up any more. I knew at that point that things needed to change, in order for me to re-claim my authentic enthusiasm for life. I find it ironic that I’m in the timeshare business, which is luxury vacations made affordable, and I wasn’t even giving myself the time to experience the wonderful product I’ve chosen to advocate as my career over the past 23 years!

I’m a big advocate of the economic benefits of timeshare, but now more than ever, I also value the spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits of timeshare vacationing. It is now a matter of survival for me to pamper myself with at least one week each year to a very special place to leave my cares behind.

Regardless of the type of setting or amenities that suit your tastes, there are almost 6,000 timeshare resorts on our planet now. Millions of families just like you are already timeshare owners. Timeshare Owners who value the importance of taking time off with their loved ones are staying at rejuvenating, luxurious (and affordable) timeshare resorts right now, as you are reading this sentence.

After working hard all year, leave behind the idea of stuffing the family into hotel rooms. Experience timeshare vacationing and you’ll not just see the economic value of timeshare vacationing; you’ll experience a rejuvenating peace in your life, year after year. It’s more important than ever.

Imagine yourself enjoying time away on an island, such as the island of Kauai at the Kauai Beachboy. Or the sweet scent of pines in the crisp mountain air of Lake Tahoe at Marriott’s Timber Lodge. Perhaps a trip South of the Border to Mexico at the Dreams Los Cabos & Club Casa Dorada Beach and Golf Resort is in your list of desires. Take some time for yourself and your family. Do it in luxury. Make it count. Make it memorable. Make it peaceful.

World Peace: Let it begin with me.

What You Should Know Before You Sell Your Timeshare

Selling a timeshare is not much different than selling a house or condominium: You place it for sale, and after you have located your buyer, hire the services of a Timeshare Title company to assist you in the legal paperwork involved.

Do I need to hire a real estate agent to sell my timeshare?
No, you can easily sell a timeshare yourself on TimeshareGiant.com. Although hiring a legitimate licensed real estate broker can greatly benefit the marketing and sale of your timeshare, it is not a requirement. On Timeshare Giant we provide timeshare sellers with a variety of timeshare advertising packages at extremely attractive prices. With the most expensive and high-profile ad package, the cost is only pennies per day, and gives the seller complete control over the marketing and sale of the timeshare. On Timeshare Giant you pay no commissions and no upfront fees.

How do I set the selling price for my timeshare?
When you originally purchased your timeshare, you paid what we call 'full retail'. Unfortunately, when the time comes to re-sell your timeshare, you will not be able to recover your initial purchase price. The timeshare resale market is a very competitive arena. Buyers are shoppers. In today's marketplace, buyers have a lot of choices, and the name of the game is price. They want value. To be competitive with other folks who are selling timeshares at your resort, be willing to price your timeshare for 30-60% less than what you paid.

Do I need an appraisal to sell my timeshare?
No, you do not need an appraisal to sell your timeshare and, most likely, you didn’t receive one when you purchased your timeshare.

Do I need an attorney to sell my timeshare?
Although some states, such as Lousiana, do require real estate owners to enlist the services of an attorney in the sale of any real estate transaction, most states do not require you to hire an attorney to sell your timeshare. After the task of locating a buyer is accomplished, most sellers simply use the services of a licensed and bonded title/escrow service to perform necessary legal services, prepare legal documents, and collect/disburse the funds from the sale. Documents are reviewed by the title/escrow service’s attorneys so you do not need to hire your own. Timeshare Giant recommends Timeshare Title Inc. for their prompt and accurate timeshare closing services. Their prices for their escrow services are also very reasonable. Click here for more information on timeshare closing services. Remember, if you post an ad on Timeshare Giant, it is not a requirement to use our recommended timeshare escrow service, Timeshare Title Inc., after you've located your buyer. We've included an easy link to Timeshare Title's services throughout the TimeshareGiant.com website for your convenience.

Can I sell my timeshare if I’m still financing it?
Certainly you can sell your timeshare if it is still being financed. You simply pay off the timeshare loan with the sale proceeds before the deed changes hands. The Title/Escrow company you employ will assist you in disbursing your loan payoff funds.

What happens to banked weeks when I sell my timeshare?
At the time you have located a buyer for your timeshare, if you have already banked weeks with an exchange company, your deposited week(s) are no longer considered part of the timeshare property. Remember, your membership with your exchange company is separate from the ownership of your timeshare. At the time you decide to sell your timeshare, it is important not to deposit any more weeks from the timeshare you are selling, into your exchange company. Leave all future weeks available for your buyer's use. In my experience, I've found it more difficult to sell a timeshare if the current year's week, or any future weeks, are not made available to the buyer. It's difficult for a buyer to justify buying your timeshare if they are unable to use the timeshare during their first year of ownership (or future years). The cleanest, most simple way to sell your timeshare is to make all weeks, current and future, available to the buyer.

Can I transfer banked weeks from previous years to my buyer to 'Sweeten the Pie'?
Absolutely! Many sellers use their banked weeks from previous years as a bargaining tool, or to simply make the timeshare more irresistable to a buyer. Buyers in today's timeshare resale marketplace are looking for real value, and if you're offering banked weeks from previous years for no additional cost, buyers love it! To transfer your banked weeks to your buyer, contact your exchange company and learn their procedure and rules in connection with transferring your banked weeks to your buyer at the time your escrow closes.

How does the right of first refusal affect my timeshare sale?
Some resorts have a right of first refusal (ROFR) clause in their Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs). This means that once you and the buyer come to an agreement on the sale of your timeshare, the resort where your timeshare is located reserves the right to step into your buyer's position and purchase the property under the same agreed terms and conditions. If this seems overwhelming or confusing to you, don't worry! The Title & Escrow company you employ to assist you in finalizing your sale is very knowedgeable in this process, and will be able to easily help you through it, if not completely take care of the process for you!

How long does it take to close on a timeshare sale, once my buyer is located?
The average timeshare sale process can take as little as 2 weeks, and as long as 1o weeks to complete. Variances depend on the resort, and local laws and procedures. In my experience, I am a big believer in using the services of a timeshare title and escrow company, such as Timeshare Title Inc., to assist in safely and legally affecting the transfer from you to your buyer. Remember: Most timeshares are Real Estate transactions, and you want to deliver clean title to your buyer to avoid any future possible legal repercussions.

For a checklist of information buyers will want to know about your timeshare, sellers can click here for Timeshare Giant's helpful Timeshare Seller's Checklist.

Valuable Tips for Selling Your Timeshare

If you decide to sell your timeshare, there are certain important things you should know and do. On Timeshare Giant you'll find a helpful Timeshare Seller's Checklist in the Toolbox at the bottom of each web page. It's just one of many helpful tools available on the Timeshare Giant website to make buying, selling or renting a timeshare easy to do.

When you sell your timeshare, pay particular attention to the following:

• Collect complete information about your timeshare, including whether it is a point system, deeded or right-to-use property.
• Buyers will want to know if use of your timeshare is floating or fixed and the weeks it is available for use. They'll also want to know if use is guaranteed every year or just odd or even years and whether the timeshare is available for use this year.
• Obtain information on the exchange company. Buyers will also want details on how exchanges work.
• Compile a list of annual maintenance fees, property taxes and any other expenses normally associated with your timeshare.
• Find out about escrow requirements and fees from a title company as well as membership transfer requirements and fees from your resort owner services department.
• Post your timeshare for sale ad on Timeshare Giant. It's easy and a basic six-month listing is absolutely free; just click here.

You can access the complete Timeshare Seller's Checklist on the Timeshare Giant website by clicking the link or post title.

Timeshare Giant is your one-stop shopping place for buying, selling and renting timeshares. Visit the Timeshare Giant website to preview timeshares for sale or rent from all over the world, to list your timeshare for sale or rent, to make all your vacation plans, and for lots of helpful timeshare tips and resources.

How to Market Your Timeshare

So you have decided to sell your timeshare property. How do you get started?

Well, there are a couple of ways, you can sell your timeshare using free web tools, promote it yourself online, or contract with a timeshare realty broker. In this blog we are going to speak only about doing it yourself and the free tools that we have online that allow you to market your property using the power of the Web. We'll do another post in the future on selling your timeshare through a timeshare realty broker.

The first thing that you should have is some great photos of your unit and the timeshare resort property. You can get these from your resort property's website and property manager or snap some pictures the next time that you visit. Without photos your property will simply sit there so make sure that your photos are great!

On our sponsor's site, Timeshare Giant, we have two types of timeshare resale listings, a totally free one -- no strings attached -- and a paid listing. The difference is that with the paid listing you will get ad-free space to advertise your site. The free listing will have an ad at the top. Both types of listings will allow for great exposure and allow visitors to find your listing through our site search features.

When you write the content for your advertisement, keep in mind what potential buyers want and need to know. Take time to "romance" your listing. Romancing your listing means focusing on the features and how they benefit your potential buyer. Make sure that your listing is truthful and that the photos are current. If you are not sure what to price your timeshare resale at, ask your resort property manager for advice. Remember price will be one of the most important features for your advertising content as well as location. Potential buyers will be shopping by price, time of year, or by location most frequently. If you are priced too high, your listing will sit. When it comes to price, be realistic, it is better to move to a close on the property than to sit for months without even a nibble. If you feel like you want to sell your timeshare quickly a timeshare realty broker may be the best bet for your need. Professional timeshare real estate brokers will understand the market from a professional level and able to offer more authoritative guidance as well as selling comps to help determine the best price for your timeshare resale.

In addition to advertising your timeshare on our site, you may want to consider promoting your site yourself by creating a mini website for it. Many Internet service providers provide free web space and even site building tools to allow you to post some photos and content as well as a link to your email. Also check with your resort's management to see if they have a list of local units for sale that they can add yours to as well. You may even want to consider online advertising although it would not be free in this case pay per click may be a very cost effective way to get the word out that you have a timeshare unit for sale.

One of the big things to keep in mind as you sell your timeshare is what is it that made you want to buy it in the first place? Was it the location, was it the week that matched your schedule, was it the amenities of the property? Whatever it was that clinched the deal for you, make sure to cover that in your advertising content in your listing text or your other marketing materials. Let your buyer know what made you fall in love with your timeshare, they may just end up sharing your enthusiasm and be your buyer.