A timeshare value is a difficult thing to determine. It’s not like a home where there is an actual asset that can be compared to other assets around it. Also, it has restrictions on its use that might not work for others trying to value it.
If wondering how do you sell a timeshare, its value can be very important. Even once valued, most timeshares only sell for about 50% of their original cost. Some timeshares might even sell for as little as 20-30% of the original price.
For the purposes of underwriting bank loans, most banks will not give a timeshare a value or include it in an individual’s net worth. Having an annual fee for each week owned can even cause a timeshare contract to have a negative value in the eyes of many people. In those cases, a timeshare can’t even be given away and one left to the kids might have been a curse more than a blessing.
How do you sell a timeshare in the first place? In the age of the Internet, there just so happens to be websites that do just that and they show valuations all over the board.
The Resale Market
The resale market for timeshares is huge. As mentioned above, paying yearly fees can create a financial burden and a timeshare contract is indefinite. It’s not uncommon to browse timeshare sales websites and see listings from $18,000 down to as low as $500. All offerings will list the type of accommodation, resort, and the time of the annual week’s stay.
With such a variation in prices, it can be impossible to value your own timeshare contract. One high season timeshare in Aruba might be listed for $19,750 while another is double that price. Both will probably have similar maintenance fees of $1,900 or so. It might just come down to how badly someone needs to sell.
Using the site Redweek, which sells and rents timeshares, that timeshare that was listed for $19,750 in Aruba has a historical median price of $4,875. Another listed in Aruba for $47,500 has a median price of $35,000. The range for the Marriott Aruba Surf Club property is shown as anywhere from $0-$89,000 on the website. The historical chart for the resort shows that at least five times a timeshare has been given away.
Average Sales Time
Like an average or median price, this also doesn’t have a real answer. It varies by desirability, season, resort, annual fees, and price. Where one timeshare might sell in 4-6 weeks, a location in an area saturated with timeshares might take months or longer.
If you are ever asking yourself how do you sell a timeshare, the best answer might be that it’s complicated. As for figuring out its worth, it’s possible to say it could be between $0 and $89,000 at a certain resort in Aruba. The value seems to be just what someone feels like paying you.
