Once you start to look around — even if you never before knew that the timeshare resale market existed — you may feel as though there are countless choices from all over the world that are so overwhelming in number, you are not sure where to start. There is a lot of truth to that notion, as there are far more properties for sale than there are buyers looking to purchase them. Again, this is to your financial advantage, but it will require you to weed through a fair number of advertisements on your way to finding the timeshare unit that will suit you best for many years to come.

There are a lot of places that you can look to find resale units, and none is better than the next. Using these resources is all a matter of how you want to conduct your search, whether on the Internet, in print, by telephone, or by using a combination of all these options.

Timeshare-Specific Web Sites

If you took the advice given earlier in this chapter and joined the Timeshare User's Group, the TimeSharing Today magazine membership, or both, you have a built-in place to start when looking for resale units. Both organizations list units for sale on their Web sites, www.tug2.net and www.tstoday.com, with search engines that will allow you to at least get a handle on some of the choices that await you. Because these groups also provide some historical data about resale prices, you may also get lucky and have your background information at your fingertips, as well.

There are countless other Web sites out there that claim to be experts in buying and selling on the timeshare resale market. If you choose to work with one of these, be sure to ask if the resale broker is licensed to do business in the state where you are hoping to purchase a timeshare unit. This is one of the only customer-protection tools you have when trying to ferret out the real brokers from the scam artists (more on that later in this chapter).

eBay

Believe it or not, you can buy a timeshare on eBay. Why not, right? If you can buy an 1890s Victrola from Oshkosh or a high-fashion full-length gown from Paris, why not a vacation unit anywhere in the world of your choosing?

There are absolutely, positively many great timeshare deals to be found on eBay. The trick is to do the same due diligence you would when buying a resale timeshare unit anywhere else: Ask the important follow-up questions about maintenance fees and the like, be sure the sale will follow all legal rules and restrictions, and by all means go see the property if the opportunity presents itself.

Resale Brokers

If you know that you want to buy a resale timeshare, but you do not want to do any of the legwork yourself, your best bet is to work with a resale broker. These are people who perhaps charge the seller a specified amount of money for advertising a timeshare, and then get paid a commission on the sale — just like a regular Realtor on a house.

Resale timeshare brokers are supposed to be licensed, just as Realtors are supposed to be licensed. Where can you find a good resale broker? Again, a good place to start looking is in those timeshare users' organizations, the Timeshare User's Group and TimeSharing Today magazine. You might even get personal recommendations by asking for leads in the members-only chat rooms.

If you are not a member of those groups, you can start by calling the Better Business Bureau that services the area where you hope to buy a timeshare. Log on to www.bbb.org, and you will be able to search for the appropriate regional office. From there, you can ask for references on good resale brokers — and tips on the people who have been the subject of complaints. To help get you started, a list of resale brokers is included in Appendix A.

Classified Ads

Good old-fashioned newspapers are a great spot to locate resale timeshare units. The classified ads in even your smallest local rag are bound to contain at least one local seller looking to make a deal, while the real-estate and travel sections of major metropolitan newspapers are usually brimming with ads from all over the country, especially on Sundays, when newspaper circulations are greatest.

Some newspapers now put their classified sections on the World Wide Web for easier searching. You may have to pay a fee to access these ads, but if you know that you want to buy a timeshare unit in, say, San Jose, California, it might be worth the Internet search fee to become a registered user of the San Jose Mercury News Web site — just so you can search its classifieds for local timeshares that are up for sale.

Timeshare Resorts Themselves

If you know which timeshare resort you like the most, sometimes your best bet is to go straight to it when looking for a resale unit.

Owners sometimes post flyers on bulletin boards seeking resale buyers for their units. A simple call to the resort's front desk will often result in your being given the names and telephone numbers on those homemade advertisements — saving you tons of research time elsewhere. Also, timeshare unit owners sometimes try to rent their units while they are looking for a buyer, and those same front-desk workers should be able to tell you whether that is an option for you, as well.

If you are looking to purchase a unit in a region where there are multiple timeshare resorts, this method of information-gathering can also be useful in scouting out the competition — and in giving you a clue as to how your unit's value might hold up over time in the midst of a crowded marketplace.

Timeshare Homeowners' Associations

Just as the timeshare resorts keep track of which units are for sale, so do timeshare homeowners' associations, which also keep track of which units are being foreclosed upon or rented, as well. In some cases, if you call the homeowners' association directly, you can find out about a great deal that is not being marketed elsewhere and also about the reasons why the property went into foreclosure in the first place. If there is a problem with the owner, for instance, and not with the unit, you just may get even more than you hoped for even less than you dreamed of paying. The front desk at the resort of your choice should be able to put you in touch with the homeowners' association.