The Marketplace to Sell your Timeshare

Many owners may have been contacted by a person promising they have found a “buyer” for their timeshare. It is easy for scammers to find a list of owners and just call them with a “buyer.” Why would they do this? Oftentimes, the unknown caller will eventually ask you to put some funds in escrow until the “sale” is final, only to disappear. A legitimate resale company will never reach out to you without permission.

“Timeshare cancellation” is a term used by many timeshare exit companies. They advertise they are attorneys and can cancel your timeshare contract and may even invite owners to dinners to show a presentation of how they will do it. Timeshare cancellation companies usually claim to be lawyers (or pretend to-be) and advertise they can find a loophole in your contract but are often unsuccessful in actually helping you get out of your timeshare. Just like other contracts in life, you can’t just cancel a timeshare contract. Timeshare cancellation companies may also charge thousands of dollars upfront and usually advertise a “100% money-back guarantee” which is a RED-FLAG! There have been thousands of complaints filed against these companies that rarely fulfill this guarantee and the owner does not become aware of it until much later on when they realize their timeshare was not legally canceled and they are in default and their credit is negatively impacted (or worse if there is a lien or judgment against them).

Zipscapes makes a challenging situation simple and easy for you to sell your Timeshare by providing full service throughout the complex sales process: Listing, Marketing/Advertising, Buyer Screening, Guidance/Coordination, Contracting, Escrow, Closing, Filings, Ownership Transfer. 

Zipscape maintains an extensive log of Renters who have stayed at various Timeshare Resorts. The best target market is to prior and future guests who have experienced the benefits of timeshares and interested in purchasing resale.

Zipscape has interested Buyers who have submitted requests for specific Timeshares that you could get matched up with for a quick and easy sale.

A timeshare’s value is dependent upon a variety of factors and market conditions. The resort, location, week/season, points allocation, maintenance fees, unit size are just some of these many variables. A timeshare’s worth will also depend on current market sales prices and values. To manage owners’ expectations up-front, the fact of the matter is 99.9% of all timeshares’ values will be much lower than the original purchase price to the Timeshare Resort/Developer (no matter what the timeshare salesperson told you to make a sale); if you are even lucky that it has any value and doesn’t represent a liability (depending on various factors previously mentioned).

What about the other 0.1% of cases a timeshare is valued much higher? This is a highly unusual case or situation that has yet to be seen (if ever) where a timeshare was resold by an owner for a profit over the original purchase price from the Timeshare Resort/Developer. If you know of this situation, then please let us know!

Zipscape looks at each timeshare on an individual basis. When calculating your timeshare value, we take into account your ownership details, current sales prices, and other market conditions. Ownership details include the timeshare brand, resort, location, unit, season/week and other factors. We will also look at current purchase offers for comparable timeshare resales.

Keep in mind that seeing a Timeshare listed at $10,000 does not necessarily indicate that is the accurate value of it. The reason it is available is that there has not been a buyer willing to purchase it at that price. The price that both a Seller and Buyer are willing to transact at is the ultimate indicator of fair market value.

There are several reasons why resale timeshares are often priced significantly lower than those sold by developers or resorts:

1. No significant marketing or sales costs: When a developer or resort sells a timeshare, a significant portion of the purchase price goes toward marketing and sales costs, such as advertising, sales commissions, and overhead expenses. That’s how they offer guests money or other incentives to attend a timeshare presentation. In contrast, resale timeshares are typically sold by the owner through a resale agent which exclude these significant costs the Owner originally incurred.
2. Depreciation: Like some assets and real estate, timeshares can decline in value over time. Resale value of a timeshare will be lower than its original purchase price, especially if it is an older unit or located in a less desirable area or season. Reality is in most cases the original price you paid to the Developer was too high.
3. Limited market demand: While there are many people interested in purchasing timeshares, the market for resale timeshares is more limited than for new ones sold by developers or resorts. The “resale” timeshare market is mostly fragmented, untapped and unknown which result in significantly lower resale prices due to lesser demand. Zipscape overcomes this challenge by leveraging and marketing to thousands of Timeshare renters and network of interested buyers and investors.

In most states, it is illegal to charge an up-front fee with a promise to sell a timeshare. It is important not to confuse this type of action with the act of paying for an advertising or transfer service. Zipscape will first provide an assessment of value and options FREE of charge when you submit the required information of what you own.

Zipscape ensures that every transaction is handled correctly and lawfully. Clients are only charged at the time the specific service is provided with clear documentation of the value the client will be receiving (e.g. advertising/listing/marketing; sales closing).

This will depend on what you own and how much you owe on the mortgage. Zipscape can provide an assessment and options when you provide more information about your ownership

No; The Closing Company will work with your resort on your behalf. During the closing process, the Closing Company will notify the resort and satisfy any applicable Right-of-First-Refusal clauses and other resale requirements.

A real estate broker or agent is not required to list and sell your timeshare. Zipscape provides full-service listing and guidance throughout the process.

If you prefer to use a realtor, we have a licensed Realtor (state of Texas) who can provide services.

Zipscape requires a reputable licensed Closing Company to handle the transaction, escrow and closing once a Buyer has been identified. Zipscape uses and can recommend several closing companies that have successfully completed many resale timeshare transactions.

Right-of-First-Refusal (“ROFR”) is a clause that may be required if it is included in the timeshare deed or contract you are purchasing resale from an owner. It states that the Timeshare Resort holds the right to purchase the timeshare and if the Resort exercises ROFR then the Resort would purchase it at the same sales price that was agreed-upon between the Seller and the Buyer. The Closing Company will handle any required ROFR process and keep both parties informed.

Closing process can take 3 to 6 months or sometimes longer depending on many factors including but not limited to: time it takes for the deed/contract to get recorded; time it takes for the Timeshare company to process the transfer to the new owner;  responsiveness of both the Buyer and the Seller on completing requirements which include providing information/documents, signing and notarizing agreements, etc.

During the resale transaction process, the Buyer’s funds for the purchase are held in escrow by the Closing Company. You (the Seller) will receive payment of the funds from the sale when all resale transaction requirements are completed by both Seller & Buyer and the Timeshare Resort confirms successful transfer of Ownership to the Buyer