What to Expect at a Timeshare Presentation

Welk Resort San Diego

My husband and I were walking into a sporting event when we were approached by a vendor who asked if we liked to travel and if we would be interested in experiencing a new resort in exchange for a free vacation. While I wasn’t sold on the idea immediately because I’m a realist who believes nothing is ever free, the agent assured us that we would spend only 2 hours of our time and be rewarded with a vacation at no cost. There was the option to pick from some really cool destinations and he promised to throw in additional tickets to another sporting event.

We signed up on the spot for what was the first of many timeshare presentations we’ve done together. While I don’t remember a lot from that first experience, I do know we spent closer to 6 hours at the presentation. Ugh I know! Needless to say, it was a ROUGH afternoon. Looking back, I’m grateful my relationship survived the experience. Especially since we didn’t use any of the free gifts- not even the vacation. Several years later, we actually bought our first timeshare and I was surprisingly grateful for all the lessons learned during that first presentation. Those lessons, I’m going to share with you below. I hope they save you time and money if you decide to consider purchasing a timeshare or agree to attend a presentation.

Sitting under a Cabana at a resort in San Diego

Lesson #1

You’re Trading Your Time for Rewards

This is the foundational premise of a timeshare presentation. You agree that for 90 minutes which is industry standard, a sales agent will review a resort's features and amenities all with the goal of convincing you to purchase an amount of weeks, points, or other form of resort ownership. This lesson is critical because if you attend a presentation with the expectation of anything other than a very long sales pitch, you’re in for a rude awakening. In exchange for your 90 minutes, lots of things could be offered. Most resorts offer a free stay between 2-3 nights at the resort or another location they also own. Some presentations will offer a discounted stay where you pay only a deposit like $99, while others provide event or tour tickets. After that first afternoon, my husband and I were hesitant to attend another one.

My mother-in-law convinced us to attend our 2nd ownership pitch by promising to get us out in the 90 minutes and with rewards we would actually use. This was the key, while the initial sales rep is trying to get you to attend, that person won’t be the closer. They get paid for getting you in the door. Use the conversation with them to get rewards that are worth your time. Since that first presentation, we’ve gotten Visa gift cards, tickets to the zoo, wine tasting, upgrades to existing travel, resort credit, spa credit, and free resort stays - all of which were used.

1 —- You’re trading your time for rewards, so make sure they are worth it and that you’ll actually use them.

My sons jumping into the resort pool

Lesson #2

Don’t Forget the Goal

The first presentation we attended was under the guise of “you’re going to review the resort and provide feedback on the amenities” - this isn't the whole truth. While the sales rep did ask what we thought of the pool and room size the purpose of our visit was to sell us on ownership. The key to this lesson is not losing sight of the goal of the agency you are touring. The first, second, and third agents who will all come in to attempt to close the deal are all after one thing- the sale.

While you’re there, you can expect to be offered snacks and cold beverages. You’ll answer questions about how you spend your free time and specifically how you travel. There are prompts for your hopes and dreams and it relates to travel or even how you’ll provide memories in the form of family vacations to your kids. It can be really easy while sharing all this personal information to forget that these wonderful people aren’t your friends. They don’t really know you and while most of the time they do a great job sharing about what a great program it is and how it can work for everyone, their main focus is to ensure you can decide right then and there to buy.

2 — Don’t forget the goal of the sales agents, they want you to buy

Overlooking a resort golf course

Lesson #3

Make your Decision in Advance

This is the lesson that I wish I knew back during my first presentation. My husband and I joined our first timeshare presentation not knowing if we wanted to purchase a timeshare or not. That’s like going to a car dealership when you only have a permit. The questions they asked about our vacations and travel were geared towards demonstrating how important travel was to us. At the time, we were still saving for our first home. Vacations were a luxury we couldn’t even imagine. After the first couple hours of touring, looking at photos for inspirational trips, and discussing destinations that were at the top of our bucket list, of course, we wanted to be owners of our vacation future. We just happened to be nowhere near ready at the time. It was a major financial decision and after 6 or so hours and an entire day meeting with salesperson after salesperson, we finally decided to just leave and consider the option at a different time. Of course, by then we were so tired and overwhelmed by all the future and finance discussions I’m sure we were both hoping to never set foot in another presentation again.

This tip boils down to one important fact: Purchasing a timeshare is a major decision and can’t be made with all the critical details in 90 minutes. Sales reps know this and that’s why there are so many people involved in closing. Each person is appearing to be more important or influential than the person before so you are led to feel that you’re getting the best deal possible because who is going to be willing to walk away from that?

3 - Go into the meeting with your decision, this makes it easier for you to be 100% confident in your choice

How do you navigate this? Well, that brings us to our next tip:

My youngest son playing golf on the resort course

Lesson #4

Do your Research in Advance

There are lots of things to consider when purchasing a timeshare or even deciding which timeshare to buy. If you are open to the idea or really interested in the option, be sure you have some much-needed conversations in advance. For starters, I always recommend if you are going to buy a timeshare make sure that the location is one which is extremely convenient for you. If you have to fly or travel more than 3 hours by car, that will restrict how frequently you visit. When my husband and I did finally decide to purchase, we selected a resort in San Diego which is two hours away from our home base and makes it easy to stay for a week or just the weekend.

In addition to how close it is from your home, you might also want to consider how easy and affordable it is to exchange your property for a bigger trip to a different destination. Companies like RCI and Interval are platforms that allow you to exchange your weeks or points and use other locations. You can look in advance at the specific resort you’re considering purchasing at to determine how high or low it is rated.

Check the price for competitors and 2nd market prices. Many people who buy a timeshare, don’t use it and then hire companies to resell it. There are tons of online vendors selling timeshares and you essentially get the same thing for a fraction of the cost. Understanding these price points will help you understand your options and if nothing else make you a stronger negotiator.

Finally, be sure to consider how this purchase will impact your overall finances. Again, the sales agents are not your friends, so if this purchase will make it difficult for you to afford upcoming braces or after-school care for the kiddos, this might not be the best time. Review your annual budget and consider if you’d have wiggle room with the payments and those annual vacation ownership association fees or VOAs. Without this research in advance, you’ll find yourself asking these questions in the moment and spending an entire day on questions and a decision that requires far more time than a couple hours. If you do decide to pass on the purchase at the time, follow the tips in our next lesson:

4 — Do research in advance so you’ll know if the investment makes sense for you

Sitting poolside at a Palm Springs Resort

Lesson #5

Have an Exit Strategy

After our 2nd timeshare presentation, my husband and I were practically experts at getting in and out without all the drama and unnecessary questions. This is partially because we watched his mom decide in advance that she wasn’t interested in purchasing and then firmly state her answer repeatedly until her gift was offered. She never wavered, not once. She didn’t ask any questions to give the impression that she was interested, and there wasn’t anything rude about her behavior. She listened to the sales pitch with her full attention and then politely declined each and every salesperson or closer sent over. I’ll admit, we didn’t always get out in 90 minutes because occasionally curiosity would take over and a question or two would lead us down the right path but once my husband and I got in the habit of checking with each other to decide in advance if we were interested in purchasing, our days of being stuck in 6-hour presentations were over.

Your exit strategy can be deciding in advance, it can also be making plans. I’ve booked tours later in the day so we get out of the presentation in time for our tour. Dinner or lunch reservations can work too. Anything you can blame for not having the time to stay all day and to keep you alert as to how long you’ve been there. Knowing when you’re leaving will make it easier to go.

5 — If you don’t plan on buying, have an exit strategy to make leaving easier

Final thoughts- pay extra attention to the annual cost. Many people are surprised that VOAs work a lot like HOAs and will go up over time. So while the annual cost might be affordable to you now, be sure that if they increase, the expense would still be comfortable within your budget. Yes, vacations are important, but timeshares are just one avenue to that and financial freedom is more important.

Remember no matter where you go, be kind, curious, and compassionate.

My husband and I after agreeing to ownership with Welk Resorts