Are timeshares good investments?
DEAR BOB: What do you think of timeshare investments? On a recent vacation in Orlando, at our hotel we were “enticed” into a one-hour timeshare presentation. The lure was lots of “goodies,” such as free admissions to various Orlando attractions. The timeshare investments seemed interesting. Our three children love to visit Orlando, so we will probably go back for many years. Would it be a good idea to invest in timeshares, and are they good investments? – Durk T. DEAR DURK: Timeshares are horrible investments, except for the developers. The only money you should waste on buying a timeshare is cash you will never need again. Timeshares are current purchases of future vacation time at a hotel or resort. You can probably do much better renting a hotel room each year rather than tying up cash in a non-liquid vacation timeshare. It is virtually impossible to resell timeshares for anywhere close to the original purchase price. If you want to buy a timeshare, purchase it on the resale market
