Get away and get together

By SAM BOYKIN Published: September 5,2008 USA Today

 

Timeshares can make both a recreational and an emotional impact.

 

Wanting a place where their families could get together for Christmas, Susan Humme and her sister bought two one week timeshares at Tennessee’s MountainLoft resort in the1990s. Now, more than a decade later, Humme says that their investment pays valuable dividends: a guaranteed annual return in the joy of sharing time with family.

 

“Some years, we have 25 to 30 people show up,” says Humme, who has two sisters, three brothers and four kids of her own. “Family members live all over the country, but every Christmas they travel to the timeshares because they know it’s going to be a fun time.”

 

Besides catching up on conversation, family members enjoy skiing and going to the club house to swim or play games. During the day, everybody goes his own way, says Humme’s son Chris, but in the evening, they all gather for dinner and together time.

 

“Using timeshares for gatherings of family and friends is on the upswing,” says Lisa Thornhill, communications director of Bluegreen Corp., which owns and operates timeshare resorts throughout the country.

 

Still, timeshares aren’t for everyone. As with any real estate purchase, potential buyers must read all the fine print. If you’re interested in learning about timeshares, Thornhill says that a good place to start is arda.org the American Resort Development Association website. Some sites list timeshares by price and location and coordinate the purchase agreement. Or you can work with a licensed broker.

 

Timeshares are popular partly because of their locations, which offer outdoor activities and other tourist attractions, says John Locher, vice president of marketing at RedWeek.com, a site for renting, buying and exchanging timeshares.

 

Vacationers also like the convenience and privacy. “A typical resort timeshare is set up like an apartment unit —living area, multiple bedrooms, and baths, full service kitchen, and a washer and dryer,” Locher says. Ownership is on a shared basis with others. Each owner has purchased time at the resort for aspecified period, usually in weekly increments.

 

Easily accessible activities and home-away-from-home convenience were two reasons that Melissa and Ryan Ballantyne of Riverside,Calif., decided to plan a family reunion next summer at nearby WorldMark Big Bear resort; they have owned a timeshare with WorldMark since 2003.

 

Like many other timeshares, WorldMark has a points or credit system, which owners can use at any of the company’s resorts. The Ballantynes have been saving their credits and plan to get three units for the reunion, ensuring enough space for everyone. “And even better,” Melissa Ballantyne adds, “I don’t have to

worry about my house getting messy!”