If you’re going on vacation in Orlando soon and will have some time to spare while you are down there, it might be worth your while to go on some timeshare tours. With so many timeshares in Orlando competing for sales, you can often get some pretty good freebies for touring a new timeshare resort for a few hours.

On my last trip to Florida, I picked up free tickets to Universal Studios and Sea World and a few cash bonuses as well by doing a couple of different tours. This saved me quite a bit of money during my vacation, but if I’d thought to negotiate better I probably could have received even more free goodies. So if you are in a position to negotiate, do so! Usually all you need to do to get a better offer is sound less than enthusiastic about doing it.

Once you are down in Orlando, you’ll probably find that you won’t even have to look all that hard for a timeshare tour offer because they’ll find you. But if you want to speed things up or get the tours out of the way before you move on to the rest of your vacation, then take a drive up and down Rte. 192 near Walt Disney World for a bit. You should see plenty of signs offering “free” or “discounted” theme park tickets. Virtually all of those tickets will be in exchange for doing a tour of a nearby timeshare.

Do not do a tour for just a discount. You want free tickets or cash at the end of the presentation. A timeshare presentation is far too grueling to bother with just for a discount, so think freebies only. Keep in mind, you will need to fork over $20 to reserve your tour. You’ll get that money back after the presentation is over. The deposit is designed to cut back on the number of no shows.

Other places to find vendors working with the timeshare resorts to book a tour are at various 7-Elevens, some of the Howard Johnson motels (check the lobby for a desk) and the “See and Do” tourist info centers. There’s one on Rte. 192 in Kissimmee. If you are driving to Orlando from the Northeast, there’s actually a “See and Do” info center in South Carolina right on Interstate 95 as you head south. There will be signs for miles letting you know it’s there, so don’t worry about missing it.

If you decide you are going to go on more than one timeshare tour while you are in Orlando, just make sure that you don’t book the same resort twice. They usually require six months between tours, so ask which timeshare the tour is for before signing yourself up to go. Also, many timeshare developers have multiple resorts in Orlando. The every six months rule will apply to all their properties. So if you aren’t sure, ask to confirm who the developer /owner is before booking.

Finding a timeshare deal is easy if you know how to search for the right deal. Read this article before making costly timeshare mistakes.

Many people buy timeshares because they fall for the sales pitch. These people buy the timeshare for retail prices at the height of the market. Then reality sets in and they don’t want the timeshare anymore and they decide to sell it. They typically search the internet for sites that buy timeshares for cash. These timeshare owners will then sell their timeshare for 50% of what they bought it for. This of course leads to an opportunity and allows smart buyers to get great timeshare deals.

Finding the timeshare deal is a matter of searching the internet for timeshare resale companies. These companies specialize in reselling timeshares. You can also search eBay for used timeshares and get some really good deals. A word of caution, make sure you do your research and buy from a reputable timeshare reseller or get a lawyer to do the timeshare closing if buying directly from the owner.

There are plenty of scam artist on the internet willing to take your money for a property they don’t even own. Finding a timeshare deal is not hard but do your homework. Look at several websites on the internet before making any decisions. Visit the resort you are interested in before buying a timeshare, new or used. The fact is you can buy a timeshare from an owner fast without all of the hassle of dealing with timeshare developers.

Let’s consider 4 issues in the transition from general real estate sales to selling timeshare or vacation ownership: the real estate licensing, the difference in the sales processes, the way you will get paid, and your mind set.

The easiest part of the transition should be in the licensing since the requirements for timeshare and vacation ownership in most states in for fewer hours of real estate education than required for general real estate selling. If you’re moving from a general real estate position to a timeshare position you should be happy to make that easy transition.

The greatest shock will come in the difference in the sales process between general real estate and vacation ownership. For many real estate professionals the amount of money spent to advertise, promote, find and complete transactions to make your living represents a huge portion of your cash flow. Once you’ve attracted the potential customer you never know how long it will take for you to fill their needs and make a sale. It’s a constant battle to keep your business growing and the money flowing.

The timeshare and vacation ownership industry make finding your clients like a dream come true. In so many timeshare locations the clients are provided for you. Timeshare sales agents show up to work and the tours come to them. When you are assigned your client, you have a one-shot opportunity to make the sale, this is where every life skill you have will be important. The more people skills and communication skills you have, the easier you’ll find the transition.

Once the buyer says “Yes” to your vacation ownership product, the closing process starts immediately.The general real estate person is used to experiencing stress from problems with financing, surveys, property inspections, roof and termite problems, title, and legal issues. Timeshare and vacation ownership transactions are finished on the spot and when your new owner leaves, you are done. Some professionals will do a follow-up to thank the new owners and to make sure they’re satisfied and not rescinding the deal. Cancellations are not fun and never make anyone happy.

Most vacation ownership salespeople have more hours to themselves each day since they don’t have phone calls around the clock about their transactions. The sales happen during the work day and then the sales people are done. Those transitioning from general real estate will feel like sellling vacation ownership is more like having a vacation from work.

You’re probably asking yourself with easy licensing requirements, clients provided for you, and working on a commission-basis, and one-time selling, why doesn’t everyone sell timeshare and vacation ownership? The answer for some people is in the mind set of the client and the rejection experienced in selling this product which is different from general real estate or retail selling.

In general real estate, the client usually comes to you with a need and want and a specific ability to pay. The general real estate professional fills the needs and sells, goes through all the procedure, and eventually gets paid if the deal closes.

The vacation ownership timeshare prospect has the motivation to see your presentation because they are being compensated with incentives. They want the incentives and more times than not, they don’t want to buy anything. Their goal is to leave with a gift. The timeshare salesperson must have them leave as an owner and close the deal. Rejection in timeshare and vacation ownership is very high.It will take more clients typically to make your great income, the selling is different but if it sounds interesting continue checking this out, it might be for you.

Besting #3: Timeshare – Smaller, Nimble Slices

There is a saying in the Timeshare industry, “Timeshare is not bought; it’s sold.” For many people this is a stigma of timeshare; the sales rally meetings with a podium pitch and high-pressure salesmen harassing until you sign the purchase agreement. This is yesterday’s timeshare, as the industry has worked hard to mainstream this product and explain the benefits without all the high-pressure hype. This is not to say there are no timeshare sales boiler rooms in the USA today, but the industry has exponentially improved. According to The American Resort Developers Association, which helps Shepard the timeshare industry, customer satisfaction levels with the product is in the high 90% range, and many owners have purchased additional timeshare. The U.S. Timeshare industry is a trillion dollar market and has been growing at a double digit pace for year after year.

Timeshare is generally distinguished from fractional by the amount of ‘time’ you own. Traditional timeshare is one week of ownership time, or a 1/52 share of the real estate. Such a 1/52 share of the ownership of a piece of property may seem small, until you realize that the average American gets 2.4 weeks of vacation annually. In this context, 2 weeks of timeshare may accommodate most people’s second home usage.

Can timeshare also play a role in the Besting phase of life, when the work life is nearly over, and people have more time to recreate and vacation? The economics of owning multiple weeks of retirement instead of a second home or a full time retirement residence in a sunny locale may be appealing. Consider the following attributes of timeshare:

• Timeshare presently sells for $5,000 to $20,000 per week of ownership, 2 months in the prime sun would only cost $35,000 to $140,000 to own

• Your ownership is often tradable for as many as 4,000 locations worldwide, so you will never get bored of visiting the same place winter after winter.

• Timeshare dues include real estate taxes and insurance. Maintenance is hassle free beyond writing checks, and if you don’t use your time rental options often allow you to offset expenses of ownership.

If your desire is to enjoy multiple locations during retirement, for 1-4 weeks at a time, living in a series of timeshare resorts and condos may be absolutely perfect. For longer than 4 week periods of time and ownership, fractional will often be a better value.

Owner surveys reveal that opportunities for trading your ‘home resort’ time for 4,000 other locations is one of the motivations to buying timeshare.

Besters will find timeshare as a way to lock in the cost of ownership in key locations that they want to spend time in during retirement. Timeshare may be purchased as an add-on to other forms of vacation home ownership; maybe a Bester will own a primary home, a winter home and a couple weeks of timeshare to mix it up.

this is an expert from a new book: “Besting – Better Nesting” www.betternesting.com