Sell or Buy a WorldMark Timeshare

This depends on whether you buy your WorldMark timeshare at a resort, direct through WorldMark or on the resale market. Prices vary considerably depending on where and how you buy, because the prices at the resort are inclusive of sales commissions and marketing costs that the resort is trying to recoup in the sale. This can add up to as much as 60 percent of the total cost of a timeshare, so keep this in mind. Prices direct through WorldMark would be similar to those at the resorts, since they don’t want to undercut their sales teams at the resort.

The average cost of a “new” timeshare week nationally is just under $23,000. Wyndham stated a couple of years ago that their timeshares cost just over $21,000. Because Wyndham owns WorldMark, that’s a good place to start.

The resale market is where you will find the best bargains for buying a WorldMark timeshare. Those sales and marketing costs are eliminated from the resale price because you are buying directly from an existing owner who is selling privately on the secondary market. There are WorldMark timeshare points packages for sale on the resale market for as little as $5,000, so check these out as you conduct your research.

There are a couple of ways to sell your WorldMark timeshare points. You can always try contacting WorldMark directly and they will most likely refer you to the Ovation program run by Wyndham, since WorldMark is owned by Wyndham. However, this is their take-back program and is designed more for owners desperate to get out of their ownership, as compared to owners looking to sell and get the most for their timeshare ownership.

Because the resale market operates directly between existing owners and buyers, you can sell your timeshare yourself or enlist the help of a licensed real estate agent.

If you sell on your own, you will need advertising help in order to promote your ownership. That is where companies such as BuyaTimeshare.com can help. Companies that have purpose-built online platforms designed to target timeshare buyers are your best chance to sell online, rather than generic sites that are more like an online garage sale.

You would place an ad on the site, field offers and negotiate the deal yourself. Then, once you have a sale in place, you can contact a closing company to handle the details.

Licensed agents work for timeshare brokerage companies and work on commissions, but those commissions can be steep. Commissions can be as much as $1,500 or 15% of the resale price, so this would potentially cost much more than an advertising fee to sell.

WorldMark has some significant advantages over other timeshare companies, primarily because of the structure of the program and the network of resorts. WorldMark is considered a pure points program, which means it operates as more of a club program that a traditional timeshare program that offers deeded product.

With WorldMark timeshare points, otherwise known as credits, these credits can be used to book a unit at one of 60 resorts within the WorldMark network. The size of unit, location, and week you can book is dependent on the amount of credits you own. The more credits, the more options you will have.

Resorts have a variety of unit configurations, so you could book a one-bedroom timeshare unit one year, then perhaps a two-bedroom unit the following year depending on your travel needs. Much better than traditional hotel stays.

If your travel plans are flexible, you can really make good use of these points, as mid-week stays often require a smaller allotment of points compared to weekends. Seasons can make a difference as well, but this is true for just about any vacation accommodation.

WorldMark has over 270,000 owners as part of its program, so that is a vote of confidence in itself.

There are a few ways you can do it. First, check with WorldMark directly since they can refer you to the Ovation program operated by Wyndham Cares – the customer service team at Wyndham. Remember that Wyndham owns WorldMark, so this program covers both brands. However, keep in mind that this program has criteria that must be met in order to qualify to give back your timeshare ownership. There are no guarantees that they will accept your ownership.

Another way you can get rid of your ownership would be to sell it. You have a couple of options – either to sell it yourself by advertising it online with a company specializing in timeshares such as BuyaTimeshare.com or hiring a broker.

If you sell it online, you’ll be provided with an advertisement and field the buyer offers yourself. Then you’ll negotiate the sale, agree with the buyer on the sale price and use the services of a title company to close the sale. If you use a broker, you’ll have a licensed real estate agent work on your behalf to handle the details of the sale. Keep in mind that broker commissions can be expensive, so you’ll be paying for a service that you might be able to handle on your own.

One area you don’t want to explore is the use of so-called timeshare exit companies or relief companies. These companies can charge upwards of $5,000 claiming to get owners out of their timeshares. However, the American Resort Development Association has repeatedly warned owners about these dubious companies, one of which has been under investigation by the Washington State Attorney General.

Remember that WorldMark timeshare owners receive one free housekeeping service each year per each package of 10,000 credits. This usually covers a service for a week’s worth of vacation stay. Where some owners get tripped up is when they break up their allotment into multiple, shorter stay trips, since WorldMark will want to clean the unit for each stay. This could mean multiple housekeeping hits each year.

The housekeeping fees are $74 for a hotel/studio unit, $98 for a one-bedroom, $112 for a two-bedroom, $123 for a three-bedroom and $163 for a four-bedroom unit. Additional cleanings can be requested at the resort during any stay.

No, unless they are service dogs assisting the disabled such as a seeing-eye dog assisting someone who is visually impaired. This is a policy that WorldMark strictly adheres to for all of its resorts, and even goes as far as to disallow any animals from even being allowed onto resort property, including in any type of vehicle. 

WorldMark bonus time is designed for owners to vacation in WorldMark resorts for a fee if they do not wish to use their credits. Bonus time bookings are limited to a 4-night maximum unless combined with the use of credits to extend the stay. More information can be seen about this and other WorldMark details by clicking here.

A guest certificate enables WorldMark owners to gift or rent their credits to another person. A complimentary guest certificate is provided to an owner each year and expires at the end of their ownership year. If the certificate is used and additional certificates are requested, presuming the owner has enough credits during the year to warrant the use, the owner will be charged a fee of $99 if requested online or $129 if requested by phone. If an owner decides to use their guest certificate, it must be used during their current ownership year as they do not carry over into future years and cannot be borrowed from future years.

WorldMark publishes a guest certificate schedule each year showing how many certificates can be provided to owners on a complimentary basis – depending on how many credits the owner possesses. An owner can usually obtain one certificate for every 10,000 credits they own, so one would be issued for the first 10,000 points, a second certificate for the next 10,000 allotment, etc.