Dear Fellow Member,
As you are aware I have been looking for an alternative way for members to sell their points at Elmers Court so that we no longer have to return any units to MRL and in so doing loose members and lodges from the Club.
I believe we may now have some options which may make this possible, but I have to be clear that your committee can not be seen to recommend the way forward. That said I can update you on what we have learnt to date and if we get feedback on your experiences then I will make those comments known to other members if you are agreeable.
I have at long last, due to a fellow member using their services and telling me about their Director Gary Butler, been able to understand the way this could be possible. I have also spoken with Gary and with his local knowledge he is very optimistic that he will be able to help any of our members sell to another potential member. His business is based in Bournemouth so very close to Elmers Court.
I do mean sell. Instead of paying MRL to leave you will in all cases expect to be able to leave the club at nil cost and in all probability with something for your efforts. That said there may be a small cost depending on how you wish to advertise your points. I keep referring to points as we all no longer own a lodge for a week or more. We all only own points and this is what you will be selling. That does mean it does not matter when you own as you are just selling those points.
Unlike timeshare which works of different categories depending on the time of year the real advantage of points is that the season is irrelevant so long as you have enough points to use a lodge in that peak time or if out of season those points may give you a second week.
To create a heathy market, we need to sell to someone willing to buy and this is where Gary and his team at Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket come in. As an Elmers Court member he is happy to list your points for free, but that does not give you worldwide coverage. If you normally approach his company the worldwide listing, which is not a time dependant cost, is normally £349. However, he has agreed to give us the same deal as he has done with Diamond Resorts and offer our members the same exposure for £175. That’s a permanent listing so in fact really good value.
You will need to decide what you are prepared to sell your points for. Last year I heard 50p was about right, but perhaps in the current staycation world, it may be more like £1. I suggest when you contact Gary with your details you discuss how you describe the points you are selling and what type of unit that would entitle your buyer to at Elmers or indeed any of the other MRL resorts. Club units are now only in Solent View, Wyatt, Eastways, Holbein.
If you have also reserved your week in 2022 it will make selling easier as the buyer can then use that week or transfer it to something more suitable in the UK or even Spain. If nothing has been booked for 2022 they may not get use this year and the benefit of your 2022 management charge will be lost to you both.
Like all sales organisations the buyer will pay their fee, but you should also discuss the process with Gary.
If this helps you then please do let your committee know how it worked for you so we can let other members know. I am keen to get some results before this year’s AGM so I can say something at that meeting. Best of luck.
Gary can be contacted on his email at gary.butler@wwth.net
His office number is 01202-544870.
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket
Your committee also discussed this with MRL at their committee meeting in February and like all transfers that require to be registered there are some MRL admin costs.
I understand if you were to just ask MRL to transfer the unit between your family the charge to do this is £199 but if you transfer to a third party then it would be £299. Who should pay this needs to be agreed between buyer or seller.
We are also happy to advertise on our members website those of you who want to buy points so those that would like to sell can do this privately. One other possibility is to use the MRL sales team in Spain.That now is only Sharon Dilks but she is still on Furlough so this point of contact is unavailable in the short term. They apparently can buy and sell points and when she returns, I will then get an idea of the costs of her doing this service and the likely value of points using this route.
Paul Wagstaff
Chair
Elmers Court Country Club.