I have traded my week every year through Interval
International. I own in
Orlando,
and have traded for a better (in my opinion) property every time.
When I say better, I mean that the properties
have a greater demand than the one I own.
For example, I own in
Orlando,
and have traded for beach properties and other highly desirable locations
(Custom House in
Boston,
during peak summer season, for example).
Tips for trading:
- Reserve
the highest demand week at your home resort. Research which week sells out and it the
most popular week at your resort. This is the week you want to reserve.
- As
soon as you reserve, deposit your week (for example, if you are a member
of Interval International, deposit your week as soon as you reserve
it).
- Research
and request as many properties that you would be comfortable staying
at. I made the mistake once of only
requesting one resort and one week.
I will explain in a future post (this week) what happened with this
strategy.
- As
soon as you are confirmed at a resort, research airfare/travel options. If
affordable, then do nothing (and keep your week). But if you decide you do
not want the resort/week you have been given, you have 24 hours to give it
back, and your original request remains intact.
I recommend that you frequently check your mail at the email
address you have provided to the trading organization (ex. Interval
International). You don’t want to miss a
confirmation.
Research
I recommend researching properties online, reading reviews,
for example on a website such as
Tripadvisor. Be careful though, because this
can become very time consuming. Look for trends. A random negative review
shouldn’t be a concern.
You can also ask
questions of reviewers, if you don’t find the information you are looking for.
And you can see actual photographs of the properties, taken by travelers and
not professional photographers, which can sometimes be very informative.
“Trading Power”
I have heard this phrase from different people in reference
to your ability to trade your week successfully.
Trading Power can be increased by depositing
your week earlier, as well as depositing a more desirable week (for example,
Christmas week in
Orlando).
People who own ocean front in
Hawaii
are going to have very good “Trading Power”. If you do not own somewhere like
Hawaii, do everything
you can to increase your “Trading Power” (deposit early, and reserve that
highest demand week at your home resort).
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