| Show E6 BUSINISS The Salt 11Le Tribune sulidd) rebruif 2004 I I THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 3T1111D11 4 Travel Watch Renders' Forum It's time for another Boston By Kelly K Spors How to Rent Someone Else's Timeshare Vacation timeshares often for people who buy them But they can be good deals for travelers who don't The Web has made it easier for timeshare owners to rent out their reserved weeks to others Sc regular vacationers can land a bargain if they are willing to do a little more research than it takes to book a hotel room In fact you frequently can find weekly timeshare rentals with amenities such as a full kitchen Jacuzzi or two bedrooms for less than the average price of a standard hotel room A timeshare rental in Aruba can run less than SOO a week that sum might buy only four days in a hotel Many timeshare owners wind up less than thrilled to visit the same place at the same time each year But as a renter "I don't have the obligation of going back there ever again" says Tom Parsons chief executive of BestFarescom Web site He and his a travel-dealt wife recently booked a timeshare in Los Cabos Mexico for $GOO Many rentals aren't white-glov- e affairs Some timeshare resorts offer housekeeping only once or twice a week Many lack room service though that might not matter to a family happy to have more I t- i 0 ' - 41(- 586 to $145 f (f) V 1 ' ‘ li tt4j 1 N I space than in a hotel Be wary of sales pitches—some resorts try to sweet-talyou into owning If you're not turned off yet here are some tips for renting timeshares Troll for deals After you pick a resort area you like check out timeshares on Web sites About 10 of timeshare owners put their weeks up for rent on an annual basis says Mark Silverman a timeshare expert who lives in San Francisco Timeshare management companies also put unsold inventory up for rental One popular site for renters is wwwtug2net Online with more than 1000 rental ads Another is RedWeekcom which is free to search but requires a $IO annual membership fee to contact owners Often you get a pitch: Last week Celebrity Resorts Waikiki had I s four-nigh- rent-or-bu- y Stat of the Week The federal budget deficit would look even worse without the huge Social Security surplus Last year's $380 billion shortfall for example would have been $536 billion Although the deficit is projected to disappear by 2014 there would still be a $277 billion deficit in that year without the boost from Social Security $400 billion DeficitSurplus DeficitSurplus —om 200 (excluding Soc 111 n 0 1 -I-r-- -- ' 200 :!! '1 i 'i 1 'k ' - -- S Y I '' Sec) -- 7 40 ir' I - -- : w -- - 1 -- 4 ii 400 -- 600 -- 800 '95 1990 Source: Congiessional Budget '00 '05 Office '10 available to rent for a night or to buy for up to $9500 More sites can be found by seaching with a phrase such as "timeshare rentals Sites such as Bidsharescom and Baycom auction off timeshare weeks Most sites post ownaders' phone numbers or dresses so you can contact them directly II Compare prices with hotels How do you know if a rental is a bargain? Check travel sites such as Expediacom and Travelocitycom to find the going price of a comparable hotel room for the area and time you'll visit ("Red weeks" or peak vacation times cost more) Often several timeshare owners are renting units at the same resort So check more than one Web site for ads A timeshare at the Royal Sands Resort & Spa in Cancun Mexico recently was advertised for weekly rental for $800 in late March on www tuanet that sum would cover less than four days at the same resort if purchased through Hotelscom Don't expect the Ritz Timeshares can be when it comes to quality Some get neglected by management companies Many don't get renovated as often as they should That's why it's wise to get a better idea of where you'd be staying before mailing a check Try the resort's Web site to find amenities Since photos can be deceiving also try to find unbiased recent reviews of the resort TripAdvisorcom compiles user reviews and travel guides' opinions of many timeshare resorts and sometimes lets you compare prices If you're still unsure call the resort or owner Watch those pesky fees Timeshares often require their owners to pay yearly maintenance fees and "use taxes" If you're not careful these fees could get passed on to you when you rent your week Make sure to ask the owner if you will be required to pay those fees on top of your rental price or if they're included in the total price you're paying to rent the place Often you won't have to pay them but it's a good idea to check Maintenance fees usually cost a few hundred dollars a year timeshare taxes can run $50 or so 1 ' (J011(it ' tis4 timeshares r W r trii 41 'At Herman's news story last about the alternative minimum tax (Dreaded Tax Law Could Ding You') certainly brought out the letter writers among you Were also still hearing about Jonathan Clements's Feb 8 Getting Going column ("A Home Can Be a House of Mirrors")—or more specifically about the readers letters we ran last week on the subject '14 FORECAST money left over to retire This tax makes it close to impossible to get Tom b4eek I'm on the verge of organizing a tax revolt It's time for another Boston Tea Party! Perry Roland Longmont Colo Denver Post No Place Like a Home 2 Readers' Forum Write: forumsunday030walcom and please remember to include your name daytime telephone number street address and the name of the newspaper in which you read The Wall Street Journal Sunday everyone I'm glad I bought my house when I did Fifteen years ago I lost my house during divorce proceedings I made it a top priority to purchase another one With the help of a greatly appreciated loan from morn and dad and a very austere budget I was able to realize that goal The Big Bite Calling this tax a monster is an understatement The American dream is to work hard invest wisely and do your best to have money to put your kids through college and then have debt-fre- 4 $2000 monthly mortgage payment for his house while he could make do with a $500 'upscale one-be- d room apartment Where can one find an upscale for that price? Besides if that reader lived in Your letters regarding home ownership demonstrate that there's no single set of advice that applies to --David Crook be This will provide a huge relief in my retirement planning strategy Home ownership may not be the right thing for everybody It sure is working for me Tim Ricker Carmichael Calif Sacramento Bee One reader complained of his ahead you mix things up why we call this retire in about 15 years my house fit I will -- We like to see a bit here that's Tea Party!' an apartment comparable to his house he would probably pay $1500 to $2000 monthly and have worthless rent receipts when he moved And isn't his lifestyle and Stan- dard of living much superior in the house than it would be in the Now my house payment combined with the tax break on the interest and property tax payments is about half of what I would pay for rent on a similar property When I -" ment? Jerry Burns Wesley Chapel Tampa Tribune Fla Phone Companies Embrace Satellite TV I phone companies want L ocal people to dump their count offers for TV services—something that has already happened in the wireless broadband and lonr distance sectors Exact prices most of the Bells' satel"te tcs are not yet available cable-T- service and switch to satellite N What business is it of theirs? Actually it has become their business since they have recently Offering TV service is forged partner-TECship deals with satellite WATCH to users —of he Bells meanwhile struck a partnership with one or more satellite companies: SBC which has a partnership with Echo Star Communications is its satellite expected to kick-star- t service in all its territory as early as this week after running trials in Connecticut earlier this year lierizon which has a partnership with News Corp's DirecTit has already started offering satellite IV as part of a broader communication service bundle in Rhode Island and will soon offer that service in the rest of its territory largely in dt of a pst broader trend in which phone companies are prig to shift the core of their bviness to growth businesse: such as wireless service vnd broadband Internet connections and new business 0" areas in did not r'' as mureover amid the arrival of new technologies such as Internet service the competitive landscape is changing fast This means cable companies and start-up- s can offer phone service without huge upfront investments such as those the old phone system required providers Baby Bells have begun dangling discount satellite-TV service as part of a package to customers who also sign up for their phone services All large regional phone companies will offcs satellite-Tprogramming to their customers in the next few weeks and months The phonesatellite bundle deals are a way for phone companies to try to hold on to customers many of whom have been defecting In recent years The Bells believe that providing many types of communications services will mean that their customers remain loyal The good Vs coming out of the increasd competition: It will almost s ely lead to lower prices for cone mers in the form of more dis e nj cost - w 4 '' the Northeast ! BellSouth is currently offering Direcri satellite service to its em- - ployees and will start selling the service to its customers by way of the Web in March and later in the :d"! year via normal sales channels Qwest already offers DirecTV and Echo Star services in parts of its region Sprint's local phone busi- ness also plans to roll out a bun- dle of services including Dish Network Cable rivals began offering phone in the late 1990s and have steadily expanded such services since New companies such as Vonage offer heavily discounted Internet phone services and startups such as Skype based in Estonia offer phone services services By Almar Latout el I 401 - ' 4 4 ' l0 find your biggestI invest P ' 11a11::::-E::011S- 11 lo1 At Home-i-n Alves' 14 Med I Jeoett Utah L 1 a — LaglititbtimeINShOMMtIONIIONINNIISNiWILftWeatattMloNWISIMiagioNffiálitáMmokSOMOMIMINOINSIMMINMalaaSAMORNMII ir Homes are the in t t1 ' biggest investment most people make So whether you're 3 P t' I Lt r: — - - t 6 : '4 rielr0434-4-- :t 4 1 ' -1 i- t - - -- '''''---- i the market for a new -' f e i lik -- otut 11 home or an existing one make an informed tit 1 ' !4 - i AO saW ft Real Estate 1 A t 3140 - 1f hI 4e ') i it ulmotarretal mod IrnItal lisoilogs Itwildr 10 rrosioicolital lane decision with help from At Home in Utah a I L 'i t : C"1 t ( guide to new home developments across the C) -" Immo eposellasomb Orli a Ara -AL TAM d hipt ) Part : lop i 1101911 pi! t 3 il t I ' 4 state or through the home listings and ads r:it I i 4 i is4141 11' 4 in the Utah Real Estate guide c II - Iii i 1 §'!t' t i ' 0J 11 ett t 1 I 1 - 1 1 S4HI I ii MO Wotan 'nom boo hp "t g Every Saturday in The Salt Lake Tribune j and Deseret Morning News I tit -- A - 4 ‘Nottbla lig 10 10 upp : S S III 14NAS 41th101111 Aql if4111111 Atk (t toitforerttieasi fa tr egl!!117---- - ii I Ar iz gt ' t ' ! tFa4t Z 9 - |
