Frequently asked questions
WHAT IS TIMESHARE?
The concept of a timeshare is to buy the annual use of a high-standard
holiday apartment. You specify the time of year, and the property
at a given resort can be yours exclusively each year, either for
a fixed term or in perpetuity.
The timeshare that we sell, entitles you to ownership, in perpetuity,
of a week, or weeks, at the resort at which you purchase. Timesharing
offers the opportunity to purchase time at fully furnished vacation
accommodations - usually in weekly increments - for a fraction
of the cost of full vacation home ownership.
When you own a timeshare you can "deposit" your week in a vast computer
bank to exchange with other timeshare owners via the exchange
organisation that your new resort is affiliated to (i.e. RCI).
You can then enjoy a different holiday in another part of the
world each year, all paid for in advance because of your timeshare
holding.
So, all you have to do every year is pay a realistic resort maintenance
fee and RCI membership, pay for your flights and enjoy your holiday.
Typically, a new timeshare week will more than pay for itself
after 3 to 5 years. With us , your holiday week for life can cost
you as little as a single package holiday!
Top
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESALE AND NEW TIMESHARE WEEKS?
Nothing, except the price. Resort developers invest large sums of money
and expensive marketing methods to employ sales personnel. 60%
of the price of a "new" timeshare is absorbed by these marketing
costs.
Buying through us saves you a substantial amount on developers prices!
We buy or sell about 1000 timeshare weeks each and every week,
so our stock is constantly changing. Take a look at our Hot Deals
list to get an idea of some of the low prices available.
Top
TIMESHARE PRICES.
Resort developers and owners often try to sell their own timeshare products
to users of the resort, investing large sums of money to employ
sales personnel to pull people in off the street. Up to 60% of
the price of a 'new' timeshare is absorbed by these marketing
costs.
When you buy a timeshare in that way it immediately drops in value
by at least 40%, often much more.
That's why the Department of Trade and Industry say, "first compare prices with a resale company."
Top
WHAT FORM OF TITLE DEED WILL I GET?
The vast majority of resorts in South Africa are shareblock developments
and are sold in perpetuity. These allow the timeshare owner to
use his/her interval forever, just like buying a house. Under
this agreement, the owner may rent, sell, exchange or bequeath
the vacation interval. Most resorts featured on this site are
shareblock developments in perpetuity.
Top
WHAT ARE MY LEGAL SAFEGUARDS WHEN DEALING WITH ARROWWOOD?
Buying through Arrowwood ensures that you are in safe hands. No funds
will be released until title has been transferred to the purchaser's
name, ensuring both parties to the agreement of sale are fully
protected. All purchasers and vendors have an unconditional 5
day cooling off period, during which time they can pull out of
the sale.
Top
GRADING \ SEASON \ UNIT SIZE
Grade of resort which are bought or sold by Arrowwood. All resorts are RCI affiliated and graded by RCI as follows:
|
Gold Crown - highest RCI grade- equivalent
to 5 star
|
|
Resort of International Distinction - above average
|
|
Lifestyle Resort - Average
|
Seasonal designations
|
Red - High Season (by owning a RED week you can exchange
your week internationally, for any week of the year.)
|
|
White - Medium Season
|
|
Blue - Low Season
|
|
Peak - S.A. School holidays
|
Size of the unit
|
3 bedroom - sleeps 8 people
|
|
2 bedroom - sleeps 6 people
|
|
1 bedroom - sleeps 4 people
|
|
Studio - sleeps 2 to 4 people
|
The
combination that will give International buyers the highest trading
power within the RCI trading system for International exchanges
is a 2 or 3 BEDROOM UNIT IN RED TIME IN A GOLD CROWN RESORT.
(The combination for local buyers would be a 2 or 3 bedroom unit in
Peak time in a Gold Crown Resort)
Top
WHO AND WHAT IS RCI?
Resort
Condominiums International LLC is the world’s premier timeshare-services
provider for timeshare resorts and owners. As the inventor of
and global leader in vacation exchange, RCI offers a broad range
of innovative products and services to its affiliated resorts
and member families around the world.
RCI rovides owners with the ability to exchange the timeshare week
they own for a week at another timeshare resort or for a cruise.
|
RCI
is a subsidiary of Cendant Corp. (NYSE:CD), a global
provider of consumer and business services.
|
|
In 1999, RCI reported $437 million in revenues.
|
|
RCI invented vacation exchange, introducing the concept in 1974.
|
|
RCI has more than 3000 employees who work in 51 offices
in 32 countries.
|
|
RCI has more than 3,700 affiliated resorts in close on 100 countries.
|
|
RCI has more than 2.6 million members living in more than 100 countries.
|
|
Seven of every ten resorts worldwide are affiliated to RCI.
|
|
Eight of every 10 exchanges worldwide are made by RCI.
|
|
Seven of the top 10 timeshare developers (in sales) in the
world have chosen RCI as their exchange partner.
|
|
Since incorporating in 1974, RCI has arranged exchange vacations
for more than 54 million people worldwide.
|
RCI
membership entitles you to use the exchange system as well as
to receive a quarterly publication exclusively for RCI members
that provides informative, practical vacation ideas for timeshare
owners, including a feature that mentions specific timeshare resorts
with available exchange space. In addition you will receive an
RCI Resort Directory - an annual publication featuring RCI-affiliated
resorts that are available to members for exchange purposes.
Top
WILL I HAVE TO DO MY EXCHANGES THROUGH RCI IN SOUTH AFRICA?
No, once the transfer has been registered your RCI membership
is transferred to the RCI office in closest proximity to you.
Top
HOW DOES THE EXCHANGE SYSTEM WORK?
The process begins when members deposit the weeks they own into
the RCI SPACEBANK ® Pool. The RCI SPACEBANK ® Pool is
a bank of timeshare weeks deposited by RCI members. This space
is used to confirm exchanges for other members. Deposits can be
made up to 24 months in advance or 14 days before the start date
of the week.
Top
ARE ALL REQUESTS FOR EXCHANGES CONFIRMED?
If a member requests an exchange and one of their resort choices
is available, the request can be confirmed immediately. This is
the case the majority of the time. In 1998, nearly 62 percent
of exchange requests initiated by RCI members worldwide were confirmed
within 24 hours.
If a request cannot be confirmed immediately, a vacation counselor
will suggest alternatives or begin a searh which may become available
in the future. RCI's extensive computer network allows them to
track resorts around the world, so that the majority of exchange
requests can be confirmed in a timely manner.
Top
MUST THE WEEK THAT I SPACEBANKED BE USED IN ORDER FOR ME TO MAKE AN EXCHANGE?
No. As soon as RCI confirms your Spacebanking you can make an
exchange.
Top
I AM ALREADY AN RCI MEMBER, WILL I HAVE SEPARATE MEMBERHSIP NUMBERS?
No., the South African weeks you purchase can simply be added
to your current RCI membership number.
Top
WHAT ARE MY ANNUAL COSTS ?
There
is an annual maintenance fee payable to the resort in South
Africa. This fee varies depending on the resort and size of unit
you purchase. Your allocated sales representative will assist
you with the maintenance fee of any timeshare you wish to purchase
from us.
Top
HOW DO I PAY MY ANNUAL MAINTENANCE FEES?
Most International clients may simply fax the resort with their account
number, and an instruction to debit their credit card. Local clients
my post or pay by credit card.
Top
WHERE DOES ARROWWOOD ADVERTISE?
Our advertising is intensive and includes RCI's member publications,
national newspapers on a daily basis, property magazines, classified
publications and the internet.
Top
WHY SELECT ARROWWOOD?
Arrowwood
International has been in the industry many years. We are a prime
player in the South African resale market. We have proven both
our ability and expertise time and time again. We provide affordable
options for selling and buying timeshare. With technology advancing
as it has done, the internet is the smartest place to buy, sell
and rent timeshare as it can be accessed anywhere in the world.
We are extremely knowledgeable, efficient and will assist you in
any way possible. If you have any questions, please ask us.
Top
HOW DO I SELL MY TIMESHARE/POINTS?
Complete
the form on our Selling Timeshare/Points page with as much information
as possible and supply as much detail as possible. We will contact
you should we require any further information or assist you where
ever possible.
Click Here to sell your timeshare
Click Here to sell your points
Top
HOW DO I BUY TIMESHARE/POINTS?
Complete
the form on our Buying Timeshare/Points page with as much information
as possible and supply as much detail as possible. We will contact
you should we require any further information or assist you where
ever possible.
Click Here to buy timeshare
Click Here to buy points
