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<p class="MsoNormal">I am re-posting here a colleague's thorough response to this question on a different listserv, back in November of last year:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">I am not aware of anyone who currently (and legitimately) assists owners in getting out of timeshares in Mexico. And, I haven’t really
looked into this for a while. However, here is what I have said to others in the past.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">Generally, once someone buys a timeshare, they own it for the duration of its “life” (for example, if it is a perpetual timeshare, you
own it forever; if it only for a stated number of years, you own it for that period). There generally is no formal mechanism to relinquish the timeshare nor is there a legal requirement that the original developer, owners association or timeshare program repurchase
a timeshare, and it is usually up to the owner to sell it or otherwise transfer it to someone else. Further, an effective transfer usually requires recording the transfer on the books of the association or timeshare program, which can effectively give them
a veto over the transfer or the party to whom it is transferred. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">Nevertheless, the first thing I would recommend is to contact the owners association or timeshare program (unfortunately, there may
not be such for a Mexican timeshare, although some larger US timeshare organizations recently have announced programs for relinquishment of their timeshare upon payment of fees – often fairly large fees; for what it’s worth, Vacation Internationale allows
any owner who no longer can use or wants their timeshare to relinquish it without charge).
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">If a relinquishment or similar program does exist, the organization may have a repurchase program or maintain lists of interested buyers
and sellers, and they can tell the owner what will be required to transfer the timeshare to someone else (although I have never heard of such for a Mexican timeshare organization).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">If an owners association or timeshare program does not exist or otherwise cannot help in selling a timeshare, the owner can try to sell
it him or herself. A lot of people list timeshares for sale on eBay, Craig's List, and the like. The downside is that it can be very time consuming, may generate a lot of crank responses (or responses from scammers), and it can be difficult to come up with
a realistic sale price. One mistake people often make is to assume that their timeshare still holds a lot of value, which unfortunately is seldom true. To try to determine a realistic sale price, one can try searching the Internet for other timeshares for
sale in the same resort, program or organization (making sure that it any resales are comparable in terms of size of unit, use period, etc.).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">In any event, if one advertises a timeshare for sale, one will likely get calls from scam timeshare resale or transfer companies. Beware
of anyone who wants an up-front fee to help a sell or otherwise get rid of a timeshare – more often than not, it is a scam.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">There are some reputable timeshare resale companies, including SellMyTimeshareNOW.com (probably the leading timeshare reseller at this
time, at <a href="http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com">http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com</a>), and TimesharesOnly.com (<a href="http://www.timesharesonly.com">http://www.timesharesonly.com</a>). However, they typically have hundreds or thousands of timeshares
listed on their websites at any given time. Other web sites that may be of interest include: RedWeek.com, which has listings for timeshare resales (<a href="http://www.redweek.com/">http://www.redweek.com/</a>), and the Licensed Timeshare Resale Brokers Association
(<a href="http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/">http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/</a>).
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">In any event, before using any third-party resale company, do a thorough Internet search and beware of anyone who asks for a fee up
front.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">Another excellent resource is the website for the American Resort Development Association (the principal timeshare industry organization,
better known as ARDA, at <a href="http://www.arda-roc.org">www.arda-roc.org</a>). ARDA has put a lot of effort into providing information on timeshare resales, including tips on how to best go about re-selling a timeshare. You could also check a popular timeshare
owners’ bulletin board maintained by Timeshare Users Group at <a href="http://tug2.net/">
http://tug2.net/</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">Finally, if an owner just wants to get rid of a timeshare and the owner does not care if the owner gets anything in return, the owner
could look into giving it back to the original seller/developer, or the current owners association or timeshare program. They may or may not be willing to take it back, or they might require payment of all current assessments and fees before they are willing
to accept the timeshare. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">If all else fails, the owner could try simply mailing a deed for the timeshare to the owners association or timeshare program. They
might still try to collect any unpaid dues, fees or assessments, but if only a relatively small amount is owed, it might not be worth their while to try to collect. However, they could bring legal action against the owner and/or file a negative report with
the credit reporting agencies, which could harm the owner’s credit. Accordingly, an owner should not undertake this lightly, and make sure the owner understands all the risks before doing so.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">Finally, as alluded to above, anyone who wants help in selling their timeshare is “never give anyone cash up front to sell your timeshare”
and “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F4E79">There are a lot of scammers. In particular, beware of any “timeshare exit” individual or team. We have a particularly egregious Timeshare
Exit Team operating in Washington. They typically charge thousands of dollars, and very seldom deliver on their promises (in fact, Timeshare Exit Team has been the subject of investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s office, among others).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eric<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eric C. Nelsen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sayre Law Offices, PLLC<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1417 31st Ave South<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seattle WA 98144-3909<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">206-625-0092<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:eric@sayrelawoffices.com">eric@sayrelawoffices.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background:aqua;mso-highlight:aqua">Covid-19 Update -
</span></b>All attorneys are working remotely during regular business hours and are available via email and by phone; please call the Seattle office. Videoconferencing also is available. Signing of estate planning documents can be completed and will be handled
on a case-by-case basis; please call the Seattle office.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MAIL AND DELIVERIES can be received at the Seattle office. For any other needed arrangements, please call the Seattle office.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Laurel Brown<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, September 1, 2020 3:51 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Real Property Listserv (wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com) <wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] Time Share Questions<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello all,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I have clients who wish to get out of a vacation timeshare contract. Is there someone on our listserv/hivemind that would be willing to share some information with me regarding this?<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks in advance,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Laurel Brown<br clear="all">
<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Laurel Brown<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Attorney and Counselor at Law</i><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i>5071 SW Waite St.</i><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Seattle, WA 98116</i><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i>425-361-6286</i><o:p></o:p></p>
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