Timesharing? No problem!

Are you one of those people who always drop their personal information in that bin they put in malls, usually next to a shiny, beautiful sedan or sports coupe? "Never say never". "Every sweepstake must have a winner". Then you probably wonder why, instead of winning a beautiful new car, you are called and asked to attend a Timesharing presentation? And then I suppose a $50 department store gift card, just for attending, sounds quite attractive...

Or, you may be one of those people who enjoy places with many beautiful resorts, like Las Vegas for example. Say you just arrive at your hotel / casino and being a James Bond follower, who "takes pleasure in great beauty", you suddenly wish you could save money on that great new sexy show. Luckily, no matter where you walk, you are approached by the respective Timeshare marketers. Free tickets for the show of your choice, in exchange for attending the presentation, sounds cool too. Especially if you do not feel like gambling and losing too much money before hitting that buffet for lunch. After all it is better to consume the free liquor after you have eaten...

Well, one way or another you eventually find yourself in front of a friendly timeshare sales person. And they are OK with you telling them up front that you are here only for the gift, and besides you are sure you cannot afford to buy their product anyway. Still they want you to go through all the stages before you can leave with your gift card or show tickets voucher. Sounds fair.

What you need to know is how to say "no" in a way that is not confrontational and that will not rob you of your dignity. Logical arguments to support your decision usually work great. And in order to achieve that you will need to know the 3 key figures:

- Unit Price,
- Property Tax,
- Maintenance Fees.

On top of that you need to know the Property Tax Rate. It is best to know that prior to showing up for the presentation so that you do not have to ask them about it.

What do you do with the numbers? It is very simple actually. Say, the Unit Price is $100,000, the Property Tax is $100, the Annual Maintenance Fee is $150, and you know that the Property Tax rate is 1 percent. You calculate the taxed value of the unit as Property Tax divided by the Tax Rate, so in this case it is $100 / 0.01 = $10,000.

Then it comes down to the following:

Sales Person: Why not?
You: Well, based on the Property Tax amount and the rate around here, you are trying to sell me $10,000 worth of property for $100,000. Don't you think the margin is way too high here?
Sales Person: Please note that you are buying more than just a piece of a building. It is actually a resort with a lot of employees. So what you are buying is a share in a business.
You: In this case, why do I have to pay the Maintenance Fees of $150 per year? I thought they would cover the employees' salaries and the whole operation. Besides, if I am to buy a share in a business then I should expect to be paid dividends, correct?
Sales Person: You have to understand that it does not work like that.
You: I understand, and this is why you have to give me my gift card / show tickets voucher now, because the answer is still "no".

If they still want to harass you at this point, you may also want to throw in the following.

You: Besides, with all the foreclosures around here, I can easily buy a few condos or a nice house for the same price, and use them any time I wish, all year round.

Of course the sooner you manage to obtain your "free gift" and get out of their office, the better for you. After all it is about the Art of Sharing Time - in this case sharing your precious time with a sales person.