Timeshare companies sell various vacation properties to all kinds of people for a particular amount of time. These properties were originally sold as condominiums, but now timeshare companies also selling yachts, boats, motor homes, luxury cars, recreational vehicles and campgrounds to people who wish to buy them on a timeshare basis. The roots of timeshare companies can be traced to the 1960s in Europe. One of the oldest timeshare companies was the Socit des Grands Travaux de Marseille, a French company that operated in Marseilles in France. Two condominium resorts that this company developed - Devoluy and Paul Doumier - became immensely famous and brought the whole business of timesharing to the forefront. Another Swiss company started around this time, Hapimag, became extremely popular and is still in business. Today, timesharing is not the obscure market that it was a few decades ago. There are big names among timeshare companies like the Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Disney. People can buy timeshare properties directly from these companies. But these prices are substantially higher than purchasing a resale unit. Timeshare companies have to charge more to keep in stride with their advertising campaigns that include seminars, free dinners and free stays and tours to prospective buyers. There are about 6000 timeshare resorts around the world an estimated 7 million families own timeshares. Most legitimate timeshare companies in the US are affiliated with the American Resort Developers Association and every timeshare company in Europe should be affiliated with the Organization for Timeshare. These organizations regulate the timeshare industry. |
