Facts

• The Squaw Valley Olympic Village timeshare is popular with skiers.
  
  Timeshares are properties owned at a specific resort in blocks of time. Owners buy by the week or purchase points that allow them to reserve time at the resort.
  
  

History

• Cabo San Lucas timeshares are often part of hotels.
  
  In 1964, a ski resort in the French Alps became the first timeshare property. Hapimag, a Swiss company, bought resort properties in Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Hawaii was the first American timeshare destination on the island of Kauai in 1969. Resort Condominium International RCI was founded in 1974 and is now the largest timesharing company.
  
  

Benefits

• A variety of Oregon coast views are a short drive from Rockaway Beach Resort.
  
  Owners cite opportunities to exchange as motivation for their purchase. Location and comfortable accommodations are pluses. In surveys, 80 percent express satisfaction with their timeshare and exchanges.
  
  

Timeshare locations

• With five million owners worldwide, including two million in the United States, there are 5,000 resorts in more than 90 countries. Nearly 1,800 timeshare resorts are in the United States, with Florida the preferred state, followed by California, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas and Arizona.
  
  

Costs

• The Braun family have enjoyed many weeks at Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido.
  
  Maintenance fees vary but average $800 a year. Exchanging a timeshare requires membership in Interval International or RCI; costs $100 a year and an exchange fee of another $190.
  Buying a resale is cheaper, and thousands are on the market. A studio in Austria can be had for $700, a one-bedroom condo on Maui for $1,850 up to a three-bedroom penthouse in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for $450,000.
  
  

Selling

• The highest resale value is typically only 15 to 35 percent of the original price paid to the developer.