I recently had the extreme pleasure of meeting some exceptional college graduates, the kind that make you sit up and say — wow, this is what can be done with an education!

SellMyTimeshareNOW is proudly endowing a scholarship at Southern New Hampshire University and my business partner and I were invited to attend “The President’s Circle Event, A celebration of food and wine.” Talk about delicious! SNHU grads from the undergrad and graduate schools were there, preparing food, teaching, sharing delectable treats and showing us what their educations have done for them and for our community. Many of them are restaurant owners, proprietors, and some are Master Chefs, of which there are only about 110 in the United States. One of those Master Chefs taught us how to make fabulous strudel. Current students assisted.

The juxtaposition of career pinnacle (Master Chefs) and budding potential (students) really made me realize what a gift a good education can be. And it encouraged me to expand our efforts with timeshare donation. We can all do something to improve our communities and our world. Timeshare resales just happens to be my area of expertise.

What can you do? Well, if you’re reading this, you presumably either own a timeshare, or you want one. For owners who want to donate timeshare, there are the clear tax benefits of write-offs and the release of associated financial obligations. See our blog post on the tax benefits of charity donation timeshare-style. And yet, while tax deductions certainly are beneficial, the intangible aspect of helping someone up in the world is even greater. Karma goes a long way. And what a great thing to be able to see the impact your money can have on your community. From caterpillar to butterfly, it’s cool to see bright-eyed kids not knowing exactly where they’re going turn into unbelievably successful people.

At SNHU, this scholarship money will enable those with financial need to attend undergraduate or graduate classes full time, including online classes. Half of those recipients will be student athletes. SNHU is located in Manchester, NH but through its online courses serves qualified students anywhere in the world with internet access. As they say, “SNHU offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs at [their] 300 acre campus; on location at six continuing education centers; and online through one of New England’s largest distance education programs.”

Mike DeBlasi, Director of Alumni and Donor Relations, and, by the way, graduate of the class of ‘70, told me that he’s “ecstatic to have this unusual opportunity and we’re very grateful. Your idea of donating timeshare to charity is a great example of thinking outside the box. We’re thrilled with this new way of supporting the University’s mission.”

We at SellMyTimeshareNOW started developing the practical application of timeshare donation early this year and have since worked out the details of its implementation. We’ve got it down pat now, and would love to facilitate your participation. Donate timeshare, post a comment, ask a question, or email buzz@sellmytimesharenow.com for more information. We’re very proud of the relationship we have with SNHU and the world at large. Do something that you’re proud of and donate your timeshare today.

The publishers of The Old Farmer’s Almanac have been predicting the weather since 1818. Despite writing their weather predictions not months but years in advance, the Almanac is one of the most reliable sources available for weather forecasting. Although their formula is a well-kept secret, their forecasts have a legendary 80-85 percent accuracy rate. So what does the 2007 Old Farmer’s Almanac, released this past August, predict for the upcoming winter?

One very long, very cold season.

Which leads me to predict that this will be a great winter for a timeshare vacation!

According to Almanac predictions, Montana, North and South Dakota and parts of Wyoming can expect temperatures as much as 20 degrees below their seasonal norms. The mountain regions of the Pacific Northwest should plan for heavy snowfalls, and residents of the New England states should brace themselves for both atypical cold and unusually heavy snow.

Now, if you love to hit the ski slopes, this forecast is all good news to you. Those who enjoy winter sports should start waxing their skis and scheduling their timeshare vacations. You may want to head to the northeast and enjoy a great timeshare deal at resorts like Stowe and Sugarbush. You can buy or rent Vermont timeshares there. And a timeshare condo in Vail, Telluride, Snowmass or Grand Junction will be a perfect Colorado timeshare ski getaway.

On the other hand, if the news of an unusually cold and snowy season makes you shiver, then start today planning a Caribbean timeshare vacation that includes sun baked sands and warm tropical waters, perhaps in Aruba, Barbados or Cozumel. That’s the great thing about timesharing. When you make a smart timeshare deal and buy a timeshare resale, you are not only buying vacation ownership at the right price, but you are guaranteeing yourself the ultimate in vacation flexibility.

Overlooking the Dubai Marina and the Arabian Gulf in the United Arab Emirates is the seventy-four story Dubai Torch Tower. When completed in 2008, the building will house between 200 and 500 apartment units, as well as numerous indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a health club, gymnasium, restaurants, aerobics room, shops and parking garages.

Dubai Select has recently announced that they will sell timeshare condo units in the prestigious Torch Tower. The units will be available for exchange through Interval International’s worldwide interval timeshare network and will be sold in two-week increments.

The entire Marina project is an amazing undertaking. It is billed as the world’s largest man-made marina and the world’s largest master planned waterfront development. The design objective has been to create a city within a city, with the marina area offering the best and most luxurious in a city already known for opulent luxury.

The first phase of the Dubai Marina in Al Marsa was completed in 2003 at a cost of roughly $200 million US dollars. Built to be a modern interpretation of Venice, this waterside community occupies valuable real estate on the Persian Gulf. Man-made lakes on both sides of the community connect the land with the sea. A 700-berth marina, already completed, accommodates ships and yachts of all sizes.

The Torch Tower is among the tallest skyscrapers which will be in the community, although a few of the buildings rise about it with roughly 100 stories.

Towns across America are weighing their options, and their decision determines whether the new style of resort will be built in their areas. What’s the deciding factor? It pretty much comes down to the taxes.

In an October 16 meeting with town council members at Snowmass Village, Colorado, Hyatt Vacation Ownership vice president Larry Shulman and fractional developer Pat Smith explained Hyatt’s intent behind their recent application for a land use permit.

Hyatt Vacation Ownership is seeking to develop vacation properties to fill a new niche market. According to John Burlingame, a Hyatt Vacation Club vice president who had previously spoken before the Snowmass Planning Commission, more families are traveling together as a group. There is also a trend among extended families to buy shared vacation property. Hyatt referred to the concept as “togethering.”

To meet this specific need, Hyatt wants to offer fractional ownership of 51 residences, seven of which will be five-bedroom units; 25 will be four-bedroom units, with the others offering either one, two, or three bedrooms.

While council members were concerned about maintaining high occupancy of these larger units, Shulman reminded the group that timeshare owners typically either trade their week or rent it directly to another vacationer. Any Hyatt timeshare units that are not rented are listed in the global Hyatt reservation system as part of the Gold program, making them available to roughly one half million potential renters.

Hyatt estimates that if construction stays on schedule the properties will be available for occupancy in late 2009. By that date, Hyatt estimates that the active membership of the Hyatt Vacation Club will number somewhere around 40,000 members.

How does this impact the tax issue? Occupancy rate is the crux of the matter. Can a Colorado timeshare or fractional resort with a higher occupancy rate generate more tax money for the town via individual owners than a hotel with a lower occupancy rate but the added benefit of sales tax on top of property tax? Snowmass Village will be letting Hyatt and the rest of us know what they think.

Tell us about your experiences with “togethering!” How does it work for your family? Do you stay near home, or go somewhere in between Cousin Louie in Louisiana and Aunt Elma in Washington state? What timeshare company or fractional resort has been most accomodating for your large gathering?

Presentations take forever. Or at least it feels that way, if what you’re primarily doing is waiting for the freebies to kick in. And you can get some very good ones from attending a timeshare presentation — a weekend stay, dinner, tickets to a local attraction, car rental. But I once heard about a couple who spent 5 hours being hammered by sales people and dragged (well, not literally) around a resort they weren’t interested in because they had been promised a boat in exchange for their attendance. What type of boat was it? Turned out to be a blow-up rubber dinghy, with leaks. And then there’s the guy in New Zealand who just didn’t like being pressured to spend about what he would on a car without having a chance to read the fine print. Caveat emptor.

While I recommend going to presentations in order to research a particular resort, you can most definitely buy or rent a fabulous timeshare easily, from the comfort of your own home.

How? Buy resale timeshare online!

Resale by-owner timeshares are available at dramatically lower prices than timeshares bought through a resort or developer, and you’ll save far more by buying resale. Dinner, tickets or a boat won’t come close to making up the difference. Well, depending on the boat. Trying to deal with a large resort and their highpressure salespeople can be quite a hassle. But when you buy timeshare resale by-owner, you work directly with the person who owns the timeshare, which is much easier.

Look over the short, easy-to-understand contracts at your own pace. There’s no pressure: make your buying decision on the schedule that is comfortable for you. And, although it’s not necessary, you have the time and flexibility to run things by your lawyer or financial advisor.

It’s about doing what works for you.

Where? Check out our website www.SellMyTimeshareNOW.com for thousands of listings. New ones come in every day and they’re updated regularly.

Bobby Cole, the PGA Tour player we at SellMyTimeshareNOW sponsor, finished T-4 in the Florida State Senior Open. Hosted at the championship course of the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club, the event is sponsored by the South Florida PGA of America. In a field of 191 players, Bobby opened with a round of 67, followed by rounds of 71 and 69.

This was the 30th year for the tournament, but only Bobby’s second time to play there. In 2005, he shot 70-68 in a rain-shortened two-round tournament, to finish one stroke off the lead and alone in second place.

PGA Tour veteran Roger Kennedy won the championship with course record low rounds of 63-64, followed by a final round score of 71. Steve Waugh turned in rounds of 71-67-and 63 to claim second place.

The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club is a landmark resort located in an area of beachside luxury hotels, Florida timeshares, and vacation homes. The original property, The Naples Hotel, was constructed in the late 1880’s. In 193o, the heir to the Jergens hand lotion fortune married Allen Joslin, who built the area’s first 18-hole golf course and purchased beachfront land adjacent to the hotel, where he built The Naples Beach Club. In 1946, Henry Watkins Sr., a retired toy manufacturer, bought the original hotel and later The Beach Club and golf course, combining the properties to create the historic Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

Naples is the heart of the region known as Florida’s Paradise Coast, and is always a great place to spend the day on the golf course. Congratulations to Bobby and all the golfers who play in this year’s Florida State Senior Open.

WorldMark, The Club, (owned by Trendwest Resorts, Inc.) has purchased Oakwood Mission Valley in San Diego, California. WorldMark will convert the apartment complex into San Diego timeshares.

The Mission Valley resort is less than five miles away from the current WorldMark San Diego Resort and is a 10-minute drive to Sea World San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and other popular area attractions. It is located north of downtown San Diego and conveniently close to shops, restaurants, and a large mall.

Scheduled renovations call for the space to be converted into 58 one-bedroom timeshare units and 112 two-bedroom timeshare units, which are scheduled to reopen in 2008. Amenities will include an exercise facility, outdoor pool, spa, sauna, and a recreation center. Parking for the resort will include an underground, secured lot for guest use.

The 170-unit apartment complex is currently utilized as long and short-term rental apartments and corporate housing. The purchase price for the property was just under $33 million.

At the end of October, a new state law, S-1321, The New Jersey Real Estate Timeshare Act, will come into effect, placing rigorous demands on companies that sell new timeshares. The intent is to “ensure that the sale process is transparent and buyers are better protected,” according to the October 11, 2006 edition of www.northjersey.com.

New Jersey’s new law will place regulatory authority for timeshares appropriately in the hands of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission, rather than splitting it with the Department of Community Affairs. The new law will require timeshare companies to adhere to tougher escrow controls. It also mandates that developers prepare and publish a public offering statement providing detailed information about the responsibilities and rights of timeshare ownership.

The new law, which was signed by Governor Jon Corzine on August 2, will cover all timeshares sold by a company located within the state of New Jersey, whether or not the property itself is a New Jersey timeshare.

This is an excellent step forward for those buying timeshares directly from resorts or developers. But remember, there are more cost-effective, easier ways…..

At SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, we have built transparency into our daily business. When it comes to the selling or reselling of timeshares, there is only one acceptable way to run a business: put all your cards on the table and invite consumers to scrutinize your methods. We do it every day at SellMyTimeshareNOW.com. Check out our website, talk with our sales reps, and see for yourself how we do business.

You’ve Heard of Emmy and Oscar, But Do You Know About “Stevie”?

American Business Awards has recognized Marriott Vacation Club (Marriott timeshare) as the Best Sales Organization for 2006. Marriott Vacation Club International has 10,000 plus employees and 57 resorts around the globe. This is the second time the Orlando-based timeshare company has received the honor, which is marked by the award of the “Stevie” statue.

In case you are not on a first name basis with Steve, earning a Stevie means gaining industry recognition along with a silver or bronze statuette designed by the same people who created the movie industry’s Oscar and the advertising industry’s Clio.

There were more than 1500 nominations in over 40 categories among this year’s nominees. Congratulations Marriott!

Celebrity Resorts Timeshares in Palm Coast has one cat too many.

How many cats are too many? At the Celebrity Resorts Timeshares in Palm Coast, Florida, just north of Daytona Beach, 38 cats are definitely too many—even if that is 70 fewer cats than there were a year ago.

A colony of wild cats has apparently decided that they want to try timesharing in the resort community and who can blame them? The timeshare resort sits on the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway, with an 80-slip marina and outstanding golf and tennis nearby. Understandably, the management at the resort would like the feral cats to leave, eliminating the possibility that one of the animals might scratch or bite a guest.

Local animal activists regularly feed the cats on the resort’s private property. Over the past year, the volunteers have managed to catch many of the animals and transport them to a local clinic to be spayed or neutered and to administer rabies shots. Even better, the group has found homes for some 70 felines, cutting the size of the colony by more than half. Yet many of the cats are simply too wild to catch.

The management at Celebrity Resorts wants the activist group to stop feeding the cats and relocate them, otherwise they will have no choice but to contact the Flagler Humane Society to remove the animals.

Florida’s temperate climate makes it a haven for feral cat colonies and some experts estimate there could be as many as 10 million wild cats across the state.