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Get rid of your timeshare by donating it

Clark has received many calls over the years from people who are stuck with a timeshare they just can't seem to sell. The truth is that timeshares are extremely difficult to sell no matter what you paid for them or when you bought them. Even if you love your timeshare, sometimes your circumstances change and you need to sell your week. The trouble is that there is no solid, active secondary market for selling timeshares because they lose about 80 percent of their value the moment they are sold. But there may be a new way to solve this problem. Clark read about the new option in the Wall Street Journal, but he wants you to keep in mind that it is very new. It’s a donation program called “Donate for a Cause,” and it allows you to donate the timeshare to a charity and claim a tax deduction of $4,900. There is no fee at all, and you don’t need an appraisal, according to the Journal. Clark wonders if there are any gotchas, and he wants you to know that you will be a guinea pig if you get involved. But he talked with the owner to find out if there are any gotchas, and he couldn't find any. Even the annual maintenance fees you have to pay are transfered with the donation. So, where does the timeshare go? When you transfer the ownership, you get a receipt for your donation and the proceeds go to a non-profit organization of your choosing. The Web site for information is donateforacause.org. The owner also recommends that you discuss the tax issues with your accountant before you deduct it.

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What others are saying

  • Timeshare Selling Sites like TUG
    Be careful posting on these sites. After I left a post to find information about selling my timeshare I start to receive scam/spam emails phishing for my bank information like the Nigerian 419 scams. Better to make a new email address specifically for that purpose and not use your main one.
  • Time Shares
    I do not what to comtinue paying for at time share. While that effect my credit?
  • TIMESHARE DONATION
    CLARK, DO YOU STILL RECOMMEND DONATING A TIMESHARE TO "DONATE FOR A CAUSE". IS IT A REPUTABLE ORGANIZATION?
  • timeshare
    We are in desperate need to sell our timeshare. Have you heard of any other ways to sell? Does the donate thing work?
  • Donate for a Cause
    I have experience working with Donate for a Cause. NINE MONTHS AGO I started working with them trying to donate my timeshare, per Clark's information. Since the timeshare was originally purchased, my husband passed away, with a death certificate and will, which was probated here in Missouri. Although Donate for a Cause accepted my timeshare for donation and I immediately sent them my late husband's death certificate (he was an owner), it took them nine months to let me know that in fact they didn't want my timeshare unless I probated his will in Hawaii - where the timeshare is located. This will cost hundreds of dollars - which they are not willing to pay for. At this point, now that 9 months have passed, they have decided they don't want the property due to the probate issue and have left me high and dry. I already paid them to secure a copy of the title and other assorted documents. This is a rip off. Buyer beware! Communication with them is difficult at best. They do not return emails or phone calls until days later and then don't do what they say they'll do. Don't fall into this trap!

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