November 2009
Volume 8, Issue 2
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Inside This Issue
Eastcoast goes live!
Bayview Apartments News
Works completed 2009
Bayview Wins RCI Award
Golden Leaf Apartments
Manly National Apartments
Explanation of 2010 Maintenance Levies
Exchange Deposits
Thinking of selling your timeshare?
Member Services hours for summer
Eastcoast goes live!
Eastcoast Timeshare Group (ETG) members will be able to check timeshare availability at Bayview, Golden Leaf and Manly, make owner and bonus bookings and make levy payments on the upgraded ETG website. Members will also be able to deposit their weeks with exchange companies and make exchange bookings with DAE from the ETG website. The ETG board is excited with the implementation of the live booking platform and believes that it adds a further benefit to ownership in the group. We expect upgrades to the web site to be completed in early December 2009.Members will log in to the Members Only section of the website using their member number and a secure personal password. If you want to be amongst the first to use the online booking platform email Anne now and she will let you know when you can start making your bookings!
Bayview Apartments News
 Interior unit 2 at Bayview
A few words from Karen Erickson, Bayview on site manager
Bayview is ideally located right in the township of Cowes. You can just pop out the back gate to get to the main street or from the front of the property turn right and stroll to the beach. The GP circuit is rated the best in the world and attracts many races throughout the year – The Superbikes in March, V8 Supercars in November and the Moto GP in October. There is a replica track for Go-Kart racing too.
Phillip Island is also well known for its flora and fauna with the nightly Penguin parade, the Nobbies and cruises to seal rock all huge tourist attractions. Many festivals are held throughout the year including the Working Horse Festival over the Melbourne Cup weekend and Pyramid Rock Festival over the New Year period. For more information on Phillip Island and region events go to http://www.visitphillipisland.com
 Let the games begin with flat screen TV's and Wii at Bayview! |
Bayview Wins RCI Hospitality Award
At the recent ATHOC National Conference I was pleased to accept the RCI Hospitality award for Bayview Apartments on Karen’s behalf. To achieve this award Karen and her staff had to rate above 4.6 (out of 5) in Check-in/out and Hospitality and above 4 (out of 5) in Resort Maintenance, Unit Maintenance and Unit Housekeeping. The ratings are calculated from the comment cards that RCI guests fill out following their holidays and are averaged for a twelve month period. This is a sensational achievement by Karen and her staff considering the age of the property.
Congratulations Karen and team!
Golden Leaf Apartments
A few words from Barbara Van Tienhoven, Golden Leaf on site manager
 New place settings at Golden Leaf. At Golden Leaf we now provide flowers and chocolates in all units for arriving guests. The flower arrangement complements the living area nicely and the new placemats look great. Unit 5 has a new flat screen TV and the other units will get the same shortly. The gardens are in the process of a make over and the asphalt area at the front of the resort has been resurfaced.
I have very lovely staff members at the present. Tania has been with me for nearly three years, Dot for two years and Max my maintenance man as been with me forever! We are one big happy family.
 Barb, Fiona and Tania at SeaWorld. There is a large music festival in held in the park across the road from the resort in October each year. Great music all weekend. For more information on events in the Sunshine Coast region go to http://www.caloundratourism.com.au
Fiona was one of my lovely cleaners at Golden Leaf and only 18 years of age. Tragically, Fiona ended up on life support recently due to swine flu and pneumonia. Fiona recovered but her lower legs were badly damaged and both her legs need to be amputated from the knee down. We had a fundraiser at SeaWorld for Fiona and raised $7000 to assist with the substantial costs she and her father, Terry will incur. Funds raised will go some way toward a new car and wheelchair but more is needed. The Eastcoast Timeshare Group was very supportive and donated a week’s accommodation at Golden Leaf for the fund raiser. The week contributed $400.00 to Fiona’s cause. We will continue to support Fiona through this incredibly difficult time.
Manly National Apartments
There have been several staff changes at Manly National over the past 12 months as the new Body Corporate of the Building tries to upgrade and modernize its façade. Tony Strati, Manly National Building Manager, is now our on site agent at Manly. His office is located on the ground floor of the Manly National building and he is providing a wonderful check-in service for members and guests. He is ably supported by Colin, our cleaner.
In a major exercise all six of the Eastcoast apartments have had the bathrooms fully gutted and refurbished. The results are outstanding. Further refurbishment will continue with plans to replace the sofa beds and replace the hotplates in the kitchens. The building itself will continue to undergo extensive refurbishment with the replacement of all windows and doors over the next 3 years.
When visiting Manly please remember that Tony has a major role to play in managing the whole building. Consequently he cannot afford to make himself available as a receptionist. For any problems please either ring him or leave message under his door.
Explanation of 2010 maintenance levies
Levies are calculated by dividing the total budget amount by the number of shares in the Trust. The budget is prepared and approved by the Eastcoast Timeshare Group Board of Directors. The Directors, all owners of shares in the Group, are acutely aware of their responsibility to their fellow share holders. The Directors believe the proposed budget for 2010 balances their desire to keep levies to a minimum whilst realistically reflecting the costs to be incurred over the 2010 calendar year.
To help you to understand the expenditure involved in running the Eastcoast Timeshare Group we provide the following breakdown of expenses for the 2008 calendar year. The accounts for this period were audited by Illingworth David – Accountants and Consultants, in March 2009.
The annual fee of $620.00 per share represents an increase of 6.9% over the 2009 levy. In general the increase allows for CPI at 3% and increases in site management and cleaning fees, utility costs, body corporate fees (Manly National) and Land Tax. The sinking fund is set aside for ongoing refurbishments at all three properties.
The break-up:
$498 Levy per week (excluding sinking fund and GST)
$65 Contribution to sinking fund
$563
$56 GST
$620 Total fee
Exchange Deposits
The ETG operates an advance deposit system with our major exchange partners. This means that we deposit weeks with the exchange companies creating a “pool” of weeks that can be allocated to members at a later time. When you request your week be deposited with an exchange company ETG allocates a week from the “advance bank pool” and transfers that allocation into your exchange account.
Dial an Exchange (DAE): a deposit from any one of the three ETG properties and of any unit size equates to a “Credit” in their system. A “Credit” will facilitate a booking for any holiday listed on the DAE web site. Recently members have contacted me concerned that the week deposited into their DAE account is a one bedroom restricting their exchange to a one bedroom. Be assured that this is not the case with DAE.
HC Direct: exchange requests should be directed through ETG member services. Anne will deposit a week on your behalf when HCD confirms an exchange for you.
RCI: operates a system they call “Fair Exchange”. This means that your deposit does affect your exchange options. If you require a particular unit size or high demand deposit it is imperative you contact ETG member services early in the year to deposit your week. Deposits made directly with RCI will be allocated from the “advance bank pool” which as the year progresses is reduced to one bedroom deposits.
The advice for RCI deposits is to deposit early and through your ETG member services.
Thinking of selling your timeshare?
By Anne Burns
If you are thinking of selling your timeshare here are a few tips and some advice.
How much should I sell my share for?
The price you decide to put on your timeshare interest will depend on your individual circumstances. If you need to sell quickly for financial reasons your price point will be at the lower end of the scale. The price which you advertise is up to you so I suggest you look at the other timeshares listed for sale and choose a price point from there.
Who can I sell my timeshare to?
Members who have successfully “sold” their shares in the past few years have advertised the sale to friends and family and on eBay or the TRADINGPOST websites. There are companies who offer a resale service and charge a fee to timeshare owners to list their share for sale. The Eastcoast Timeshare group does not have an affiliation with any timeshare resale company and therefore cannot make a recommendation to you. You are free to list with a resale company if you wish but suggest you try to sell through your friends and family network OR via eBay or the Trading Post.
What is the process for selling my share?
Once you have a buyer you will contact ETG member services to commence Share Transfer procedure. ETG will issue you and your buyer the official documentation that is required to be completed by both parties to legally transfer the share from one person to another. The cost for this service is currently $350.00 and should be factored into your sale price.
How do I list my share for sale?
1. eBay
Go to www.ebay.com.au and choose the category “Tickets, Travel“, then in the “Refine Search” (left hand side of page) choose “Travel”, then in the “search results” bar type in the word “Timeshare” and press “Search“. You will see the list of timeshares already for sale.
To list your timeshare for sale click on the “Sell” button at the top of the page and follow eBay instructions.
How do I list my share for sale? (cont.)
2. TRADINGPOST
Go to www.tradingpost.com.au and type “Timeshare” into “Start a New Search” bar and press “Search“. You will see the list of timeshares already for sale.
To list your timeshare for sale click on the “Sell” button at the top of the page and follow TRADINGPOST instructions.
What do I have to sell?
You own one share (or several shares) in the Eastcoast Timeshare Group (ETG). The Group consists of three properties – Bayview Apartments, Cowes, Vic, Golden Leaf Apartments, Caloundra, Qld and Manly National Apartments, Sydney, NSW. One share entitles members to one week per year at an ETG property. Members can exchange their week into other timeshare resorts through DAE, HC Direct or RCI. For more details on membership go to www.eastcoasttimeshare.com and read the Owner Handbook. ETG member services can answer any questions info@eastcoasttimeshare.com
Own more than one share?
It is recommended to list one share at a time for sale.
Member Services will be closed on the following days over the summer.
Christmas Eve – Thursday 24th December 2009
Christmas Day – Friday 25th December 2009
Boxing Day Holiday – Monday 28th December 2009
New Years Day – Friday 1st January 2010
Australia Day – Tuesday 26th January 2010
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Archives:
Eastcoast News July 2010
Eastcoast News February 2010
Eastcoast News November 2009
Time Out May 2009
Time Out December 2008
Time Out June 2008
Time Out December 2007
Time Out July 2007
Time Out April 2007
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