Timeshares can be bought through several different routes, much like a home. And just like buying a home if you know which route to take chances are you can save some money. In the case of timeshares this can means savings of thousands of dollars.

There are three basic methods of buying a timeshare. They can be bought at a free timeshare vacation presentation, from timeshare resellers or brokers, and through timeshares by owner. Let's take a look at these three methods more closely.

The Free Timeshare Vacation Presentation - You're probably familiar with this particular sales method because the vast majority of timeshares are sold this way. You get a free three or four day weekend at the timeshare resort where you are given a chance to tour the facilities. There is a catch to these free weekends and that's the half day to day of sales presentations that you are required to attend. This is normally followed by your salesperson making a rather hard push to get you to sign a contract. The thing to remember with these complimentary timeshare weekends is you are under no obligation to buy anything.

Purchasing a Timeshare from a Reseller or Broker - These companies and people work much like the real estate agents of the timeshare world. They work to bring buyers and sellers together as well as taking care of all the necessary paperwork required for both parties. There will also be fees that are added to the asking price when using a broker. These include title fees, state transfer tax, special resort assessments and unpaid maintenance fees.

Buying Timeshares by Owner - This is the best way to save money on a timeshare purchase because the owners usually need to just dump their property for any number of reasons. This can mean thousands of dollars worth of savings. You will have to pay the additional fees such as were listed when buying through a reseller or broker.

Whether buying timeshares by owner or at one of those free vacation timeshare weekends you should always research your prospective purchase carefully. But if you really want to save money then take the extra time to look for properties for sale by owners because that is truly where the best deals can be found.