How To Unravel A Timeshare Commitment

Timeshares are the right to use a vacation home, often a condo at a resort, usually during a specific week each year.But what if you succumbed to the hard-sell pitch from a timeshare sales representative and bought one, then regretted it?

There are no perfect ways to get out of a timeshare. But here are some do's and don'ts that might help.

Don't pay an upfront listing fee. If you pay an upfront commission or fee, often $400 to $700, to someone promising to sell your time share, you'll probably get no results.

Do try to sell it back. Check with your home resort to see if it will buy back the time share. ''Resorts that are sold out or close to being sold out may make you a reasonable offer,'' said Shane, founder of EZ Timeshare.

Do try renting your timeshare week. In a few years, you could make more than if you'd dumped it on the resale market at a fire-sale price. And renting it should more than make up for your annual fees, which can run about $500 per year.

Do try to sell it online. Use eBay and other time-share listing Web sites that don't charge upfront fees but take commissions on the sale. Just realize you'll rarely get all your money back on a resale, and eBay shoppers are looking for time shares at huge discounts.

Do try selling it yourself. Advertise in local newspapers and vacation magazines. ''If you want to get the best price, you're going to have to sell it yourself and do a lot of leg work on your own,'' said Jimmy, operator of the Orlando Time Share Sales Web site.

Don't abandon it. If you owe money on the time share, stopping payments probably will damage your credit rating.