Chip Ballew

Chip worked for Resort Condominiums International from July 1987 until June of 1994. His last three years with them, he was an on-site resort liaison at Orange Lake Country Club in Orlando, Florida. Given his exposure to the epicenter of the timeshare industry, he had the unique opportunity to see the direct interaction of the consumer with the initial sales process, the resort's interaction with RCI, and was working directly with the consumer to help them learn the exchange process.

It was during this time that he saw the HUGE need for help by consumers in selling their timeshare when they no longer needed it, or it had become too much of a burden. He left RCI in June of 1994, and obtained a Florida real estate license and set out to work in the timeshare resale business. 

He launched timeshares.com in July of 1997, and continued to build the information, offering free classified ads. The site grew in popularity, and earned a reputation for providing unbiased helpful information about timeshares.  The site continued to grow in popularity, fueled by media appearances, such as the Bloomberg Money Hour, an interview in the New York Times, and an appearance on CNBC in July, 2002.

In 2004, he received an offer he couldn't refuse, and sold Timeshares.com. During the ensuing years he was able to enjoy family and help take care of aging parents.

After a hiatus (both "forced" and "voluntary"), he is now re-establishing a site on the Internet about timeshares. Having the right feel for what we want to accomplish of making wanted information available to consumers and industry personnel whenever they want it, he selected www.timeshares247.com as the logical home for that project.