"You're being bribed to come in to look at the time share," she says. "You get an offer in the mail that says 'three days, two nights, plus two attraction tickets for $99,' and somewhere in small print it says something about attending a time share presentation.

"When you get into the presentation, unfortunately, more often than not it's high-pressure. The consumer will be asked to purchase at the end of the presentation and will generally be offered incentives to do so. Never buy because of the incentives."

Time share salespeople are typically commissioned, and "buyers should know that up to 50 percent of the cost of an initial sale of a (time share) is spent on marketing, either sales commission or all the incentives," Weil says.  

But if you want a time share, you don't have to endure a presentation to buy one. 

"The presentation is only a requirement when you are getting something for your time, such as a discounted hotel stay, discounted or free attraction tickets or dinner show tickets," Schreier says. "Any consumer is free to go into any time share office and ask to see the property and get some pricing information."

3. Walk away. Should you find yourself across from a high-pressure salesman, you can beat him at his own game.
 
"The greatest way to get what you want is to not be attached to the outcome and be willing to lose the deal," says Marc Freeman, author of "Renegotiate with Integrity." "If the salesman feels you're attached to the time share, you're not going to get the best deal."

For those who can't play hardball, Freeman recommends telling the salesman to back off.

"Always be honest," he says. "Tell the salesman, 'I am interested but you're pushing me away.'"

4. Don't buy into the "real estate" spiel. Real estate appreciates and can turn a profit. Time shares on the other hand are more like cars, Weil says. He adds, "You pay $20,000 for a time share, and it's immediately worth $10,000 to $12,000."

A more accurate comparison is time share to hotel, Schreier says. "You are not talking about buying real estate here. The investment is the vacation, the time you spend in a nice place."

5. Ask a lot of questions. What are the maintenance fees used for? Do I lose my points if I don't use them? Can I bring pets?