Marriott Grand Residence Club, Lake Tahoe

A deeded fractional interest in one named residence at 1001 Heavenly Village Way, held in perpetuity. Marriott Vacations Worldwide sells its United States weeks-based interests as fee simple deeded real estate, unlike 47 Park Street in Mayfair, which is a right to use for a fixed term. Tahoe interests are sold as one-quarter shares and as 3-week and 5-week seasonal shares. What transfers is the deed to that fraction, recorded in El Dorado County. The project is registered with the California Department of Real Estate under licence 1008481 and separately with the Nevada Real Estate Division. An owner may sell, bequeath or transfer the interest.

Use is allocated by season. The club's options are a 5-week winter share, a 5-week summer share, a 3-week Tahoe Season share covering spring and autumn, and an All Season share. A quarter share carries up to 13 weeks a year. Within your allocation you can take a full week, a long weekend or a single night. Nights outside the allocation are space-available, carry a per diem charge for operating costs such as housekeeping, and are subject to availability. Allocated time you do not use can be let through the club's rental management programme, exchanged through Interval International or traded for Marriott Bonvoy points, all subject to availability and to programme rules.

Annual dues are set each year by the owners' association board. They cover each owner's share of utilities, common areas, insurance, the association management fee, the running and upkeep of the amenities, and security. For fractional owners they also cover interior wall and floor maintenance and furniture replacement. Real estate and other taxes sit outside the dues. California property tax runs at 1 per cent of assessed value plus any voter-approved debt, billed by El Dorado County, and assessed value is reset on a change of ownership. The dues figure is confirmed for the specific residence before you commit.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide manages the building and staffs it all year. The club's own amenity list flags that housekeeping, laundry and dry cleaning, valet parking and spa treatments carry additional fees. The list below sets out what is on site.

Jung/Brannen Associates designed the resort as an alpine rustic lodge: native stone and heavy timber outside, roof lines accented with aged copper, and an unusual amount of high-performance glass in the residences and public rooms. Three fireplaces anchor the lobby, and kitchens and fireplaces were finished in custom millwork. Perini Building Co. built it for Marriott Vacation Club International, working around the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency rule that bars earth moving between October and May. The building runs to 400,168 sq ft and holds 199 residences, from studios to 3-bedroom penthouses, 360 to 2,496 sq ft. It opened in November 2002.

The club stands in Heavenly Village, part of the Park Avenue redevelopment district on the south shore, and adjoins the gondola at Heavenly Mountain Resort, which carries skiers up the mountain in about 12 minutes. Shops, restaurants, a cinema and an ice rink are at the door, and the Nevada state line with its casinos is about a block away. The Lake Tahoe beaches are an easy walk. Reno-Tahoe International Airport is 53.9 miles by US-395 and US-50, about 1 hour 30 minutes. The resort runs no shuttle, and parking on site is underground valet only.

A buyer from outside the United States needs no licence to own California property, but the tax paperwork matters. The deed is recorded in El Dorado County, and California documentary transfer tax of $0.55 for each $500 of value is charged on the transfer. On a later sale by a non-US seller, the buyer must withhold 15 per cent of the amount realised under the federal FIRPTA rules, with reduced or nil withholding in defined cases. California withholds separately on sales of California property, with no withholding where the price is $100,000 or less. Take US tax advice first, and expect to need a US taxpayer number.

Avory deals with the resale brokers who hold Grand Residence Club stock and, on transfer, with the club's owner services and the association. After you enquire we confirm in writing the season and fraction, the residence number, the current dues and the recording and escrow steps, then introduce you to the seller's broker. Avory is not Marriott's agent and cannot create availability. Owner stays are subject to availability. Request access.