Meet David Paik | Vacation timeshare enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Paik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I love traveling and vacationing like most people. Many years ago, we were on vacation and got convinced into attending a timeshare presentation which was very tempting but I didn’t end up buying from the developer. I was intrigued and did some research on the timeshare industry and discovered that there is an untapped, under-publicized and very fragmented market of resale timeshares where existing owners are trying to sell or exit their timeshares if they no longer use them and due to the financial obligations required to own a timeshare. I won’t go into the details of how timeshares typically work, but to understand the general concept, you are buying and owning a deed to the property (similar to if you purchased and own your home) which gives you the right to use a week during the year. The timeshare ownership comes with required financial obligations of paying annual maintenance fees whether you use it or not.

As a “hobby”, I started buying resale timeshares from existing owners at much lower costs than the original developers’ prices where I saw value in terms of brand, location and popularity. My family and friends have all benefited from staying at many top notch resorts that offer much better value compared to a hotel room. One of the many benefits to timeshares is most are spacious villas with residence-like amenities such as fully equipped kitchens and in-unit washer/dryer.

As I amassed a nice little portfolio of timeshare properties over the many years, I started to rent to other guests via various on-line rental platforms for the extra usage that my family and friends were not able to take advantage of. All of a sudden I look back now and realize wow, did I really help over 500 guests enjoy their vacation in my timeshare villas over the years?! I have many repeat happy guests who want to stay again and they are always reaching back out for availability to rent again. I finally decided to develop and launch my own website where I can post availability and options in real-time and allow guests to reserve without the high fees that other online platforms charge. My website will also help other existing timeshare owners be able to sell or rent out their usage if they don’t use it or want to make some extra money.

I still consider zipscape.com and managing my timeshare portfolio as a “hobby” as I’m still a full-time working professional and enjoy my “real” job as a corporate consultant. Some people collect baseball cards for fun, I just like to collect timeshares…

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a corporate consultant by day and vacation timeshare enthusiast by night. My real day job is advising and working with companies on improving operations, functions and M&A transactions. My hobby is being a vacation timeshare enthusiast which is the driving reason I launched Zipscape. I had this idea of the website for the longest time but never got around to executing on it until finally launching it in November of 2022. There’s always going to be excuses and reasons not to do something in life: “I’m content with how it is now…” ;
“That’s a lot of money I need to spend to get my idea off the ground…” ;
“I’m not sure it will be as successful as I want it…”

One day, I finally decided I’m going to try and build this website myself (the last time I learned about websites was about basic HTML in my Computer Science 101 class back in my college days in the late 90s). You can accomplish anything in life if you have the will and motivation. Nothing is ever guaranteed but you’ll never know what you can achieve if you don’t take the chance and risk!
Some of the sayings that I take to heart as motivators in life:
“Perfection is the enemy of progress” – don’t strive and worry about making something perfect and take the leap of faith and just do it!
“Tomorrow you’re gonna wish you started today…” – this is a good one for natural procrastinators like me.

Vacationing is something we all look forward to in life no matter where it is you go and do. We vacation not to escape life but for life not to escape us. The best time for a vacation is when you don’t have time for it. I’m excited that my website and hobby will help guests find great accommodations to enjoy their vacation that much more and also to help other timeshare owners sell or rent out their property.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live out in the ‘burbs (Katy) so we don’t venture much into the big city since we have everything we love and need around us. I’m somewhat of a creature of habit so I would make sure we go to my early Saturday morning 90-minute OrangeTheory class that I never miss (only a handful of times if I am out of town). My favorite places to eat are Local Table, Sushi Hana (since we moved here in 2005) and recent Pearl & Vine (if you’re paying). I love to play a round of golf at Cinco Ranch Golf Club (not as much as I use to during the pandemic lockdown). I also love craft beers and Katy’s very own No Label Brewery is a great place to hang out.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to thank God for all the many blessings of family, friends, health and the opportunities that I have been given. I give credit for my perseverance and work ethic to my mom (who’s up in Heaven) and my dad who both took a big leap of faith immigrating to the US over 40 years ago to start a new life and always working so hard to provide me and my siblings a better opportunity than they had. My dear siblings (Jane, John and Laura) get a big shout out for shaping me into who I am today being a big brother to them. We’ve all come a long way since taking all those long road-trips in the back of the van across the US for vacation which we all have so many fond memories of! I’m also thankful for all the many friends I have made along the journey of life. And of course, last but certainly not least, a huge thanks to my wife (Amy) and kids (Zachary and Lauren), for being my inspiration and motivation to launch Zipscape to enable others to have fabulous vacations.

Website: www.zipscape.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/zipscapetravels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/zipscape

Other: david@zipscape.com