My husband has finally agreed to buy into DVC. 
That being said, he wants to know the resort that resales well, just incase he doesn't like it.
I am so excited!
I am so excited!
Bill
As noted, they should all be roughly the same at the right price, assuming it's not HH or VB and assuming one got a good deal up front. Regardless there will be a loss of at least 10% plus the points used, possibly a little more. I'd recommend against buying unless one is more certain, I'd agree with a rental or 2 which should give you more info to make an informed decision. Assuming DVC makes sense otherwise (can plan at least 7 months out, pay cash, value staying on property, OK with the timeshare compromises and the like), that should help him feel more comfortable or avoid a bad decision depending on the outcome. Either way it should help avoid buying then having to sell again. One of the problems with buying thinking about resale is it's likely to lead to buying a higher demand resort at a higher price. If you decide to buy, I would recommend against buying a higher demand resort than needed (like BLT, VGF or BCV) thinking about resale. Rather I'd put my effort into deciding what's the best resort for you then getting the right price IF you decide to buy. Good luck.I am so excited!
I am thinking we will buy at Animal Kingdom Lodge or Boardwalk. We haven't stayed at either one, but I like what they have offer. us it seems difficult to get them at the 7 month mark. We have stayed at Old Key West and we are staying at Saratoga Springs this August. We will buy resale, because we only intend to use it at Disney resorts. We should have done this a long time ago! We have been to WDW 10 times, my DD is 17, but we still enjoy it and hope to take grandchildren some day. In the mean time we can just go and enjoy all the different experiences Disney has to offer.
If you don't know what you want, I would buy SSR, use the points for a few years to experience all of the resorts, then buy where you love to guarantee availability. You can either sell SSR or keep it for 7 month booking at other resorts.
Obviously every situation is different but I'd suggest you consider how you'll use the points. IMO it's more about where you'll generally stay and cost than simply where you own. If you'll stay at BWV most trips, esp if looking at standard or BW view, then I'd definitely suggest buying there. The same cannot be said for AKV unless one is focused on the concierge option routinely. Even for value rooms, I do not feel buying AKV is the best choice for most people and here's why. If one bought SSR, there's almost certain availability at AKV in standard view at 7 months out into perpetuity. And in that situation SSR will be around the same or a little cheaper than AKV when you look at all parameters appropriately even buying the extra points at SSR over the costs of a value at AKV. Then every time you use points for something else, you gain extra value by owning SSR over AKV. Also consider that the dues for AKV and BWV are among the highest in the system. At least for BWV you potentially get something for the commitment, the same cannot be said for AKV other than the remote possibility of concierge for those that care for it.Thanks for answering my question!
We've had this discussion recently. I believe that waiting and making a better decision far outweighs any benefit of buying/using now. You have to consider that buying the wrong resort has potential costs and consequences including maint fees, that buying a higher cost resort as a poor choice is far more costly than underbuying at say SSR. Taking more time also allows looking for a better priced and better situated contract as well as likely leading to a better decision. Still, eventually one has to fish or cut bait so every situation is different and incorporates personal nuances that are almost impossible to discuss here. Most people don't even know themselves at this point well enough to factor in all variables. Regardless, even if one makes exactly the same decision now vs a yr from now and rents once equivalent to a years worth of points, there's no real savings even all else being equal but there is significant risk.
I don't disptute any of the math, but allow me to ask what might be a stupid question... If the cost works out to be about the same, then why in God's name would anyone want to go through the hassle of buying SSR via resale, which involves searching for the right contract, making an offer, back & forth negotiations with the seller, hoping and praying to pass ROFR, waiting for points to be uploaded, and all of the associated paperwork that goes along with it, all of which can take tens of hours of your personal time and months to accomplish...... Not to mention going through the SAME process all over again when selling... If you can simply call up David's Vacation Rentals and presumably have rental points in a week.
That's true best case scenario for a good choice made resale used only for DVC options compared to renting DVC from David's assuming no lost points and not financing. Any variation from this situation quickly reduces the value and fairly quickly moves the needle into the red. IMO one needs a 20% real savings to justify owning (that's compared to what one would have spent, not the almost meaningless comparison to rack rates for DVC) or a 20% additional value that is truly beneficial to the buyer and desired. That includes accounting for the time value of money in the process. It also assumes that DVC makes sense otherwise.
Bill
