Advice for prospective DVC buyers

[cocoswife]

Once again... thanks!!

 

[alldiz]

Thanks for this great thread....

I just bought WLV....resale....
waiting to close...It is maddening to wait to close...

I want to make my ressie...for early dec...

Still worth it to go resale for me...
Got last years points and paid 88 per pt...

Happy planning people
Kerri

 

[vbarry]

Thanks for this great info!

I have read a lot of this and still have questions about buying at SSR or where you want to stay.

I am currently on a wait list fo 200 points at the BCV for $95.00 per point. I decided on this because our vacation schedule is limited due to our children being in school and my husband being very busy in the spring and fall. This leaves us with summer, possible Easter, Thanksgiving and X-mas.

I keep wondering if I am making the right decision. SSR was quoted to me at $86.00 plus the extra 12 years.

Then I think about the fact that the AKV will be opening which will allow for many more DVC memebers. Will this cause problems with getting reservations at the 7month window at the smaller resorts??

My next question is-with the new DVC location opening-do you think it will be best to wait for the BCV points and pay a little more and get less years, take the SSR deal or wait to see what is offered for the AKV? Will there be deals with the opening of AKV and will the contract be for the additional 12 years?

Thanks for any help in making this exciting...yet stressful decision!

 

[KristineMN]

Hello - I have been a lurker for quite some time - but we have decided to buy 150 points at SSR. I would like to give our salesperson the name of a member for the friends and family referral and see if he won't give us the $86 per point deal. We were down there for the tour before the 1/20 cut off and it doesn't hurt to ask. Please email me at thetadychs@charter.net.

Thanks much!!

 

[NurseKim]

I wanted to bump this thread up since it has so much great info!

A question for anyone reading this last page.........

My DH and I have the ability to pretty much take any week vacation that we'd like. Right now, getting into a certain resort for our home resort is not a priority. The way I look at it (and after reading this thread), points are points after 7 mos. I am looking to pay the least amt of dues, and price per point to make teh biggest bang for my buck. Does that make sense?

I'm sure it will change once the boys get into school and we'll be looking to vacation when everyone else does

Any input is welcome!

 

[BroganMc]

My DH and I have the ability to pretty much take any week vacation that we'd like. Right now, getting into a certain resort for our home resort is not a priority. The way I look at it (and after reading this thread), points are points after 7 mos. I am looking to pay the least amt of dues, and price per point to make teh biggest bang for my buck. Does that make sense?

Hi NurseKim,

I read this thread when I was debating my purchase last year (May '05). it gave me a headache and posed a lot of questions. I believe I grilled my sales guide twice for an hour before I agreed to sign on the dotted line. So many possibilities!!!

Since low point cost is your issue and you are new member buying now, I'm thinking your best deal may be a resale contract. Perhaps an OKW since they are generally in the $70's, points are less for accommodations, the resort is large enough to have availability under 7 months, rooms are slightly bigger and maintenance is low.

You're not gaining anything by buying BCV, BWV or VWL resale except that 11 mos booking window preference. All those contracts end in 2042, same as OKW. And price per point is higher on resale for those. HH and VB tend to have higher maintenance fees lately due to their beachfront (hurricane zone)location. They also have an expiry of 2042. So same rules about buying those for booking windows (especially in the summer months).

If you were buying a month ago, I would've said Saratoga was the best route. But the Friends & Family promo (dropping the price to $86 per point) is over now. So you're buy-in price is $101 (I believe) and will go up to $104 in a month (what AKV will be for new members). Saratoga has an expiry of 2054 (12 extra years) and has enough availability to make booking under 7 mos. comfortable.

If you wait another 6-12 mos. you may find good prices on SSR resales equivelant to that F&F promo. I doubt AKV is going to be that good a deal and expect maintenance fees to be higher. Could be wrong though. You never know what deal Disney will offer.

Now for us, I travel with my semi-retired dad and both of us have very flexible schedules. We go in off times and try to avoid the crowds as much as possible. But we also plan a few vacations with my married with kids siblings and are forced to wrangle the school schedule. So I realize the issues there. We also have built a vacation portfolio that allows us to share many of our vacations with our not-so-extended family. (We added my siblings to the contract just so they could get perks and be entitled to usage too.)

We ended up purchasing 200 SSR points last May direct from Disney. We added another 120 points in December on the F&F promo so we had more flexibility. We found we like SSR best for its location and layout, so if we had to go anywhere this is our #1 choice. But we fully intend to try all the resorts, eventually.

AKV is very tempting as an add-on to existing members under the current pricing incentive ($93 per point), but for new members it may be a budget thing. The resort will be just under the size of OKW so a lot of us are betting there will be availability at 7 mos. The recent fervor is backed more by members' love of this exotic resort (seeing animals from your balcony).

OKW is not a bad choice for the point conscious DVCer. You are actually a little bit closer to the main roads via bus and a short ferry ride to DTD.

 

[JimMIA]

What BroganMc said. Excellent post!

 

[BroganMc]

What BroganMc said. Excellent post!

Thank you.

Never thought I'd be recommending an older resort, but situations do apply.

 

[Rambler5678]

What are the annual dues/point at the different DVC resorts? Also if you are able to buy a small contract for SSR or OKW how much would it cost/point to pass ROFR?

Thanks

 

[LisaS]

What are the annual dues/point at the different DVC resorts? Also if you are able to buy a small contract for SSR or OKW how much would it cost/point to pass ROFR?

Thanks

A table of the dues at each resort can be found here: http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/DVC/DVCDuesHistory.htm

The "ROFR" thread lists contracts that have passed ROFR and those that did not. You can get a pretty good idea of what you have to pay by looking at recent sales of similarly-sized contracts. Note that small contracts sell at a premium. The latest table will be found in one of the last few pages of the thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=720134

 

[myrnagog]

Hi, we just returned from WDW today and visited SSR this past Thursday...like many of you, I obsess, especially over financial decisions. I have been reading through these posts and thank you all for taking the time to educate me. Anyway, we are looking to buy 200 points at SSR at $90/pt. We were offered 10.75% for a ten year loan through Disney or roughly 6% for a five year loan. My family is not looking at this as a money saver, committing to "large" vacations every year certainly will not save us any money, but we are looking to better our vacation experience by staying in nicer resorts. In these posts it sounds as if everyone is traveling to WDW; are any of you using the other resorts? We are interested in rotating our vacation schedule...Spain, Williamsburg, D.C., South America, WDW. Is anyone else doing this and how are the other DVC Resorts outside of Disney? Would you recommend these resorts over other timeshare opportunities if you are not staying somewhere on WDW property specifically? Also, we would like to purchase properties for our sons to gift them when they get married but would like to do it in such a way that we can combine the points every year to reserve larger accommodations in the meantime. We were thinking of multiple 200 point contracts and then gifting them later, is that possible? Should we purchase at the same time each year so that the UseYear will be the same for traveling now? OR, can we ADD points to our original contract and then separate them later? Anything might be helpful...thank you in advance.

 

[jaysue]

Thanks for this great info!

I have read a lot of this and still have questions about buying at SSR or where you want to stay.

I am currently on a wait list fo 200 points at the BCV for $95.00 per point. I decided on this because our vacation schedule is limited due to our children being in school and my husband being very busy in the spring and fall. This leaves us with summer, possible Easter, Thanksgiving and X-mas.

I keep wondering if I am making the right decision. SSR was quoted to me at $86.00 plus the extra 12 years.

Then I think about the fact that the AKV will be opening which will allow for many more DVC memebers. Will this cause problems with getting reservations at the 7month window at the smaller resorts??

My next question is-with the new DVC location opening-do you think it will be best to wait for the BCV points and pay a little more and get less years, take the SSR deal or wait to see what is offered for the AKV? Will there be deals with the opening of AKV and will the contract be for the additional 12 years?

Thanks for any help in making this exciting...yet stressful decision!

AKV contracts good to 2057

What times of year do you typically travel - this would assess whether you would really need those BCV points or not to get into BCV

Cheers
jaysue

 

[sara74]

Just read this WHOLE THREAD this morning...head spinning, nausea setting in. DH is tentatively considering DVC as a 10th anniversary gift to me. DH agrees that we have at least 10 more trips to WDW ahead of us with the kids (every other year until the baby leaves home) we would need a 2 br no matter how you look at it and based on the point charts I am thinking that we would need at least 200 points. We would be able to book out 11 months as we both make our own schedules, so there is value for us in buying in a resort we really want to be at, but I would love to visit more than one resort over the years. We have stayed at WL but I don't see us going to VWL for every trip in the future.

Here's the downside. He's not sure that he will want to continue to visit WDW in 20 years. Which brings me to 2 scenarios... 1) we sell the contract in 20 years. Then I think it makes sense to buy somewhere newer so we would have a decent length on the contract to sell when the time comes. 2) we use/trade/I don't know what you call it to go to other places around the world. I know DH is interested in this angle for the long term future, but I don't see any info on it anywhere. Would this be something that I could find out more about from Disney themselves? And while we are talking alternatives, what are the points needed if we ever wanted to cruise? Where could I find that info? Because we think that we would like to cruise just once but would have a hard time paying cash for it if we already had DVC, KWIM?

FWIW I think DH will still want to visit WDW in 20 years - he doesn't golf now, but he will eventually, we can't go to F&W now as it wouldn't hold the little ones interest, but later it would be great to do. On our previous trip we didn't stay at AKL because it seemed far from the MK but I think the focus of our trips will change through the years and that distance won't be as important as it seems now.

We would do this purchase cash, so financing isn't an issue. From what I have read AKV will be very large so does it seem possible that we could book there 7 months out without a huge issue? To use the 11 month window we need a contract all at one place, right? So if I can find one at BW or BC that would be good except for the fact that it ends sooner.

If $ weren't an issue (it is for DH but let's pretend it's not) and you were in my shoes, with little ones who are 5, 2 and 5 months old, WWYD? Don't worry, I won't hold you to it if I make the 'wrong' choice but I am trying to think out loud here and I don't know anyone IRL who owns at DVC.

 

[Eventer98]

Thanks for the great thread!! I thought I knew the answers to all my questions but realized I still had more to learn! If anyone has any feedback on Disney financing....for ie. does your credit score determine whether you get the smaller interest rate for a 10 yr. loan or is it the size of your down payment? We probably aren't buying until late summer but trying to stay on top of things. Does anyone also know what OKW is going for resale thru Disney? TIA!

 

[BroganMc]

Also, we would like to purchase properties for our sons to gift them when they get married but would like to do it in such a way that we can combine the points every year to reserve larger accommodations in the meantime. We were thinking of multiple 200 point contracts and then gifting them later, is that possible?

You can break up your purchase into smaller contracts when you buy. For instance, getting two 100 pt contracts for 200 net points (or 50 + 50 + 50 + 50). Breaking up the contract means you can get a higher premium on resale and it is easy to transfer to a child by willing it. If you transfer to them as a gift, then you have to treat it as a resale and Disney can step in with a Right of First Refusal. They probably won't though.

You decide what use year you want when you purchase. As long as there are points available for that Use Year at the resort, you'll get them. It doesn't matter what year or month you actually buy it. e.g. I bought in May and got a December Use Year. When I added on the following December, I also got a Dec Use Year. In fact, Disney ties your Use Years together so if you start with one your add on will be the same.

 

[BroganMc]

we use/trade/I don't know what you call it to go to other places around the world. I know DH is interested in this angle for the long term future, but I don't see any info on it anywhere. Would this be something that I could find out more about from Disney themselves? And while we are talking alternatives, what are the points needed if we ever wanted to cruise? Where could I find that info? Because we think that we would like to cruise just once but would have a hard time paying cash for it if we already had DVC, KWIM?

It takes 160 pts to trade out to Interval International for a 1 bedroom in High Season. 270 pts gets you a 2 bedroom. II offers Low, Mid and High seasons, and Disney allows trades to only the top of the II totem pole (e.g. Marriott, Hilton, etc.) so you'll get a resort of comparable quality.

A 4 night Bahama Cruise in the summer is 138-244 pts depending on the stateroom booked. Kids are 102 - 104 pts per kid (18 for babies under 2).

7 night Western Caribbean cruises in the Fall are 127 -245 pts with kids 94-122 per kid.

If $ weren't an issue (it is for DH but let's pretend it's not) and you were in my shoes, with little ones who are 5, 2 and 5 months old, WWYD? Don't worry, I won't hold you to it if I make the 'wrong' choice but I am trying to think out loud here and I don't know anyone IRL who owns at DVC.

Oooh toughie. Well let me throw a dart at the board and see where it lands:

Animal Kingdom Villas.

Ok why, you say? You have 3 children which makes your family a size of 5. The new AKV building will have studios and one bedrooms that sleep 5, two bedrooms that sleep 9. Since you will always be traveling together, you'll need at least a two bedroom in the other resorts. At least after your baby becomes a toddler and doesn't fit in a pack-n-play crib. AKV also has a longer life on the contract and there are some wonderful kid-friendly amenities for the kids onsite: savanna views of animals, zero entry pools, new DVC water park and slides.

Downside, it'll be pricier for you ($104/pt) and it's a bus ride away from MK. The new Villa complex won't open for another 18 months so you'll just have the Lodge amenities.

If location is an issue for you and you have to be near MK or Epcot, buy a resale contract of VWL, BCV or BWV. BCV will give you access to StormAlong Bay, but that is a pool geared to slightly older kids. Still only BCV guests can use that pool. VWL is a nice choice now for being a short ferry ride away from MK. All are small, harder to book at 7 months, and if you own there you should be able to book the larger resorts with fewer problems.

 

[LgTmDisFan]

Thank for the thread we are scheduled for the tour when we go to WDW in May and have been looking into DVC ownership. We have a large extended family (me,: DH: ) DD and Dson-inlaw 2 Dgrandsons and Dgranddaughter
DSon and Friend, Ddaughter and her guy and his daughter and sometimes my oldest daughters friends (3) so we are looking for the most points for the dollar. This has been a lot of help. My DH and I would like to stay over the years at most of the resorts so where doesn't matter so much as time of year at this time.

Once again thank for starting this thread and keeping it going it's great

 

[Littlegem]

What a TOTALLY AWESOME Thread...!

Thanks so much to all you DVC owners who have taken time to compile this info for newbies like myself..

I so wish I had found it sooner.. !

I now have a long list of specific questions with which to "grill" my DVC guide when next we talk..

Hope to take a tour of SSR & the new AKV rooms there, on my trip to WDW in October...

I will be buying cash, but hope to squeeze a few extra discounts from the guide on top of the incentives she has mentioned already...

She did mention that WDW charge closing costs of about $250 on 200 pts, but I hope to get that waved by mentioning I might buy re-sale.. What do you think..?

I'm sure someone on the thread did this, & got the discount..

Wish me luck..

Hazel

 

[JimMIA]

I will be buying cash, but hope to squeeze a few extra discounts from the guide on top of the incentives she has mentioned already...

She did mention that WDW charge closing costs of about $250 on 200 pts, but I hope to get that waved by mentioning I might buy re-sale.. What do you think..?

I don't think that will work. Your guide will just point out (correctly) that closing costs on a resale will be more than closing costs through Disney.

I also don't think DVC guides have much flexibility in their offers. The incentives are whatever they are at the moment, and I don't think they have any latitude to offer something special to close a deal.

Also, sometimes they have an incentive for you to buy within 3 days or so of taking the tour. If they offer something like that, the deadline IS real. They will not honor it beyond that deadline.

I think your best approach would be to have a solid understanding of what you want, and also of what is available on the resale market. I'd have a pretty clear idea of what an SSR resale would really cost me, including closing, etc, before I talked to the guide. I see a ton of SSR resales on the TTS site, and I'd take a close look at those to see if any of them meet your needs -- most of them are priced between $80-85 per point, which would be a significant savings for you if you can find one you like. I'd sure give TTS a call before your trip. They're great people to work with.

If you are only interested in AKV, I only see one contract available on TTS, but there will probably be a few over the next few months. Don't expect any big savings on AKV.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

We are currently looking into becoming DVC members after the first of the year. I am mainly interested in SSR (cost) and looking into resale. In researching all aspects of ownership I made note of the maintenance fees and that it can be paid in a lump sum at the beginning of the year or made monthly.

So, one of my questions is, can you do the monthly maintenance fees through resale or is this only an option if you buy direct from Disney?

Second question, I did notice that there are a LOT of SSR resales on TTS versus the other DVC resorts. Considering this is a new DVC resort, is there an issue(s) with this resort that are causing people to sell at such a rate? Other than the resort being big, is there another downside?

Before I make a decision on a home resort, I really want to be well informed and make the right decision. I feel the owners are really the people to talk to on this!!