Advice - Purchasing DVC - Family of 4

[4luv2cdisney]

As someone struggling to find a resale contract in an October UY, I can agree to the "issue" of matching UYs. However, I do think Oct was the 100% best UY for us and I may have regretted buying for example an August UY because it was a "good deal" then being unhappy with my UY. So, it really didn't matter to me. Finding an Oct UY is the same struggle no matter what came first. So, it depends on how flexible you are re: UY.

But @_auroraborealis_ has a good point on taking a bigger hit on a direct contract if you were to turn around and sell it.

We bought, got our APs, took 2 trips, attended an MM event and are about to do a 2nd one.... we got immediate use / value from our direct benefits and I think it significantly impacted our DVC enjoyment.

Now I can literally wait a year(s) for an add-on contract. I feel like I can have my cake and eat it, too. We are not opposed to staying in mods to take advantage of free dining from time to time and I like points transfers as opposed to renting, though they aren't always easy to find. I have a 2 night stay booked on points right now, but the trip is starting to look a little iffy, so I think I'm going to cancel it, bank my points, and book a mod. It feels safer in case of a last minute cancel and it's no big deal for 2 nights. But I'm still a member, still get the benefits, ….. you get the idea. We only have one small contract right now.

But I do believe I'm in the minority on this view! So, you do what's best for you! Just throwing my experience out there!

 

[DisneyMomof2Girls]

Why not buy points for just the summer trip to start? You can use them anytime but think about it from the summer when it's easier to sleep around.

Your call though but it's a huge purchase all at once.

Absolutely agree and that's our intent. Start small and buy more points later.

 

[TraderSamWDW]

If you start with direct then sell because you find it doesn't, you will take a big loss on most resorts. If you start with resale, you will take a smaller loss or break even (minus dues).

That is spot on. If you decide its not for you and you have a resale contract, you will be out closing costs and a years worth of dues, but you got a vacation out of it. You might actually spend LESS that had you paid cash for your hotel, but it will be close to a wash, its almost risk free*


* - the economy could crash, etc, etc,

 

[_auroraborealis_]

That is spot on. If you decide its not for you and you have a resale contract, you will be out closing costs and a years worth of dues, but you got a vacation out of it. You might actually spend LESS that had you paid cash for your hotel, but it will be close to a wash, its almost risk free*


* - the economy could crash, etc, etc,

But still lower risk than direct. We know there is a $50 gap between direct and resale for a number of resorts now. Any economic mayhem will just increase that.

 

[TraderSamWDW]

But still lower risk than direct. We know there is a $50 gap between direct and resale for a number of resorts now. Any economic mayhem will just increase that.

Maybe I didn't word it well, the risks aren't even comparable was the point I was trying to make (same as you).
100 points at the VGF direct is 24,500. Resale you are looking at about 16,500

Decide its not for you you are out 8K Direct. Plus the 10& commission to sell, so you get back 15? thats almost a 10K hit. - so 10K for one vacation
Resale 16,500 pay 10% commissions you down 1650. (plus some higher closing costs) - so 2K for one vacation

Of course the VGF is probably the biggest gap, but it is a resort OP mentioned. Other resorts would be less, but still, no comparison.

 

[kboo]

If you want to start small and are definitely interested in buying direct, I might go against the CW (resale before direct to match UY, etc.) and suggest you consider a 100-point direct contract at either OKW or SSR ($165 pp, right?). Use the points for your summer trip first - You'll have the AP discount right away and DVC member discounts, ability to try ALL the resorts (so you can see which next resort/resale) you might like. You are already going multiple times a year, so get the direct benefit for discounts etc right away and so you can try a bunch of resorts. Then take your time, see how you like to use your points, what resorts you like/don't like as much, continue to rent/pay cash for other trips, until you get the hang of DVC.

You can always add on at other resorts (or not) if you really love one or the other. But having SSR or OKW also ensures that if you decide resale is good and you're happy with those resorts and sleeping around if you can, you will also have lower costs when you decide to match resale points.

As for the difficulty of matching UY if you buy resale later, there are charts online that show that show the different # of points sold (originally) for each UY. I think February has a LOT more points than March across most resorts, so if you got a Feb UY SSR or OKW direct to start, you would not have much trouble matching UY if you later decided to add on resale points.

 

[E2ME2]

If you want to start small and are definitely interested in buying direct, I might go against the CW (resale before direct to match UY, etc.) and suggest you consider a 100-point direct contract at either OKW or SSR ($165 pp, right?). Use the points for your summer trip first - You'll have the AP discount right away and DVC member discounts, ability to try ALL the resorts (so you can see which next resort/resale) you might like. You are already going multiple times a year, so get the direct benefit for discounts etc right away and so you can try a bunch of resorts. Then take your time, see how you like to use your points, what resorts you like/don't like as much, continue to rent/pay cash for other trips, until you get the hang of DVC.

You can always add on at other resorts (or not) if you really love one or the other. But having SSR or OKW also ensures that if you decide resale is good and you're happy with those resorts and sleeping around if you can, you will also have lower costs when you decide to match resale points.

As for the difficulty of matching UY if you buy resale later, there are charts online that show that show the different # of points sold (originally) for each UY. I think February has a LOT more points than March across most resorts, so if you got a Feb UY SSR or OKW direct to start, you would not have much trouble matching UY if you later decided to add on resale points.

...sounds like good advice. We had already bought SSR with June UY, and now we're trying to match the UY in resale.
Oh, and I like your avatar, kboo!