Another WWYD…Direct Riviera or Resale BCV?

[RoseGold]

What is RIV3? And, do you predict RIV will be difficult to sell in 20 years?

No one knows how RIV resale will be in 20 years or what future properties will be. I'm a lot more confident selling something like BLT in 20 years. Heck, I'd rather be selling DLT in 20 years.

Exit strategy matters here. If you plan to run out the clock, and you don't mind paying more, sure buy what you like. But BC points are very, very expensive, to the point renting is what I would choose mathematically. If you plan to pass a contract down, maybe RIV makes sense for your family.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2021/

 

[UofMGuy423]

What is RIV3? And, do you predict RIV will be difficult to sell in 20 years?

No one really knows, but they've been going for $150ish a point on the resale sites, which considering the restrictions, shows the points are holding up well.

 

[buzzrelly]

OP here...

Wish me luck, we just made an offer on another BCV contract and it was accepted. We signed the initial papers and it should be going to ROFR soon. It's going to be an agonizing couple (hopefully!) weeks!

 

[kboo]

OP here...

Wish me luck, we just made an offer on another BCV contract and it was accepted. We signed the initial papers and it should be going to ROFR soon. It's going to be an agonizing couple (hopefully!) weeks!

Ooh, good luck!

I was just about to chime in that we actually tried, unsuccessfully, to buy BCV back in 2017, DH loves it there, I like it a lot. We have stayed there 2-3x now in the last 5 years.

We ended up buying RIV in 2019 (!!) to get easier access to HS/EP because we were deterred by the 2042 end date for BWV and BCV. The Skyliner worked well for us for all our past RIV stays, except the very first one in December 2019. Riviera is now tied with VGF for our favorite resort - when we stay there we do enjoy spending more time at the resort.

Anyway - we have kids who are younger than yours, though DH and I are around the same age, and definitely thought about having the flexibility to leave something to our kids, who love Disney. If they want to buy DVC2045 when they are adults, they can still sell our Riviera points and buy the new thing if they want.

So - good luck and keep us posted.

 

[buzzrelly]

Ooh, good luck!

I was just about to chime in that we actually tried, unsuccessfully, to buy BCV back in 2017, DH loves it there, I like it a lot. We have stayed there 2-3x now in the last 5 years.

We ended up buying RIV in 2019 (!!) to get easier access to HS/EP because we were deterred by the 2042 end date for BWV and BCV. The Skyliner worked well for us for all our past RIV stays, except the very first one in December 2019. Riviera is now tied with VGF for our favorite resort - when we stay there we do enjoy spending more time at the resort.

Anyway - we have kids who are younger than yours, though DH and I are around the same age, and definitely thought about having the flexibility to leave something to our kids, who love Disney. If they want to buy DVC2045 when they are adults, they can still sell our Riviera points and buy the new thing if they want.

So - good luck and keep us posted.

Thank you! Yes, whenever I stop to consider this, my love for BCV outweighs that 2042 end date

I wish I liked the Skyliner more because RIV is beautiful and you're right as far as having value left in 2042.

If this second contract we are in the process of doesn't go through, I may have to reconsider again. I'll post here either way!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I booked a night in a one bedroom in Riviera for myself and two friends for before the DVC Wish cruise that was changed to July, from June. Originally, I booked a two bedroom at SSR for the three of us. However, like a lot of us here, I check to see what else is available, and a one bedroom at Riviera came up for the same number of points! Both were standard view. I asked my friends if they were OK with pull down beds rather that the queen beds they would have at SSR. They both agreed to try the new experience.

It makes me realize what a bargain in points the older resorts are! Points go a lot further at BCV then they do at Riviera, plus you have the pool!!

 

[jbreen2010]

I would go any resort resale over direct riviera…but that’s just me.

 

[buzzrelly]

Our contract went to ROFR yesterday, 2/8/22, so now we wait!

It makes me realize what a bargain in points the older resorts are! Points go a lot further at BCV then they do at Riviera, plus you have the pool!!

You make a good point and it's something I hadn't considered much. I've also been checking availability at BCV for a trip in just over 7 months and, as expected, the closer we get to the actual 7 month mark, the room we want isn't available.

I would go any resort resale over direct riviera…but that’s just me.

I don't know about that. There's a lot about RIV that appeals to me a LOT more than say, AKV or CCV. But to each his own

 

[dboules]

Our contract went to ROFR yesterday, 2/8/22, so now we wait!

You make a good point and it's something I hadn't considered much. I've also been checking availability at BCV for a trip in just over 7 months and, as expected, the closer we get to the actual 7 month mark, the room we want isn't available.

I don't know about that. There's a lot about RIV that appeals to me a LOT more than say, AKV or CCV. But to each his own

buzzrelly -
Any update on your ROFR? I am looking at buying a small BCV contract and was curious how many pts and price per point you bought. Those small BCV contracts are hard to find.

 

[havoc315]

If you don't love Riviera, I would not buy Riviera.
But I also would never buy BCV at current direct or re-sale pricing.
The current pricing just isn't particularly rational. With the 2042 expiration date, the value will absolutely start going down relatively soon.
Meanwhile, you can rent points or book cash rooms at BCV at pricing very similar to buying re-sale DVC.

The point of locking in a long-term commitment is to get a significant discount. If I'm not getting a significant discount, then I can just rent points or book cash rooms.

 

[havoc315]

No one really knows, but they've been going for $150ish a point on the resale sites, which considering the restrictions, shows the points are holding up well.

I noticed that GFV re-sale is now going in the 150's.... About the same as RIV resale.
Just shows that re-sale pricing is mostly a reflection of the discount off direct pricing. All the resorts sell resort for more or less 65-75% of their direct pricing.

 

[dboules]

If you don't love Riviera, I would not buy Riviera.
But I also would never buy BCV at current direct or re-sale pricing.
The current pricing just isn't particularly rational. With the 2042 expiration date, the value will absolutely start going down relatively soon.
Meanwhile, you can rent points or book cash rooms at BCV at pricing very similar to buying re-sale DVC.

The point of locking in a long-term commitment is to get a significant discount. If I'm not getting a significant discount, then I can just rent points or book cash rooms.

I do not disagree that it is not a wise financial decision.
It's all about the heart. I have always wanted BCV - even before it was available for direct sale. That is why we bought Boulder Ridge (VWL back then) and were not in a position to buy more when BCV was selling.
Now I just can never get a studio there and so the heart so far is winning out over the head.

 

[havoc315]

I do not disagree that it is not a wise financial decision.
It's all about the heart. I have always wanted BCV - even before it was available for direct sale. That is why we bought Boulder Ridge (VWL back then) and were not in a position to buy more when BCV was selling.
Now I just can never get a studio there and so the heart so far is winning out over the head.

You can get a studio renting points.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I do not disagree that it is not a wise financial decision.
It's all about the heart. I have always wanted BCV - even before it was available for direct sale. That is why we bought Boulder Ridge (VWL back then) and were not in a position to buy more when BCV was selling.
Now I just can never get a studio there and so the heart so far is winning out over the head.

I understand. I bought BWV resale instead of Copper Creek direct. No regrets. I am happy I can book where I want, when I want (well most of the time anyways).

 

[JoeDisney247365]

We did both. Direct at Riviera and Resale at BCV. BCV is our #1 and that to us outweighed the 2042 expiration. We are in our late 30's so the contract end date will most likely come into play. But a lot can happen in 20 years or so. How many times do we plan out our life and then it completely changes course (2020-2021). The Riviera resale restrictions were the big drawback for owning there. But we love it and will enjoy it as long as we can and if someday we have to sell it we will deal with whatever consequences the restrictions might bring. Honestly we plan to hand a RIV 150 point contract down to each of our daughters and let them deal with the market conditions if they want to sell haha. We want to enjoy these contracts to the utmost and make a thousand awesome memories regardless of the final result of either of them. For us, we'd rather own where we love than own where it makes the most financial sense, bonus points if you can do both though!

 

[buzzrelly]

buzzrelly -
Any update on your ROFR? I am looking at buying a small BCV contract and was curious how many pts and price per point you bought. Those small BCV contracts are hard to find.

Yes! It passed two days ago! I am so excited! We did end up paying $167/point but someone in the ROFR thread right after me had a similar contract taken at $166. I don't know if that means anything, but I'm too faint of heart to have to continue to go through that ROFR process over and over! Twice was enough!

I do not disagree that it is not a wise financial decision.
It's all about the heart. I have always wanted BCV - even before it was available for direct sale. That is why we bought Boulder Ridge (VWL back then) and were not in a position to buy more when BCV was selling.
Now I just can never get a studio there and so the heart so far is winning out over the head.

Absolutely! I have been considering this for years so it was not a rash decision and every time we go, I'll be so thankful we have these points.

You can get a studio renting points.

Renting points may be a great option for some people, but it's not something I feel comfortable doing.

We want to enjoy these contracts to the utmost and make a thousand awesome memories regardless of the final result of either of them. For us, we'd rather own where we love than own where it makes the most financial sense,

I 1,000% agree! Once all is said and done and I'm on vacation with my family, I rarely think about the money. Those memories are what gets me through the sometimes drudgery of day to day life.

Plus, we'll still have BLT when this contract ends, if we so desire. And we will very likely be living in FL before then anyway so having one contract end may be a blessing.

 

[Madame]

You can get a studio renting points.

It’s very hard to find BCV points to rent - ours are in high demand when we rent them and brokers rarely have them.

 

[havoc315]

It’s very hard to find BCV points to rent - ours are in high demand when we rent them and brokers rarely have them.

Maybe. But I never had trouble and always observe availability on the rental board.

Renting points may be a great option for some people, but it's not something I feel comfortable doing.

May I ask what your discomfort is in booking cash rooms or renting points?

Personally, if buying bulk costs MORE than buying individually, I'll always buy individually. (would I rather buy a package of 10 hamburgers for $30, or buy 10 hamburgers individually for $2.50 each).

 

[Lorana]

I love BCV far more than RIV, but we ended up buying RIV and plan to try our luck with 7 month windows. The expiration would be shortly after when we hope to retire, which means we wouldn't have much use of BCV in retirement before it expires -- which might be a good thing, mind you. But our other reasoning was that if things changed over the next 20 years and we decided we wanted to sell, we figured BCV would not be worth much (or would just expire), whereas we expect that RIV would still have value if we sold. Likewise, if we remained hooked on Disney, buying RIV meant we could pass it down to our children if they wanted it. And, finally, we were really only looking for enough points for a few nights a year. I think if this were going to be the only place we stayed, we might have favored a resort we loved more -- but we already own where we love, at BRV/CCV and AKV. This gave us an EPCOT resort, quick access to both EPCOT and HS, and relatively easy access to the Boardwalk area, which is what we wanted. It is a nice resort, and we certainly enjoyed our stay there the other week -- if they had given it a lazy river, I might have loved it more. ;-)

 

[Madame]

Maybe. But I never had trouble and always observe availability on the rental board.



May I ask what your discomfort is in booking cash rooms or renting points?

Personally, if buying bulk costs MORE than buying individually, I'll always buy individually. (would I rather buy a package of 10 hamburgers for $30, or buy 10 hamburgers individually for $2.50 each).

Because BCV is in such high demand brokers rarely have points (Poly as well I believe). I assume savvy renters rent their high value points privately so they can maximize price. A FB group I belong to has the rare BCV points at between $22-4 pp. No clue about the boards here.