[B]If you were a newbie.....what would you do?[/B]

[TinkABoutIt]

Ok....I know I have been quite the inquisitive one....but this is a big investment and I want to do it the best way possible........so
Here's my question to you DVCers...If you were new, would you purchase through Disney or through a resale......gives me the advantages (or dis) of both....please!

 

[wdwstar]

Buying thru dvc you sign contracts,send the money,make ressies
resale you sign contracts, send the money, pay for closings cost & any other fees, wait for ROFR, disney proves the contract or buys the contract back,
now you have to wait to close before you can make ressies or start all over with the resale.

i guess it all depends if your not in a hurry to start enjoying your DVC.
to me time is money

 

[dianeschlicht]

I don't think it really matters unless you have a specific resort you want to buy that is not available one place or the other. Disney might not have enough points available at certain resorts. You can make reservations almost immediately with Disney sale or resale, while you will have to wait in indertmined amount of time with a resale through an outside agency. You might be able to save a little with an outside resale, but I wouldn't say you would save "tons". I think the more important factor is gettin the size contract you want at the resort you want. BTW, I did not vote, because I have no strong feeling one way or the other.

 

[Man_Of_Leisure]

In my opinion it depends totally on your financial situation. Since ownership should not be considered an investment in other than your future vacations I would take the road that costs the least. Financing through Disney is 9.75% for ten years. If you have other financing options available with better rates, i.e. home equity line of credit, cash, etc., then buying a resale is the way to go. As I understand it, once you become a DVC member you enjoy the same perks and are pampered the same no matter where or who you purchased your new home from. I am sure many others will tell you the same and they will give you some ideas as to reputable resalers. If you can afford it, go for it, and don't look back.

Good Luck,
Man Of Leisure

 

[Par8hed]

I paid cash and purchased a resale(twice actually). I got exactly what I wanted and closed within 60 days of initial contact to the broker. I saved several thousand dollars versus Disneys price. It may not be for everyone, but I would certainly look at resale. Financing through Disney is undoubtedly fast and easy, but a deductible home equity loan is also a sound option.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

Well, I would go with Disney the first time for ease and confidence that the contract is going to be accepted. After the first one there isn't as much urgency, and I'd go with the best offer on the table. I'd have to save more than a few hundred to go resale, though.

 

[bobbiwoz]

If I were new and with a family of 6, I would probably look for an OKW resale.
This is from someone who has never stayed in anything larger than a studio at OKW, but I did like the atmosphere and "they" say how much larger the larger units are at OKW. Point costs are very reasonable to buy, point costs per night are good, and the opportunity for a GV is there. The GV at BWV where we own is very prohibitive, but we will try one someday.

Best wishes as you make your decision.

Bobbi

 

[Scoootch]

I didn't vote either

It really depends. If you go through Disney, it's definetly a little quicker and maybe easier BUT as for saving $$ and buying resale, it all depends on if you're paying cash or having to obtain your own financing as to if it will save you a dramatic amount of money I'd think. Plus as someone else pointed out it also depends on how quickly you want things to go through since with resale you'll have to go through ROFR.

What I definetly would say though is that if you want to own at a particular resort then resale is definetly the way to go often times . You may want to own at BCV's which is sold out and may not be available Directly thorugh Disney and in a case like that (or any other resort that is sold out and more readily available via resale) then go resale. I wouldn't buy directly through Disney and buy SSR with the intention of always staying at BCV's (or another sold out resort you should've bought into) ~ unless the extra 12 yrs ownership is more important than getting to stay at a particular resort. Home resort is important IMHO.

If you will be paying cash to buy in then I'd also go resale...that will almost definetly save you alot of $$. Otherwise it's all in what's available through either and which resort you really want to own at.

 

[TinkABoutIt]

~ unless the extra 12 yrs ownership is more important than getting to stay at a particular resort. Home resort is important IMHO.

It would be a difference of me being 70 when it runs out (DH 75) or 82 (DH 87)......I don't think it will matter in my 80's????My gma traveled into her 70's, but hasn't done any in her 80's

Also, is there a website to view the grounds of each? I think most are telling me to buy into OKW, BCV, BW, or SSR.....I thought about doing 150 through Disney at SS initiially and then go through resale for one of the others so I can have the 11 month bookings and bank my points .....

Also, I live in Ohio (Go Bucks!) ...what if we are every other year Disney travelers? What would we do about tickets to the parks? Would it still be worth the AP for a fam of 6? OR is there a better value for us?

Decisions....decisions.....
:

 

[JimMIA]

Didn't vote either. You're wasting your time with these polls. Call DVC and talk to a guide. Call TTS and talk to a realtor. Do your homework, and make the best decision for your family.

There are no cookie-cutter solutions.

 

[Scoootch]

It would be a difference of me being 70 when it runs out (DH 75) or 82 (DH 87)......I don't think it will matter in my 80's????

In that case, if the extra 12 yrs membership at SSR isn't what's most important to you, I'd go by which resort you'd want to buy into. You'll only have the 11mos window at your home resort. If you buy other than where you'd want to stay most would you be devestated if you couldn't get the ressies you wanted at 7mos? If you tend to travel during DVC busy times (which are different than regular WDW resort busy times BTW) and are the type who would be really dissapointed if you couldn't get a particular room size and/or resort than home resort is important and as membership continues to grow competition for the smaller resorts like BCV's,BWV's and VWL will be greater as well as things like a GV at OKW resort. If you buy SSR from Disney and an add on at VWL (for example) btw you'll only get the 11month window for the points you own at each resort...you can't combine them all and book them all at one or the other...just something to keep in mind.

As JimMIA just said, do the homework and talk to both TTS and a guide and see what will work best. There are so many different things that will come into play to make the decision. Best of luck and Pixie dust to you
~*~*~*~*

 

[tjkraz]

It would be a difference of me being 70 when it runs out (DH 75) or 82 (DH 87)......I don't think it will matter in my 80's????My gma traveled into her 70's, but hasn't done any in her 80's

I agree that Home Resort preference as it relates to your booking preference is paramount. However, just to put a different spin on the contract durations, let's assume that you decide WDW is no longer for you when you reach age 65. Which do you think will have a greater resale value:

OKW with 5 years left
SSR with 17 years left

That said, I think OKW resale contracts are some of the best deals available today.

 

[Man_Of_Leisure]

You can find pics of all the resorts at allearsnetcom. Just click on the link to the resort on the menu and you find the pics. Some are slide shows.

You have a larger family; therefore, you need to plan for at least a two bedroom villa. I still think money is the number one factor; however, you haven't indicated that is an issue. That being the case, where you buy and how many points you purchase depends on which resort you would prefer and whether or not you plan to stay at other resorts in the future. If you can't make up your mind, I would definitely visit the resort(s) before your purchase. If you have been to WDW then you probably have a good idea as to what you like and where you would like to live. You also need to consider the time of the year you will be traveling. Some resorts are much more difficult to get than others depending on the season.

I purchased at SSR through Disney my first time. I liked the location near DD, we usually drive so transportation is not an issue, and although I could have purchased a resale and saved some money the financing through Disney was currently my best option. All things considered, I felt good about the purchase and knew that I could refinance or pay it off early if I want to.

I would consider making a list and prioritize your needs from most to least important. It should be a fairly easy decision from there to narrow it down to two selections. I would be interested in what you come up with and what you believe your resort choices should be.

If you prefer the boardwalk and Epcot, I would chose BWV or BCV. If you love DD, then pick SSR. If you want exceptional value, pick OKW. If you like seclusion, go with WLV.

Hope this helps.

Man Of Leisure

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

I didn't vote either because I can see benefits of both ways. I went the resale route because I wanted to start out with a smaller contract that I could completely pay off. I do know we will be adding on and I am currently not sure which way we will go for that. I like the fact that we can add on in increments of as little as 25 points now that we are members through Disney.

One bad thing about going resale is if you are a stresser. I see so many people stressing over the ROFR and then if the contract does get ROFR it just adds more stress. We were in no hurry and felt if it got ROFRed then no big deal. The one way to get around ROFR is to make sure your price is high enough, but it seems even then there is no guarantee, and if you are offering a high price then you might as well buy from Disney. A drawback from buying from Disney is buying the 150 minimum.

They other thing we considered is that you can easily transfer or sell smaller contracts. We have 3 children and if we wanted to leave them 50 points each, we need to have 3 contracts or add ons for 50 points each. Disney does not allow you to split a contact up.

Also, as many people have said, if you have to finance, make sure you take interest costs into consideration when calculating your overall cost.

Lisa

 

[TnRobin]

You don't have the option I did choose and would choose again. I took the one that was cheaper at the time I bought. For me that was Disney. Our first contract was only 180 points. When you deal with a small contract the closing cost charged by the resalers really affects the price per point. I think our calculation at that time was it added about $3 per point to our cost. By the time we factored in DVC offer of $10 off per points incentive if you gave up your first year's points, the Disney Direct was cheaper. Of course incentives have changed since then, but the closing cost issues haven't. You need to calculate your own total cost per point for the contract size you are looking at.

 

[TinkABoutIt]

You're wasting your time with these polls. Call DVC and talk to a guide. Call TTS and talk to a realtor. Do your homework, and make the best decision for your family.

There are no cookie-cutter solutions.

OK....I realize I need to do my homework...I am a teacher
BUT I am interested in what other long time DVCers KNOW...I only have went to Disney and stayed at Coronado and All Stars....we visited BW on the DVC tour, but really don't have a grasp of what the others are like....so the way I see it, I'm not wasting my time. I just want input from knowledgable people.....it's not like I sit here all day waiting for responses....I periodically check to see what my new mouse friends have for me...and I must say, everyone has had so much helpful info...I so appreciate it!

 

[TinkABoutIt]

I took the one that was cheaper at the time I bought. For me that was Disney. Our first contract was only 180 points. When you deal with a small contract the closing cost charged by the resalers really affects the price per point. I think our calculation at that time was it added about $3 per point to our cost. By the time we factored in DVC offer of $10 off per points incentive if you gave up your first year's points, the Disney Direct was cheaper. Of course incentives have changed since then, but the closing cost issues haven't. You need to calculate your own total cost per point for the contract size you are looking at.

Now that is helpful! I need info like this.....thanks!

 

[tjkraz]

Before you decide where to buy your points, I think you first need to decide WHAT to buy--as in, which resort.

A good question to ask yourself is whether you really have your heart set on a single resort, or if you feel all of them are equally attractive. If you are of the mindset that any trip NOT spent at ___ resort will be a disappointment, then you should buy at that resort. But, if you just want to get into the system, it doesn't matter much.

You said that you toured the Boardwalk. That's good because the room layouts at the Boardwalk, Beach Club, Saratoga Springs and Wilderness Lodge are basically the same. The furnishings are different, but they layouts are virtually identical. The rooms at Old Key West are a bit larger.

Another consideration is whether you prefer a condo-style resort (small, individual buildings with convenient parking) vs. a hotel-style resort (valet parking, interior hallways). OKW and SSR are condo-style while the others are more of the hotel-style.

There are a lot of photos of each resort over at allearsnet.com.

Moving into financial issues, SSR does have the advantage of the longer contract. You'll also want to check out the dues at each resort if that will factor into your decision.

First decide which resort you prefer, and then it's much easier to recommend a method of purchase.

 

[TinkABoutIt]

Before you decide where to buy your points, I think you first need to decide WHAT to buy--as in, which resort.

A good question to ask yourself is whether you really have your heart set on a single resort, or if you feel all of them are equally attractive. If you are of the mindset that any trip NOT spent at ___ resort will be a disappointment, then you should buy at that resort. But, if you just want to get into the system, it doesn't matter much.

You said that you toured the Boardwalk. That's good because the room layouts at the Boardwalk, Beach Club, Saratoga Springs and Wilderness Lodge are basically the same. The furnishings are different, but they layouts are virtually identical. The rooms at Old Key West are a bit larger.

Another consideration is whether you prefer a condo-style resort (small, individual buildings with convenient parking) vs. a hotel-style resort (valet parking, interior hallways). OKW and SSR are condo-style while the others are more of the hotel-style.

You're right....I really just want in....I don't know which I'd like...we are not the relaxed type of family...we like to go...but I and DH like the convenience of Disney transportaion....don't like to have to drive if not needed. Those are good points

 

[tjkraz]

...but I and DH like the convenience of Disney transportaion....

All the resorts have access to Disney transportation...the method just varies from one location to another.

BWV & BCV: Walk or boat to Epcot or MGM; bus to MK, AK, DTD and Waterparks
OKW & SSR: Walk, boat or bus to DTD; bus to all other destinations
VWL: Boat to MK; Bus to all other locations

Many people consider the walking access to Epcot and MGM to be a big "plus" for the Boardwalk and Beach Club. I don't necessarily agree since it means a lot more time on one's feet rather than sitting on a bus or in my own car. But I openly acknowledge that POV puts me in the minority, so take it with a grain of salt.