Buying direct- additional points?

[chalee94]

Ok Thank you both. I don't think I asked the question how I meant it to sound. But now I know that each contract can book out 11 months not just your initial home contract.

If I own a 50 BLT pt contract and a 300 pt SSR contract, then BLT and SSR are my home resorts.

If I want to book BLT at 11 months out, I can only use BLT pts from my BLT contract to book that stay. My SSR pts would stay on the sideline until the 7 month window opens.

I can bank and borrow to use up to 150 BLT pts to book BLT at 11 months every third year, but banking and borrowing will not change the home resort priority of my SSR pts.

The same would be true if I wanted to book the tree house villas at 11 months out - I would only have access to my SSR pts from the SSR contract.

While both BLT and SSR are my home resorts, ultimately, it is the pts themselves that carry the home resort priority for booking at 11 months out. You need the right "currency" to book the reservation (BLT for BLT and so on).

 

[Dean]

It's a lot of $ to you and me. How do you know it's a lot of money for the OP? I have never stayed at the Poly either. Do I feel like I need to stay there if I was going to buy DVC there? No, I don't! You don't need to research everything fully, you just need to research it to your own comfort level.

I suspect those who wouldn't mis $35K wouldn't ask and likely wouldn't buy DVC, just pay cash. This could easily end up being a $10K mistake that could be completely avoided.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It's a lot of $ to you and me. How do you know it's a lot of money for the OP? I have never stayed at the Poly either. Do I feel like I need to stay there if I was going to buy DVC there? No, I don't! You don't need to research everything fully, you just need to research it to your own comfort level.

One can easily enough assume that the OP will know their financial situation and disregard the financial aspect if it isn't a factor. Playing to the emotional side though that money isn't everything will please the DVC sales people though. On the other hand they mentioned not previously considering resale and by all appearances are a little new to investigating DVC. They also may not know how easy or hard it might be to stay at various resorts etc. and that there are ways to spend less on DVC and enjoy it just as much.....maybe more because not as much money was spent!

 

[kboo]

It's a lot of $ to you and me. How do you know it's a lot of money for the OP? ....

a. It's a lot of money v. buying 200 pts resale
b. I may have made some assumptions I shouldn't have about OP mentioning she was a single mom. If that offended anyone or my assumptions were incorrect, I apologize. But I don't think that my assumption was unfounded.
c. Most people would consider a $10,000 (or more) differential to be a lot of money. No matter what your disposable income level is, I would expect that one does research, like the OP is doing, to see if their plan is a cost-effective one.

 

[wnielsen1]

I'm kinda busting everyone's chops here (I said I was playing devil's advocate). Let's help the OP: direct purchase of Poly 200 points x $176/pt. minus a $2,500 credit and 100 one-time SSR points. Do you also get PY points too on a Poly direct? Not sure. We would need to know that. Now, about Poly resale - what is the resale price on Poly? I see $130's but I only checked one broker quickly. Closing costs are a few hundred bucks more on resale. You can see where I'm going with this and then OP would have to determine if the spread between direct and resale is worth the direct benefits and the quick closing. Now that's just a Poly to Poly comparison. If we are talking BLT or somewhere else then obviously the numbers will change and it will tend to favor resale even more.

 

[Dean]

I'm kinda busting everyone's chops here (I said I was playing devil's advocate). Let's help the OP: direct purchase of Poly 200 points x $176/pt. minus a $2,500 credit and 100 one-time SSR points. Do you also get PY points too on a Poly direct? Not sure. We would need to know that. Now, about Poly resale - what is the resale price on Poly? I see $130's but I only checked one broker quickly. Closing costs are a few hundred bucks more on resale. You can see where I'm going with this and then OP would have to determine if the spread between direct and resale is worth the direct benefits and the quick closing. Now that's just a Poly to Poly comparison. If we are talking BLT or somewhere else then obviously the numbers will change and it will tend to favor resale even more.

You're assuming buying Poly is a good choice for them and it sounds like this is extremely unlikely long term but at the least they really don't know because they have the feeling "I have wanted to stay there ever since I was a child." They can do that owning elsewhere or as a rental and after that first stay they may find it's not where they want to own. They also stated a long term plan to own multiples resorts. We really don't know if they have sufficient info and experience to make an informed decision on buying at all and when DVC does make sense, the high end options rarely do as a first or main component. Maybe they do a Poly rental of say 200 points and decide that's exactly what they want, they have lost little and have gained much. If they decide it really isn't for them, they've just saved themselves 5 digits. Plus buying multiple with part direct it's almost always best to buy the resale first.

 

[mindymouse1]

Wow! So much great advice. I have stayed at Disney Resorts yearly usually for about 8-9 days once a year. My kids are older and being near to the parks via monorail would be fantastic. I have never been able to afford DVC before now. I have recently left my nursing career and started a job making a huge increase in annual income. I lived comfortably and own my one home on my old income so this increase is a big factor in my decision. I have dreamed of DVC for my whole adult life but had never done research since ownership was unattainable at the time. I was only thinking direct because I am excited, it's easier, it's quicker and because I've always wanted to stay at the Polynesian. I am asking opinions and they are GREATLY appreciated. I had planned to purchase direct and pay the deposit and pay it off in a few months. Now that I have read all these comments I feel like I need to slow down just a bit and do the research on resale and then hopefully pay cash completely in a few months. I am also going to at least try to rent some points for a weekend and check it out in person first. I am realizing I was putting myself in a hurry for no reason. I am grateful for all of your knowledge and welcome any more that you have.

 

[disneynutz]

Bottom line, if things don't turn out as expected, sell and adjust as necessary.

Bill

 

[Dean]

Wow! So much great advice. I have stayed at Disney Resorts yearly usually for about 8-9 days once a year. My kids are older and being near to the parks via monorail would be fantastic. I have never been able to afford DVC before now. I have recently left my nursing career and started a job making a huge increase in annual income. I lived comfortably and own my one home on my old income so this increase is a big factor in my decision. I have dreamed of DVC for my whole adult life but had never done research since ownership was unattainable at the time. I was only thinking direct because I am excited, it's easier, it's quicker and because I've always wanted to stay at the Polynesian. I am asking opinions and they are GREATLY appreciated. I had planned to purchase direct and pay the deposit and pay it off in a few months. Now that I have read all these comments I feel like I need to slow down just a bit and do the research on resale and then hopefully pay cash completely in a few months. I am also going to at least try to rent some points for a weekend and check it out in person first. I am realizing I was putting myself in a hurry for no reason. I am grateful for all of your knowledge and welcome any more that you have.

IMO it takes a certain amount of knowledge and experience to make an informed decision and we're talking in excess of a $200K long term commitment on 200 Poly points and maybe $150K on SSR (very rough numbers for perspective), actually more if you add in the time value of money. IMO it takes a good 6 months of active investigation for someone fairly new to DVC or who has just casually looked at it previously. And it takes a certain amount of experience as well preferably in 3 areas (on property, DVC, other timeshares) with a minimum of on property and one timeshare or the other preferably DVC. You have on property but a timeshare is a different animal.

You may find you don't like Poly that much or more likely, actually prefer something else to the Poly. Or you may find you're not OK with the aggravations & compromises of using/reserving DVC. If you buy Poly and sell a couple of years later (or you use Poly for other locations routinely) you'll literally be throwing away $12-14K (200 points), if you bought SSR (or basically any retail resort) and decided you wanted Poly later, sold and rebought, you'd only be losing maybe $2-3K and that includes if a price increase raised your costs. And in reality you'd like be saving money by buying resale if you used it plus by then there should be sufficient savings on Poly resale as well as the prices will come down or not increase as fast in all likelihood. If you rented first, then bought, you'd have the rental cost but save on the dues for the points it would have cost so the real cost on a 200 point rental is only maybe $1500 which I'd consider an investment in an education and could easily save you FAR more. A visit dedicated to checking out DVC would be great or a longer trip where that was part of the plan. Just visit resorts, look at rooms and walk the grounds being critical while you do so.

 

[msjprincess]

I definitely would not buy direct at Poly before staying there. Even then I probably wouldn't do it, but that's me. I'm way too cheap. LOL. As of now it's pretty easy to get the Polynesian at 7 months for most times of the year.Of course that can change at any time. I own at OKW and SSR both bought through resale. We're staying at the Polynesian the end of August. When I booked most of the summer still had availability except for 4th of July weekend.

I'm one of those people that has 2 small contracts at different resorts. I bought them because the price was right. We're very flexible about dates and don't really care where we stay. We don't go to WDW during the popular DVC dates. So booking at 7 months works for us. But it doesn't work for most people.

Once my kids are out of the house DH and I will probably start going in the Fall during F&WF. Then I'll start banking and borrowing on each contract so we can bok a room for the whole stay at one resort at 11 months out.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Just to come back on the other side.... I buy direct. I only buy direct. Some on here would tell me I am insane. That's fine. For me, it's not a financial decision. it's a who do I trust decision. I trust Disney, and I like doing business with Disney. That's why I decided to buy into DVC. Could I have gotten it cheaper resale? Absolutely. I could also have gotten my car cheaper if I bought it used. I could have gotten my house cheaper. I can get DCL cruises cheaper maybe via agents or coupons. However, I still go direct to Disney for DCL. It's not a financial decision, but it is MY decision on who I do business with and sometimes I don't mind paying a little more because I am more comfortable that I am getting the product I am paying for. I like working with the DVC agents. They explain everything to me very clearly and walk thorough the process with me. I don't get that in resale. I still know my DVC people who sold me my contracts (both of them) and they still work there. I even see them every now and then. I don't get that with resale. I can call them up on their cell if I have a problem - they don't mind (although I haven't had to).

Also, I did not rent points before I purchased. I don't rent points. I don't play in that market for many of the same reasons. I always bought my vacation packages from disney.com - not even from a TA.

THAT SAID. I DID stay at BLT before I bought there. Stayed there on cash - was lucky to get a room. That was when we decided to invest in DVC. I DID research DVC - had researched it in fact for 5 years before I bought into it.

To the OP - research always pays off. An informed buyer is a smart buyer. You will never go wrong by knowing more.
However, do not feel that you are making a bad choice if you decide to buy direct. I do, and I would never do it any other way. Don't feel that you have to rent points. I didn't, and I still don't. There are a lot of financial people on here that evaluate every purchase to the dollar and cents. There are a lot of resale advocates on here. That's fine - for you - do it the way you want to.

Although I do think it's a smart idea to stay at poly before you invest in it. You can always stay on cash for one trip and spend some time talking to DVC. There is no rush and it shouldn't be a rushed decision.

 

[disneynutz]

Just to come back on the other side.... I buy direct. I only buy direct. Some on here would tell me I am insane. That's fine. For me, it's not a financial decision. it's a who do I trust decision. I trust Disney, and I like doing business with Disney. That's why I decided to buy into DVC. Could I have gotten it cheaper resale? Absolutely. I could also have gotten my car cheaper if I bought it used. I could have gotten my house cheaper. I can get DCL cruises cheaper maybe via agents or coupons. However, I still go direct to Disney for DCL. It's not a financial decision, but it is MY decision on who I do business with and sometimes I don't mind paying a little more because I am more comfortable that I am getting the product I am paying for. I like working with the DVC agents. They explain everything to me very clearly and walk thorough the process with me. I don't get that in resale. I still know my DVC people who sold me my contracts (both of them) and they still work there. I even see them every now and then. I don't get that with resale. I can call them up on their cell if I have a problem - they don't mind (although I haven't had to).

Also, I did not rent points before I purchased. I don't rent points. I don't play in that market for many of the same reasons. I always bought my vacation packages from disney.com - not even from a TA.

THAT SAID. I DID stay at BLT before I bought there. Stayed there on cash - was lucky to get a room. That was when we decided to invest in DVC. I DID research DVC - had researched it in fact for 5 years before I bought into it.

To the OP - research always pays off. An informed buyer is a smart buyer. You will never go wrong by knowing more.
However, do not feel that you are making a bad choice if you decide to buy direct. I do, and I would never do it any other way. Don't feel that you have to rent points. I didn't, and I still don't. There are a lot of financial people on here that evaluate every purchase to the dollar and cents. There are a lot of resale advocates on here. That's fine - for you - do it the way you want to.

Although I do think it's a smart idea to stay at poly before you invest in it. You can always stay on cash for one trip and spend some time talking to DVC. There is no rush and it shouldn't be a rushed decision.

Buying resale is a deeded real estate transaction and you buy from licensed real estate agents, just like when you buy direct. Resale does take much longer because Disney deliberately causes delays in the process. You also don't get the same owner benefits because Disney took them away for resale buyers. Some people are more comfortable buying direct and others like the cost savings buying resale, we have done both.

Bill

 

[chalee94]

Just to come back on the other side.... I buy direct. I only buy direct. Some on here would tell me I am insane. That's fine. For me, it's not a financial decision. it's a who do I trust decision. I trust Disney, and I like doing business with Disney.

"Insane" is strongly worded. "Short sighted" and "poorly researched" would fit, though.

Tell me, if your job or family circumstances changed in such a way that you actually needed to sell, would you just give the contract back to Disney for free? Because you "trust" them?

If you have done your research, you know that Disney won't typically offer you money to buy the contract back. If they do, it might only be $50 per pt or so...but more commonly, your only choice would be to give it back for nothing if you maintained your principled stand to deal only with Disney.

But I assume you at least understand why people for whom DVC is more of a financial decision might choose to sell for $120 or more per point on the resale market...dark and foreboding of a back alley transaction as it may seem to you...presumably involving some crazy person with fake rolexes hanging off one side of his trenchcoat and DVC timeshares on the other.

That's why I decided to buy into DVC. Could I have gotten it cheaper resale? Absolutely. I could also have gotten my car cheaper if I bought it used.

Not a good example. I bought resale and I'm willing to bet the BLT villas were newer when I stayed there shortly after it opened than on your first stay. Only a relative handful of people staying at BLT on opening day really got it "new" - for all the rest of us, we're staying in used timeshares whether you pay thousands extra to buy direct or pick up a lowball resale that Disney opts not to ROFR. Your BLT contract still ends on the same date as people who bought resale for thousands less.

I like working with the DVC agents. They explain everything to me very clearly and walk thorough the process with me. I don't get that in resale. I still know my DVC people who sold me my contracts (both of them) and they still work there. I even see them every now and then. I don't get that with resale. I can call them up on their cell if I have a problem - they don't mind (although I haven't had to).

I'm glad you got good salespeople. From the many confused posters who have had to ask questions on this forum over the years, they are not as common as they used to be. A number of DVC direct purchasers have posted irate comments that clearly showed that they had no idea what they were buying. You spent extra and were lucky to get honest salespeople but not everyone is that lucky. I had everything explained very clearly to me by actual owners on this board (and other similar boards) - who unlike the DVC salespeople have no incentive to shade the truth to get me to buy - and I didn't have to pay thousands of dollars for that information.

You say you can "call them up" if you had to, but you haven't. What do you imagine that they could do for you? They are salespeople - building a sense of connection and trust is what good salespeople do...but in terms of making reservations or actually using your DVC contract, there's not a lot they can actually do...

Although I do think it's a smart idea to stay at poly before you invest in it. There is no rush and it shouldn't be a rushed decision.

Here, finally, are a few things we agree on.

 

[Dean]

Buying resale is a deeded real estate transaction and you buy from licensed real estate agents, just like when you buy direct. Resale does take much longer because Disney deliberately causes delays in the process. You also don't get the same owner benefits because Disney took them away for resale buyers. Some people are more comfortable buying direct and others like the cost savings buying resale, we have done both.

Bill

There are valid reasons to buy direct but comfort and exchange options alone would not be among them. Anyone can do what they want but it doesn't make it a reasonable choice.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

"Insane" is strongly worded. "Short sighted" and "poorly researched" would fit, though.

Your opinion. I find it rude to say that I am poorly researched or short sighted because of how I choose to do business. it's a good thing I don't do it with you - because even if it was a financially "better" deal, I would have no interest in it.

Tell me, if your job or family circumstances changed in such a way that you actually needed to sell, would you just give the contract back to Disney for free? Because you "trust" them?

Obviously not - but then I didn't purchase into DVC to sell it. If I had to sell it, I am sure I would use one of the reputable resale markets - but that's due to lack of another option. In the case of purchase, there *is* another option, albeit a more expensive one.

But I assume you at least understand why people for whom DVC is more of a financial decision might choose to sell for $120 or more per point on the resale market...dark and foreboding of a back alley transaction as it may seem to you...presumably involving some crazy person with fake rolexes hanging off one side of his trenchcoat and DVC timeshares on the other.

So let me clarify if I came off wrong. RESALE IS FOR SOME PEOPLE. It's not for me. For those who the dollar is the bottom line, resale is obviously king. For those comfortable in the resale market and who have made an informed decision about the pros and cons of each, more power to them.

My problem is you are doing the same thing you are accusing me of which I was trying not to do. You are making Disney out to be the devil and that anyone who buys direct is clearly uninformed.

My point that I was trying to make to the OP is that if they want to deal direct with Disney, they should not feel shammed by that decision or that they are making a bad choice. By the same token, if they want to deal resale, they should not feel shammed by that decision. I have no problem with people who purchase resale. However, I do notice that there tends to be an attitude in the forums that smart people only buy resale. That's not true.

My point is the OP should feel comfortable doing it their way - as long as they are informed - and should not feel like they are making a bad choice if after looking at their options they choose direct.

You say you can "call them up" if you had to, but you haven't. What do you imagine that they could do for you? They are salespeople - building a sense of connection and trust is what good salespeople do...but in terms of making reservations or actually using your DVC contract, there's not a lot they can actually do...

It's not what I expect from them - usually I can get the answers I need from member services. DVC is about "Welcome Home" and making you feel that Disney is your home away from home. That's certainly what they try to do for me. Having that connection - seeing one of the DVC people I know - like Frank - and having that person recognize me and remember that he sold to me; even though it was years ago - and asking how my wife and son are because he remembers them is to me part of that experience. I generally don't see that from other areas like the concierge desk because of the higher turnover. However, the DVC salespeople have a much less rate of turnover, so they tend to be there year after year. You are correct - that is their job to establish personal relationships. It doesn't offend me and it's not evil that they do their jobs well.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

There are valid reasons to buy direct but comfort and exchange options alone would not be among them. Anyone can do what they want but it doesn't make it a reasonable choice.

I was with you until "reasonable choice". If you ended it after the word 'want', I would agree with you.

However, you are implying that it is not using sound judgement to make your own choice. That is inherently a false statement. You can claim that any reasonable person should try parachuting because you do and their comfort has nothing to do with it - but that doesn't make you correct unless the plane they are on is falling from the sky and it's their only chance at life. In fact, doing what makes you comfortable - and more importantly having the RIGHT to not do something that doesn't make you comfortable is one of the fundamental protections of our society. I have the right to not use resale and I am not comfortable using it. Therefore the only valid reasonable choice is not to use it. In fact, using it would be the unreasonable choice.

 

[Dean]

I was with you until "reasonable choice". If you ended it after the word 'want', I would agree with you.

However, you are implying that it is not using sound judgement to make your own choice. That is inherently a false statement. You can claim that any reasonable person should try parachuting because you do and their comfort has nothing to do with it - but that doesn't make you correct unless the plane they are on is falling from the sky and it's their only chance at life. In fact, doing what makes you comfortable - and more importantly having the RIGHT to not do something that doesn't make you comfortable is one of the fundamental protections of our society. I have the right to not use resale and I am not comfortable using it. Therefore the only valid reasonable choice is not to use it. In fact, using it would be the unreasonable choice.

You're entitled to disagree but simply for comfort or cash exchange options giving up significant savings, there's no way to justify it as a reasonable choice. Obviously there are other components that can modify the issue. Certainly every timeshare on the market was once sold retail and there are a lot worse choices than overpaying for DVC.

 

[blackdogg]

Are there any concerns of buying direct vs resale and not being entitled to all benefits? I know awhile back some resale folks were grandfathered in under certain perks but going forth things changed... I apologize what those perks were escapes me currently. This is one thing that I'm wondering about when considering DVC. Thanks for the thread... good input. We've been keeping an eye on DVC here and there sporadically for a couple of years and are probably a year or two out from committing still Just waiting for the right season of life to hit. Can't wait!

 

[kboo]

Are there any concerns of buying direct vs resale and not being entitled to all benefits? I know awhile back some resale folks were grandfathered in under certain perks but going forth things changed... I apologize what those perks were escapes me currently. This is one thing that I'm wondering about when considering DVC. Thanks for the thread... good input. We've been keeping an eye on DVC here and there sporadically for a couple of years and are probably a year or two out from committing still Just waiting for the right season of life to hit. Can't wait!

There is a whole list of perks, but the only ones that really make a real difference financially are access to the Gold AP pass (which has blackout dates around Xmas and Easter so consider that) and, depending on how much you spend, access to discounts at stores and restaurants. (I can't remember if you have to have the blue membership card to get TiW - I don't think so, if you have an AP). Some will say here that there is the added cachet of being a "real" member that everyone values differently (and many value it at 0, or close to 0) - it's still at a cost of almost $5000 to add on 25 points...

 

[ELMC]

It's a lot of $ to you and me. How do you know it's a lot of money for the OP? I have never stayed at the Poly either. Do I feel like I need to stay there if I was going to buy DVC there? No, I don't! You don't need to research everything fully, you just need to research it to your own comfort level.

I get that everyone has their own levels when it comes to research and acceptable risk, but I don't think its too out there to suggest that one stays at the resort at least once before buying a 40 year timeshare there. While I get that the OP has always dreamed of staying at the Poly, I think that's a great reason to go stay at the Poly. I think it's a bit of a jump to purchase a $30,000+ timeshare as the next step.