Buying Strategy

[xmas16]

I have been away the Disboard for so long. Back because I am looking at a resale option for DVC. I can't afford 31,000 dollars, no way!. I'd like to have a villa at BWV due to its proximity to Epcot and HS. But even BWV resales are not cheap as compared to some other DVC resorts. I am so new to this so please bear with me. So I two questions which I'm sure comes up alot but I have not seen it when I looked through the threads.

1. What if I bought a cheaper resort and used the points to get into BWV. I'll add that I would only travel to WDW during low season times. I know I could only book 7 months out and not 11 but would it really matter? A dvc resale agent I chatted with said I should not do that and buy at the resort I want.

2. What if, I bought a low priced BWV contract ( if any are available) along with a higher point contract from a less expensive resort, I could use the points from both? then could I use all the points from both and still be able to book 11 months out? Thanks for any advice

 

[E2ME2]

I have been away the Disboard for so long. Back because I am looking at a resale option for DVC. I can't afford 31,000 dollars, no way!. I'd like to have a villa at BWV due to its proximity to Epcot and HS. But even BWV resales are not cheap as compared to some other DVC resorts. I am so new to this so please bear with me. So I two questions which I'm sure comes up alot but I have not seen it when I looked through the threads.

1. What if I bought a cheaper resort and used the points to get into BWV. I'll add that I would only travel to WDW during low season times. I know I could only book 7 months out and not 11 but would it really matter? A dvc resale agent I chatted with said I should not do that and buy at the resort I want.

2. What if, I bought a low priced BWV contract ( if any are available) along with a higher point contract from a less expensive resort, I could use the points from both? then could I use all the points from both and still be able to book 11 months out? Thanks for any advice

BWV resale has been approaching 100/PP recently. The 11Mo advantsge is key if you want to get standard view. At 7 Mo, you can use points from other resorts, but may be stuck with garden/pool view, which is the same amount of points as boardwalk view.
Good Luck & Happy Hunting

 

[Cfabar1]

1. What if I bought a cheaper resort and used the points to get into BWV. I'll add that I would only travel to WDW during low season times. I know I could only book 7 months out and not 11 but would it really matter? A dvc resale agent I chatted with said I should not do that and buy at the resort I want.

Buy where you want is ideal. It's the best way to go. However, if that isn't the right thing for you, either you should hold off until it is, or you could stay at other resorts. DVC does offer a lot of perks, and it is nice to be in the system. Yes, BWV and BC are both nice resorts, but maybe OKW wouldn't be so bad...

It's hard to know also without knowing your travel plans. How flexible are they? Are you close to the parks? The more flexible you can be with availability, the less home resort advantage matters.

2. What if, I bought a low priced BWV contract ( if any are available) along with a higher point contract from a less expensive resort, I could use the points from both? then could I use all the points from both and still be able to book 11 months out? Thanks for any advice

If you only want to stay at BWV I would not recommend this. You will have to book your points at BWV 11 months out, and other resort points you can only use at 7 months. This sounds (to me) very stressful, and not the best way to go.

Welcome to your DVC journey... I totally understand the concerns about cost. They are real... my suggestion would be to look for small, cheap contracts... you might pay more over time, but it will be better to go that way...

If you are flexible about many resorts, then points at other resorts aren't bad, but if you're totally set on one resort, then buy where you want to stay.

 

[beldred]

I have been away the Disboard for so long. Back because I am looking at a resale option for DVC. I can't afford 31,000 dollars, no way!. I'd like to have a villa at BWV due to its proximity to Epcot and HS. But even BWV resales are not cheap as compared to some other DVC resorts. I am so new to this so please bear with me. So I two questions which I'm sure comes up alot but I have not seen it when I looked through the threads.

1. What if I bought a cheaper resort and used the points to get into BWV. I'll add that I would only travel to WDW during low season times. I know I could only book 7 months out and not 11 but would it really matter? A dvc resale agent I chatted with said I should not do that and buy at the resort I want.

2. What if, I bought a low priced BWV contract ( if any are available) along with a higher point contract from a less expensive resort, I could use the points from both? then could I use all the points from both and still be able to book 11 months out? Thanks for any advice

1 - First low season in DVC and low season in the parks are not the same so you might want to clarify when you plan to travel. Secondly, BWV is quite hard to get studio's at because of the great price chart. You didn't say what size room you would be wanting so that matters as well. Regardless, I agree with your agent. Buy the resort you want to stay at if you have a preference. I personally just bought Beach Club last fall because that's where we want to stay and like BWV, it needs the 11 month priority to get in most of the time.

2 - now a great time to buy in resale. BWV is passing just above $100 pp. (Check out the ROFR thread to see details.) And 11 month booking window only applies to the points for THAT resort. So if you bought 50 points at BWV and 100 points at SSR, you'd only be able to use the 50 points at BWV at 11 months. You'd have to wait to 7 months out to try and add on with the SSR points.

 

[xmas16]

1 - First low season in DVC and low season in the parks are not the same so you might want to clarify when you plan to travel. Secondly, BWV is quite hard to get studio's at because of the great price chart. You didn't say what size room you would be wanting so that matters as well. Regardless, I agree with your agent. Buy the resort you want to stay at if you have a preference. I personally just bought Beach Club last fall because that's where we want to stay and like BWV, it needs the 11 month priority to get in most of the time.

2 - now a great time to buy in resale. BWV is passing just above $100 pp. (Check out the ROFR thread to see details.) And 11 month booking window only applies to the points for THAT resort. So if you bought 50 points at BWV and 100 points at SSR, you'd only be able to use the 50 points at BWV at 11 months. You'd have to wait to 7 months out to try and add on with the SSR points.

Thanks for the replies, for the the record my travel times would be Jan/Feb/early Fall. I'd be looking for a studio or one bedroom size unit. So are you saying that traveling to WDW at these times I would not have a good chance of finding a room at 7 months out as opposed to the 11 months? if so, wow, I have been away for a long time, ha ha.

 

[intamin]

Thanks for the replies, for the the record my travel times would be Jan/Feb/early Fall. I'd be looking for a studio or one bedroom size unit. So are you saying that traveling to WDW at these times I would not have a good chance of finding a room at 7 months out as opposed to the 11 months? if so, wow, I have been away for a long time, ha ha.

Boardwalk and BCV are notoriously hard to book in the fall simply because of food and wine and no other DVC resorts are walking distance to Epcot. As was stated above you might be able to snag a garden view but you're not going to get a Boardwalk/standard view at 7 months.

Edit:
Looking at availability chart right now, there's a few 1BRs available right now that are standard view scattered through from 7 months onward
Standard studios are completely gone all the way to the 11 month mark
Boardwalk studios are pretty much completely gone with the exception of 3 days in total up to the 11 month mark
There is 1 night available in the 11 month mark for 2 BR lockoffs standard
2BR boardwalk view is pretty much gone

tl;dr Don't even think about a studio, you're not going to get one at 7 months unless you're okay with garden/pool view. Boardwalk/standard studios even at exactly 11 months are hard to get. Standard 1BR you may be able to snag a few nights here and there, you may even be able to get up to 3-4 at a time at 7 months but expect to do a split stay if you're going to be there for a week or more.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks for the replies, for the the record my travel times would be Jan/Feb/early Fall. I'd be looking for a studio or one bedroom size unit. So are you saying that traveling to WDW at these times I would not have a good chance of finding a room at 7 months out as opposed to the 11 months? if so, wow, I have been away for a long time, ha ha.

Jan and early Feb are slower times, and getting BW garden view, especially 1 bedrooms, might be doable,

The fall? Very tough to get BWV, any view at 7 months. Impossible? No…but it could it prove frustrating? Yes,

So, I think if you really want BWV, buy less points there. DVC is just too expensive to own a resort you are not okay staying with if you can’t trade out to other places.

 

[beldred]

Thanks for the replies, for the the record my travel times would be Jan/Feb/early Fall. I'd be looking for a studio or one bedroom size unit. So are you saying that traveling to WDW at these times I would not have a good chance of finding a room at 7 months out as opposed to the 11 months? if so, wow, I have been away for a long time, ha ha.

September - December is pretty much DVC's busiest time. January and February are better but between the scattered holiday long weekends, marathons, and Mardi Gras things can stay pretty full. The cheapest times of year at Disney are the busiest for DVC rooms because the points charts are cheaper.
I just got back from a trip 2 weeks ago (so first week of February). I wasn't able to book it until 5 months out. I could not get BCV or BWV ANYTHING, not even one night. I checked the site daily for weeks and was ultimately able to put together 4 nights at BLT in Lake View, literally one night at a time. A lot more points than I wanted to spend but my dates were firm. I had to supplement with cash nights at Pop.
My best DVC recommendation is buy where you want to stay, and book ASAP using that advantage. It's a real struggle when you can't.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I do not own at Boardwalk Villa, but I DO love it. I have stayed there several times by using points from other resorts.

• If you do not own there, it is difficult to get BWV Studios, especially the cheaper ones (lowest point rooms). The BOARDWALK views also always sell out quickly. Those two views are most prized in each room type. Garden/Pool views are last to go in each room type.
• You will generally have better luck scheduling the 1 bedroom units, compared to the others. They go last because people think they are not such a great deal, pointwise, but they are still wonderful and I prefer them to Studios. But then, I do have lots of points from other resorts.
• Obviously, you should try to schedule as early as possible. We scheduled this 6 months in advance and used the Waitlist.
• If you go look for your reservation at the 7 month window and the type of unit you want is NOT available, then schedule somewhere else, like Saratoga Springs or Old Key West (both of which are great). This is your fall-back room. THEN go into the schedule and put in a WAITLIST REQUEST for what you want at Boardwalk. Have the system replace your 'fallback' reservation with your Boardwalk Reservation, if it comes through.
• Once you get the reservation, then you call DVC member services (I have NOT called the BWV directly - I feel DVC Member Services helps more) anytime from then up until about 4 days before you check in, to give them your Room Requests. They apparently try to schedule the exact room about 3 to 4 days before the check in date, and you DON'T get priority on room requests by being the earliest, but you can still get it in months in advance, then you don't need to worry about remembering to do it later.
• I have almost always just reserved a Garden/Pool view and then I request a room overlooking the 'Green' (the 'Commons' the central area). I tell them I want to overlook that area and NOT the pool or garden. I look up room numbers and request the specific rooms on each floor. I often give them 6 to 15 room numbers, depending on the type of room I have reserved. So far, I have ALWAYS been able to get one of my requested rooms. The attached picture is my daughter on the balcony on our room 4051, 4th floor, last month, very close to the 'Boardwalk' rooms. This is a 1 bedroom unit. Crescent Lake is obviously behind her and the 'Village Green/Common Green Area' is in front and a bit to the left of her. (You don't see that in this picture.) But I feel like these rooms are 'almost' Boardwalk View rooms.

I haven't bought at BWV because I think the price is too, high considering it only has about 18 years (or less now) left on the contract. BUT, if price drops low enough, I probably will.

 

[intamin]

I haven't bought at BWV because I think the price is too, high considering it only has about 18 years (or less now) left on the contract. BUT, if price drops low enough, I probably will.

Agreed. If it had more years left on I’d consider it but even at 90 dollars per point, doubling the contract length to 36 years would bring the effective price to nearly 180 per point when you could buy AKL/BLT for 110pp or BLT for 130 for that duration. None of the 2042 resorts make sense unless it’s one of your favorite resorts and you really want to stay there consistently. The thing it does have going for them is their amazing point charts so that helps but even so it’s hard to justify unless you love it there.

 

[beldred]

Agreed. If it had more years left on I’d consider it but even at 90 dollars per point, doubling the contract length to 36 years would bring the effective price to nearly 180 per point when you could buy AKL/BLT for 110pp or BLT for 130 for that duration. None of the 2042 resorts make sense unless it’s one of your favorite resorts and you really want to stay there consistently. The thing it does have going for them is their amazing point charts so that helps but even so it’s hard to justify unless you love it there.

Yeah, a 2042 is definitely not a bargain but as of right now if you want to stay there in a studio, you better be an owner. LOL
I bought BCV recently because we want to stay there in a studio and it's the only way to get one. I definitely paid a premium for it but it makes us happy. I'd rather have paid that premium than bought somewhere else and be disappointed all the time that we can't stay where we want to stay.

 

[intamin]

Yeah, a 2042 is definitely not a bargain but as of right now if you want to stay there in a studio, you better be an owner. LOL
I bought BCV recently because we want to stay there in a studio and it's the only way to get one. I definitely paid a premium for it but it makes us happy. I'd rather have paid that premium than bought somewhere else and be disappointed all the time that we can't stay where we want to stay.

Exactly if you love it and have an emotional attachment to it, then it's definitely worth it. There's no other way to guarantee you're going to get those rooms otherwise.

For my family I imagine our sweet spot will be 1/2BRs which aren't as hard to get as studios in general but also I do plan to go for the foreseeable future past the next 20 years which is why it's personally not for me. If anything the thing I would consider would be buying BWV or BCV once they start going on sale in 2042 again assuming they're still in the DVC umbrella.

 

[TinkAgainU]

Have you considered only staying in your DVC every other year, unless your finances improve notably? That reduces your points needed in half and might help with your decision making. I'm strongly in the "buy where you want to stay" camp both for priority booking, and on the off chance we are eventually limited to the resort on the contract.

 

[xmas16]

Have you considered only staying in your DVC every other year, unless your finances improve notably? That reduces your points needed in half and might help with your decision making. I'm strongly in the "buy where you want to stay" camp both for priority booking, and on the off chance we are eventually limited to the resort on the contract.

yes that is definitely an option I'm considering, thank!

 

[CVG]

Have you considered only staying in your DVC every other year, unless your finances improve notably? That reduces your points needed in half and might help with your decision making. I'm strongly in the "buy where you want to stay" camp both for priority booking, and on the off chance we are eventually limited to the resort on the contract.

Or every third year and then you only need a third of the points in order to play bank, spend, borrow.

 

[CVG]

And just looking now, there is huge (virtually completely open) 1bed availability for BWV in June, July and August all in the 7mo window. No guarantee that will always be the case, but the argument that you should buy where you want to stay is very much dependent on room type, time of year, frequency of travel, stay duration, etc. It's not a clear cut answer.

 

[Her Dotness]

...the argument that you should buy where you want to stay is very much dependent on room type, time of year, frequency of travel, stay duration, etc. It's not a clear cut answer.

I think that whether or not these factors are significant depends largely upon the buyer's primary interest in owning.

If the OP's main concerns were a less-costly buy-in and low-to-moderate dues with no strong resort preference, I agree the items you list would be significant and would take priority over "buy where you want to stay." Not caring greatly about where you stay opens up buying a low price-per-point contract with moderate dues and booking whatever you can get at 7 months after using your home resort as a fallback. (Fallback meaning somewhere to stay if you can't get at 7 mos. where you really want.) That could work for the OP if they want to play the walk-em-stalk-em game of adding 1 night at a time until they've as long a BWV stay as they want, or they won't be unhappy if it must be a split.

However, if loving BWV and wanting a no-split stay take priority (which hoping to use another resort's points on BWV at 11 mos. suggests), then I think the resale agent gave sound advice.

Buying small BWV contracts (50 to 100ish) one by one until the OP gets enough to cover any time of year they may want to stay for however long seems the best plan to me.

Question for xmas16--Have you looked over points charts for BWV? If not, doing so is crucial to give you a sense of how points-pricey your stays will be. That's where time of year, room size, view preference, etc. DO matter. Those factors are essential in determining how many points you absolutely must have for the stays you want.

 

[sethschroeder]

I have been away the Disboard for so long. Back because I am looking at a resale option for DVC. I can't afford 31,000 dollars, no way!

Baseline payment is just start of it:
100-150 points for $12k-20k

Now annual payments for and getting more expensive:
Tickets - $500/700/1000 per person
Food - $500 person/week (sure could be less or way more but ballpark I use)
Maintainance Fees - $850-$1300
Flights - $300/500/700 per person
Other expenses

Save money if you want but the extra $10 or whatever per point is $1000-$1500 upfront which is a subset of a first trip cost so it's not worth not getting where you want to stay.

 

[RoseGold]

1BR BW is completely different than studio. I book BW 1BR with SAP all the time, I'd say it's the place I've stayed the most. Studios, in contrast, can be much more difficult. If you don't know which you are booking, it's hard to say.

SSR is WAY down. Like 130s to 95 now, that's a fantastic price. And SSR would work for 1BR most places. Depends on if you are actually traveling "off peak" which means something very different to DVC than WDW.

 

[hilltopper152]

1BR BW is completely different than studio. I book BW 1BR with SAP all the time, I'd say it's the place I've stayed the most. Studios, in contrast, can be much more difficult. If you don't know which you are booking, it's hard to say.

SSR is WAY down. Like 130s to 95 now, that's a fantastic price. And SSR would work for 1BR most places. Depends on if you are actually traveling "off peak" which means something very different to DVC than WDW.

Can I specifically get some advice on this... Jumping in because I have a inner debate.

I wanted 50-90 points at BW because I just love the area and struggling pulling the trigger on RIV. Walking is huge for me and BLT gave me that but want a different area now. Banking so we can score 1-2 bedrooms for a few nights to split stay with my BLT stays. Studios for when we want to go cheap but family is growing and grandparents want to tag along.

We travel Jan-Feb and in the future want Sep-Early Oct. So specifically we are debating BW but don't like contract length, SSR is actually nice to us but park access with strollers is big ding but affordable for SAP, RIV is nice but falling in interest due to price and restrictions for us. So if I was to jump on a SSR contract with my current use year we get more for our money which means we could maybe spend more points for that 1-bedroom every trip for say 3 nights but nervous about Sept time at BW.

Availability at BW during September 7mos for: studio (know it's impossible), 1-bedroom, and 2 bedroom???

Trying to decide if I could just bank up points or score a few nights at BW in my usual seasons realistically or if I really need to keep looking for BW. I rather have the longer contract as my family is young but I do hate not having access to Epcot resorts ever as stroller access to two parks is why we wanted BLT originally. I know it's long but please give me your honest opinion as I see you often have good advice. Thank you