BWV owners, do you regret being locked into higher dues?

[FindingFigment]

After touring the DVC resorts last week, I found that my favorite two were BWV and SSR. Each for different reasons. Ideally I'd like to own one 50 point contract at each but paying double closing costs plus the possible higher costs for 50 point contracts takes away the appeal of that option.

We are a small family who has little to no interest in traveling with others so THV's aren't that appealing to us (I know...*gasp*...huh?) so buying at SSR offers no booking advantage. And since the 3/20 announcement was made, all of the small SSR contracts are being scooped up quickly so the prices are being driven up. Small contracts for SSR are being listed for upper 60's to lower 70's now (unless the contract is stripped) and BWV seems to be pretty close to that.

Even though SSR doesn't offer a booking advantage, that would've been my first choice if I could've paid $10 less ppt. But since they are pretty close now, I figured I'd go for BWV since we like to travel in October and would use the booking window on the years we stay there. But on the years we don't, I'm worried that paying the extra $1 ppt in MF will bother me in the long run.

So, it seems to come down to choosing between an 11-month booking window that I'll only take advantage of sometimes vs. lower dues.

I know it essentially comes down to which one I want more. But I'm really torn. Can anyone offer some food for thought that might help me decide?

 

[dis-happy]

You're missing a big consideration of having a smaller contract at BWV and that would be the option of the standard view points.

 

[FindingFigment]

Your missing a big consideration of having a smaller contract at BWV and that would be the option of the standard view points.

Well, that's a good point but I actually took that into consideration as part of why I like BWV over BCV. And the standard view points at BWV aren't actually much more than the points required at SSR so that advantage is small.

Just trying to decide between the booking window vs. lower dues.

 

[jekjones1558]

100 points would mean less than $100/year difference in dues. I guess that doesn't seem like much to me, especially when you can use the booking advantage to reserve standard view rooms for fewer points or enjoy a BW view. But I am biased. I own at BWV and don't regret it in the least.

 

[skelfbsfb]

We own at OKW and BWV and I must admit once I seen BWV and stayed there I knew this was the resort for myself and family. Totally worth the extra in maintenence fees.

 

[FindingFigment]

And the standard view points at BWV aren't actually much more than the points required at SSR so that advantage is small.

Actually, I think I compared two different point charts before because I just compared them again and there is a bigger difference that I was thinking. Sorry.

Edited to add: I see what happened. I was comparing studios during Dream Season (since it's sort of in the middle) but that is the one season where there is little difference. All of the other seasons do show a significant difference.

 

[huey duey & luey]

Actually, never thought about it. How much is the difference?

I have been very happy with having BWV as my home resort

 

[jekjones1558]

Well, that's a good point but I actually took that into consideration as part of why I like BWV over BCV. And the standard view points at BWV aren't actually much more than the points required at SSR so that advantage is small.

Just trying to decide between the booking window vs. lower dues.

Actually, the difference is not so small--e.g., in October, 78 points for a week in a standard view at BWV versus 102 at SSR. Since points are routinely valued at about $10, that is $240.
There is no guarantee regarding maintenance fees. It is possible that some resorts' fees may grow more than others over time. You are wise to go into this realizing that the fees are real and ongoing, but unless you are buying a whole lot of points, I think that other considerations are more important. JMHO.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Just a word of advice... if you want a 50-point contract at BWV before March 20, you would be wise to get on a waiting list with the various resale companies. Small BWV contracts go FAST... and frequently do not even make it to the website before they are sold (filled with those on the waiting list). They also typically get a higher price/point than what you have quoted. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't recall seeing a single 50-point BWV contract go in the 60's for the last year.

 

[FindingFigment]

Actually, never thought about it. How much is the difference?

I have been very happy with having BWV as my home resort

It's about a dollar more per point compared to SSR. Which I suspect isn't a common comparison for most people. I just happen to really love both of them and they're on the highest and lowest ends of the spectrum of the resorts that interest me.

Glad to hear you love it.

 

[drusba]

You must also consider end dates, BWV 2042 and SSR 2054. That can be important for any young family.

Each resort has a lot of the same types of costs and then each has its own factors. At BWV, you are contributing to cleaning and upkeep of the boardwalk itself, you have both buses and boats, extra staff needed because it is more of a hotel services type place and just by the fact it is a night time attraction area. As any owner, I am not overly thrilled with the amount of dues I pay at BWV but then I don't feel it is unfair in comparison to other resorts. If you actually want to have the lowest per point dues, you should consider BLT which has and will likely continue to have th lowest dues at WDW. A principal reason for that is simply that they are selling a lot more points per unit there than others and thus are spreading costs among more points per unit.

For most times of year, you do not need the 11 month window at BWV as long as you accept preferred pool/garden view which is about 65% of the resort. However, we always get boardwalk view, one of the best if not the best views on site. Many others get standard view for its value (a cost similar to OKW for a resort next to two parks) and for both of those you should assume you usually need the 11 month window. Thus, if you think you might want either stanadrd or boardwalk view on a regular basis then your only safe option is to buy at BWV.

SSR you can almost certainly get at 7 months any time of year except for the THVs and thus don't need to buy there unless you want THVs.

 

[FindingFigment]

Actually, the difference is not so small--e.g., in October, 78 points for a week in a standard view at BWV versus 102 at SSR. Since points are routinely valued at about $10, that is $240.
There is no guarantee regarding maintenance fees. It is possible that some resorts' fees may grow more than others over time. You are wise to go into this realizing that the fees are real and ongoing, but unless you are buying a whole lot of points, I think that other considerations are more important. JMHO.

Yes, I commented at the same time you were commenting so you may not have seen it. I now realize the difference is bigger than I first thought. Our other time to visit would be during Dream Season and SSR is 111 points vs. BWV standard view is 104, for a difference of only 7 points. But that's still about $70 savings which is pretty close to the extra $95 in MF, so I guess it's good.

Thank you for your input.

 

[FindingFigment]

Just a word of advice... if you want a 50-point contract at BWV before March 20, you would be wise to get on a waiting list with the various resale companies. Small BWV contracts go FAST... and frequently do not even make it to the website before they are sold (filled with those on the waiting list). They also typically get a higher price/point than what you have quoted. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't recall seeing a single 50-point BWV contract go in the 60's for the last year.

I agree. That's why I said, "paying double closing costs plus the possible higher costs for 50 point contracts takes away the appeal of that option."

The prices I quoted are for bigger "small" contracts. I consider 100 or less points to be small since those are the ones selling quickly these days. And those are the prices I'm seeing listed. Now what they actually go for after negotiations might be different. But since the "sale pending" labels are being added rather quickly, I'm assuming people are paying close to asking price or else there is some really fast counter-offering going on.

 

[FindingFigment]

Thanks everyone for your input. I really want to buy at BWV but was having second thoughts. Your quick feedback helped ease my nerves. I have an accepted offer and will be sending the contract in tomorrow. Just doing some last minute considerations before I move forward.

Thank you!

 

[DebbieB]

You must also consider end dates, BWV 2042 and SSR 2054. That can be important for any young family.

Each resort has a lot of the same types of costs and then each has its own factors. At BWV, you are contributing to cleaning and upkeep of the boardwalk itself, you have both buses and boats, extra staff needed because it is more of a hotel services type place and just by the fact it is a night time attraction area. As any owner, I am not overly thrilled with the amount of dues I pay at BWV but then I don't feel it is unfair in comparison to other resorts. If you actually want to have the lowest per point dues, you should consider BLT which has and will likely continue to have th lowest dues at WDW. A principal reason for that is simply that they are selling a lot more points per unit there than others and thus are spreading costs among more points per unit.

I don't believe the boardwalk itself is included in dues, it's not part of the timeshare. The difference is really small between BWV 5.46, BCV 5.28 and VWL 5.34, before the point reallocation they all had the same point chart except for BWV standard view and have similiar setups. I understand the reason BWV is slightly more is because of those lower standard view points and the spread of the dues because of it.

 

[jekjones1558]

Thanks everyone for your input. I really want to buy at BWV but was having second thoughts. Your quick feedback helped ease my nerves. I have an accepted offer and will be sending the contract in tomorrow. Just doing some last minute considerations before I move forward.

Thank you!

Hope all goes well in ROFR. Then we can officially welcome you home!