Closing very soon, has some points to get rid of question.

[Tech4444]

I will be closing very shortly on a contract but it comes with 50 points that will expire at the end of November. How easy is it to rent out those short notice points in your experience.

 

[MFMont]

You won't have a problem. Should even be a decent selection of options.

 

[Sandisw]

By the time you close, and get the points, it will be mid July…availability for fall is already pretty limited…but you might be able to book a night here and there and advertise them like that.

I would not expect more than that.

 

[Tech4444]

That brings me to my second question.... Do you guys recommend booking stays and renting out already booked stays or advertise points and let people ask for availability?

 

[Marionnette]

That brings me to my second question.... Do you guys recommend booking stays and renting out already booked stays or advertise points and let people ask for availability?

Given the very limited availability between when you get those points and when they expire, you will save time by just booking what you can and then offering the reservations for rent rather than dealing with interested renters who have no idea that the "BWV standard studio for Thanksgiving week" is an impossible request.

 

[Tech4444]

And last question.... maybe.... after I book a stay and then rent that stay to someone else, do I have to call DVC or can I change names on the reservation online?

 

[Marionnette]

And last question.... maybe.... after I book a stay and then rent that stay to someone else, do I have to call DVC or can I change names on the reservation online?

You have to call or chat or email in order to change the lead guest's name.

 

[erionm]

And last question.... maybe.... after I book a stay and then rent that stay to someone else, do I have to call DVC or can I change names on the reservation online?

You would need to contact DVC (phone, chat or email) to change the lead guests name. All other guest names can be changed online.

 

[Tech4444]

You would need to contact DVC (phone, chat or email) to change the lead guests name. All other guest names can be changed online.

Awesome ty!!

 

[pianomanzano]

Rent a Poly studio, Fri-Sun (if one's available). Those go pretty quickly and you can get $19-21/pt doing so privately through one of the FB groups.

 

[CarolynFH]

Awesome ty!!

What some owners do when changing lead guest from themselves to a renter is to enter the renter as an additional guest, then email/chat/call MS to remove the owner’s name and move the renter’s name up to lead guest. That allows the owner to make certain that the lead guest’s name is spelled correctly, etc. Additional guests can be added by the owner online either before or after changing the lead guest.

 

[cvjw]

I second the poster who said to book poly studios for weekend nights. I had some points that would be expiring because we had to cancel a couple cruises. Booked several single weekend nights at the poly and rented thru a broker. They were rented almost immediately, even though they were for very short notice stays.

 

[BeachClub2014]

We had a similar scenario. Recently closed on a resale contract with about 50 points in holding that would expire at the end of July. Made a two-night ressie for a resort studio at VGF and was just able to rent it out today. Used the chat feature to change the lead guest names. Pretty easy all the way around and the points aren't a total loss.

 

[Best Aunt]

The "use the points to make a reservation that someone wants" versus "make a reservation and then rent it out" is interesting to me. Currently one of the rental agencies has 61 confirmed reservations for rent and the other one has 405. My instinct says that it would be harder to find someone who happens to want the exact reservation that you previously made. But my instinct is not always correct.

 

[Sandisw]

The "use the points to make a reservation that someone wants" versus "make a reservation and then rent it out" is interesting to me. Currently one of the rental agencies has 61 confirmed reservations for rent and the other one has 405. My instinct says that it would be harder to find someone who happens to want the exact reservation that you previously made. But my instinct is not always correct.

I agree...but in this case, the OP has only 50 points, so single night reservations may go fast? Not to mention, there may not be much more than that available in the fall when these points are in the account for booking.

 

[erinkristen04]

We had a similar scenario. Recently closed on a resale contract with about 50 points in holding that would expire at the end of July. Made a two-night ressie for a resort studio at VGF and was just able to rent it out today. Used the chat feature to change the lead guest names. Pretty easy all the way around and the points aren't a total loss.

Nice! We will (hopefully) be in a similar boat (knock on wood). Did you rent through a broker or privately? I plan to do something similar, but not sure which direction I should go to increase my odds of getting a renter.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Nice! We will (hopefully) be in a similar boat (knock on wood). Did you rent through a broker or privately? I plan to do something similar, but not sure which direction I should go to increase my odds of getting a renter.

Broker. DVC Rental Store

 

[CarolMN]

The "use the points to make a reservation that someone wants" versus "make a reservation and then rent it out" is interesting to me. Currently one of the rental agencies has 61 confirmed reservations for rent and the other one has 405. My instinct says that it would be harder to find someone who happens to want the exact reservation that you previously made. But my instinct is not always correct.

When availability is tight, grabbing what you can find and then renting the reservation is often your best chance to recover some value for your points, especially if they are expiring soon. Points have no value if there isn't a room available.

Of course, that logic doesn't apply to those reservations made for peak periods well in advance.

 

[BeachClub2014]

When availability is tight, grabbing what you can find and then renting the reservation is often your best chance to recover some value for your points, especially if they are expiring soon. Points have no value if there isn't a room available.

That was certainly our experience. We had never rented out any of our points before so this was a new experience for us. We had closed on a contract with about 50 points in holding that would expire at the end of July. When we went to offer those points up for rent, the broker suggested a greater likelihood of success if we got a confirmed reservation to offer up. They even researched the room and resort availability for us. Long story short, they were 100% right and we were able to rent out those points versus them just expiring.

 

[Tech4444]

Thank you everyone for the input. We finally got the clear to close email today, fingers crossed I can have the points in my account in a few weeks.