Conservative w/initial purchase?

[itsreally4mommy]

Would it be beneficial to be somewhat conservative w/your initial purchase to really get a feel for the resorts/system? Obviously you would want to buy enough to get you a decent trip once a year, but allow your max allowance you can afford to be add ons for other resorts?

 

[lisareniff]

Yes!

We were not conservative and purchased the upper amount in our ideal range. I wish I had purchased a lower about and had been able to add-on at a different resort later.

 

[GusMan]

We did the entry-level of 160 points and thought it would be enough. (But are very happy with our purchase.) We may add on 50 points soon. The nice part is that it seems to be easier to add on since if you bought a single contract with many points, you cant split it up. (Until you get a certain # of points.)

 

[disneynutz]

Would it be beneficial to be somewhat conservative w/your initial purchase to really get a feel for the resorts/system? Obviously you would want to buy enough to get you a decent trip once a year, but allow your max allowance you can afford to be add ons for other resorts?

I think that renting is the best way to start. If you don't rent, buy small. By renting or buying small you can check out the DVC program without committing a large chunk of money. There are a lot of people selling their interests in DVC for various reasons and sadly I know a couple who were new owners.

 

[DeeCee735]

We purchased the minimum we would need for our most desired time of travel and size unit. Worked well for a few years, however, we've since added on 4 times in the smallest add on contracts possible (25 points a piece), but two at a time 50 & 50. The reason we added on in 25 point increments is because it's easier to will them to our kids (our thinking anyway). They'll have to share the original larger contract (BWV), but with the smaller contracts they'll each have 25 BWV and 25 AKV......so far


I sometimes wish we bought the first contract in smaller increments for the same reasons, but really no regrets! It is a good idea to start small, and add on in other resorts, although waiting means price increases as well......Good luck with your decision and happy planning.....

 

[dianeschlicht]

Our first contract was 230 points, and our first add-on was 150 points. In hindsight, I wish we would have done the 150 first and added the rest on in smaller increments, because then I could have sold off about 100 points last year when I wanted to add on at AKV. As it was, I only added on a small contract there, because I really didn't want to pay maintenance on more than 450 points.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I think that renting is the best way to start.

I am not sure that renting before you buy really helps unless you have never been to DW before (and if that is the case, I wouldn't even think about buying DVC until you have taken several trips). I guess renting would give you the chance to experience staying in a hotel setting without daily housekeeping, if that is a concern.

Most of the downsides to DVC (and to most timeshares) involve the trading of time v. money. Yes, you can save money with DVC but you may need to book sooner or more often (can you say day-by-day?) or be more flexible. The value of your investment can be greatly impacted by your understanding and ability to live within rules that can be vauge, misunderstood or seem to be constantly changing. If you own DVC, you need to commit to educating yourself, which probably means spending lots of time here on the DisBoards (oh, wait, that is not really a downside).

I would suspect that most of these downsides cannot really be appreciated as a renter.

So yes, I would say to make your initial purchase a conservative one. That is what we did and we are very happy with our purchase.

Best of luck -- Suzanne

 

[BigBahamaDada]

We started with a 50 point resale contract. And have since added on to where we have 100 points at each of three different resorts. Highly recommend that approach. So much flexibility; 11 month window at three different resorts.

 

[SWB]

We started with a 50 point resale contract. And have since added on to where we have 100 points at each of three different resorts. Highly recommend that approach. So much flexibility; 11 month window at three different resorts.

Good point. I think that is what we may do (buying 74 points now and adding on at different resorts)

 

[itsreally4mommy]

Thank you, you all made good points. Initially we were thinking get as much as we can afford, but after reading so much here and really learning about all the resorts I've changed my thinking. I still haven't seen all WDW has to offer and yet now it's like there's even MORE parks, LOL. I'm currently in radiology tech school (career change from teacher) and have another year left to go, yea! Unfortunately that leaves me really tied down for the next year, but will be in DIRE need of another vacation by next summer. And hopefully by then I will be employed and then we can really afford to add more. Just crossing my fingers I'll get the vacation time to enjoy it, LOL.

 

[JimC]

Agree. Buy the minimum initial contract or resale/add-on contracts in the 100 to 150 point range for greater flexibility later on.

 

[clombardi]

We started with a 50 point resale contract. And have since added on to where we have 100 points at each of three different resorts. Highly recommend that approach. So much flexibility; 11 month window at three different resorts.

Sorry to go off topic, but your post made me think of a question.

We have a June UY on 50 pts at OKW. If I add 100 pts at BWV with a different use year, would I be able to book a 150 pt vacation at the 11 month window at BWV or can you only book 11 months out with the number of points you have at that specific DVC resort?? I hope that makes sense.

 

[disneynutz]

Sorry to go off topic, but your post made me think of a question.

We have a June UY on 50 pts at OKW. If I add 100 pts at BWV with a different use year, would I be able to book a 150 pt vacation at the 11 month window at BWV or can you only book 11 months out with the number of points you have at that specific DVC resort?? I hope that makes sense.

You can only book 11 months out with the number of points you have at that specific DVC resort. At 7 months you can book using the 150.

 

[crisi]

I'd even question your initial assumption - you need enough points to have a decent vacation every year.

You may discover that enough points to have a great DVC vacation every other year is sufficient, and that you want to do something else in the other year (we've cruised on cash several times - cruising on points doesn't make sense for us - nor does using our DVC points outside of DVC). That may even be going back to your favorite non-DVC resorts.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We bought 100 points in January 2006 and have been extremely happy.

Pros
We love that we didn't have to finance our little 100 pt. contract, and are very happy with $500 maintenance fees instead of $1k-$2k that we would pay with several hundred points.

Cons
We have to be a bit more careful banking and borrowing, can't make double ressies, and are very limited in our ability to trade out. (i.e., a cruise would take way too many points.)

Reality
We basically get a 1 bdrm for 1 trip per year, 2 trips in a studio, or bank/borrow to bring friends to stay in a 2 bdrm. We've also been known to go to HHI and use 2 nts. points and 2 nts. DVC cash rate. Wonderful!!

We go to WDW more than we ever did, and we only have 100 points!!

Boardwalk standard weekday studio points are wonderful especially in Adventure season.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Another thought...

You can also purchase 50 points and stay in a studio at OKW, BWV, or AKV every year for 5 weekdays. (Make sure you purchase at one of these 3 resorts to get 11 month advantage.)

A 50 point contract will cost somewhere between $4k-$5k, and you will have maintenance fees in the $250 range. That is not bad for rooms that start in the $300 range per night.

 

[Tracyvp]

Deleted and moved to new post.

 

[PinkTink63]

I would have to say YES too! You can always add on later. We bought pretty conservatively, compared to many on here, and have no regrets so far. We hope to maybe add on at another resort eventially.
Good Luck!

 

[jodifla]

We bought in at 150 and added 56 points a few years later.


Starting at the minimum was good for us. We just cost shifted--- instead of spending money on WDW or Orlando hotel rooms, we paid our monthly costs (we financed...oh, the horro!) and dues.