Discouraged, contracts come and go

[Cbtexan04]

I will fully admit this is such a first world problem, and definitely just me venting, but we’re looking to add on another contract and can’t seem to find a match.

It’s been a couple of months at this point, and there have only been a handful of contracts matching our desired resorts (AK or SSR), use year (June) and desired point range (75-125). We already have two contracts with this use year, so we definitely want to make sure to keep it June. We put in an offer (online) on two different contacts that seemed like good matches, but we were contacted and told for each that the sellers already accepted an offer (the site just hasn’t been updated yet).

I know the right contract will come through, but I’m finding it hard to remain patient and not lose hope.

Anyone else have a long wait until they found their right contract? What’s the longest you’ve had to wait before finally getting to close?

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I would suggest you download the apps and sign up for the emails from all of the resale sites. It was a Friday night email that helped me find my June SSR contract.

 

[Cbtexan04]

It’s super crazy how fast they go. I’m signed up for 3 resellers alerts plus the DVC search engine site. Guess once the listing is posted the timer starts ticking on when it will be picked up!

 

[Frederic Civish]

Just tell yourself, and repeat over and over, that the contract you want IS out there, or will be out there, and you just need to find it.

Find some of the reputable resale companies. (Which means most of them who do standard stuff. Stay away from the ones who List in strange ways or charge strange fees. There are a dozen well known, well advertised companies out there. Including some who advertise on this board or support this board.) Contact them by email and tell them what you are interested in buying. Specify the location, your desired use year, your desired point range, and your desired price range. Most of the time they will find something and get back to you, and it usually only takes a few days. If they don’t get back to you, contact them again. But I have had some Companies respond extra fast, and others came in a day or two later. Like I told one company, “You snooze, you lose.” The more of them that you work with, the more you are likely to find something.

This is worth doing because they are often given a heads up on Contracts that will be becoming available and haven’t yet been posted. They can direct these contracts to you. Even before they post them. You could look at them and say yay or nay. Or make a counter offer.

I don’t think you should waste your time making a secondary offer on any contracts where an offer has already been accepted and where the sale is pending. Most contracts never do fall through to give you a secondary chance. And that could take weeks, just for you to try to get the offer. Better to go find some new ones that have not yet been taken by someone else.

If you don’t find what you want at first, just to keep at it. Eventually, probably within just a few more weeks, you will find something. The market is very active and there are a relatively large number of contracts passing into and out of the system constantly.

 

[Matty B13]

Your point range of 50-100 points will make it a little tougher as well, especially at AKV since it sold most contracts around the 150+ range. Since a lot of the contracts in the 50-100 point range are selling pretty close to direct pricing, you might want to look at a direct purchase.

 

[The Jackal]

When you are looking for a specific contract like this, when they come around you have to be fast. I would call a couple of the reputable resellers and let them know what your looking for. Maybe one will be able to help. Just give it a little time. It will pop up.

 

[aokeefe]

In addition to having to having the apps/twitter alerts of the resale companies that have it, I have sites bookmarked. I would check each one every morning (one reputable seller updates their site at midnight) and several times a day. I would also call as soon as I see a listing rather than online. Good luck! It's frustrating for sure but it will happen.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I can agree with calling them directly if you see a listing you’re interested in. I did that on one contract, and though the one that I was interested in was not accepted when I made the offer - since two other people bid on it and the sellers accepted the bid one of the other people - by talking to the sales person they knew that I was very interested in buying and they called me back within an hour with an “unlisted” listing that was just coming on the market. In fact, the people had contacted the seller and discussed putting it on the market but hadn’t yet made a real decision. The sales person talked to them and they decided to go with it. I ended up purchasing that one.

Even if they have nothing available when you call, the fact that you actually talk to them shows them that you are a very “live” Prospect and makes them much more interested in trying to find you something.

 

[kboo]

^^^ This. I have found 2 out of 3 resale contracts through calling and speaking to the broker. And I have spoken on the phone with a few others while I was looking too - it definitely helps. One called with an amazing contract that was about to be listed, but I already was in ROFR on one that I ended up buying.

Also: as @Matty B13 said, with AKV you may have a hard time finding a resale that is 125 points or under. If you can go up to 150-160 (I know), you may find more options.

 

[CraigInPA]

It can be frustrating to be "second in line" on contract after contract.

Sometimes, that Goldilocks contract just isn't out there. My wife and I watched for 8 months for a December use year at BLT. While we wanted 200 points, we kept seeing much larger and much smaller contracts. Until *that day* when I got the Fidelity email, with a loaded December use year BLT with 160 points. 10 seconds after I opened the email, I was on their site putting in a full price offer ($110/pp, which was $15/pp below what they were selling for at the time; seller was behind on payments and about to be foreclosed). My wife and I later augmented the 160 point contract with direct points, and partially financed the direct add on by renting the banked and current year points (which we didn't need for our upcoming vacation). With the rental of the points, we actually paid less than what we expected to spend on 200 points resale at the prevailing price, and got the direct benefits (this was when 25 or more points gave you direct benefits) as a bonus.

 

[TexasChick123]

Hello Fellow Texan! We looked for a 100 point BLT contract with a June UY for about 4 or 5 months to add on. Nothing came on that was a price we were willing to pay in our UY. I saw more reasonably priced contracts with different UY’s come and go. We finally gave in and went for one that was 150 points instead. The ppp was much more reasonable. About a week before we closed on the add on, Fidelity posted a June 100 point BLT contract for $5 less per point than we were paying (and we paid a fair price). I’m not saying we would’ve gotten it because I’m sure it was gone quickly, but my unicorn did eventually come around. I’m not shedding any tears over here since I now have 50 more BLT points than originally planned. Miraculously, I’ve found ways to spend them already.

 

[Cbtexan04]

Thank you all for the kind words and helpful suggestions. I was really feeling frustrated (especially at the time of my posting this), but it definitely helps to hear so many of you say you've gone through the same thing! I know the right contract will come along one day

 

[kboo]

 

[Cbtexan04]

I laughed way harder than I should have at that

 

[Dean]

I will fully admit this is such a first world problem, and definitely just me venting, but we’re looking to add on another contract and can’t seem to find a match.

It’s been a couple of months at this point, and there have only been a handful of contracts matching our desired resorts (AK or SSR), use year (June) and desired point range (75-125). We already have two contracts with this use year, so we definitely want to make sure to keep it June. We put in an offer (online) on two different contacts that seemed like good matches, but we were contacted and told for each that the sellers already accepted an offer (the site just hasn’t been updated yet).

I know the right contract will come through, but I’m finding it hard to remain patient and not lose hope.

Anyone else have a long wait until they found their right contract? What’s the longest you’ve had to wait before finally getting to close?

This is one of the issues trying to go too small on the contracts, not as many to chose from. You'll eventually get there for one of these resorts but it could take some time. Consider you might have a contract pulled by DVC also even once you have an agreement. I'd open up to other home resorts and/or a little larger, really both. Opening up to larger contracts will likely give you the most options. I'd agree about the email lists, apps and contacting brokers ahead to develop a dialog.

 

[Jerry@dvcstore]

This is a great thread regarding finding an add-on contract or a good match to what you want to purchase. I've been working with The Timeshare Store Inc.® as an agent for 18 years and I always recommend to my clients...if you see a match that fits your needs...buy it at the asking price to secure the listing. Yes, in some cases prices may be higher than what you are willing to pay, but even so, in the long run you bought the property / points size / and Use year you wanted and no longer have to stress about searching all the sites for a match. In my experience, when offers are made on the smaller point contracts (125 points or less) the person who pays the asking price first, typically gets it. These small contracts sell fast and normally at a premium.

I don't want to discourage any buyer from making an offer on a property....but if it is a perfect listing to meet your needs, it is a good idea to just buy it at the asking price and secure the property ASAP.

 

[Bruin_mouse]

Anecdotally it seems like the ~100 point contracts have gone up in demand since Disney increased the minimum direct points needed for perks to 75 points in February. As @Dean frequently advises, 160 points or so is an ideal amount of points for most folks. So if you buy 100 resale points and 75 direct you get 175 total points, some resale savings, and direct perks, which I suspect has made 100 point resale contracts more valuable. I think @TexasChick123's strategy to buy a bigger contract to pay less per point (although more dollars over all) is a great suggestion if you can fit it into your budget.

 

[Mumof4mice]

Increasing the points range by as little as 25-50 points can greatly increase your options.

Small contracts are in such hot demand that even stripped contracts sell at a premium. If your cashflow allows, you could potentially pay the same amount for a loaded slightly bigger contract after renting out the loaded points for $14pp.

I have just used David's to rent out some points. Happy to report that the process was incredibly effortless - submitted online form, within 6 hours they emailed me with a booking for the 300 points I offered for rent. The payment was in my PayPal account in 24 hours.

Of course a larger contract means more MF. But as countless posts on disboard would attest - there's no such thing as too many points! Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[Dean]

Anecdotally it seems like the ~100 point contracts have gone up in demand since Disney increased the minimum direct points needed for perks to 75 points in February. As @Dean frequently advises, 160 points or so is an ideal amount of points for most folks. So if you buy 100 resale points and 75 direct you get 175 total points, some resale savings, and direct perks, which I suspect has made 100 point resale contracts more valuable. I think @TexasChick123's strategy to buy a bigger contract to pay less per point (although more dollars over all) is a great suggestion if you can fit it into your budget.

My view is in general not go too small or too large. A common mistake I see are that people crunch the points tables and try to buy just what they think they'll need. Life doesn't work out that way and things change. Another one is to get addonitis before even experiencing the system enough to truly have a feel. Getting a full sized contract or around 150-170 gives so much more options both in usage and in finding them. Unfortunately for most buying retail for the perks doesn't make sense with the newest restrictions.

 

[Cbtexan04]

My view is in general not go too small or too large. A common mistake I see are that people crunch the points tables and try to buy just what they think they'll need. Life doesn't work out that way and things change. Another one is to get addonitis before even experiencing the system enough to truly have a feel. Getting a full sized contract or around 150-170 gives so much more options both in usage and in finding them. Unfortunately for most buying retail for the perks doesn't make sense with the newest restrictions.

Oh I definitely agree. We already have blue card benefits, having been grandfathered in with one of our two contracts. We’re at a stage now where we would love to be able to use 1-2 bedrooms, requiring more points.

Ideally, another 75 points would be the best financially for us. We have that in cash and wouldn’t need any sort of financing (that is important to us). My wife and I have agreed if a contact we both agree is a solid match, we would go up to 125.

I have signed up for several email alerts from resale sites, at the suggestion of y’all in this thread, so now it’s just the waiting game. If nothing comes along for several months, it just means we can save up more and buy a bigger contract