Do I buy into DVC??

Tower of terror

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Hi
Hope some of you can help me out here. I am looking at DVC. My situation is, myself and partner are 47, we have a 20yr old daughter and 16yr old son (I know, we should have bought years ago when we first looked at it). By the way, we have just been at Easter and it was like taking 2 tots-the kids are still Disney mad!! I am planning that we could possibly use it every 2-3 years and probably can't use it until 2014/15 anyway. My wife is a teacher and son at college (holiday dates never match. We can only go at Easter or maybe a week in October (obviously the peak times). My plan is we could get there like I said every couple of years or so and in about 10-12 years when we plan to retire the two of us could use at cheaper times. We could also try to get a good family holiday in later in a bigger accomodation. It all adds up for me, but trying to convince the missus. i have looked at SS resale at about $60/62 dollars a point-what was the price a year or so ago-are they going up all the time?? Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Alan
 
Hi, I can't be sure of the price of SSR retail last year but don't think it was much different.

Note that as time passes resale prices will likely only drop because contracts have a fixed end point when it expires, so over time the contract loses value due to only X number of years left to use. This happens very, very slowly though as even OKW (the first DVC development) doesn't expire until 2042. That said, with the recession currently going on it's definitely a buyers market and that competitiveness between sellers right now might be shaving $1-2 off of asking prices (totally guessing at that, I'm no financial advisor ;) )

Main factors to consider if buying Resale in my opinion are:-

What resort do you want to stay in the most and consider 'home'? Off peak you can usually still have your choice of resorts even at 7 months bar some small exceptions (Concierge rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge are very hard to get even at 11 months because there are so few of them, Beach Club Villas and Boardwalk can both be tricky to get during the Food and Wine Festival). However, as you're planning to stay at Easter it's a very busy time so if you have your heart set on a particular 'must stay' resort then you'll need the 11 month booking window at that resort too.

If you're happy just being at WDW and are flexible with where you stay then home resort matters less and a resort like SSR is a great choice for Resale as iirc it's Annual Dues (yearly management fee) are one of the lowest. As a bonus I also think SSR is a lovely resort and I love it's proximity to Downtown Disney. OKW, which is the other resort that tends to have year round availability at the 7 month window is also beautiful! If you're happy staying at either of those resorts as a 'worst case scenario' you'd be fine.

Are you sure you always want to stay in DVC property years from now? Resale contracts are no longer able to trade out for non-dvc resorts, DCL or RCI exchanges etc so it lacks the extra bells and whistle options that buying direct from Disney gives you.

If you answered yes to being flexible and are confident you'll be happy staying DVC accommodation (though you do have the option to rent your points and use the cash for staying somewhere else) then Resale is a super option considering the HUGE savings compared to buying direct. If I knew what I knew now (and had a bit more confidence at the time :P) then I'd have probably gone the resale route myself.

Hope that helps :)
 
Actually it is most definitely a sellers market at the moment. Since Disney announced the increase in direct prices there has been a run on resale contracts so inventory is well down and people are selling for 10-15 dollars a point more than 6 months ago. It is still a good deal resale especially since Disney prices have gone mad but take care as the low low offers are just not being accepted just now and contracts are selling within hours of being posted.
 
I agree that it's most definitely a seller's market at the moment, but I just wanted to tell you that I was teaching and in my forties when we bought and did exactly what you are planning. That is, we went at Easter and now I'm retired, we go at the slower times. It has worked out well for us.
 


Resale buyers can use their poinbts for RCI exchanges, they just can't be used for Cruises, Disney concierge or adventure collections.

We have just bought our third contract and there are not a lot of contracts on the resale market at the minute and many are quite highly priced so i would say it is a sellers market as demand still seems to be great and most contracts are being snapped up quickly unless the price is ridiculous (saw an SSR resale up at $130 a couple of weeks ago) or the contract has been stripped even of its 2014 points.
 
Thanks to all for your input. I would be totally happy with saratoga as a 'home' resort. We had a good look round when it opened and we loved it. I would certainly want to try AK at some stage as well as it looks great. Thought we had done it and seen it when last at Disney 7 years ago and we said it was our last visit (I was nearly in tears walking out of Epcot on the final night lol - I love illuminations!!). We had been there a day this time and I was just asking myself why we hadn't been for so long, it's like a second home. the whole family feel the same - it's just getting holidays in together and affording flights each time that make us question it.
 
Did you see BCV and Stormalong bay? For another $10 per point you and you family might really like the location, walk to Epcot or Hollywood studios.

We obviously own there. Also looked at GFV but way too much money for that. Also have a son going to college in the fall and at $43,000 per year, have to save those pennies.
 


Did you see BCV and Stormalong bay? For another $10 per point you and you family might really like the location, walk to Epcot or Hollywood studios.

We obviously own there. Also looked at GFV but way too much money for that. Also have a son going to college in the fall and at $43,000 per year, have to save those pennies.

Your son is 16and in college already? Mine turned 18 yesterday just finishing 12th grade.
 
Son is in college at 16 yes, don't forget I am in the uk.

I do understand you are in the UK just amazed that they can get into college so early. No way they would allow that in the US, unless the kid was a genius with a 200 IQ and studying Astro Physics. You essentially have to go through 12 grades here starting at age 6 usually and will be 18 at the time they enter college. And we have no Gap year practices here. Everyone that wants to goes straight to college and then straight to work after.
 
corpcomp said:
I do understand you are in the UK just amazed that they can get into college so early. No way they would allow that in the US, unless the kid was a genius with a 200 IQ and studying Astro Physics. You essentially have to go through 12 grades here starting at age 6 usually and will be 18 at the time they enter college. And we have no Gap year practices here. Everyone that wants to goes straight to college and then straight to work after.

US colleges are nothing like a UK college. What you would call a college we call a University.
 

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