Dues????

[Richz22]

i am very serisouly considering joining but the only hang up i think i have are Union Dues.
Do these increase significantly on an annual basis?

If there is someone that reads this that has been a member since the early 90's, i would be interested to know what your rate was then as compared to what it is now. I am just afraid that if union dues go up a dramatic amount, do you really save money and is it worth it to join.

Like i said, i am 95% ready to sign the papers today but i just want to make sure its worth it. And if anyone else here reads it, are there any negatives at all to joining the DVC. I mean is there anything that once you joined, you said "damn, i didnt know that, that really stinks". My wife is hung up on the no maid service but imo thats not a big deal.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Granny]

Union dues???

I guess you mean the annual maintenance fee that we are charged.

Lots of people have tracked these from the beginning, and they seem to go up an average of 2-3% a year.....sometimes more, and sometimes they even go down year to year.

There is a 15% cap on increase in any given year, but more importantly is that they are only to cover expenses and reserves for future repairs. Disney cannot, by law, make a profit on the annual maintenance fee.


And we haven't had anything occur that makes us regret the decision to buy into DVC...we wish we had done it sooner!

 

[Loubon]

Here's a post that at least has the last few years:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=431947&highlight=maintenance+dues

 

[Lisa P.]

And if anyone else here reads it, are there any negatives at all to joining the DVC.

It's wise to ask this question and become an informed consumer. These two threads may be of interest to you. As you read them, you'll note that most members here are not concerned with these "negatives." HTH!

Thread: "Any bad things to say about DVC ownership?"

Thread: "Reasons for NOT buying DVC?"

 

[PamOKW]

No, they aren't Union Dues. The yearly dues are comprised of three parts.

1. Maintenance -- Pays for all the things that keep the resort running. Utilities, front desk, member services, etc., etc.

2. Captial Expenses -- This includes a fund that is managed so we don't get socked with big assessments. This pays for painting the units, paving the roads, new furniture, etc., etc.

3. Real Estate Taxes -- Yup. We gotta pay 'em. This portion of your dues may be tax deductible.

To give you a rough idea of how well DVC manages the dues and to alleviate fear of big jumps: OKW in 1993 was $2.56 per point. In 2003, it's $3.22 per point. During that time, dues remained very stable from 1997 ($3.14) to 2002 ($3.22). We saw big jumps in the first 2-3 years and again last year. Last year's jump was brought about primarily by increased insurance costs for the resort and for the medical insurance for the DVC employees. Hopefully, they will stabilize again.

All the other resorts have run at similar increases.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

My wife is hung up on the no maid service

You can pay for that on a daily basis if it is important.

HBC

 

[PamOKW]

Lots of people worry about the no maid service. But, after giving it a try, many folks actually LIKE not having someone coming into the room every day. You don't have to worry about being woken up early and/or coming back to a room that the maid is working on or hasn't gotten to yet. And, as Birthday Cat said, you can always pay for it (daily rates) Studio $25; 1 Bedroom $30; 2 bedroom $40; GV $60. For $10 per day, they will perform the Trash & Towel.

 

[JimC]

Here is link to table with all of the maintenance fees:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=413768&highlight=caskbill