DVC? Buy or not to Buy???

[Miscoehill]

Very new to DVC? Just went to OKW (rented from a friend) and went to SS for the tour and sat with a guide about the timeshares. What a gorgeous site! We've been to FLA three times in the last four years. Is buying from Disney directly better or a resale? We want to buy, but are wondering if we will get our monies worth.

 

[tjkraz]

Buying a resale is neither better nor worse than direct from DVC. It's simply...different.

If you buy SSR, you get 49 full years, $85 per point, and the second lowest annual dues in the program.

If you go resale, you get 38 years, will probably pay a net cost in the $78-80 range, and your dues will vary by resort. Resales can be especially advantageous if you get a contract that has banked points from the prior year, and current year's points available. Be careful--some contracts are already borrowed against and you may not get any sizable number of points until 2006.

Finances aside, the most important reason to choose your Home resort carefully is the 11/7 month booking window--you have 11 months to book your Home, and only 7 to book the other properties. If you are convinced that you want to spend the vast majority of your stays at one property, then you should definitely buy at that property. When the 7 month window arrives, you will be competing with EVERY SINGLE DVC member to book any resort.

For example, it doesn't make much sense to buy at OKW if you want to stay at BCV most of the time. By and large, folks that have been members for several years have been very successful in booking non-Home properties at 7 months. Don't make yourself play the waiting game if you want to stay at one resort 75% of the time.

If you really just want a room and appreciate all of the resorts for what they offer--or if you can't even book your trips more than 7 months out--the most economical purchases will probably be OKW Resale (lowest dues) or SSR direct from DVC (for the low dues and extra years on the back end).

Good luck!

 

[JimC]

Agree with tjkraz. We did both - buy direct and resale. Which is better depends on many factors as tjkraz explained.

Good luck. Either way it will bring you many magical years of memories and a good value for your vacation dollar!

 

[cruise-o-matic]

B]If you really just want a room and appreciate all of the resorts for what they offer--or if you can't even book your trips more than 7 months out--the most economical purchases will probably be OKW Resale (lowest dues) or SSR direct from DVC (for the low dues and extra years on the back end).[/B]

Would Hilton Head resale be a good choice too with all the ROFR going on? I know Vero lists for the cheapest price per point but I think it also some of the highest dues.

 

[Lou Rindner]

We just battled that discussion at my house. We bought points prior to the SSR opening. Then I have a great time and wanted to buy more. Well we did. Through DVC. But I see that the resales has someone posting it at $79.00 per point. SSR offers 51 years. The others are much less in terms of years. If you can grab the points on a resale at SSR I would grab it. Save as much as 16 per point that way. SSR is at $95 per point and I hear in Dec $100.00 per point. Now that I explained that we bought more points through Disney Vacation club but there was no one sell at the SSR. I See there is I would grab it.

Lou

 

[stacy6552]

The good news these days is that if youre buying from Disney at SSR, youre getting something tangible for the extra (if there is extra) money over a resale purchase: 12 more years of travel.

We took a swing at resale. Disney nabbed our contract. The process was long and disappointing, so we bought at SSR.

We stayed opening week and loved it. Couldnt be happier.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by cruise-o-matic
Would Hilton Head resale be a good choice too with all the ROFR going on? I know Vero lists for the cheapest price per point but I think it also some of the highest dues.

My own personal opinion is that if you want to use your points at a WDW resort the majority of the time, just buy one of the WDW properties. Smart members will book their Home resort at 11 months and then try to change to an alternate at 7 months. The chances of getting completely blacked-out at 7 months are very remote, but why take the chance.