dvc resale

[bongo59]

I am getting ready to buy a resale....the paperwork is in the mail.....can anyone tell me is OKW a good choice......I got a wife a kid whos been to wdw 10 times who is 8.5 AND new new babe at 17 months .......we just got back from wdw last weekend and 5 K poorer.......I just am sick of dropping this much casyh every time I go and I think the DVC is the way to go ....but not at 80 apoint when I can buy at 60-62 a point .....Am i missing anything??????

 

[Richyams]

You are missing nothing. OKW is the best choice. It has the largest rooms, you can park in front of your unit, you pay the lowest dues, you have the lowest point schedule.

Even if the dues were highest and the points the same as the rest, OKW would still win without any doubt.

There is no difference at all in points right from Disney vs resale points. None.

 

[Dean]

As long as you'll be happy staying at OKW most trips, you're on target. I'd buy where you want to stay the most if you have a major preference.

 

[ripleysmom]

Buy where you want to stay, period. If you'll be happy at OKW then purchase there.

 

[chris1gill]

I agree, you aren't missing anything... But I have to ask just one question, have you visited the different on-site properties to make sure that you are happiest at OKW? There may be times when you cannot reserve at the other DVC properties at 7 months out because they are full... That's my only suggestion, buy where you think you will want to stay most often...

 

[Terry S]

Something you will read on these boards very often is buy where you plan to stay most often. If you have seen the on-site DVC properties and of them you prefer OKW, you are doing the right thing in purchasing the re-sale.

I did have the choice of buying an OKW resale at $62 - $65 a point or BCV from Disney at $70 point and I chose BCV. I have always loved the BC because of the themeing, the atmosphere and the location, but that is just my preference and I was willing to pay the extra money to own there so that I knew I would be able to get my reservation there.

As Rich so eloquently put its, he prefers OKW. It may or may not be for you.

My suggestion would be to take a look at all the DVC properties and determine which you would prefer to stay at most often and purchase there. If you don't care where you are staying as long as you are at WDW, purchase at OKW since it is the least expensive option.

 

[Dean]

I would never buy something I wouldn't be happy staying at. Buying OKW with a goal of staying at other WDW resorts is not the same as buying say HH or VB though. You can always make a reservation at OKW and try to change it over to BW, BC, WLV, etc at the 7 month window. If you're unsuccessful, you still have a place to stay that is very nice and where you want to vacation.

 

[hoosiergirl]

I agree with what everyone has said--buy where you want to stay. We own at OKW and VB (just added the VB this year) but we bought in '93 when there was only OKW! Still, we're very happy there. I love parking outside my room, the resort is so beautiful, and it feels relaxing after a day at the parks. In fact, we've gone to VB the last 2 vacations with short WDW stays at AS and when making our reservations for December, I asked my kids if they'd like me to try for BW or BC. They unanimously said "NO! We miss OKW!"

Having said all that, a DVC cast member told me that she purchased at HH purely because it had the lowest maintenance costs and that she had only stayed there once. I asked her why in the world would she do that?? Her response was that she could never plan very far in advance so it wouldn't do her any good to worry about the 11 month advantage. I don't know if I'd totally agree with her--you just never know how things will change--but it was a perspective I had never heard before.

 

[DeeP]

You should definitely look into all the DVC resorts that are located at WDW if you want to mostly stay at WDW. All the DVC resorts are very nice and also very different. What some person thinks is the best might be the exact opposite for you. I would never buy at a resort I did not prefer just to save a little money. Your DVC membership lasts for a long time and it is a fact that some DVC resorts are harder to get into than others, I would hate to see someone buy at one resort just to save money and then not be able to get into the DVC resort that they really want to stay at.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

As so many others delicately put it "buy where you want to stay".

OKW is a great resort especially if you have a car. If you really have no preference then you might want to think about the fact that OKW has a much greater capacity than other resorts. If there is availability anywhere on site at less than 7 months it will probably be at OKW. Therefore if any place is a good place I might go for BWV for ease of transport to either Epcot or MGM and the likelihood of getting a lower (but not quite as low as OKW) price than VWL. The slightly higher price will be offset by not having a car.

Note: You don't need a car at OKW. Some buildings are perfectly equivalent to BWV or VWL in terms of distance to the restaurant and accoutrements plus buses are frequent. You can't beat it for proximity to Downtown Disney. However there are some buildings where you may wish you had a car.

One thing I enjoyed about OKW is that when you exited the resort you could turn right and get an almost traffic free trip to DTD and the Crossroads.

 

[crisi]

Make sure you end up saving money in the end (if that's your goal and it seems to be) - at $60-62 you will probably do fine, but when you start paying $65+ plus closing costs on a small contract, and buy a contract where the points have been borrowed, you are less likely to be getting a deal over Disney.

Buy where you want to stay is the advice often given on this boards. For us with young kids, the biggest downside to your choice of OKW was the pool and less than ideal Disney provided transportation and park access (we fly in and avoid renting a car, so we are pretty dependent on the Disney transportaiton system). The other WDW DVC resorts are attached to Disney's deluxe resorts and can take advantage of their themed pools.

But if your goal is somewhere to sleep after spending a day in the parks and saving money, any WDW DVC location is going to meet the need.

(If your goal is to hang in your room, you definately want the bigger rooms of OKW. And if you ever intend to rent a Grand Villa, no doubt about it, much easier if OKW is home)

 

[dbond]

We bought OKW resale in 1997. At the time, OKW was the only resort that had resales on the market. We wanted to pay cash and we only had so much money to spend, so we got the most for our money through resale. We had never stayed there, never really visited the property, had only driven by. We had previously stayed at either Port Orleans or Carribbean Beach. At the time, we thought we'd probably split our trips between OKW and BWV and we truly thought BWV would be our top choice in the long run. After just one visit to OKW, we fell in love with it. It truly does feel like our home away from home. We enjoy the other resorts immensely, but we always come home to OKW. We made our decision from a purely financial point of view. We have never been disappointed in our decision to buy OKW and if we had it to do all over again, even with all of the choices that exist now in resale and brand new Beach Club Villas, we would choose OKW all over again.

 

[dbkelly]

We bought OKW site unseen. We bought OKW because it was the biggest and cheapest, which sounds good to an accountant. We went home for the first time in April and I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. The rooms were very nice, but the property itself is so large and spread out. You really feel as though you are in a condominium resort and not a hotel atmosphere. The lack of a slide at the pool was very disappointing to my children. When I purchases OKW, I did not think that a pool slide would be so important. I still like the property very much, but we went to the BWV to pool hop and I fell in love with the atmosphere at the Boardwalk and the children of course fell in love with Luna Park. However, we went during the day when it is not as loud or busy. I believe the noise at night could be a problem for us, since I put my kids to bed by 9:30. In addition, we only spent one day at OKW because we went on the cruise. I don't think we had enough time to really enjoy the property to its fullest. My neighbors were also at OKW a week before we got there and they just loved it. I think we will enjoy the quietness of OKW a lot more when we have spent an entire week in the parks.

If you want the atmosphere of a hotel and you have children who really enjoy pool slides, then I would consider other properties. If you don't care about a hotel atmosphere or a pool slide then OKW would be the choice, because it is very relaxing, pretty and you get more for your buck!

 

[RLevy29]

One important question is how far in advance are you able to make travel reservations. If you are able to make them 11 months in advance than it really matters where you buy. If you can only make them 7 months or less in advance, then it doesn't matter where you buy. If you own at VWL and you want a reservation at a 7 month window and there is none available, it doesn't matter whether you own there or not. You are not going to be able to reserve what you want.

 

[bongo59]

well my 330 point contract is in hand but pat from ther timeshare store called and now the sellers want to time to think?????I guess the resale mkt is kind of like that........I have stayed every where is WDW over the last 15 yrs and truth be told I am never in the room past 8 AM and I ususally return at 11 PM so .......I dont think I care where we buy ...its more of an issue for my wife and kids.........All I know is that saving some money for the same point value just makes sense to me.......plus I was ready to lay the lettuce down last week at DVC and then our guide really teed me off so I left without a deed and quite mad at this guy......he was so rude that even though I wanted to buy I would not from him just to spite him.........all in all I just dont see a downside to this and I was hoping someone out there would be my devil's advocate........I guess I got to get my act together and decide on Disney or the resale mkt..........thanks to you all

 

[chris1gill]

Oh, well this is VERY different then... if you are having an issue with your guide, by all means call and ask for another guide, and tell them why... but also be firm that you want another guide! Michelle McAllister is our guide & has been for years now... She is the absolute best....

It's not too often we hear about owners "thinking" when someone does make an offer... usually when the contract is listed, it is actually sold. Maybe this is just one of those times...

 

[bongo59]

i was very suprised by this news ......why list if you really are not sure......I just put an offer in on 750 points at the wilderness lodge but I want it for 60 a point ...they want 63.50 and I only will get 633 points the first year.......I figure if I buy in bulk I need to get a good deal ....and if disney buys it so be it........

 

[bongo59]

I have another question.......are there really any solid benefits of me just buying the new BCV from disney over any resale.....I never went to see the BCV and maybe that was a mistake!!!!!are there any killer benefits to new ownership there???????

 

[dbond]

I'm the OKW die hard fan, but, I will say that in the long run, if you're looking at resale value of your purchase, and it appears that you may be considering that aspect of your purchase as well, I would be careful about buying a contract with an unusually large quantity of points. 750 points is nice, but if you buy it as one contract, it would have to be sold in the future as one contract. If you bought a lesser contract and then added on over the years to eventually have that many points, you could then sell your contracts individually should you need to in the future. I've noticed that the larger point value contracts, in excess of 450, tend to sit on the resale list the longest and the price per point has to come way down to get a buyer. Something to ponder. Solid benefits to buying BCV? I think that BCV is a very popular resort and will remain that way for quite some time, so in terms of resale down the road, it's an excellent buy. BCV has the benefits of location and the popular pool of choice, and if that's important to you, the only way you'll really get the opportunity to stay there in the next few years is to own there. We prefer OKW over the rest because it is remote, off the beaten path, spread out and quiet. We don't care for the hotel like atmosphere or the pools. Our kids have great pools at home so we don't spend too much time at the pool at WDW. We like the quiet of OKW and the fact that we can park our car close to the room and coming and going is quick and easy, just like at home. We've always wanted to live on a golf course, so vacationing on a golf course is an ideal to us. If you would like to consider BCV again, be sure and call DVC and insist on a different guide. Michelle is also our guide. We honestly haven't talked to her in a couple of years, but she's always been great if we ever call. If you'd like to check resale availability from another reputable broker, Shontell Crawford, formerly of The Timeshare Store, is now in business on her own and can be reached at info@TimesharesByResale.com. You might check her inventory and see if she has the perfect contract for you.

 

[chris1gill]

Just wanted to say, that there is really no difference in level of service when buying resale vs. Disney. BCV's does not offer any additional benefits per se. You do get the use of the BCV's pool, which is very popular, and you are also just 5 minutes from the EPCOT gate, so those are the two benefits that are intrinsic to the BCV's.

If you can never book between 8 & 11 months in advance, it really doesn't matter where you own, because at 7 months you can book at any of the DVC resorts. I would certainly buy at an on-site resort though.

With a 750 point contract I think I would have offered even a bit less, 57 or 58 per point. Disney may buy it back at that point, but it's worth a shot. It would probably be good to buy a couple of contracts to add up to the 750 points if you are worried about resale value.. smaller contracts (250 or less) seem to sell much more quickly (within days), but you'll pay a lot more for them if you're looking at WLV or BWV's, you can still get a 250 point contract at OKW for low 60's it seems....

Do email Shontel at the email address above, she's very experienced with DVC resales, she worked at the Timeshare Store for years. Good luck, it sounds like you're doing your homework!