Factoring ease of renting before buying DVC

[cmorrison87]

Doing due diligence and researching/comparing options before buying resale. We have rented points privately several times in the past easily and had great experiences, but the owner we've rented from is no longer renting (so bummed!) and we're not as comfortable renting privately anymore for various reasons and would use a rental agency going forward. Agency prices are more expensive and thus has got us thinking of buying.

But first I'd like to get a better idea of the likelihood of being able to rent a 2bdrm through a rental agency for 6-7 nights at resorts like AKV, BLT, BCV, RIV, PVB when the points required is typically 275-325 points on average for the whole stay? Without needing to do a split stay or merge multiple reservations/rentals? We typically like to travel during non-holiday/non-peak times. But may want to go early Dec. We always book 11mos out. Will agencies be able to accommodate a request like this? Or will we be probably be waitlisted?

I've been reading mixed accounts that David's or DVC Rental Store don't have great availability for larger (more points) rentals. Have others found this to be true? The ease of being able to book my own reservation and not have to stress over finding the right owner, change travel dates, or compromise on resort is at the top of the "to buy" pros list.

I know long-term buying will save us money if we go every other year for the next 20-30 years; but not sure if we want to committ to that right now and could use the cash for more responsible things like home improvements and investing in college funds. We also like to stay at a different resort each time we go to try something new (though could be happy staying at most DVC resorts every visit) We do not like split stays - they're hard with young kids and when we order groceries. And we always need a 2 bedroom or 2-3 studios as we are a family of 6, often traveling with parents for a total of 8.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Buying makes much more sense than paying someone else dues and all the extra up charges to rent. Especially if you are okay booking 11 months out.

There are some owners who have 300 spare points to rent but it’s not common.

I would browse here to see what kind of listings you see https://www.dvcforless.com/ do the math, you could potentially pay off your investment with stays in 3 trips.

If you go every other year you can buy a contract that has extra points up front and bank/borrow to make your vacation work. So you wouldn’t need to buy as many points.

My only caution is DVC is amazing so you may get sucked in and go more than every other year.

 

[Sandisw]

Everything will always be dependent on whether there is an owner who has contracted with a rental agency to offer their points to book reservations.

So, to book that time of year, you’d want to be sure put in a request ahead of time so you know if they have someone who has that many points to book at your key resorts.

My guess is that agencies should have owners who will be able to try for what you want. But, that is a really popular time for DVC owners to book so getting things, especially three studios at most of those resorts will be tough.