Finally did the pitch meeting…still thinking resale?

[megs1313]

We’ve been at the GF for a week and I finally sat for the DVC tour and pitch. I was blown away by those new rooms! My goodness!

The question for me is: the salesman said price per point was cheaper buying direct from Disney at $207. Is that true? I wasn’t impressed by the direct buy benefits because we live far away. We plan to do 7-10 days each year at a DVC resort.

 

[Sandisw]

It depends on how many points you are getting as to whether or not it will be less than or closer to resale..

The big thing is the use of points over benefits IMO. Direct you can use at RIV and any future resorts, which very could include the new Poly tower

Resale locks you out of that. The membership extras are really just that..extras that enhance the product but may not outweigh the resale cost difference.

 

[megs1313]

It depends on how many points you are getting as to whether or not it will be less than or closer to resale..

The big thing is the use of points over benefits IMO. Direct you can use at RIV and any future resorts, which very could include the new Poly tower

Resale locks you out of that. The membership extras are really just that..extras that enhance the product but may not outweigh the resale cost difference.

I think we’re looking at around 180 points.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

No, economically it should not be cheaper to buy direct compared to resale. (There’s some rare occasions when direct is cheaper but when that happens, those who can buy direct just simply don’t buy resale.) The only advantage of resale that I can think of is being able to purchase from anywhere in the world. You cannot buy direct anywhere (obviously not a concern if you’re at Disney world right now).

There’s lots of threads on direct vs resale here but easiest way is to check a few resale sites for prices right now.

I will say buying direct is much, much, much easier. And faster.

 

[Sandisw]

With 180 you will probably save some via resale. The problem would be finding a contract that is the right size to match what you want.

For example, you may have to buy something that isn’t quite that size or is larger than you want where direct gives you exactly that.

And waiting for the contract that has the UY you want as well. So time can be a factor but some are willing to wait it out.

We like direct and few the extra over the course of things is worth it, especially given the ability to put on the Disney CC, with 6 months free interest and the rewards. My current purchase and the extra resealed covered my closing costs for my 300 points.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Personally, I say go for it and buy direct! We own both direct and resale. Yes, you can save a bit on resale, but from what your post describes I think long term, just do it. As Sandi says, the ability to stay at all resorts now and in the future will be beneficial. We live in NH but have AP's so don't discount that option and hopefully it will come back soon.

We've transitioned from an 8 year old (1996 OKW) to a 34 year old (married) son who is two doors down here at BWV (they live in TX). Our DIL's mom flew down from NYC last night. We are spending 4 or more weeks at this point over two trips and within a few years it will be 6-8. Our kids were at Aulani in March and hope we can book them for Grand Cali in February. Every vacation is unique and we never, ever have enough points...

DVC has grown with us and our kids will have our direct as they are on the contract. We flip resales all the time LOL and that is an option if you need more points down the road! DVC has been on one of the very best decisions we ever made. Good luck!

 

[Best Aunt]

Opposing viewpoint here:

There are benefits to buying direct.

But your Guide specifically said, "price per point was cheaper buying direct from Disney at $207."

If that's true, fine.

But if that was a lie to get you to buy from him, I would not feel comfortable using that Guide.

Which resort were you considering? I see a resale listing for Grand Floridian for 180 points at $189 per point. I'm not saying that contract is right for you, but $207 is not cheaper than $189.

I'm not taking the time to consider closing costs. You can do the research and decide.

 

[Azndjdude]

Opposing viewpoint here:

There are benefits to buying direct.

But your Guide specifically said, "price per point was cheaper buying direct from Disney at $207."

If that's true, fine.

But if that was a lie to get you to buy from him, I would not feel comfortable using that Guide.

Which resort were you considering? I see a resale listing for Grand Floridian for 180 points at $189 per point. I'm not saying that contract is right for you, but $207 is not cheaper than $189.

I'm not taking the time to consider closing costs. You can do the research and decide.

That's also if you don't negotiate. I was able to pick up a 75-point GFV for $165 which is definitely cheaper than going direct and that difference is enough to not get the member benefits as a direct owner.

 

[Jimmy Geppetto]

We’ve been at the GF for a week and I finally sat for the DVC tour and pitch. I was blown away by those new rooms! My goodness!

The question for me is: the salesman said price per point was cheaper buying direct from Disney at $207. Is that true? I wasn’t impressed by the direct buy benefits because we live far away. We plan to do 7-10 days each year at a DVC resort.

You can certainly find GFV resale points for less than $207. However the closing costs will be a bit higher (nothing material relatively speaking) compared to direct. When buying direct, you can decline title insurance because it's of no value when buying from the developer (Disney). The other advantage for resale is that you may find a contract with "double" points, or points banked from a previous UY. You will not get this when buying GFV direct. You will only get 2022 points. This was a decision Disney made specifically for GFV2 points. So it really depends how much time you want to put into looking for that perfect contract on the resale market.

For our family, we purchased GFV2 direct. We valued the benefits of having direct points and not being restricted on where we could use our points. Buying direct doesn't always make sense. We own both resale and direct points, however with the incentives that were offered when we purchased, it didn't make much sense to go resale even with the GFV resale market being a strong buyers market.

Good luck with your decision. Whether you go resale or direct you will love DVC! We've had no regrets.

 

[BlueTangClan]

We did the sales pitch too and ultimately decided on resale, which saved us about $12,000 when compared to buying Poly direct from Disney.

I will tell you, we considered VGF direct but when I really thought about it, the language used to describe the direct perks by the guide made me very uncomfortable. It seemed to me when I would ask specific questions about the perks, the guide would preface it with "It's not guaranteed, but right now..." I think Disney has shown a taste for taking perks away the last couple of years and quite frankly, I would rather just go in knowing my limitations and not be surprised/upset down the road when something is no longer offered. That is why resale worked for us. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Azndjdude]

We did the sales pitch too and ultimately decided on resale, which saved us about $12,000 when compared to buying Poly direct from Disney.

I will tell you, we considered VGF direct but when I really thought about it, the language used to describe the direct perks by the guide made me very uncomfortable. It seemed to me when I would ask specific questions about the perks, the guide would preface it with "It's not guaranteed, but right now..." I think Disney has shown a taste for taking perks away the last couple of years and quite frankly, I would rather just go in knowing my limitations and not be surprised/upset down the road when something is no longer offered. That is why resale worked for us. Just my 2 cents.

I would agree with your thought process here. I keep thinking that having the Blue Card would be nice but realistically I am not sure I would get that much value from the Blue Card as someone who lives out of state and maybe would travel to Disney World every other year. I am definitely a fan of knowing the limitations upfront so I can manage my expectations later.

 

[viper17d]

If you’re buying Grand Floridian or Riviera, direct can be close enough in cost (it won’t ever be less) that it may make sense for your family. Without annual passes on sale, the biggest financial benefit of direct doesn’t exist.

With direct, what you’re really getting is ease/speed of closing and no booking restrictions on newer resorts. A few thousand dollars may be worth that for some people. We’ve bought resale once and direct twice, for what it’s worth.

 

[Her Dotness]

With direct, what you’re really getting is ease/speed of closing and no booking restrictions on newer resorts. A few thousand dollars may be worth that for some people.

True that patience and the willingness to wait out the ROFR process cost you somewhat less. Whether saving money but being stressed for a couple months or so is your "worth it" only you can say.

We found buying direct much easier and simpler, particularly since we were wanting to book a trip in less than 11 months from buying in. We have 2 direct contracts and 2 resales.

As for the aura around The Blue Card, it's not that big a deal, IMO, other than no concern about booking restrictions. The perks are minimal and mostly feel-goods--although as much as I spend at Basin White, that DVC discount, when offered, eases the pain somewhat.

 

[Sandisw]

We did the sales pitch too and ultimately decided on resale, which saved us about $12,000 when compared to buying Poly direct from Disney.

I will tell you, we considered VGF direct but when I really thought about it, the language used to describe the direct perks by the guide made me very uncomfortable. It seemed to me when I would ask specific questions about the perks, the guide would preface it with "It's not guaranteed, but right now..." I think Disney has shown a taste for taking perks away the last couple of years and quite frankly, I would rather just go in knowing my limitations and not be surprised/upset down the road when something is no longer offered. That is why resale worked for us. Just my 2 cents.

The only thing to remember about extras is that the guides have no way of knowing what the future holds and so, I think the answer was as honest as it can be and should be.

It is also why they make sure all new buyers do sign off on having read through the disclosure documents for them.

Now, I don’t think anyone should buy direct solely for them because, as the guide said, not guaranteed, but the use of direct points at all resorts is not tied to membership extras.

So, that could be of value to some as well. Of course, the savings with a Poly purchase makes sense resale, as long as one is comfortable with potentially being locked out of Poly tower, if buying now since that is a big unknown.

VGF difference won’t be that large so those potential extras could make the choice a different one.

 

[sethschroeder]

the salesman said price per point was cheaper buying direct from Disney at $207

They don't need to tell you about resale but they also can't completely lie.

Coming from a big company, dealing with contracts/sales/programs, it's always interesting to see the potential compliance issues that arise with DVC.

 

[gharter]

We did the whole tour and pitch. Got home, researched resale and went that route twice.
It really comes down to which is the better deal financially and can you get the UY you prefer?

 

[BruinEd03]

We did the sales pitch too and ultimately decided on resale, which saved us about $12,000 when compared to buying Poly direct from Disney.

I will tell you, we considered VGF direct but when I really thought about it, the language used to describe the direct perks by the guide made me very uncomfortable. It seemed to me when I would ask specific questions about the perks, the guide would preface it with "It's not guaranteed, but right now..." I think Disney has shown a taste for taking perks away the last couple of years and quite frankly, I would rather just go in knowing my limitations and not be surprised/upset down the road when something is no longer offered. That is why resale worked for us. Just my 2 cents.

The OP won’t save $12,000 going through resale route. The current discount is $6 per point which drops it to $201. Current resale is about $180 to $190. Assuming it’s a $15 difference, that’s $2700 difference.

That $2700 gets you a 10% discount on most food and merchandise. You would need to only spend $27,000 alone over the lifetime of the contract. If people don’t cook, they can easily spend $1,000 per trip on dining alone. That’s not including merchandise.

Furthermore, you also get access to Riviera. If you have no interest in staying there, then that’s of no benefit. However, the cheapest way to gain access would be to buy a 50 point Riviera contract resale and bank and borrow. Assuming a $150 per point cost. That would cost $7,500 alone. Of course you do save 50 Grand Floridian points if you go that route.

That’s not including the other stuff like additional discounts or special access.

At the end of the day, I think if people were to go direct over resale, Grand Floridian is the easiest one to justify outside of Grand Californian due to the lower spread.

 

[RamblinWreck]

If I were in your shoes, I would do the 180 points direct.

I might check the resale sites to see if there are any contracts that happen to match perfectly with what I want first, but when I inevitably didn't see them, I would go direct.

VGF is a tiny DVC resort. Resale contracts are few and far between. They're more common now that they sit there longer due to the resort being in active sales, but they just aren't easy to come by. And it sounds like VGF is what you want to buy.

If you loved Animal Kingdom I'd say go get a resale contract. You'll find 10 contracts that meet your exact needs instantly. VGF is a different animal. And most resellers right now seem to have an inflated view of what their contract should sell for right now, since this resort was going for around $200 per point before it went into active sales again.


If you aren't in a hurry and you are down to put in the work to shop for a deal, you can try resale. It's what I recently did. But I am also a crazy person, and I also got very very lucky.

 

[davidl81]

The OP won’t save $12,000 going through resale route. The current discount is $6 per point which drops it to $201. Current resale is about $180 to $190. Assuming it’s a $15 difference, that’s $2700 difference.

That $2700 gets you a 10% discount on most food and merchandise. You would need to only spend $27,000 alone over the lifetime of the contract. If people don’t cook, they can easily spend $1,000 per trip on dining alone. That’s not including merchandise.

Furthermore, you also get access to Riviera. If you have no interest in staying there, then that’s of no benefit. However, the cheapest way to gain access would be to buy a 50 point Riviera contract resale and bank and borrow. Assuming a $150 per point cost. That would cost $7,500 alone. Of course you do save 50 Grand Floridian points if you go that route.

That’s not including the other stuff like additional discounts or special access.

At the end of the day, I think if people were to go direct over resale, Grand Floridian is the easiest one to justify outside of Grand Californian due to the lower spread.

Unless I found an absolute steal on resale I would only buy VGF direct right now. If you are looking at a 40k purchase (+/-) that $2700 is insignificant in the long run. There is the amount of time that it takes to find a contract (and hope it has current points), then make off, pass ROFR, close etc. If everything goes well its about 3 months from start to finish. If you don't pass ROFR then you repeat the process.
If you buy direct you will have points today. No waiting around. You then get the insured benefits of all DVC resorts (including future resorts). This way you know you can get RIV, DLT, maybe Poly tower (resale may be able to get those, we don't know yet). You will get then merch and food discounts that over time will make up a lot of that $2700 difference, and at whatever point they offer APs again (I'm fairly sure they will) that ends up being a huge savings.

 

[havoc315]

Re-sale is great for the sold-out resorts where you will save significantly over direct (often 40%+). But where a "new" resort is offering incentives, the gap in price is smaller.
Yes, you do still save a few dollars by going re-sale but with significant downside:
- Harder to find the exact point total and use year you want
-Buying direct, you get credited points to start using minutes after you sign the contract. With re-sale, you have to wait months. The deal could then fall apart (or be ROFR'ed), and you're starting all over again.
-Re-sale locks you out of Riviera, possibly Poly tower, probably DL Tower, and probably future resorts.
-And yes, there are some perks of direct that might not be game changers, but do add value. Moonlight magic, AP and dining discounts.

Point being, resale isn't the same as direct. Saving money comes at a cost. You need to price it out and figure out if the savings are worth the downside.
For me, the advantages of direct are worth paying another $20-30 per point over re-sale. But might not be worth paying $70-80 over resale.