First time buyer of small contract..HELP!!

[MBELSANTI]

HI there!

I have been going back and forth and trying to decide for months now about buying into DVC. I am a single parent with 10yo son and we both love going to Disney. We have stayed at the values, but I am really more of a Deluxe girl at heart. I want to start out small because I do not want to be saddled with a large monthly payment that I would have if I purchased through Disney. I am looking at a small 35 pt contract to start out with. I know this will not get me more than maybe 3 days during value season(which is when we tend to go), but I thought it was a good way to get my "foot in the door" without having to finance 15K or more. So any advice to this Disney loving single mom? As you can see, we just got back from WDW, stayed at WL and loved it! We are already talking about when we are going back again! We have the cruise booked for next year, which I will pay cash for. Any workds of advice or encouragement?

 

[DVC Mike]

Those small contracts get snapped up very quickly on the resale market. You'll need to have whatever broker you use (such as TSS) contact you as soon as one becomes available, and you should be ready to move fast. I've heard that the smaller contracts are more likely to be ROFR'd by Disney, but I don't know if that's true.

 

[MBELSANTI]

Those small contracts get snapped up very quickly on the resale market. You'll need to have whatever broker you use (such as TSS) contact you as soon as one becomes available, and you should be ready to move fast. I've heard that the smaller contracts are more likely to be ROFR'd by Disney, but I don't know if that's true.

Thanks! I already contacted TSS and they have it in pending status and sending me the contract. Is this a good way for me to get my foot in the door, so to speak? I am thinking I can use the points for either a 3 night stay in a studio for a long weekend getaway in February and then just pay cash for my usual end of summer weeklong trip?

 

[GusMan]

Is it a good way to get into the DVC? Sure. Just make sure you really thought about how you are going to use them in the future. I say that because as you see, your options may be a little limited with such few points. However, between banking and borrowing, you can have more options, which is a good thing.

Also, I was told by my guide that if you needed to add-on a day to your stay and you do not have enough points, you do get something of a discount as well. (I do not know how much of a discount, etc, as I have not needed to do that yet, but still...) So there appears to be a good amount of flexibility in stretching your vacation dollar.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You are going to use those 35 points up very fast on weekends. Maybe all on one night. Stay Sun-Thur to get more nights out of those points.

 

[MBELSANTI]

You are going to use those 35 points up very fast on weekends. Maybe all on one night. Stay Sun-Thur to get more nights out of those points.

Thanks! I did notice that. What do DVC members usually do? I thought perhaps stay during the week and then weekends move to a value resort? Is this what members do?

 

[BTDTGB]

I am in the same boat. The wife and I agreed that we would not finance any points, so we only have enough money for about 75 points at the OKW. The good news is that 75 points would cover six nights at the OKW. (Thanks CaskBill for the great planner program) The questions I have is....

It seems hard to find a 75 point contract. Could I buy a smaller contract 35 points for example at OKW from TSS then add 40 more through Disney, or would I have to buy the 35 then hope to find another smaller package from a reseller to get to my 75 point goal? What is the smallest startup contract I can buy from Disney?

 

[MBELSANTI]

I am in the same boat. The wife and I agreed that we would not finance any points, so we only have enough money for about 75 points at the OKW. The good news is that 75 points would cover six nights at the OKW. (Thanks CaskBill for the great planner program) The questions I have is....

It seems hard to find a 75 point contract. Could I buy a smaller contract 35 points for example at OKW from TSS then add 40 more through Disney, or would I have to buy the 35 then hope to find another smaller package from a reseller to get to my 75 point goal? What is the smallest startup contract I can buy from Disney?

I am wondering this also. I believe the smallest amount you can buy from Disney is 150 pts. I am wondering though, if after you have purchases a small amount of points through resale, if you can add on another small amount through Disney?

 

[mgriff75]

160 is the smallest you can buy from disney. But once you are an owner you can buy 25 points at a time for cash or credit card, or 50 points if you want to use disney financing. Keep in mind that Disney could change this at anytime, but those are the rules right now.

 

[bababear_50]

Congrats --I think starting small is a great way to start !!
I'm doing the same thing myself . Hope your small contract goes well
and best wishes to you and your son.

Hugs Mel

 

[MBELSANTI]

160 is the smallest you can buy from disney. But once you are an owner you can buy 25 points at a time for cash or credit card, or 50 points if you want to use disney financing. Keep in mind that Disney could change this at anytime, but those are the rules right now.

ok, so what you are saying is that once I have bought these 35 points through resale and become a DVC member, I can buy additional points as low as 25 through Disney?

 

[bababear_50]

ok, so what you are saying is that once I have bought these 35 points through resale and become a DVC member, I can buy additional points as low as 25 through Disney?

Yes -- 25 min if paying cash ----50 min if financing thru Disney

 

[Tsi2quick]

The wife and I have thought about doing something similar in getting a smaller contract to start out. We've rented points a few times and usually stay during the week Sun-Thurs to get the most out of them. I didnt know you could buy 25 points at a time from Disney after being an owner so that's very appealing to go ahead and pull the trigger. Good information.

 

[WDWorld2003]

Also, with a small contract you can purchase points from a DVC owner on the Rent/Trade Board and have them transferred into your contract. There's only one transfer per year in or out but you would have control of the points.

 

[thisisthelife]

I think buying the 35pts is a great start, like previous posters have mentioned you could borrow points and stretch your points further, plus going Sun-Th there is more of a value. If your financial pictures changes you are already in the door to buy more points in lesser increments once you are a member. Which most of us do add on...its like an addiction. If you love Disney and plan on going every year to every other year its a wise investment. We bought 150 pts in OKW back in 96 and with all the times we have gone and if we were getting the same room and paying cash we have spent more than the original investment for the points.

 

[dvcnewgirl]

I started off small, I bought 80 points at HH which was great. The price was cheaper but I had enough points to work with. I think it was 5,300.00 with Closing costs. Then I added 50 points at BWI for ressies that I needed 11 months for. This has worked very well for me. Good Luck!!

 

[Chester's Mum]

I think its a great way to get started. I just purchased a 60 point contract which hasn't closed yet. I also didn't want to finance, for personal reasons.

As for it being only 3 nights in a studio, don't forget you can bank and borrow and use your points every other year, or every 3 years for a longer stay.

Be aware though, that you have to be really strong once you get your feet wet. My contract hasn't even closed yet, and I'm trying to figure out how I to save enough for an add on at AKV during my March 2008 vacation.

I think they call it addonitis here on the boards. Congratulations, and good luck.

 

[springandmac]

I purchased a small 50 point resale contract at HHI just to get my feet wet too. Then I developed a severe case of "addonitis" just a week after my resale contract closed. Because it took a while to go through resale (and because I am very impatient) I decided to do my add on through Disney. It was quicker but you should be warned it cost a little more to go through Disney. I financed 50 more points at SSR through Disney. The interest rate was only 4.5%