For those of you who bought direct...

[EYL]

All that said, if I were to go back in time (or look ahead to when I inevitably add on), I'm not 100% sure I would go resale again. The process has been totally fine, and the company I'm working at has been very nice and responsive. But I made my offer end of September, and my contract hasn't closed yet. I know this is a normal timetable, and I'm not worried or anything... but it's very hard to wait! Also, even though I know everything is going smoothly, it's still kind of a bummer sending such a large amount of money away without seeing any movement for several weeks.

I get the convenience of direct, and I know you're still waiting, but when all is over and you calculate your cost savings, see how much you actually saved and ask yourself if your time was worth the $XXX amount of money. As I mentioned, my first contract was resale on a resort we wanted - fully loaded with maintenance paid for the banked points. When I did my calculations, I saved over $18,000 at the time since PVB was a sold out resort and was selling at $235 direct. My offer to points loading was about 75 days, but totally worth it, in my opinion.

 

[Lorana]

When we bought into DVC initially we bought two contracts, one direct and one resale. The direct was to get AP discounts and the blue card, as well as have points that could be used at Riviera and future resorts (like DL Tower, Reflections, etc) and resale for the savings.

We then added on, and while some were resale, we bought direct as well for Fixed/Guaranteed Weeks at CCV during the big summer sale, as well as RIV add-on. Don’t regret buying Direct at all. We got exactly what we wanted, at a great direct rate thanks to the promotion, and we got FWs which will help future proof against point increases AND ensure we get a studio at CCV those weeks when we travel during those times. Most importantly all those direct points are restriction free and can be used at all current and future resorts.

 

[Roxas_XIII]

When I did my calculations, I saved over $18,000 at the time since PVB was a sold out resort and was selling at $235 direct. My offer to points loading was about 75 days, but totally worth it, in my opinion.

Nice! Yeah, savings like that would make it a total no-brainer! I'm purposefully starting very small (50 points) with plans to continue adding on annually untill I feel like I have enough. I like this route because 1) I'm a flexible solo/couples traveller who can get away with not many points right off the bat and 2) I don't want to finance, and the idea of owning small contracts is appealing to me.

All THAT said, obviously my savings aren't as significant as yours - only a few thousand (though that's DEFINITELY nothing to sneeze at!) And I'm going on Day 90 and I still have nothing to show for the money I've paid (though I know it's coming). -_-

This is just an extended exercise in patience, and I am not excelling. (≧▽≦)

 

[bobbiwoz]

DH gifted me (us ) with 25 direct March UY VGF points because we could not find a small resale contract, and we bought too few when it first came out.

Long time owners and 80% of our points are direct, and none have the extreme, in my opinion, restrictions currently in force.

 

[KSR0330]

With what I'm looking for it would be a savings of just over $5k to go resale. A savings of $10-20k would definitely be different and I'd have more trouble justifying it.

Thanks for all of the comments. You brought up things I hadn't considered, like resale resort restrictions (if Reflections happens I'd LOVE to stay there). If I do go direct, it makes me feel better that people have done it and are happy with their decisions!

 

[kanerf]

I own both and bought Direct when only 50 pts was needed to get the Blue card. I am not sure I would want to buy 125 points Direct today to get that benefit. Perhaps if you could get these points at your preferred resort which is no longer being sold openly. BTW I was able to get my AP renewed in Oct and they added additional months to the expiration date to make up for the closure.

 

[Spark65]

Keep in mind (if selling is in your future) the so called savings based on history is not quite accurate. Most who bought direct and sold did so at a profit so they all got their money back and then some. Those who bought resale and sold on seem to have done the same but I don't know what the profit margin for them was.
So did those who bought direct out profit those who bought resale after they sold is the question to ask.

 

[sethschroeder]

Bought 300 points at RIV direct and originally had 230 resale BWV which I sold off 80 so far.

My RIV points I got for $155/point and have zero regrets. With my BWV points I was constantly thinking what does the math look like to get a direct contract for benefits.

If you go for the min direct that is a way to appease both. I eventually will sell off my BWV points and if I buy more to replace it likely will just stick direct but thats a few years off at earliest.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Keep in mind (if selling is in your future) the so called savings based on history is not quite accurate. Most who bought direct and sold did so at a profit so they all got their money back and then some. Those who bought resale and sold on seem to have done the same but I don't know what the profit margin for them was.
So did those who bought direct out profit those who bought resale after they sold is the question to ask.

It would stand to reason those who initially paid less (resale purchasers) would make more profit when selling than direct purchasers.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFan]

Just purchased direct and not sorry at all! So easy and I don't have to sit on my computer/phone waiting for points to become available at my chosen resort (which is hard to get) in the use year that I wanted at the many online resale sites. Nor do I have to deal with the DVC resellers and THEIR timelines. I got my points the day I purchased! You need to do what is right for you and not what is right for others. There are many who would never buy direct and go on and on about the additional cost. And I get that! It's an expensive purchase and resale savings can buy more points if needed. For us, it was about getting the points quickly and getting blue cards for myself, my DH and our two grown kids. It was a great Christmas surprise for the family!

 

[4luv2cdisney]

No regrets on buying direct, but it was when the minimum was 25 for blue card / 50 minimum to buy as non member. So, we got in "cheap". We have the blue card and no desire for a Riv stay. Newer resorts though may interest us and I like having options.

As of now, if I want 100 points or more on a single contract, I'm looking at resale. If I want smaller amounts, I'm just going direct.

As soon as I get my deed changed to add 2 family members, we are adding on 30 points direct. It will give us 60-75 points for immediate use on a split stay later this year. To instead rent those 75 points while looking for a small contract is a hassle and expense not worth the tiny savings we would net buying resale.

I like the idea to add on only as we need and that we will then also have small contracts to sell off as we need.

 

[Spark65]

It would stand to reason those who initially paid less (resale purchasers) would make more profit when selling than direct purchasers.

Not true. You would need to see what was the original buy in price and sell price of each method to see what the actual profit was realized.

 

[Minniesgal]

...do you have any regrets?

I know there are many reasons people buy direct. A couple of my reasons for considering it are:
*if the points that I want are available, I'll have them quickly
*the buying process just seems so much easier!
*I want the AP discount (even though it's not guaranteed... or even available now)
*I want the blue card and for the purple light to glow when I check into a park (I know... but I can't help it!)

So I'm wondering, no matter what your reasons for buying direct were, do you regret it and wish you got that contract resale?

None whatsoever

But I wouldn't even consider buying direct at todays price point.

 

[fumanchu2488]

I bought direct almost 2 years ago at RIV. My only regret is not buying more points!

In all seriousness, the only thing I didn’t realize at the time that is annoying me is that any resale now wouldn’t allow me to use points at RIV. Which is why I should have bought 50 more points. Especially since the resale on RIV has been much higher than I thought it would be.

For me and my wife, it was a few things.

1. we loved the 2070 expiration. We have no plans on selling.

2. My wife isn’t as big a Disney fan as me and we really liked the less in your face theming of the resort.

3. We love the skyliner!

4. At 100 points, the difference in price was worth it for the blue card.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

So many nuances that it would vary. My direct purchases have been when a resort was new so either no resale or else the pricing of the resale was so close there was no pricing benefit to resale. My regret would come if I had the option to save thousands of dollars and did not do so.

*The only benefit of interest is the ability to purchase the Gold AP.
*Trading into the newest resorts is no concern to me. There are plenty in the original DVC and if I wanted to stay elsewhere I could easily make that happen either via trades or renting even if all I owned was restricted resale.
*Purple light at park entry is not worth thousands of dollars. I'll give you a blinky light you can flash to help with that one! (and it isn't tied to direct purchase. And we've found it to be random between parks, days and trips)
*Planning the timing of a purchase means the speed doesn't matter (but I've actually had direct take longer than 1 or 2 resale so......)
*Direct is easier? Resale is pretty darn easy. And I've got a DVC guide or two that can help you realize that isn't a true statement about direct being easy.

So, regret any previous direct purchases? No but I started with a different DVC than exists today. Today I'd have to want the newest resort before I'd consider a direct purchase.

 

[JETSDAD]

Not true. You would need to see what was the original buy in price and sell price of each method to see what the actual profit was realized.

The profit margin for the resale buyer will always be higher than the direct buyer. You have to compare purchasing and selling at the same time otherwise your comparison is time based, not direct vs resale. If someone buys direct today and someone else buys the same resort resale today, they then sell at the same point in the future, the resale owner makes more money (or loses less money).

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Not true. You would need to see what was the original buy in price and sell price of each method to see what the actual profit was realized.

The profit margin for the resale buyer will always be higher than the direct buyer. You have to compare purchasing and selling at the same time otherwise your comparison is time based, not direct vs resale. If someone buys direct today and someone else buys the same resort resale today, they then sell at the same point in the future, the resale owner makes more money (or loses less money).

Thank you Jets. You made my point exactly.

 

[E2ME2]

...do you have any regrets?

I know there are many reasons people buy direct. A couple of my reasons for considering it are:
*if the points that I want are available, I'll have them quickly
*the buying process just seems so much easier!
*I want the AP discount (even though it's not guaranteed... or even available now)
*I want the blue card and for the purple light to glow when I check into a park (I know... but I can't help it!)

So I'm wondering, no matter what your reasons for buying direct were, do you regret it and wish you got that contract resale?

Same regrets as most direct buyers:
1) wish I had bought in sooner
2) wish I had bought more points
3) wish I had bought more points, sooner!

 

[What-r-ya Goofy?]

Im resale and got the purple light.

Me too. I'm all resale and I always get the purple light. I don't think that's a blue card perk.

 

[Spark65]

Thank you Jets. You made my point exactly.

No point was made. Original owner buys in at $80 sells in the future for $140, same resort is bought a few years after original buyer for $100 sells for the same $140.00. I am not sure your following but resale is usually after the original owner buys in and history has shown the prices are usually more than paid.

Now without factoring maintenance fees, how much use was received by either buyer and a myriad of other things and without one of the forum stasticion's doing a complete anaylsis, I would say original owner wins in this more common scenario.