Get your feet "wet" with SSR resale contract?

[Misty89]

we are back the fence
i know we will love BLT, but the price tag right is too steep for us right now.
So that brings me back to SSR resale. SSR is our second choice after BLT.
we would stay at SSR - using the 11mth window, but would like to try the othr DVC's. So i have a few questions,SSR would be our "Home"

1) how hard is it use the 7th month window to book at say, AKV or BLT?

2) do you have any pros /cons that you can share with me about SSR?

Thank you

Tina

 

[Tink&PirateMama]

I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but we just purchased an SSR resale contract this spring.

First, our cost, including closing costs, was about 68.50 a point (just under that I believe- our cost without closing costs was 67)- so its substantially less than BLT, HOWEVER, the MFS are higher, and the contract expires sooner than BLT. For us, however, the only way we could afford to get in to DVC was this way- we had a certain amount of cash we could spend, and we wanted it paid off. To be able to have 170 points now, with no payment, it's wonderful. Obviously we could have gotten less points, but not buying through disney could we have done anything without a payment, as their minimum buy ins are more money than we had. For us now, the dream of yearly vacations (at a reasonable cost!) is realized

I don't have much experience booking- but the week I booked in September I had my pick of nearly ANYTHING when I called, I believe except beach club- but I didnt' ask about it, so it's possible it was available. That includes BLT and AKV. I don't think anyone will be able to tell you what booking there at 7 months is really going to be like down the road, as it's so new... but it does seem so far people are booking there at 7 months. BUT- they are not necessarily getting the coveted MK view. And at AKV, those value units, or savannah view, etc. I think it also really depends on how flexible you are with your dates, as some weeks are busier than others.

For us, we LOVE SSR, if we were to have to stay at any resort every time, we'd be very happy with that one We actually would be not good at BLT,because I wouldn't want to be there every stay, so it was a no brainer for us in that way. We like condo style resorts, and want a place we don't 'have' to visit parks every time if we don't want to. SSR and OKW are perfect for that. But I do expect to visit all the other resorts too! And can't wait to do it! In september, even with our choice of every resort, we ended up with OKW, because it fit perfectly for what we were doing. I'm hoping in Januayr we'll get to try BLT or AKV, but we'll see what I can get! I've got another six weeks or so until I can book.

Good luck in your researching! DVC so far for us is just a dream! We are loving it!!

 

[disneynutz]

Your best chance of staying at a specific resort and getting the booking category that you want is if you buy where you love to stay. I'm a firm believer that you need to stay at the resort that you are interested in before you buy.

Spending so much money based upon other peoples opinions is a roll of the dice at best. If you take the time to read through different posts, you will find members who love SSR and others who don't.

Few will admit publicly that the made a mistake choosing which resort to buy and often they will defend their decision.

 

[Misty89]

I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but we just purchased an SSR resale contract this spring.

First, our cost, including closing costs, was about 68.50 a point (just under that I believe- our cost without closing costs was 67)- so its substantially less than BLT, HOWEVER, the MFS are higher, and the contract expires sooner than BLT. For us, however, the only way we could afford to get in to DVC was this way- we had a certain amount of cash we could spend, and we wanted it paid off. To be able to have 170 points now, with no payment, it's wonderful. Obviously we could have gotten less points, but not buying through disney could we have done anything without a payment, as their minimum buy ins are more money than we had. For us now, the dream of yearly vacations (at a reasonable cost!) is realized

I don't have much experience booking- but the week I booked in September I had my pick of nearly ANYTHING when I called, I believe except beach club- but I didnt' ask about it, so it's possible it was available. That includes BLT and AKV. I don't think anyone will be able to tell you what booking there at 7 months is really going to be like down the road, as it's so new... but it does seem so far people are booking there at 7 months. BUT- they are not necessarily getting the coveted MK view. And at AKV, those value units, or savannah view, etc. I think it also really depends on how flexible you are with your dates, as some weeks are busier than others.

For us, we LOVE SSR, if we were to have to stay at any resort every time, we'd be very happy with that one We actually would be not good at BLT,because I wouldn't want to be there every stay, so it was a no brainer for us in that way. We like condo style resorts, and want a place we don't 'have' to visit parks every time if we don't want to. SSR and OKW are perfect for that. But I do expect to visit all the other resorts too! And can't wait to do it! In september, even with our choice of every resort, we ended up with OKW, because it fit perfectly for what we were doing. I'm hoping in Januayr we'll get to try BLT or AKV, but we'll see what I can get! I've got another six weeks or so until I can book.

Good luck in your researching! DVC so far for us is just a dream! We are loving it!!

Your first paragraph describes my Family to a "T" , that is exactly us, and why we are thinking about resale again.

 

[Misty89]

Your best chance of staying at a specific resort and getting the booking category that you want is if you buy where you love to stay. I'm a firm believer that you need to stay at the resort that you are interested in before you buy.

Spending so much money based upon other peoples opinions is a roll of the dice at best. If you take the time to read through different posts, you will find members who love SSR and others who don't.

Few will admit publicly that the made a mistake choosing which resort to buy and often they will defend their decision.

not sure if i should reply or not, but i will.
Blt is not an option for us, $20k is just too much right now, we can always add on points later.
This is a board for DVC owners to share their opinions with new or potential new owners, so i thnik getting the opinions from them is great....it will help me understand DVC better, and the resale market.
I have been reading over and over, and this IS a big financal commitment and therefore requires alot of research., which i have been doing, and intend to for a few more months, we have in no way decided anything....not sure what resort, points, etc.
staying at the different resorts in pretty much next to impossible, as we live in WI and only visit WDW evey two years. and our next trip will be our first trip "Home" - by visiting each resort, we would spend more than we want to spend on our Resale contract and that would defeat the purpose of saving money w/ DVC

 

[bluenosemickey]

We have been SSR owners for 2 years. We have stayed at OKW, SSR, BWV, AKV and this summer we have BCV and OKW booked again. I have flexible vacation times but have also booked xmas and march breaks aswell. So, what does this mean to you?

1. If you are ok with split stays, you could likely try any resort you wanted even for a couple of nights at one end of a trip.
2. If you are flexible with your booking dates, you won't have as much trouble getting something other than SSR.
3. If you don't fall in love with a specific location, you should be fine and won't be devastated if you don't get the location of your dreams.

If you really needed to book somewhere for a special occasion, you could try to transfer in some points from the desired resort from another DVC member. This gives you 11mo booking for those points transferred in.

We find all the resorts so different that it's hard to be dissappointed at any of them, they all have their warts too. But you're in DISNEY! Try compaining to a co-worker sometime that you are "stuck" staying at a disney resort of any kind and see what reception you get!

I think in this economy, it's a prudent move to have the contract paid for and just work with what you own. I love staying at SSR and find the points very reasonable and allow for great trips. We splurge at some of the more pricey (point wise) villas for a change, but are glad that we are guaranteed a great trip at SSR.

Last point, I promise. I often see here on the DIS that owners are dissappointed that they don't get their desired booking at their own resort, even at 11 mos! This would be VERY frustrating to me. It would be less likely to happen at SSR because of it's size. It's one thing to be on a waitlist at 7mos out for a resort you don't own, but to have to waitlist at 11mos would really suck some of the joy out of our hard earned membership. I don't care that others have a better chance of booking at SSR at 7mos for the same reasoning. I just want to be able to book at my own resort, when I want to go. No waitlists!

Good luck, I'm sure you won't regret it, we haven't, even for one minute!

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

You also have to remember that the maintenance fees will be, by far, the single biggest expense (over time) to owning DVC. Far FAR more than the initial buy-in.

With BLT's lower Maintenance fees, it will eventually eat up the savings realized by buying a different resort with higher MFs resale.

 

[bluenosemickey]

Good point YourEveryDayAdam, but do you think this will last? I mean, won't it catch up eventually with some of the other resorts? It's brand new right now and won't need rehabing etc. for a while, but it will happen eventually.

All the MFs go up at independant rates. What is cheapest today, may not always be the case.

 

[Tink&PirateMama]

Just to add in here-
first, I'm glad if my experience is helpful!
But i do agree with the other poster (and didn't mean to imply otherwise), there are no guarantees about 7 month bookings so- BUY WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY. That is what we did, it just happened to also be a cheaper option at the moment, so we lucked out with it. We couldn't try out all the resorts, however we HAD stayed at SSR on our last trip for 7 nights, so felt very familiar with it. We loved it! My DH only wanted a condo style resort, and we loved SSR so it was easy for us. However, a lot of people did write to me the very same thing, if you are flexible, they had experience getting to all the resorts in time... but if you want something really specific, it's hard to get unless you own there. We are very flexible, so it didn't matter to us (and again, happy if we always ended up at SSR anyway!)

Am I allowed to post websites on here? I hope so- I found this helpful: dvcnews.com has the points charts (make sure you go through those!!), and also has PICTURES of all the resorts. Allears website does have a lot too- and some reviews. You might find that helpful too- get a feel for them all. Also, check out the threads on various resorts. A LOT of people dislike SSR for the reasons we love it (isolation, it's big, condo feel with parking (not valet!), etc.). Getting all that info will help. You might find that you like another resort resale even better, so it's definitely worth finding more out about. Also do look at those points charts to see what the points to stay are at the various resorts. And start thinking about Use Years and all of the intro to dvc threads will be helpful for that. Also read about the 'bad' stuff too, the 'what I wish I knew before I bought' threads are probably the most helpful of all!

It took me about a month of going through these boards, coming in already knowing I wanted SSR, to find out enough info to be ready to make a bid. The people here on all the DVC boards can really help you out a lot!

Good luck, again! It's a really fun journey!

 

[logan115]

You also have to remember that the maintenance fees will be, by far, the single biggest expense (over time) to owning DVC. Far FAR more than the initial buy-in.

With BLT's lower Maintenance fees, it will eventually eat up the savings realized by buying a different resort with higher MFs resale.

True, but with a roughly 60 cent difference between SSR and BLT for current MFs, SSR will still be cheaper over the length of the contract as you can buy SSR for $30 per point less. That being said I agree 100% with your point when talking about other resorts that have MFs of over $5 compared to BLT @ $3.70 (or whatever it is).

Also need to consider that it takes more points to spend a week at BLT than SSR, so 170 pts at SSR goes farther than BLT.

Not saying that I won't add-on at BLT in the future (probably will), but we just closed on a SSR resale contract as that made the most sense for us.

Not too picky about where we stay, and couldn't justify the extra $5K upfront to buy BLT.

Chris

 

[Crystal_27]

not sure if i should reply or not, but i will.
Blt is not an option for us, $20k is just too much right now, we can always add on points later.
This is a board for DVC owners to share their opinions with new or potential new owners, so i thnik getting the opinions from them is great....it will help me understand DVC better, and the resale market.
I have been reading over and over, and this IS a big financal commitment and therefore requires alot of research., which i have been doing, and intend to for a few more months, we have in no way decided anything....not sure what resort, points, etc.
staying at the different resorts in pretty much next to impossible, as we live in WI and only visit WDW evey two years. and our next trip will be our first trip "Home" - by visiting each resort, we would spend more than we want to spend on our Resale contract and that would defeat the purpose of saving money w/ DVC

Misty, you are being very, very smart about this. It *is* a big financial commitment, but I know of many members (Sandi being one of them - she's always around the boards) that did exactly what you want to do.

Regarding your initial question of availability at BLT at 7 months, though, I don't think at this point anyone can answer that question. I tend to believe that BLT is going to be a huge draw because of its location (which is the key reason why we bought at BLT not at another resort) but, again, no one really knows at this point because BLT isn't even open or close to being sold out. I would say that if you would be happy staying at SSR, you should absolutely buy there.

When we toured SSR in March, I thought that it was gorgeous; however, I guess one con would be the fact that it isn't located within walking distance of any park and that you would have to take the busses to every park.

Either way, best of luck to you during your DVC shopping process. It's so much fun!!

 

[SSRFred]

You also have to remember that the maintenance fees will be, by far, the single biggest expense (over time) to owning DVC. Far FAR more than the initial buy-in.

With BLT's lower Maintenance fees, it will eventually eat up the savings realized by buying a different resort with higher MFs resale.

SSR's MF's per unit (in this case a unit being the accommodation size/day) are nearly identical to that of BLT. We can't tell what the future will bring, but I would argue that SSR's MF's would increase at the same rate or lower than BLT due the difference in size of memberships.

 

[LIFERBABE]

we are back the fence
i know we will love BLT, but the price tag right is too steep for us right now.
So that brings me back to SSR resale. SSR is our second choice after BLT.
we would stay at SSR - using the 11mth window, but would like to try the othr DVC's. So i have a few questions,SSR would be our "Home"

1) how hard is it use the 7th month window to book at say, AKV or BLT?

2) do you have any pros /cons that you can share with me about SSR?

Thank you

Tina

If you are ok with giving up booking categories the other resorts offer than IMO you have overcome the biggest obstacle to owning SSR. The speciL cats may not be available to you at 7 months except THV





If this is something you want and you have done your research and have narrowed it down to these 2 resorts and 1 is too expensive then your choice is clear
Just purchase with your eyes open and know the availability situation which is SSR is your home and you should be happy to stay there every trip if the 7 month window and waitlist don't work for you. I you are alright with that highly unlikely scenario then you should proceed with your plans

 

[Buckeye Fan]

1) how hard is it use the 7th month window to book at say, AKV or BLT?

I have had wonderful luck at the 7 month window. You just have to be a little flexible.

For example, since purchasing we have stayed at BWV, SSR, OKW, VWL and AKV. We're staying at BCV this summer. We made the decision to try all of the DVC resorts, and I'm so glad we did that. When I called to make reservations, I tried to get BWV standard view, but it wasn't available at 5 months. So, I booked a preferred view. I called to book at the 6 month window for AKV. It wasn't available, so I asked if VWL was. It was, and we booked there. For spring break, I called at the 6 month window, and AKV was available, so we got a "value" room there. It was 45 less points than the standard 1-BR for the same dates. So, I saved some points!!!

I think if you call at the 7 month mark, you have a much better chance. However, there are times and certain accommodations that unless you own at certain resorts, it will be very difficult to book there (e.g., VWL at Christmas, BCV/BWV at Food & Wine, THVs, Grand Villas at OKW, etc.). We don't know what BLT is going to be like, since it hasn't opened yet, but I would say that MK views and standard views will fill up fast. AKV concierge is hard to book, unless you own there. Otherwise, it is the 3rd largest resort, and should be easier to get into at the 7 month mark.

2) do you have any pros /cons that you can share with me about SSR?Tina

I dearly love the "condo" style resorts, so what I like about them is what others don't. I love that they don't feel like a hotel, that you can park your car right in front of your building, and that you feel like you're away from everything. Depending on where you're assigned, you can have a decent walk to the main pool and amenities. My kids are 13 and 6, so that's really not an issue for me. If I had two or three little kids, that may change my opinion. My DS and DD are 6.5 years apart, so I never had two I was carrying at the same time.

If I had it to do over again, I'd still buy at SSR. I really enjoy staying there, and the fact that it's a great deal is just icing on the cake. But, what you may find out is that you and your family (just like restaurants) may not agree on where you like/want to stay! I have a definite preference for condo, and DH is enjoying the hotel style resorts more. See...I should have just left well enough alone, and left him in SSR/OKW world! He would have never known the difference!

 

[Sandisw]

I don't know when your travel times are, but I think getting other resorts at 7 months is possible. Until we get through an entire year with BLT, I don't think anyone knows for sure how easy/hard that will be.

As far as AKV, I am traveling in August (5th - 9th) and just called today to change my standard view studio to a savannah view studio. I figured that I would have to WL since it was only 3 months away, but to my surprise, it was available!!!

I am a BLT fan and very biased (as most know!!) and only want to stay there and bought there even though it was more money.

But, if you know that SSR is a resort that you would be happy with, then buying in through resale and saving money is an excellent idea. My feeling is that once you are a member, you will know how easy or hard it is for you given your travel patterns to book elsewhere at 7 months.

If you are finding it hard to get BLT or AKV, then you know to add on there in the future. And, once you are a member, you will be eligible for the discounts on BLT (whatever they may be at the time) at a lower level than as a new member--for example, members can do a BLT add on at the 125 point level and pay only $96.00 per point while new members must add on at least 200 to get that price.

Good luck!!!

 

[nickspace]

You also have to remember that the maintenance fees will be, by far, the single biggest expense (over time) to owning DVC. Far FAR more than the initial buy-in.

With BLT's lower Maintenance fees, it will eventually eat up the savings realized by buying a different resort with higher MFs resale.

BLT is low now but who knows what the fees will down the road? Is it possible the possibly initial low fees help to sell points???

 

[nickspace]

I have had wonderful luck at the 7 month window. You just have to be a little flexible.

For example, since purchasing we have stayed at BWV, SSR, OKW, VWL and AKV. We're staying at BCV this summer. We made the decision to try all of the DVC resorts, and I'm so glad we did that. When I called to make reservations, I tried to get BWV standard view, but it wasn't available at 5 months. So, I booked a preferred view. I called to book at the 6 month window for AKV. It wasn't available, so I asked if VWL was. It was, and we booked there. For spring break, I called at the 6 month window, and AKV was available, so we got a "value" room there. It was 45 less points than the standard 1-BR for the same dates. So, I saved some points!!!

I think if you call at the 7 month mark, you have a much better chance. However, there are times and certain accommodations that unless you own at certain resorts, it will be very difficult to book there (e.g., VWL at Christmas, BCV/BWV at Food & Wine, THVs, Grand Villas at OKW, etc.). We don't know what BLT is going to be like, since it hasn't opened yet, but I would say that MK views and standard views will fill up fast. AKV concierge is hard to book, unless you own there. Otherwise, it is the 3rd largest resort, and should be easier to get into at the 7 month mark.


I dearly love the "condo" style resorts, so what I like about them is what others don't. I love that they don't feel like a hotel, that you can park your car right in front of your building, and that you feel like you're away from everything. Depending on where you're assigned, you can have a decent walk to the main pool and amenities. My kids are 13 and 6, so that's really not an issue for me. If I had two or three little kids, that may change my opinion. My DS and DD are 6.5 years apart, so I never had two I was carrying at the same time.

If I had it to do over again, I'd still buy at SSR. I really enjoy staying there, and the fact that it's a great deal is just icing on the cake. But, what you may find out is that you and your family (just like restaurants) may not agree on where you like/want to stay! I have a definite preference for condo, and DH is enjoying the hotel style resorts more. See...I should have just left well enough alone, and left him in SSR/OKW world! He would have never known the difference!

The Hotel/Condo preference is an important factor to consider.

 

[CMOORE185]

You also have to remember that the maintenance fees will be, by far, the single biggest expense (over time) to owning DVC. Far FAR more than the initial buy-in.

With BLT's lower Maintenance fees, it will eventually eat up the savings realized by buying a different resort with higher MFs resale.

Their is no guarantee BLT MF's will not exceed SSR someday. It is such a new resort it is hard to tell what will happen with its MF's. So buying based on current MF's IS a risky business.

 

[CMOORE185]

Your best chance of staying at a specific resort and getting the booking category that you want is if you buy where you love to stay. I'm a firm believer that you need to stay at the resort that you are interested in before you buy.

Spending so much money based upon other peoples opinions is a roll of the dice at best. If you take the time to read through different posts, you will find members who love SSR and others who don't.

Few will admit publicly that the made a mistake choosing which resort to buy and often they will defend their decision.

I hope you realize you can stay at any of the resorts regardless of where you buy. I have owned since 2000 and have stayed at every resort except BLT. The 7 month booking window has never been a problem for us.

 

[Sandisw]

I hope you realize you can stay at any of the resorts regardless of where you buy. I have owned since 2000 and have stayed at every resort except BLT. The 7 month booking window has never been a problem for us.

I think that is wonderful that you have had no problems booking at 7 months. I sounds like you are very happy with all the DVC resorts and have no issues staying in whichever ones are available.

New buyers, however, need to know that this is not always the case, as there are plenty of posts from members who could not trade out to other resorts each trip.

SSR is no doubt the best value for your money right now on the resale market. It has lower MF's, expires in 2054, and can be bought between $65 - $75.00 per point. But you still have to like the resort enough to be okay with staying there.

And, to buy at SSR or any other DVC resort, knowing you never want to stay there, would not be, IMO, a good deal, no matter how much money is saved.