Help Me Help My DH to Say Yes!

[MamaCrush]

We have returned from our recent non-DVC trip to the World and have been intensively researching purchasing into AKL. I'm 100% sold! My DH is close to be on board. However, he's concerned about the recent developments in the economy. On a scale from 1 to 5 (5 being let's sign the papers), he's at 3.5. I'm not suggesting we do anything we can't afford mind you, he's just ultra-conservative right now.

I've gone over all the financial benefits I can think of-- locking in future vacations at 2008 dollars, etc. We have 2 smallish kids (6 and 8), so we have many trips ahead of us (and we'd go without them as well).

Sooo.... any suggestions on other ways I can appeal to this very conservative and cautious engineer-type of guy???

 

[Tara]

IMO, if he has concerns about the economy, I wouldn't try to convince him. It isn't a matter of affording it, but feeling good about the expenditure at this time. It's a huge financial commitment and you really want him to be fully on board with you on his own without any cajoling. Yes, there are some decent incentives right now, but it is likely there will be incentives for a while going forward as the economy is likely going to be "not great" for a while (and pretty terrible at least for the short term). Plus there are now 2 properties that Disney needs to sell, with 2 more coming soon, meaning the supply is going to go up and Disney will be motivated to sell. DVC isn't going anywhere and waiting even 3-6 months will likely not make one iota of difference.

Just my opinion...

 

[5forDiz]

Don't know if you are considering purchasing direct from Disney - if yes, maybe check out what resale brokers are offering. There are often some great deals to be had ( currently that seems to be the case in particular for SSR resales ). You can then buy into DVC via a resale contract that contains less points then minimum amount required by Disney on an initial buy-in directly through them. This may be a good place to start if there are some doubts. ( also, your membership is not treated any differently when initial purchase is via resale or if it is a small contract )

Then you & your family can always purchase add-on contract(s) as time goes on if you decide you'd like to own more points - done by either purchasing add-on(s) direct from Disney: 25 point minimum purchase, 50 point minimum if you want Disney's financing or you can shop the resale market again for add-on contract(s).

Best wishes on your decision

 

[MamaCrush]

Thanks to you both for your input. Just let me say for the record I'm not trying to twist his arm for something he doesn't want. Even if I wanted to-- which I don't-- I wouldn't enjoy any time spent using the DVC if I didn't believe he was fully onboard. Besides, I respect him too much to try and pressure him into anything he's not comfortable with. That being said, he does have a reluctance to try new things. This includes small things like changing brands of toothpaste to something significant like this. That is the beauty of the balance in our relationship-- he slows me down and I urge him to expand his worldview a bit!

5forDiz-- I have checked the resale market, but unfortunately we really want to buy into AKL and there just ain't much out there for obvious reasons. (We looked into DVC 3 years ago, signed up and then rescinded for the same reasons he's voicing now. I didn't have a problem with that since we would have had to buy into SSR at the time and as nice as that resort is, it didn't "sing" too me like AKL does.) Also, I'd hate to buy in for fewer points than I could use without having to bank and borrow and/or drastically change our family's vacation pattern. Make sense? That to me would be a waste.

I think the bottom line is whether or not we will take our Disney vacations with or without ownership in DVC. If the answer is yes we would (which I believe it is)-- then I think it's wiser to buy and not "rent". If we don't, all we have at the end of our vacation is great memories and a receipt. If we buy, we still have an asset to use for years to come. If we had indeed bought 3 years ago, we would have prepaid the lodging for the two Disney vacations we have taken since.

Just my thoughts... thanks for induling my thought process!

 

[parlay]

It sounds like you've got some great reasons in your arsenal already! If your DH's concern about the state of the economy is the security of his job - (and it hurts me to say this) maybe this really isn't a good time. BUT we all know that there are some types of employment out there that are not affected by these types of downswings. If you fall into that category, I would try to really communicate the wonderful feeling you get from owning a piece of the magic. Does your DH know that DVC is one of the few timeshares that actually retains much of its original value on the resale market. Maybe telling your DH that if DVC is not for you in the future you always have an option of selling.

 

[hakepb]

I kinda think that unless the economy makes an abrupt change better, DVC will start offering better deals at some point in the next year. (They had a somewhat better deal going in the summer)

At least write down the cost to purchase now. If the incentives get better, you could say "you were right for waiting, now we can jump on this really sweet deal!" If not, then next year you can remind him that waiting cost $$$ more.

 

[5forDiz]

Good point by pp parlay; can always sell if it turns out to not be right "fit".

And also by Tara; dvc isn't going anywhere & even in just a few months from now, especially if economy is still in downturn, Disney could offer attractive incentives on dvc purchase that may make being patient well worth the wait (as poster hakepb points out).

Others here will, no doubt, continue to offer more suggestions & thoughts that haven't been mentioned so far. It's good move that you are doing your homework and researching things out as well so you will be on the right track as you move towards the ultimate decision.

Good Luck, let us know how it goes

 

[Golden Rose]

A couple of years ago, we were where you are now. I thought it was a good idea, DH was most of the way there, but not quite ready to jump. We knew we could afford it, but I'd just quit working even part time to stay home with our DS and we wanted to be more than a little conservative with our finances.

We kept going to Disney and made three trips where we stayed at the BC, BW, and GF. Two of those trips were within the last year (we decided 2.5 was a good age to introduce DS to WDW), and we spent more than $5000 on our rooms. We were planning another trip for this fall and realized that if we were to continue on our current schedule (about 2 trips a year now that DS was enjoying it,) that we were going to very quickly hit the break even point with a DVC purchase. (Some people suggest 10 years to break even... it was going to be much faster for us.)

For us, it really made sense. We always stay in Deluxe Resorts and we usually get either a suite or two rooms because my mother often travels with us. It would have made even more sense to buy back when we first seriously considered it, but we were nervous about it.

In this economic climate, I would seriously consider it only if you felt your income stream was fairly secure and if you could pay cash. If you can't pay cash immediately, I would suggest you and DH set up a savings account where you put the money you would be paying DVC so that he can see that you can afford it comfortably.

If you can truly afford it comfortably, there is something very appealing about locking in vacations for decades at today's prices. For us, there is the satisfaction of knowing that even in lean times, we can still go to WDW. If the economy does continue in its current vein or even gets worse, we're still going to be able to vacation at wonderful spots.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

We bought roughly a month ago, still waiting on ROFR though. We have made Non-DVC trips, and dcided to go ahead and buy into DVC. I would say go ahead, that way if things get better, or worse, you still have quality Disney vacations without worrying about how much it will cost from trip to trip. We felt that this was a good time to buy, and have already planned out our first trip "Home". Tell your DH someone super smart told you to go ahead and do it.

 

[sallysue66]

When you get him on board let me know how you did it! I'm in the same boat.

 

[fadedgirl]

Unless you are planning another trip right away, I see no harm in waiting. As others have said, there are probably even better incentives to come.

 

[grizbuzz]

Maybe doing some sort of spreadsheet with figures on when you'll break even and how much money you'll save will convince him. My DH was reluctant at first and I basically strong armed him into him making him agree to get DVC if he got the car he wanted. Since the purchase, he has not complained once and our only conversations have been whether or not to add on.

I agree with others that a wait and see approach might be best right now. With the economy the way it is and more DVC units to come on the market, there may be some great incentives for AKV that come down the line.

Good luck!