Help Me See the Logic

[yankin]

OK, I am seriously looking into buying a resale but hope you folks can help me see some logic.

Here is a problem:

My wife and I really love OKW and am looking at starting out small-no more than 100 points. I see the resale prices for HH and they are so much lower than OKW. I know that the fees are higher for HH at .70 cents a point. I am also aware that by buying at HH I would have to wait until the 7 month window to book OKW. We always travel at low season (our kids our grown and I hate the Florida summer heat) and from what I have gathered OKW is not diffucult to book at the 7 month window-except for the Grand Villas.

So please tell me why I should not buy points at HH to use at OKW? Just looking for other views on where my logic could be skewed.

 

[littlestar]

Disney could sell off the Hilton Head resort or limit you to just staying at your home resort. Not worth the risk to me. You also have more exposure to hurricanes and a special assessment from the damage.

 

[bookwormde]

HH will probably be about $10 less than OKW. So over 32 years that is about $0.30 cents/year. If you do 4% unrealized interest income on the extra money per year and figure average unused balance is 50% then that is $0.40/2 or $0.20 so a OKW purchase cost are going to cost you about $0.50/pt /year more so you are still ahead $.20/pt /year by buying OKW.

Other considerations are settlement costs are typically higher at HH if you are paying those, and if you want a GV, have to have HH designation or travel during the highest DVC times (like early Dec) you may not get what you want at the 7-month mark.

bookwormde

 

[yankin]

Have there been any rumblings of Disney selling HH?

Would love to hear from HH DVC owners on there experience with getting reservations on site (WDW) at the 7 month window?

 

[disneybass]

On a small 100 point contract you will make up the difference between the selling price of HH and OKW in lower dues in just a few years. I would buy OKW for sure if that is where you want to stay.

 

[CarolMN]

Have there been any rumblings of Disney selling HH?

Would love to hear from HH DVC owners on there experience with getting reservations on site (WDW) at the 7 month window?

What size villa and what times of the year? Peak time for the parks is not the same as peak time for DVC reservations.

 

[Sandisw]

To me, to buy HH or VB, for the sole purpose of using it at WDW, just doesn't make that much sense.

There are just too many risks, IMO. If Disney limited you to home resort, sold off the properties, etc. While this is something that probably won't happen, it could.

And, if OKW is what you really like, it is one of the properties that is going for a great price. And, you would know for sure you could have reservations at WDW.

Now, if you won't every make your reservations before the 7 month mark, it doesn't really matter, but I just don't see the savings being better in the long run.

 

[Tamar]

Also, some of the OKW resales don't expire until 2057. Depending on your age, getting the longer contract might be the best value for you.

 

[DizGirl20]

On a small 100 point contract you will make up the difference between the selling price of HH and OKW in lower dues in just a few years. I would buy OKW for sure if that is where you want to stay.

Agreed. For me, to spend the money and not be able to get in where I wanted... I would be beyond frustrated.

That being said, you would be able to get something I would imagine, as long as you don't care where, what size accommodations, or what view. Can you be that flexible and more importantly will you have enough points to take what's available?

BUY OKW!

 

[CMOORE185]

Have there been any rumblings of Disney selling HH?

Would love to hear from HH DVC owners on there experience with getting reservations on site (WDW) at the 7 month window?

I owned at HH only for about the first 7 years of ownership and never once had a problem booking at WDW, and all but one time got exactly what I wanted. We travel mainly spring break and the summer.

 

[lulu2]

We bought at HH last year. We traveled to AKV in October we got exactly the room, view we wanted at 7 mo. out. In March we are staying at BLT 1 bed, MK view that we booked 6.5 months out. In fact I called today and still other views are available. This at 2 monts out. I'm not sure this is typical.
We bought at HH so we could stay in the summer as my husband works at a school. And I have heard HH is difficult to get at 7 months.
We also love OKW and are hoping to stay in December, but for this we transferred points from an OKW member as we used up all our points for 2010. We are hoping to go to HH and WDW early June 2011.

 

[disneynutz]

What was available in the past may not be available in the future. If you are a very lucky person you might role the dice and buy HH, it's only money, right!

For us, after not being able to get the reservations that we wanted at 7 months, we decided that the extra money was worth it and we bought at 5 resorts. Now we get to stay where we want, when we want.

Bill

 

[Dean]

OK, I am seriously looking into buying a resale but hope you folks can help me see some logic.

Here is a problem:

My wife and I really love OKW and am looking at starting out small-no more than 100 points. I see the resale prices for HH and they are so much lower than OKW. I know that the fees are higher for HH at .70 cents a point. I am also aware that by buying at HH I would have to wait until the 7 month window to book OKW. We always travel at low season (our kids our grown and I hate the Florida summer heat) and from what I have gathered OKW is not diffucult to book at the 7 month window-except for the Grand Villas.

So please tell me why I should not buy points at HH to use at OKW? Just looking for other views on where my logic could be skewed.

I agree with the others too much risk to buy VB or HH for this purpose. OTOH, if you plan to frequent either of those resorts, it might be a better value. OKW would be better, SSR might be a better value unless you can find an extended OKW contract.

 

[DebbieB]

HH expires in 2042. You can get an extended OKW contract that expires in 2058 or SSR. BLT expires in 2060 I think. If you plan on leaving DVC to your children, that could be a big deal. I think more and more it will affect the resale value as 2042 gets closer. 2058 contracts will hold their value longer.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

OK, I am seriously looking into buying a resale but hope you folks can help me see some logic.

Here is a problem:

My wife and I really love OKW and am looking at starting out small-no more than 100 points. I see the resale prices for HH and they are so much lower than OKW. I know that the fees are higher for HH at .70 cents a point. I am also aware that by buying at HH I would have to wait until the 7 month window to book OKW. We always travel at low season (our kids our grown and I hate the Florida summer heat) and from what I have gathered OKW is not diffucult to book at the 7 month window-except for the Grand Villas.

So please tell me why I should not buy points at HH to use at OKW? Just looking for other views on where my logic could be skewed.

I would suggest buying the points at Hilton Head if you ever planned on going to Hilton Head in the summer time (and making your reservation more than 7 months in advance). It can be difficult to get in there in the summer time if you don't own there and you don't make your reservation more than 7 months in advance.

If that is not the case and you are typically going to make reservations less than 7 months in advance and want to stay at Old Key West then I would suggest buying 100 points at Saratoga Springs via resale. The Timeshare Store, Inc.® has been selling 100 points at Saratoga Springs for about $70 to $75 per point typically.

Best of luck to you.

Jason

 

[BelleDVC]

I have been wondering the same... I guess it depends on how long you think you'll own, because as others pointed out the future may not have same availablility as now.

Would you be happy at HH if you couldn't get other resorts?

Belle

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Would you be happy at HH if you couldn't get other resorts?

Belle

My guess is if somebody is trying to get availability in Orlando and the only option is a resort in South Carolina they won't be happy.

The nice thing about DVC is that there are many options, many rooms in Orlando so chances good you can find something in Orlando but might be at Saratoga Springs or Old Key West.

Jason

 

[brianm27]

We started out with a 50 point resale at VB through the Timeshare Store. We did not plan to stay there.

We wanted to try DVC (using a cash we had available) to see if it was for us. Our 50 point purchase got us a chance to try DVC and book a few short trips to see how it fit. We then added on at SSR direct through Disney.

We don't have a huge number of points. We still do a long weekend or two each year at a non DVC resort using our AP discount. We like SSR but have also stayed at VWL, OKW, BWV, and have a stay coming up at BCV in April. Booking SSR and OKW have never been a problem for us, even at a few months out.

When we bought VB, there were not as many resorts and 50 point contracts were difficult to find. If I were doing this today, i would still start with a small contract but probably try to get OKW or SSR.

 

[yankin]

I have read on this board (and others) that many folks have bought at SSR with the intention of never staying there-if this is true that would mean alot more folks will be looking for reservations at the 7 month point. What are your thoughts in regards to this theory?

 

[CarolMN]

I have read on this board (and others) that many folks have bought at SSR with the intention of never staying there-if this is true that would mean alot more folks will be looking for reservations at the 7 month point. What are your thoughts in regards to this theory?

Until the last couple of years, we saw lots of reports about not getting into the smaller resorts at 7 months, and of waitlists not working. We saw posts that their "last minute" reservations were split because there were not consecutive nights available at one resort.

The last year or so, IMO, primarily due to the economy and somewhat to the addition of the popular BLT, it has been easier to get in at 7 months. I expect that "easier" pattern to return to the "difficult" pattern soon. People are starting to travel again and things are looking up for Orlando. Keep in mind that many of our posters are relatively new and have not experienced the "difficult" times.

That said, even in the more difficult times, if you were flexible with resort, villa size and dates, you were pretty much regularly be able to get something at WDW at 7 months. Waitlists were occasionally needed.

Don't over estimate your willingness to roll the dice at 7 months. If you go with HH or VB with the intention of always staying at WDW, I predict you will come to regret the few dollars you save. The ability to lock in your stay somewhere on site (and then roll the dice at 7 months, LOL) is worth something. That something will grow in value the first time you have to worry about a waitlist or change your dates. You'll be kicking yourself. Trust me!

Good luck with the decision, whatever it may turn out to be.