Help - ready to buy, but feel like it's "too good to be true"

[UpcommingBerry]

Hubby and I decided to take the plunge and buy DVC on our last cruise. We adore adore adore poly - it is our favorite resort. And, reading about the prices going up and getting a small discount, we bought a package on our cruise this past week. However, we are wondering if we should cancel (since we are in our 10 day cancellation window) and purchase a resale at animal kingdom (our 2nd favorite resort) instead.

Our huge fear is that the resale prices are too good to be true. We are worried we will cancel the direct purchase and try to get an animal kingdom resale but end up spending months and months going through the ROFR offer only to have Disney repeatedly purchase points back. Or, we are worried that we will cancel and the resale perks will be further restricted and we will regret not purchasing poly at the lower rate.

I guess overall I am leaning toward resale but wanted to get some expert opinions.

1) I know now the big resale restriction is being unable to use points anywhere but the DVC properties (which is fine with us). But, the sales agent told us that they are going to no longer send membership cards or acknowledge resale members the same. Do you think this is true? We don't want to miss out on the merchandise, ticket, dining discounts you need a membership card for, or the ability to book the special events they offer (like the character meet and greats, after park hours, get togethers, dvc only cruise, etc). I don't want to show up at Disney world and be treated differently......

2) Has anyone tried to get poly at 7 months out? Was it hard to do?

3) Animal Kingdom has 9 less years on its contract, should that concern us?

4) Lastly, those of you that rent out your dvc points through a 3rd party, do you feel like you usually are able to rent out the points you want with easy success? It will not make or break our decision to purchase dvc, but it may make a difference in terms of which dvc resale options are realistic for us.

 

[freediverdude]

1. The member cards are also available electronically through smartphones, so you don't have to have a physical card with you, although I don't know about the not sending cards, doubt they would do that. I believe that it is true that you must be a direct member to go on a DVC cruise, however. The other events they don't check that though.

2. Poly is ok *right* at 7 months right now, but disappears soon after. Not as hard to get as VGF, but needs to be booked soon after 7 months. I think Poly will get harder to get as it sells out, it's such a popular location.

3. What are your ages? Also if you plan to sell it or give it to relatives when you get older, the extra years might make a difference.

4. It's pretty easy to rent out DVC points. Right now 11 month Poly points would command a higher rental than the AKV points, but who knows in the future. But it's easy to rent out points from any of the resorts for the 7 month window.

 

[MinnieB]

I'm hoping to buy resale and had an offer accepted today on BWV after losing one to ROFR last week. I have wondered the same thing about the potential for them to differentiate on the "perks" in the future. I like to believe that if they did that, and those who bought resale added on some small number of points direct (because the minimum is much smaller after you own), then the DVC member would get the "perks" back. Could be a quick way for them to sell a whole lot of 25 point contracts! Of course, this is speculating on a hypothetical solution to a hypothetical problem....

 

[bumbershoot]

But, the sales agent told us that they are going to no longer send membership cards or acknowledge resale members the same. Do you think this is true?

No, I don't believe it.


If you ONLY want to stay at Poly, and you would use the 11 month booking window, then buy at Poly. I have no idea if there are Poly resales, but you could do some checking on that.

If you still might buy Poly direct but want more time to research, you can cancel then buy again. Compare the deal you got to what it lists here: http://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program-51703/financial-75803/pricing-a-promotions-52175

In all likelihood you didn't get a deal that you couldn't get on land.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

For a buyer that has questions I say cancel immediately while you can. It's such a tiny window that you can get out of it with no cost. Then do your investigating and determine what is really right for you. If that ends up being Poly you will still be able to buy it. And don't let resale worry you. There are lots and lots of contracts that go thru the sale without Disney exercising ROFR. And AKV passes very regularly. Could it get taken? It's possible although extremely unlikely IMO, but saving several thousands of dollars would typically be worth the wait IMO. Regarding the 9 less years at AKV consider that you are still talking 41 years from now. That's a long time that a lot can happen in, even that you might have no interest left in Disney or even own the contract any more.

Once you bring up resale to an agent their going to say things to discourage. In a nutshell there is nothing of value that DVC has taken away and yes, you'll still get a card. But with resale you can still use points for the World Collection which includes RCI and the Buena Vista Co. You are just restricted from the Disney Collection and Concierge Collection, both which take a lot of points to use and where you can usually rent out your points, pay cash for any of them and come out ahead.

 

[Dean]

Hubby and I decided to take the plunge and buy DVC on our last cruise. We adore adore adore poly - it is our favorite resort. And, reading about the prices going up and getting a small discount, we bought a package on our cruise this past week. However, we are wondering if we should cancel (since we are in our 10 day cancellation window) and purchase a resale at animal kingdom (our 2nd favorite resort) instead.

Our huge fear is that the resale prices are too good to be true. We are worried we will cancel the direct purchase and try to get an animal kingdom resale but end up spending months and months going through the ROFR offer only to have Disney repeatedly purchase points back. Or, we are worried that we will cancel and the resale perks will be further restricted and we will regret not purchasing poly at the lower rate.

I guess overall I am leaning toward resale but wanted to get some expert opinions.

1) I know now the big resale restriction is being unable to use points anywhere but the DVC properties (which is fine with us). But, the sales agent told us that they are going to no longer send membership cards or acknowledge resale members the same. Do you think this is true? We don't want to miss out on the merchandise, ticket, dining discounts you need a membership card for, or the ability to book the special events they offer (like the character meet and greats, after park hours, get togethers, dvc only cruise, etc). I don't want to show up at Disney world and be treated differently......

2) Has anyone tried to get poly at 7 months out? Was it hard to do?

3) Animal Kingdom has 9 less years on its contract, should that concern us?

4) Lastly, those of you that rent out your dvc points through a 3rd party, do you feel like you usually are able to rent out the points you want with easy success? It will not make or break our decision to purchase dvc, but it may make a difference in terms of which dvc resale options are realistic for us.

I'd cancel until your sure. AKV will save you significant dollars. The price increase at the Poly isn't enough to make it worth keeping to avoid it IMO.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Based on ROFR threads, the contracts that get taken are those being sold under current fair market value, with a few mystery takes. Disney don't really want to take up a lot of contracts, because it's a nuisance for them.

There are a very limited number of things they can do long-term to resale buyers vs. direct buyers, and I'm not sure they could make anything retroactive regardless. All perks, save those of staying in DVC units, are subject to change for all buyers. DVC is a real property interest, and anything save that real property interest isn't contracted for DVD for the duration of the DVC contract.

 

[supersnoop]

Disney exercises ROFR less than 2% of the time. Don't be afraid of it.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Hubby and I decided to take the plunge and buy DVC on our last cruise. We adore adore adore poly - it is our favorite resort. And, reading about the prices going up and getting a small discount, we bought a package on our cruise this past week. However, we are wondering if we should cancel (since we are in our 10 day cancellation window) and purchase a resale at animal kingdom (our 2nd favorite resort) instead.

Our huge fear is that the resale prices are too good to be true. We are worried we will cancel the direct purchase and try to get an animal kingdom resale but end up spending months and months going through the ROFR offer only to have Disney repeatedly purchase points back. Or, we are worried that we will cancel and the resale perks will be further restricted and we will regret not purchasing poly at the lower rate.

I guess overall I am leaning toward resale but wanted to get some expert opinions.

1) I know now the big resale restriction is being unable to use points anywhere but the DVC properties (which is fine with us). But, the sales agent told us that they are going to no longer send membership cards or acknowledge resale members the same. Do you think this is true? We don't want to miss out on the merchandise, ticket, dining discounts you need a membership card for, or the ability to book the special events they offer (like the character meet and greats, after park hours, get togethers, dvc only cruise, etc). I don't want to show up at Disney world and be treated differently......

2) Has anyone tried to get poly at 7 months out? Was it hard to do?

3) Animal Kingdom has 9 less years on its contract, should that concern us?

4) Lastly, those of you that rent out your dvc points through a 3rd party, do you feel like you usually are able to rent out the points you want with easy success? It will not make or break our decision to purchase dvc, but it may make a difference in terms of which dvc resale options are realistic for us.

I am a new DVC member, we purchased BLT resale in December 2015.

1) I received a physical membership card. I have not heard anything suggesting that this will change. Even if it does change, in the past changes have not been retroactive. For example, people who bought resale prior to 2011 can still use their points for cruises.

2) no help here unfortunately

3) The length of the contract being shorter is a consideration when you are calculating the value of the timeshare. It's neither good nor bad, depends on your need.

Edit: to be clear though, a shorter contract should be less valuable unless some strange situation arises.

4) According to David's site, no one has had to leave points on the table when renting out points thru him, but that is no guarantee for the future.


Check the ROFR thread and you can see what kind of offers are going through. It may vary slightly, but you get a good idea of what will pass through. Even if it does get ROFR'd you don't lose anything as a buyer other than time. If you MUST stay at Poly, you should probably buy Poly, but if you are willing to consider a different resort, then resale will save you a lot of money.

 

[avidadventurer]

I have heard that sweeping changes to resale are on the way, We have owned for 9 years and love the membership. There have been a few bad experiences but nothing like renting points and staying at regular hotels.
We are looking into buying 300 more points at the Poly resort from developer since they have a decent deal going at moment.
As for the changes in regards to resale purchase it is not worth it to me to possibly miss out on future options and for those that say DVC can't do this and that, let me tell you my father has 10 years in biz law and told me that for the most part if DVC wanted to change the usage of membership for resale buyers, well they can.
BUY direct and enjoy is my family's opinion.

 

[avidadventurer]

I am a new DVC member, we purchased BLT resale in December 2015.

1) I received a physical membership card. I have not heard anything suggesting that this will change. Even if it does change, in the past changes have not been retroactive. For example, people who bought resale prior to 2011 can still use their points for cruises.

There is no longer membership cards for resale owners that purchased after 2011 from my source

 

[avidadventurer]

Disney exercises ROFR less than 2% of the time. Don't be afraid of it.

Not true, we just looked into buying a large points pkg and it is about 30% at moment especially with larger (150^) pkgs.

 

[Lynne M]

I have heard that sweeping changes to resale are on the way, We have owned for 9 years and love the membership. There have been a few bad experiences but nothing like renting points and staying at regular hotels.
We are looking into buying 300 more points at the Poly resort from developer since they have a decent deal going at moment.
As for the changes in regards to resale purchase it is not worth it to me to possibly miss out on future options and for those that say DVC can't do this and that, let me tell you my father has 10 years in biz law and told me that for the most part if DVC wanted to change the usage of membership for resale buyers, well they can.
BUY direct and enjoy is my family's opinion.

Guides have been giving people the "sweeping changes are on the way" line for years.

 

[avidadventurer]

I'd cancel until your sure. AKV will save you significant dollars. The price increase at the Poly isn't enough to make it worth keeping to avoid it IMO.

How is this^, at 150pp and 41 years left you are not saving a dime, do the math, we did and the poly is what we went with due to the savings and being last resort on Monorail. $168 pp/49.8 years left is about $3.50 pp per year and annual dues this year at $6.09= 9.59 per point this year, animal kingdom is about 100-110 to get past rofr and annual dues are about $6.42 total of about 8.85 -$9.10 pp per year this year,which means you save @.50 pp! and with what we were quoted if we buy @300 points we get about $4,000 off of price which brings cost of poly this year down to @ $9.19. Why cut yourself short for such minimal savings!

Guides have been giving people the "sweeping changes are on the way" line for years.

This didn't come from a guide, it came from someone that works in legal for DVD, so dont what what to tell ya, it is in three phases over next two years

 

[avidadventurer]

How is this^, at 150pp and 41 years left you are not saving a dime, do the math, we did and the poly is what we went with due to the savings and being last resort on Monorail. $168 pp/49.8 years left is about $3.50 pp per year and annual dues this year at $6.09= 9.59 per point this year, animal kingdom is about 100-110 to get past rofr and annual dues are about $6.42 which means you save @.50 pp! and with what we were quoted if we buy @300 points we get about $4,000 off of price which brings cost of poly this year down to @ $9.19 per point

This didn't come from a guide, it came from someone that works in legal for DVD, so dont what what to tell ya, it is in three phases over next two years

It was passed along through a member that knows a higher up lawyer for Disney Vacation Development.

 

[graychef]

How is this^, at 150pp and 41 years left you are not saving a dime, do the math, we did and the poly is what we went with due to the savings and being last resort on Monorail. $168 pp/49.8 years left is about $3.50 pp per year and annual dues this year at $6.09= 9.59 per point this year, animal kingdom is

I think you're missing something here. AKV can be bought resale at no more than $90 per point. With 41 years remaining (and using your math), that comes to $2.20 per point...less than the $3.50 you calculated. $90 per point is on the higher end for larger contracts. I bought in at $78 per point.

Besides, OP should cancel if there is any doubt and really research all options. Poly will still be there after a few weeks of study. And that will make the purchase all the better.

 

[avidadventurer]

I think you're missing something here. AKV can be bought resale at no more than $90 per point. With 41 years remaining (and using your math), that comes to $2.20 per point...less than the $3.50 you calculated. $90 per point is on the higher end for larger contracts. I bought in at $78 per point.

Besides, OP should cancel if there is any doubt and really research all options. Poly will still be there after a few weeks of study. And that will make the purchase all the better.

She may not get the promotion though, I ask same question and it's only good for seven days after tour or 21 over phone. So I would make sure op before you post, and how long ago did you get that ppp?
And let's just use your ppp cost , 8.32 pp per year vs 9.19 at poly, so if you bought 100 points your saving @$80 a year, lmao. Again, if you think that's a good deal I'll sell you some ocean front property in Arizona

 

[graychef]

And let's just use your ppp cost , 8.32 pp per year vs 9.19 at poly, so if you bought 100 points your saving @$80 a year, lmao. Again, if you think that's a good deal I'll sell you some ocean front property in Arizona

But a big consideration is the upfront money. $168 vs $90 IS a potential deal breaker if the two resorts are viewed similarly by the prospective buyer. Your 100 point example would result in a difference of $7800. Yeah Poly term is longer, but coming up with the extra money can be a turn off, especially if the OP is just as happy at AKV.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

She may not get the promotion though, I ask same question and it's only good for seven days after tour or 21 over phone. So I would make sure op before you post, and how long ago did you get that ppp?
And let's just use your ppp cost , 8.32 pp per year vs 9.19 at poly, so if you bought 100 points your saving @$80 a year, lmao. Again, if you think that's a good deal I'll sell you some ocean front property in Arizona

Guides have been using that one for years also. And where your 30% ROFR number came from is unknown but I'd make a bet it isn't even close.

 

[avidadventurer]

Hubby and I decided to take the plunge and buy DVC on our last cruise. We adore adore adore poly - it is our favorite resort. And, reading about the prices going up and getting a small discount, we bought a package on our cruise this past week. However, we are wondering if we should cancel (since we are in our 10 day cancellation window) and purchase a resale at animal kingdom (our 2nd favorite resort) instead.

Our huge fear is that the resale prices are too good to be true. We are worried we will cancel the direct purchase and try to get an animal kingdom resale but end up spending months and months going through the ROFR offer only to have Disney repeatedly purchase points back. Or, we are worried that we will cancel and the resale perks will be further restricted and we will regret not purchasing poly at the lower rate.

I guess overall I am leaning toward resale but wanted to get some expert opinions.

1) I know now the big resale restriction is being unable to use points anywhere but the DVC properties (which is fine with us). But, the sales agent told us that they are going to no longer send membership cards or acknowledge resale members the same. Do you think this is true? We don't want to miss out on the merchandise, ticket, dining discounts you need a membership card for, or the ability to book the special events they offer (like the character meet and greats, after park hours, get togethers, dvc only cruise, etc). I don't want to show up at Disney world and be treated differently......

2) Has anyone tried to get poly at 7 months out? Was it hard to do?

3) Animal Kingdom has 9 less years on its contract, should that concern us?

4) Lastly, those of you that rent out your dvc points through a 3rd party, do you feel like you usually are able to rent out the points you want with easy success? It will not make or break our decision to purchase dvc, but it may make a difference in terms of which dvc resale options are realistic for us.

Please do yourself a favor and do the math, it is not but @ $80 a year on 100 points purchase at AKV via resale, and you run risk of losing future benifits, did you get the developer credit with your purchase that I was offered? I think as a new member you have to purchase 150 or more to get it, we were offered it at 100 point start due to being members.