Check back closer to time, say 10-11 months out. If nothing is showing up, keep checking back. We booked a villa at WL last January with no problem. I'm thinking we booked it in October or November. This year, we booked a villa at another resort when the 08 rates were announced (when was that, anyway?). We booked at least 7 months in advance. I believe Disney can't or doesn't offer the villas to non-DVC members until the members have had a chance to book (which I think is 11 months out, but I could be wrong).
We have looked into renting points as suggested above, but are more comfortable booking through CRO. There are several reasons for this, and it is largely up to personal choice. I'm pretty risk averse, so the renting thing scares me a bit. It appears as though the great majority of points-renting-transactions go off without a hitch, but with my luck, I'd be in that tiny group of people who end up paying money and getting zippo. We also like the daily housekeeping, which you don't get when you rent points. Also, I got a great deal this year by watching these boards and catching a great offer when it was announced, so even though I would have saved SOME $$$ by renting points, it wasn't so much that it was worth the risk (however small) to me. If I were facing paying rack rate, the risk would become more palatable to me.
Long story short - I don't think VWL are hard to book at all. You just have to be in the right time window. Oh, and we LOVED staying there. We thought we just wanted the extra room as well, but what shocked us the most was how much we used the washer and dryer (EVERY SINGLE DAY!). We used the kitchen a LITTLE, but the washer and dryer were a fantastic amenity. And the WL is just amazing. We're staying at a Beach Club Villa this year, and I'm a little worried it won't live up to our amazing experience at WL. Good luck!
