How many times did you rent points before finally buying in?

[hbrc2125]

My boyfriend and I have been together for 6 years now, have talked marriage and all that. Ideally, I would like to wait until we are married (for obvious reasons)before buying into DVC, but how silly is it to rent up until then? I don't want to continue to spend more than we would if one of us just bought points. But I also like the idea of taking a few trips, and staying at a few different DVC resorts, before we finally choose a home resort.

What are your experiences?

 

[davper]

None

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

None. But we stayed on-site four times at a different resort each time so we had a feel for the various vibes. We purchased at one of the two we liked best.

 

[kniquy]

We only stayed one 3 day trip at SSR. We ended up buying at AKV. I felt comfortable making that choice because we knew after once stay at SSR it wasn't for us. We are hoping to stay at a variety of resorts hopefully booking at off peak seasons and if we travel at a busy time we will hopefully be happy staying at AKV

 

[MsTessP]

We stayed at two DVC resorts before buying, and toured several others. (We actually bought at a resort where we did not stay but had toured).
Some people have regrets buying DVC. These regrets frequently stem from not buying the resort which they realized later was their favorite or from not understanding timeshares in general and DVC in particular.
Spending the time to read and read on this board and also actually staying at two different DVC resorts (at least) before buying will go far in determining whether or not DVC is a good fit for your situation.
And, FWIW, your instincts are entirely right about waiting until marriage before entering into a contract together. We have seen enough nightmares here with people going through divorces, let alone a boyfriend/girlfriend breakup.

 

[Deb & Bill]

There were only two onsite resorts when we bought. We bought OKW instead of BWV because we liked the looks of the place from visiting it to sign our papers.

 

[disneynutz]

If you are the driving force you could buy a resort like SSR in your name. Later if you want you can pay a few hundred dollars and add him to the title.

As far a renting or buying, it's all in the numbers and if you buy SSR and use those points to stay at all of the resorts, later if you have difficulty booking your now known favorite resort you can buy a contract there in both your names and sell SSR.

Bill

 

[com_op_2000]

None - when we bought in there was no rental market.

 

[LoLaRae]

I seem to be the minority but I've rented for 5 years, up to 2-3 times a year. Stayed at AKL, SSR, BLT, and BWV. I almost bought direct 7 years ago but was young and about to start a college program that wouldn't allow time to work much less travel. I wish I would have done it sooner but renting allowed me the time and info to make sure this was the right decision.

 

[DisDadDVC]

Rented 4 times before buying. Wish we bought after the 1st rental.

 

[jillmc40]

Just once. But I have 2 other timeshares. The first timeshare I ever bought was with my boyfriend of 7 years. We split up shortly after. Luckily, our salesman sold us on buying every other year so if we did split it wouldn't be a hassle. Boy, was he trying to tell us something or what. Haha!!! I own Dvc with my lovely husband of 11 years

 

[crisi]

None, but if I had to do it today, with the broker situation and the active rental market, I'd never buy. I'd just rent. Renting gives you resort flexibility that ownership doesn't.

 

[WilyBrace]

My sister has points at a handful of resorts and it's an equivalent drive to meet her in Orlando as her home, so I've stayed or visited in a handful of the DVC resorts (BCV, AKV, BLT, SSR, VGF). In contrast, my wife and I have at times either stayed off-site or at a value resort (Typically the All-Stars)

I have rental points set up for a trip in May for OKW, but wanted to try for the lower-point options at AKV or BWV to no avail. The experience of booking was straightforward, but it seemed challenging to work back-and-forth on availability with the broker. I should have borrowed my sister's log in to see availability before submitting my request to streamline the process a little.
Also, at least the broker I used had a minimum number of points for the rental, which worked out for this trip, but wouldn't always for our travel patterns.

What left me inclined to buy is my most recent trip down around Columbus Day. I decided that I would really like to go to F&W about every other year and really appreciated being able to walk to Epcot and HS. (I was staying in BCV for the days I went to Epcot)
My wife's general criticism of any timeshare is needing to commit to the trip way in advance, but buying seems to have more cancellation flexibility than renting - assuming a smart choice of UY relative to when we're likely to go.

That said, I think it makes sense to stay at different resorts and maybe even tour some of the others while you're down there. For me, I learned:
* I didn't appreciate SSR or VGF at all: I could be just as happy being off-site
* Having dinner at the Polynesian made me less inclined to stay there, the theme isn't my style
* I *love* the theme-ing at AKV but not the perceived remoteness
* BLT feels very much like a nice hotel with a convenient location and less like a resort, to me

 

[girli565]

Never. But we have a friend who owns DVC and she has invited us twice to stay with them. Once in a 2-bedroom at SSR and another time at a Treehouse Villa for a long weekend. The 2-bedroom at SSr sold us on it.

 

[a742246]

We rented once before buying.

 

[bwvBound]

We never rented -- but we did trade in (against other timeshare) a few times into Boardwalk Villas before buying at SSR.

It is a good idea to check out various resorts, while you can. I like WilyBrace's short 'capture' of their impressions for each resort -- you'd do well to do similarly. Keep things simple. You'll likely find that some Home Resorts speak to you, others shout at you ... and others whisper gently. Avoid those that shout at you ...

I like the idea (above) of buying in your name only, assuming you are the driving force behind this purchase decision.

 

[DisDadDVC]

Everyone puts so much emphasis on DVC being a "lifetime" commitment. I don't agree at all. It is merely a financial equation. One could possibly even justify buying the right contract, stripping the points to use on a big trip, and then turn around and sell it. That may be easier and cheaper than trying to rent. What is the real risk in buying an SSR contract to try out the system and the different resorts? If you find out it's not for you, you aren't out the whole purchase price. Most likely you will just be out the 7-10% commission. On a $10,000 contract, that is $700 to $1000. You probably saved that much just using your points for a year or two.

 

[mab2012]

And, FWIW, your instincts are entirely right about waiting until marriage before entering into a contract together. We have seen enough nightmares here with people going through divorces, let alone a boyfriend/girlfriend breakup.

Maybe, maybe not. My husband and I shared a bank account and bought our first house together several years before we married. We've been together for 20 years, married for 13. My sister and her partner have also been together for nearly 20 years, and own their home together. They've never bothered to get married. IMO commitment matters more than marital status. After all, as the divorce rate attests, marriage is not exactly much of a barrier to break-up for many couples.

To be clear, I'm not encouraging the OP to go ahead with a joint asset if she is not yet certain the commitment is there. And I don't think that renting is at all "silly" for many, many people, possibly including the OP. Only pointing out that for some unmarried couples, buying might also be a perfectly reasonable choice.

Personally, I don't think I could ever bring myself to rent DVC points, because for me, the cost of a DVC rental is simply more than I'm willing to pay for accommodations. The rack rate for DVC units is downright absurd. I'd happily stay offsite before paying those prices. We did stay at SSR once on an exchange before finally deciding to buy, but that experience had very little to do with our decision to buy (or not).

For lots of people, it seems like no price is too high for a Disney vacation. I'm not one of them.

 

[bumbershoot]

Everyone puts so much emphasis on DVC being a "lifetime" commitment. I don't agree at all. It is merely a financial equation.

Such a good point, and it's one that I've changed on. I really felt that way; felt that way about houses, too. But after a year of looking for a house and being told (by homeowners and our realtor) over and over and over that even though moving is a pain there is NO reason I had to think of this house as being THE HOUSE...I'm starting to change my views. And the view-change covers our DVC, too.

They've never bothered to get married. IMO commitment matters more than marital status. After all, as the divorce rate attests, marriage is not exactly much of a barrier to break-up for many couples.

The difference is that in an actual divorce there are legal precedents/protections/procedures to divide property and assets that more casual (legality-wise) relationships do not have.

 

[DisBuckMan]

IMO commitment matters more than marital status. After all, as the divorce rate attests, marriage is not exactly much of a barrier to break-up for many couples.

It's America, and you're allowed to have that opinion. Not sure the legal system would share the same opinion, though.