I know I should buy where I want to stay, but.....

[karen4546]

I know I should buy where I want to stay, but I can buy VB or HH points at almost half the price of AKV. I know the dues are $10ish and right now we are paying a bit over $8/pt for our AKV. I think the expiration is in 2042 also.

Luckily, I have been able to use my AKV points @ CCV, BWV, BCV, and PVB. We can sometimes do last minute trips but I do book a couple of weeks in a value studio when the window opens.

My dilemma is should I go ahead and buy AKV resale or buy DOUBLE the points and hope there is availability at a WDW resort at the 7 month mark?

What would you do and why? Buy the 150 points @ VB or HH at $75/pt or buy 75 pts @ AKV for $140/pt? I am also looking at BWV because we love the resorts near EPCOT.

thanks!

 

[Minniesgal]

I’d buy at AKV 1 because I’d always buy at WDW to stay at WDW second because if they do ever decide to sell off any DVC resorts I’d bet hard VB or HH will be first

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

With VB and HHI you can in theory be shut out of WDW at the 7 month window. I just wouldn't want to take that chance.

I'd have to guess too that if you bought the AKL points now, in 2042, you will be able to sell them for $75, in theory recouping the price difference.

I've never taken the time to do it because I have no interest in VB or HHI, but enough smart people have done the math on this exact situation and the answer always seems to be buy the WDW points.

 

[Sandisw]

Don’t buy an off property resort for on property stay. They could decide to not rebuild those resorts if a hurricane hit, etc and you end up only with your share of insurance.

You are locked out until 7 months no matter what. It’s a gamble and to pay more in MF eats up savings quickly.

 

[mort1331]

You could meet in the middle and buy 100 OKW or SSR. Then you get the increased points, less dues, and your at least on property and as you know might be able to switch at 7 months.

 

[Brian Noble]

I know the dues are $10ish and right now we are paying a bit over $8/pt for our AKV.

I think this makes a big difference, and narrows the value of HHI/VB significantly.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

I think this makes a big difference, and narrows the value of HHI/VB significantly.

When comparing 2042 resorts to VB and HHI, I actually don't think it makes that big of a difference at all. With only 20 years remaining, and a roughly $3 per point maintenance fee difference, the ballpark breakeven is roughly $60 per point. Taking a quick look at DVC resale markets average selling price, the difference between VB and other WDW 2042 resorts is about $40-$83 per point.

The biggest quantitative drawback on VB is the 2042 date, not the dues

Now going back to the OPs question, it's not as simple as buying 2x points for the same price. From a strict quantitative perspective, buying more points at VB:

A) less years than AKL
B) dues are higher on an annual basis. So your saving up front, but annual costs are more. Will be pretty close over 20 years.
C) doubling up points also doubles your annual dues (which over time amounts to much more than the purchase price).

VB dues are already 40% higher than AKL. If you buy 2x the points, your dues will be 180% higher.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Higher dues. Also dues go up faster since it's beach property and has to cover a lot of damage. Plus, it's a pretty big risk that you won't be locked out of WDW - so you best be comfortable if VB is all you can stay at.

 

[dclpluto]

Years ago It use to be easy to use your points at the seven month window for where you wanted to stay. Now it’s easy again but only because of covid. There was a period of time maybe around 5 years that using your points at the seven month window was hard for the good resorts. I imagine sometime it will be like that again.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

If your goal is to stay at WDW, then buy at least in WDW, so you are not locked out.

 

[karen4546]

You guys are making great points- all of which I considered but now I am 90% sure that I will buy AKV or if the price is right BWV. Not really concerned on the 2042 exp. because I will be almost 80 and may not be able to visit as much as we do now.

thanks!

 

[RoseGold]

I wouldn't buy any timshare outside of Florida. If I were considering HH, I would be seriously studying their timeshare/probate laws. HH has a lot of competition. VB is a bad combination IMO of a non-WDW resort, short contract, and disastrously high dues. It wouldn't surprise me if DVC announced tomorrow that they sold HH or VB.

I found this chart helpful, but I do think there's an argument for the 2042s if that's where you want to stay, if you are able to use the favorable old point charts.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-spring-2021/

 

[Brian Noble]

the ballpark breakeven is roughly $60 per point. Taking a quick look at DVC resale markets average selling price, the difference between VB and other WDW 2042 resorts is about $40-$83 per point

We have similar numbers, but reach different conclusions about what that means. For me, if the dues difference eats up most if not all of the purchase savings, there’s not much financial reason to buy a non-Orlando resort, So unless you really want one of those as your home resort, may as well buy something in Orlando for the 11 month window.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

We have similar numbers, but reach different conclusions about what that means. For me, if the dues difference eats up most if not all of the purchase savings, there’s not much financial reason to buy a non-Orlando resort, So unless you really want one of those as your home resort, may as well buy something in Orlando for the 11 month window.

I agree from a qualitative perspective. One quantitative difference that does that fit with a lot of DVC families is if they are financing. The interest savings alone would nearly wipe out the difference in annual dues. But then your buying the contract for half the price.

Fwiw, I would never recommend financing a DVC contract at 10%+ interest rates.

 

[LYSE]

I only buy where I'm willing to stay, in this case I would advise you to at least buy on property and keep in mind how fast those dues eat up the difference

 

[Brian Noble]

One quantitative difference that does that fit with a lot of DVC families is if they are financing.

Yikes. I wonder if at that point they'd be better off renting from an owner.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Since I am very picky about where I stay, I would only buy where I wanted to stay. If I didn't mind where I stayed, I'd certainly buy more points for less money.

 

[JELLYROLLS4LIFE]

The problem with Vero is that "just $3 more per point in dues" adds up to $60 more per point in dues over the next 20 years. So you save the money in the short term but spend it in the long term. Combine that with the fact you want to stay at WDW. I agree with those that say just compromise and buy OKW. At least you are on site.

And when the hell did AKV get to $140 a point! That's crazy!

 

[LadybugsMum]

I would buy a WDW property if it's your intention on staying there. I bought SSR points knowing that I would have a place at WDW even if I wasn't able to switch at the 7 month mark.

 

[crisi]

We have similar numbers, but reach different conclusions about what that means. For me, if the dues difference eats up most if not all of the purchase savings, there’s not much financial reason to buy a non-Orlando resort, So unless you really want one of those as your home resort, may as well buy something in Orlando for the 11 month window.

The other potential issue is that DVC CAN charge us for hurricane damage. So far, all damage to HHI and VB has been relatively small, Disney and insurance have picked up the majority of the costs - I think one of them had a small assessment once. But climate experts believe there will be more hurricanes than in the past - stronger. And Disney may not be as generous in the future.