I'm new and I am researching, checking in for comments

[JPC]

Research is progressing and I am reading the posts...

I am interested in Board Walk Villas because of its location in terms of MGM and Epcot.

I am interested in Saratoga because of the cash incentive. It looks great on the Disney web site but I have not been there. There are other pluses for SSR such as length of contract I believe.

BWV has great resale I heard from the cast member. BWV has a wait list (how long?).

Look forward to hearing your comments on factors to consider in deciding. Small family, one wife and child. Probably will use a 1 bedroom villa.

Thanks.

 

[tjkraz]

Did you have any specific questions?

There are 5 Vacation Club resorts at WDW, and they all have their plusses. They all have their own fans, too. If you search the forum, I'm sure you'll find a wide variety of opinions voiced on each of the properties.

If you decide to go with SSR, you can buy direct from DVC, either paying cash or financing. It's a very painless process, but will probably cost you 10-15% more than buying a resale. Some people feel the extra 12 years of ownership justifies the additional cost...others disagree.

If you want one of the other resorts, you pretty much have to go the resale route. Contracts at BWV, VWL and BCV can be hard to come by. You'll have to wait for one that meets your specific point needs and Use Year if that's important to you. From the time you make an offer, it could easily take 60 days to negotiate, wait on ROFR, close, and ultimately are entered in DVC's computers as the owner. If DVC exercises ROFR on your offer, you lose the contract and start the process all over again. And, when you buy a resale you'll either need to pay cash or finance yourself (home equity line, etc.)

 

[JPC]

Thanks for the reply. SSR will probably be my choice.

Back to post reading.

 

[Beca]

I don't totally agree with tjkraz on this (and, we usually agree on quite a lot...sorry, tjkraz).

I just signed a contract to purchase BCV via resale last week. We signed the contract on 1/21, and our contract says we will close "on or before March 1". This will be my third resale contract. We have closed ALL of them well before the "30 day" mark. I just don't think 60 days is reasonable....my experience has been much faster than that.

I also think it would be VERY easy to find VWL or BWV via resale. On TTS right now, there are 4 VWL and 7 BWV (plus, 2 BCV...but they are BIG contracts). And, that is just ONE reseller!! I think you could easily find contracts if you want one.

Buy SSR if it is really where you want....buy a resale if that is really where you want. But, don't buy SSR because you think it is "all you can get"....that's just the wrong reason.



Beca

 

[tjkraz]

Hey, never hurts to get another POV.

Regarding the 60 days, I guess it depends a lot on how agressive the seller might be, and how quickly DVC turns around the contract. They have up to 30 days to decide on ROFR. If they pass in a week or two, then Beca is right, you could wrap it up in about 30 days.

Or, you could run into a seller that really drags his/her feet...

Regarding the contracts, I guess there are a few more out there right now. But the prices have really gone through the roof, too. BWV seems to be running about $75 per point. Add in maintenance and closing costs and you're within $3-4 of the current SSR price.

But, in many ways, there's no substitute for owning at the resort you really love...not to mention the booking advantage it brings.

 

[Beca]

Or, you could run into a seller that really drags his/her feet...

tjkraz...you are TOTALLY right on that one!!! I guess I have been really "lucky", although I have heard of international sellers that take a lot longer.



Beca

 

[rinkwide]

...Small family, one wife...

As opposed to a large family with multiple wives?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Now behave rinkwide...don't scare off the newbies with your wicked sense of humor and that crazy cowbell.

 

[DrTomorrow]

As opposed to a large family with multiple wives?

This should be moved to the "Occupancy" thread....

 

[DrTomorrow]

Back on-topic, to the OP:

DW and I own at SSR, and have stayed there twice; once last May during the SSR Founders Celebration and once last December - and we love the place! Our May trip was in a studio, and Dec was a 2BR (w/another couple) and we loved them both - but the kitchen & bathroom of a 1/2 BR is to die for.

As you probably noticed from your research, there are two main "concerns" about SSR: size, and what I'll call "look and feel". SSR is a spread-out resort, with 18 villa buildings planned, so it is NOT a "everything's one minute away" kind of place - it's a 5 minute (or so) walk to the Town Square / pool from some buildings. More significantly, it has more of a condo-type feel, with semi-enclosed corridors and parking in front of each building; if you're looking for a typical hotel-like "go through the lobby, up the elevator and down the hallway" type of place, SSR isn't it.

As I said, though, we - and a lot of other folks - love SSR: the style, the amount of room, the multiple conveniences, the location, etc. It's a personal thing, though, so give it a thought or two - this is a decades-long commitment....

Good luck!

 

[Beca]

As opposed to a large family with multiple wives?

You know, rinkwide...we haven't been "posting in the same threads" lately...I've MISSED you!!!



Beca

 

[dianeschlicht]

If the Boardwalk is where you plan to stay most often, then that is where you should buy. Check the resale site at the top of this forum for starters. There is a lot of information on each DVC resort to be gleaned both here and on other sites. Once you are done reading, ask some specific questions, and you will get lots of answers.

 

[JPC]

As opposed to a large family with multiple wives?

My wife...she's young.....

 

[JPC]

While I was riding home on the train, I put together some newbie questions that I hope are not too boring.

- The reason I would prefer BW or BC would be its proximity to the parks and the monorail at Epcot.

- Also, if they were my home resort, I would get the 11 month spread vs. 7 months for booking. I usually go to WDW in December during the "adventure" period (12/1 - 12/14).

- A plus for Saratoga is the $1,500 credit. Plus the DVC castmember stated it was highly rated in a traveler magazine (Conde something?).

- Another Saratoga plus would be the 1/31/54 ownership vs. 1/31/42 ownership.

Some other rambling questions.

I saw a post about ROFR. Why wouldn't DVC take all offers to sell since the property is hot?

How much concern is there on rising annual dues?

I found it odd that the DVC brochure did not elaborate on the side benefits if ownership such as 10% off discounts if that still exists.

Thanks.

 

[bongo59]

that is not alot of questions........DVC does not have to sell itself much they are in demand ...........you'll find out alot if you ask........many guides dont volunteer everything...........you need to do due diligence. which it seems you are doing now.......BCV and BW are great choices for epcot.........but you do seem abit value conscious.......you mentioned the SSR discount alot..........therefore i think you better look in th e mirror closely before you buy...........ultimately buy where you want to stay regardless of cost.........the cost difference between SSR BCV and BW is really small over 40 yrs and not worth it being a buying breaker in my view

 

[JPC]

I faxed a list of 30 questions to my DVC castmember and he called me and we spoke for 1 hour.

In regards to renting I asked if I rented would I be liable for any damage done by the rentor and he said yes. If I rent to a stranger on the web, how do I protect myself financially from any damage? I asked him if renting and damages were an issue and he said not that he know of,

 

[DrTomorrow]

Renting has risks on both ends: the risk that the person renting points does serious room damage, and the risk that the DVC member could take the money and then cancel the reservation. A good contract should mitigate some of the risk, but it still requires trust....

 

[tjkraz]

I saw a post about ROFR. Why wouldn't DVC take all offers to sell since the property is hot?

Their current sales point for sold-out properties is $89 per point. It's in their interest to keep resale and "new" prices close to one another, but there's no logic in taking a loss on resale contracts.

Rumor has it they may raise their price from $89 to $94 soon on at least some of the older properties.

How much concern is there on rising annual dues?

Dues are tied to the operating costs of the resort. So, it's not like they can arbitrarily decide to start imposing double-digit increases. We've got 13 years worth of history now at OKW, and it's trending in the 3-4% range. And a large portion of the overall increase is tied to rising insurance (property and health) costs in the last few years, as well as a reducing in interest income. The second item, at least, is cyclical.

I found it odd that the DVC brochure did not elaborate on the side benefits if ownership such as 10% off discounts if that still exists.

Probably because including such details would imply that discounts are guaranteed to members...which they are not. Also the list of discounts changes pretty frequently.