Is it stupid to...

[Deb & Bill]

Buy into a home resort you have no intention of using - even if you have good reason for doing it?

We are buying into VGF tomorrow. Already put our deposit down. Been questioning if this is a poor move since we have no desire to stay at VGF ever. We'd love to buy AKV (which is available) but we have been told that VGF is a better option (even if we aren't staying there.)

Here's our thought process:

1) We live here (25 min from property) and aren't looking to book weeks at a time. At most we'd book 2 nights. Because of this, we are only buying 90 points (for now...)
2) We are pretty okay with the "hey let's see what's available this weekend" mentality full on knowing things might or might not be available. And we are open to staying just about anywhere that won't eat up our points.
3) The Annual Dues at AKV are so much more than VGF. And as two teachers that's playing a pivotal role in our decision.
4) We've been told that VGF has a better resale value and rental value (if renting privately) than other resorts.

So the real question, are we backing ourselves into a wall? Will we ever be able to book studios for a quick night away at AKV? I can (and probably will) book some times I know we have off at the 7 mos mark. But, am I going to be stuck with points and an 11 mos out home resort I'll never use? Or have we been told correctly and home resort really doesn't Matter for what we want? Will we eventually get to see all the resorts? Reading the posts here make it sound like studios are never available. We really don't need a 1BR and I'd hate to pay for one.

Advice? Thoughts? Like I said, we are very flex and if we can't stay 'this Saturday' but can in two weeks from now - that's fine. I'm also fine booking at 7 mos if necessary. Just want to be sure we will get to see and experience the whole thing. I hope I'm making sense.

The big problem is that DVC isn't very flexible. Most members book their stays at 11 months out and see what they can get at seven months out. Studios usually book up first (along with other hot categories like the Concierge villas at AKV or BW view at the BWV, etc).

So now you are stuck paying off a loan for VGF, paying the annual member fees and you can't find anything when you want it.

What times of the year would you think you would most likely want to visit?

 

[CarolMN]

Again, even if you are set on buying direct, you can still buy a resort other than AKV, VGF or Aulani. You might have to be on a waitlist for awhile, but if you are not in a hurry, it will be worth the wait.

Tim K over at DVC News keeps a good list of current prices & incentives. Check it out before you decide.

Current DVC Pricing & Promotions

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If you will never or almost never be using the home priority booking then it makes zero difference where you own. Best optimization of owning DVC would then be buying a resort with the lowest buy in and lowest dues and also factor in the importance of the resort expiration date. Most likely this means buying SSR resale.

I'm not certain why you feel the importance to buy direct for the first purchase when you are already considering any add on will be resale. And since the resort that is currently holding value best if buying direct is not one that you want to stay at why not switch that around? Get your feet wet with a resale and then if another resort is built that you like better than VGF and you want points there you can look at direct again.

If you buy resale you are mitigating any loss you might incur should you realize the program does not work for you the way you hope. And you would also be spending less to get the same use that you have described you are looking for.

 

[MsTessP]

Just my experience, for what it's worth:

Like the OP, I always intended to buy direct. I think primarily it was the fact that I could receive my membership and points almost immediately and, I admit, I felt that the whole experience would have more "pixie dust" attached to it.

Circumstances changed, my confidence level in the whole resale process grew as a result of reading these boards, and I took the plunge. The process went very smoothly and, start to finish, I was booking our first membership stay 7 weeks later at BWV. In my situation I waited 7 weeks and saved more than $7k - well worth the effort. (And I found that the "pixie dust" experience was still there!)

If you had your heart set at VGF because it would always be your first choice, then direct would certainly be your only option. However, if AKV is your first choice, my advice would be to seriously consider resale. The money you would save would offset any temporary advantage in member dues.

 

[bumbershoot]

Buy into a home resort you have no intention of using - even if you have good reason for doing it?

We are buying into VGF tomorrow. Already put our deposit down. Been questioning if this is a poor move since we have no desire to stay at VGF ever. We'd love to buy AKV (which is available) but we have been told that VGF is a better option (even if we aren't staying there.)
.

We bought direct for a couple reasons. One of them was purely emotional. It's a bad reason to buy direct. Buying an expensive new resort when you have no strong intention of staying there is also a bad decision. Trust me. We have still never stepped foot in bay lake tower but we paid the premium!

 

[Missyrose]

A couple of things here to think about OP:

You've just started the process of researching DVC. Many, many people start out completely leery of buying resale. It seems shadowy and difficult to wrap your head around at first. You, however, are a prime candidate for resale. The biggest reason is you are looking for a good deal financially. If VGF is $155 per point and an SSR resale is $75, why pay double when you have the exact same plan to use the points?
You also have a flexible timeframe for purchase. Lots of resale purchasers have big plans for their points - an extended family trip at their dream resort. But to make those big plans work, they need to close on their contract before the 11-month or seven-month window opens for that reservation. So their purchasing process is spent under the gun. You have the luxury of flexibility. Enjoy that luxury and use it to your wallet's benefit! You don't need your points tomorrow, 60 days isn't going to make or break your plans for your. DVC points.

You brought up the difference in MFs between VGF and AKV. But one thing you want to keep in mind is how expensive a resort VGF is to operate. Nicer linens, nicer toiletries, more staff -- all of these enhanced amenities will eventually come at a cost. I say eventually because Disney has a history keeping MFs low while they are actively selling a resort. Those of us who bought into VGF know this and accept that MFs will likely jump to near the top of the DVC list once Disney is done selling, but we accept it because we love the resort and are willing to pay a premium to have first crack at staying there. Are you willing to eventually pay a premium while not staying there?

I think you should keep reading. Read all of our stories, and you'll start to see that resale is the best option for you. As far as use goes, I'd plan on aiming to make your reservations about a month out. Timeshare "last minute" and regular resort "last minute" are very different. Planning a week or two out May not be reasonable for most of the year, a month may be slightly more reasonable.

You're doing the right thing by asking questions BEFORE you buy, plenty if people don't. Keep asking questions, we're all happy to help here. Good luck with your decision!

 

[robinb]

A couple of things here to think about OP:

You've just started the process of researching DVC. Many, many people start out completely leery of buying resale. It seems shadowy and difficult to wrap your head around at first. You, however, are a prime candidate for resale. The biggest reason is you are looking for a good deal financially. If VGF is $155 per point and an SSR resale is $75, why pay double when you have the exact same plan to use the points?
You also have a flexible timeframe for purchase. Lots of resale purchasers have big plans for their points - an extended family trip at their dream resort. But to make those big plans work, they need to close on their contract before the 11-month or seven-month window opens for that reservation. So their purchasing process is spent under the gun. You have the luxury of flexibility. Enjoy that luxury and use it to your wallet's benefit! You don't need your points tomorrow, 60 days isn't going to make or break your plans for your. DVC points.

You brought up the difference in MFs between VGF and AKV. But one thing you want to keep in mind is how expensive a resort VGF is to operate. Nicer linens, nicer toiletries, more staff -- all of these enhanced amenities will eventually come at a cost. I say eventually because Disney has a history keeping MFs low while they are actively selling a resort. Those of us who bought into VGF know this and accept that MFs will likely jump to near the top of the DVC list once Disney is done selling, but we accept it because we love the resort and are willing to pay a premium to have first crack at staying there. Are you willing to eventually pay a premium while not staying there?

I think you should keep reading. Read all of our stories, and you'll start to see that resale is the best option for you. As far as use goes, I'd plan on aiming to make your reservations about a month out. Timeshare "last minute" and regular resort "last minute" are very different. Planning a week or two out May not be reasonable for most of the year, a month may be slightly more reasonable.

You're doing the right thing by asking questions BEFORE you buy, plenty if people don't. Keep asking questions, we're all happy to help here. Good luck with your decision!

I totally agree! I see NO reason to buy into VGF when you plan to use them exactly like points from SSR. It is really quite foolish, IMO, to pay $8000 more for points that you will use in the 7-month timeframe anyway!

OP, since you are asking questions and are really not sure, call DVC and rescind your deposit while you can.

 

[sndral]

You say you are both teachers, so let's do some math. If you do your homework you can buy AKV resale for $80 a point (possibly less) so you'd pay $8000 for 100 pts and pay MF of say $7 a pt. or $700 per year. For those same 100 pts. @GF you'll pay $150 per point or $15000 and let's say MFs of $4 per point or $400. So by spending $7000 more you'll save $300 per year in maintenance fees. That's 23 years you have to save on MFs to equal that extra $7000 you paid for a resort you don't want to stay at that costs more than the other DVCs in points to stay at. And that's assuming that $7000 didn't earn any interest or return for 23 years and that GF's MFs didn't go up faster than AKVs.
If you research Aulani around 2011, you'll find that DVC had to stop sales for awhile because Hawaii called them on underestimating their MF. Disney had to raise MFs 33% to accurately reflect their artificially low original MFs, although DVC's settlement required that they subsidize those original owners, this case just shows that whatever the MFs are at a currently selling property may not accurately predict future MFs.
I'm sure your guide is a really nice person, but take time to think this through and do your homework. If you ultimately decide to buy GF direct or any other DVC resort direct your guide will be happy to sell to you 1 month or 6 months down the road.

 

[DVC4FUN]

2014 Annual Dues

VGF = $5.4143
AKV = $5.9748
SSR = $4.9148

All around a SSR resale will cost you less. And keep in mind the asking price of a resale can be negotiated. I believe most are selling for mid $60s to low $70s. SSR expires in 2054. AKV expires 2057. VGF expires 2064.

You say you are both teachers, so let's do some math. If you do your homework you can buy AKV resale for $80 a point (possibly less) so you'd pay $8000 for 100 pts and pay MF of say $7 a pt. or $700 per year. For those same 100 pts. @GF you'll pay $150 per point or $15000 and let's say MFs of $4 per point or $400. So by spending $7000 more you'll save $300 per year in maintenance fees. That's 23 years you have to save on MFs to equal that extra $7000 you paid for a resort you don't want to stay at that costs more than the other DVCs in points to stay at. And that's assuming that $7000 didn't earn any interest or return for 23 years and that GF's MFs didn't go up faster than AKVs.
If you research Aulani around 2011, you'll find that DVC had to stop sales for awhile because Hawaii called them on underestimating their MF. Disney had to raise MFs 33% to accurately reflect their artificially low original MFs, although DVC's settlement required that they subsidize those original owners, this case just shows that whatever the MFs are at a currently selling property may not accurately predict future MFs.
I'm sure your guide is a really nice person, but take time to think this through and do your homework. If you ultimately decide to buy GF direct or any other DVC resort direct your guide will be happy to sell to you 1 month or 6 months down the road.

 

[paults]

]Buy into a home resort you have no intention of using - even if you have good reason for doing it?
[/COLOR]
We are buying into VGF tomorrow. Already put our deposit down. Been questioning if this is a poor move since we have no desire to stay at VGF ever. We'd love to buy AKV (which is available) but we have been told that VGF is a better option (even if we aren't staying there.)

Here's our thought process:

1) We live here (25 min from property) and aren't looking to book weeks at a time. At most we'd book 2 nights. Because of this, we are only buying 90 points (for now...)
2) We are pretty okay with the "hey let's see what's available this weekend" mentality full on knowing things might or might not be available. And we are open to staying just about anywhere that won't eat up our points.
3) The Annual Dues at AKV are so much more than VGF. And as two teachers that's playing a pivotal role in our decision.
4) We've been told that VGF has a better resale value and rental value (if renting privately) than other resorts.

So the real question, are we backing ourselves into a wall? Will we ever be able to book studios for a quick night away at AKV? I can (and probably will) book some times I know we have off at the 7 mos mark. But, am I going to be stuck with points and an 11 mos out home resort I'll never use? Or have we been told correctly and home resort really doesn't Matter for what we want? Will we eventually get to see all the resorts? Reading the posts here make it sound like studios are never available. We really don't need a 1BR and I'd hate to pay for one.

Advice? Thoughts? Like I said, we are very flex and if we can't stay 'this Saturday' but can in two weeks from now - that's fine. I'm also fine booking at 7 mos if necessary. Just want to be sure we will get to see and experience the whole thing. I hope I'm making sense.

DON' DO IT!!!! But it's your money and you can do what you want with it. VGF has one of the highest pts per room usage. With 90 pts you would need to book at 11 months out with most of the pts even if you don't want to stay there ( so you can rent the room) because at by the time you reach 7 months there won't be anything open at VGF. Remember Disney can stop the renting anytime and then what?

I'm with some of the others buy resale and save some money.

 

[Sur]

paults: Funny... your "DON'T DO IT!" goes well with your avatar of the dalmation shaking it's head!

I'm with the mindset of buy where you want to stay (or at least where you won't mind staying), as it is true that the only thing you can count on is using what you actually purchased, not the ability to rent out. With all the changes that have occurred with DCL and their onboard booking process, I see that what people come to rely upon can be taken at a moment's notice. This is too big of a purchase to take that kind of risk. Good luck with your decision, OP!

 

[Judique]

The big problem is that DVC isn't very flexible. Most members book their stays at 11 months out and see what they can get at seven months out. Studios usually book up first (along with other hot categories like the Concierge villas at AKV or BW view at the BWV, etc).

So now you are stuck paying off a loan for VGF, paying the annual member fees and you can't find anything when you want it.

What times of the year would you think you would most likely want to visit?

I am going with Deb & Bill on this one but I'm going to substitute a word in the first sentence - DVC for GFV. GFV is going to be one of those resorts that are always hard to book because it is small - plus all the other cache it has right now.

So, basically you are giving Disney top dollar for something you never plan to use and that if you do plan to use it you will have to be marking your calendar with date and time to book for your eleven month window.

You are two teachers - you haven't done enough research. Resale is probably your best option and at the resort you like. If you don't care where you stay, get OKW or SSR for cheaper nights and rooms - you'll always find availability. With 90 points you can sell that contract all day long at just about any resort if priced right.

 

[disneygrandma]

I'll just put my two cents in here, but really, I think your mind was made up & wasn't going to be swayed by anything that's posted here. I wish I would have known about sites like this before we bought our 1st DVC contract.

There was a time when DVC really was the "best kept secret", and we knew nothing of it. Then it was promoted everywhere. My husband and I were on an adults only trip early in 2006, and set up a tour at SSR. When we drove on to the property, it just seemed like home, and we were totally hooked once we took the tour of the villas. Our emotions took over. We bought in at 200 points. Once home, we wanted to adjust that, but being from Nebraska, we couldn't do anything unless we were on property. (We couldn't even get a DVC promotional DVD sent to our house. But things have now changed.) Again, we didn't know anything different but to buy direct. We stayed at SSR and loved it.

We wanted to buy BCV for the location. Our only option was to buy re-sale, because we couldn't buy direct. We went thru the Timeshare Store, and bought a small contract. It was very easy and a great experience.

Then we went on another adults only trip, and had the thought of looking in to AKV. We got additional Developers Points, and purchased direct. Later we saw the values tumble on re-sale at both of our home resorts that we had bought Direct, and it just made us sick thinking about how much we over paid. No more buying Direct for us.

We are now looking in to purchasing BLT resale, because our way of doing WDW has changed. We now do split stays, and instead of staying in one place & driving each day to this park or that park, we just go to the parks closest to our resort, and then we switch resorts. I love it! The only time we get on a bus or in our car is when we go to AK park.

So lately our SSR points have been used for BLT, VWL, BWV and BCV, and also at VGC when we took our trip to DLR. If we were younger, we would buy some more resale SSR points to do just the same thing.

As I said, I believe you have your mind made up. But there really isn't any reason to pay that extra money to buy direct. With only 90 points, it's not enough to use on a cruise or for any of the other bookings that DVC will ban you from. So why pay that extra money? As others have said, you could purchase SSR resale pretty cheap. If you have your heart set on AKV, then go for it, but please purchase resale. Take advantage of advice that I wish we would have had.

 

[sndral]

2014 Annual Dues

VGF = $5.4143
AKV = $5.9748
SSR = $4.9148

All around a SSR resale will cost you less. And keep in mind the asking price of a resale can be negotiated. I believe most are selling for mid $60s to low $70s. SSR expires in 2054. AKV expires 2057. VGF expires 2064.

Thanks, I'm on my I phone and didn't look up actual MFs -I should know AKV @ least as I just paid them for the first time; If AKV MFs are only $.55 higher then it would take around 123 years to equal that extra $7000 or so buy in. SSR resale looks to be an even better value upfront and long term for OP given their planned usage pattern.

 

[Dean]

Remember Disney can stop the renting anytime and then what?

They can't stop it but they could alter the landscape.

 

[bethy]

In your case - due to your strong preference and emotional attachment to AKV I would just buy there. Ideally I'd buy resale due to the drastic savings. But if not resale then I would buy AKV direct from Disney. The "waitlist" will probably take a week max is my guess.

Even better would be SSR resale but I totally get and can relate to the intangibles of owning at your fav resort and also the comfort and convenience of buying direct. Also, I think there is something to the argument of buying where you want to stay because that's the ONLY thing our contracts guarantee - a place to stay at the resort you own at.

 

[dundey]

It can be longer. We were 11 weeks from offer to points in our account on our recent 2nd resale purchase. Offer was made on 11/22 and points / letter from Disney arrived on 2/7.

If you buy direct you won't have to go through ROFR. Everything should be fast and easy.

If buying resale the common timeline I see everybody is having is 60 days from offer to closing/getting your points. That is: 30 days for passing ROFR and 30 more days for closing and getting your account set by Disney.

 

[paults]

Ok... Not staying there *ever* might be a bit of an exaggeration; but, it certainly isn't my top choice.

Hinz57, any update as to what you decided?

 

[chukdotcom]

Buy into a home resort you have no intention of using - even if you have good reason for doing it?

We are buying into VGF tomorrow. Already put our deposit down. Been questioning if this is a poor move since we have no desire to stay at VGF ever. We'd love to buy AKV (which is available) but we have been told that VGF is a better option (even if we aren't staying there.)

Here's our thought process:

1) We live here (25 min from property) and aren't looking to book weeks at a time. At most we'd book 2 nights. Because of this, we are only buying 90 points (for now...)
2) We are pretty okay with the "hey let's see what's available this weekend" mentality full on knowing things might or might not be available. And we are open to staying just about anywhere that won't eat up our points.
3) The Annual Dues at AKV are so much more than VGF. And as two teachers that's playing a pivotal role in our decision.
4) We've been told that VGF has a better resale value and rental value (if renting privately) than other resorts.

So the real question, are we backing ourselves into a wall? Will we ever be able to book studios for a quick night away at AKV? I can (and probably will) book some times I know we have off at the 7 mos mark. But, am I going to be stuck with points and an 11 mos out home resort I'll never use? Or have we been told correctly and home resort really doesn't Matter for what we want? Will we eventually get to see all the resorts? Reading the posts here make it sound like studios are never available. We really don't need a 1BR and I'd hate to pay for one.

Advice? Thoughts? Like I said, we are very flex and if we can't stay 'this Saturday' but can in two weeks from now - that's fine. I'm also fine booking at 7 mos if necessary. Just want to be sure we will get to see and experience the whole thing. I hope I'm making sense.

No offense, but I think you are making a big mistake. You need to do some more thinking/research before you do this.

 

[Sandisw]

I'd go with AKV and not VGF. Your needs will change over the years and when you go to add on later, whether through Disney or resale, you will be locked into VGF if you want to be able to use the new points with the VGF prior to the 7 month mark.

Just because you don't forsee booking during home resort period now, you may down the road.

DVC is too much money, IMO, to spend on a home resort that you really have not desire to stay at on a regular basis. I spent more to own BLT when I bought in in 2009 over SSR resale because I wanted to own where I knew I'd be happy...in the scheme of things, over the course of my life in using DVC, I figured the additional money I spent was well worth my joy.

Good luck!