I've decided to buy,now need to pick home resort!

[cusack1020]

I have been lurking here for a while and I have made up my mind that I am going to buy a small contract of 50-60 points. I am a single mother with one 5yo daughter and going every other year in a studio will be perfect for us. I figure if we love it I can add on more points in the future if we want to go every year.

So now that I have decided to buy I am so impatient because I am not seeing the perfect contract for sale out there yet! I think I need a spring or summer use year because I'll be traveling in the summer most of the time.

I am leaning towards SSR since it has the later expiration and seems to be the least expensive per point. I have seen some contracts for sale for OKW and BWV and I really think I would like it there as well. However, It just seems to me since they expire earlier that SSR is the better deal. Plus BWV and OKW maintenance fees are higher (although with only owning 50-60 pts probably won't make too much difference).

For someone who really will be happy no matter what resort I stay in do you think I should be patient and wait for an SSR contract to come up for sale? I just can't decide if the expiration date really matters or not. Any advice appreciated!

 

[ToddyLu]

Congratulations and Welcome Home. I think the concensus on here is that if you know you love one of the resorts that ends earlier--you still should go for it since 30 years is still a very long time. I would purchase where I really loved to be. So IMO if you are waiting on SSR because of price, UY or whatever....once you actually stay there...will you be happy....once the money is spent will you wish you would have bought somewhere else?

Like you I really would have been happy owning anywhere. DH was resort specific and only wanted to own at AKV. Now that we have stayed there twice, it truly is the perfect resort for us and I could not imagine owning another resort.

I think to start out I would get the one I really wanted, regardless of cost and expriation. I mean 30 years at SAB, may be so much better for you than staying near DTD..

 

[ToddyLu]

I think once you stay where you own it will matter where it is...does that even make sense. Once you step inside as an owner you should have no disappintments or regrets. Luckily DH picked great for us. Now that I have seen it and experienced it there--no other resort would fill that need. Maybe I am being too emotional about it---but maybe as a female that is normal.

If you purchase at OKW and then step inside BLT will you still love OKW as much?? Dang now I sound like a very wishy washy neurotic. Don't listen to me and do what is right for you.

 

[nolanboys]

If you are really interested in buying a resale contract, I would contact the 2 big resale places and tell them what you are looking for. We were going to make an offer on an SSR one this spring and Kevin and Jaki had a better one that wasn't even listed yet. The smaller ones go quicker, so if they know what you're looking for, they can give you a heads up. Happy shopping!

 

[Sandisw]

If you really are not that particular with the resort, then I might be flexible in terms of finding one with the right amount of points and UY that you want.

Make sure you are on the email lists as well as small contracts really go fast.

Good luck!

 

[mhawk4]

I have been lurking here for a while and I have made up my mind that I am going to buy a small contract of 50-60 points. I am a single mother with one 5yo daughter and going every other year in a studio will be perfect for us. I figure if we love it I can add on more points in the future if we want to go every year.

So now that I have decided to buy I am so impatient because I am not seeing the perfect contract for sale out there yet! I think I need a spring or summer use year because I'll be traveling in the summer most of the time.

I am leaning towards SSR since it has the later expiration and seems to be the least expensive per point. I have seen some contracts for sale for OKW and BWV and I really think I would like it there as well. However, It just seems to me since they expire earlier that SSR is the better deal. Plus BWV and OKW maintenance fees are higher (although with only owning 50-60 pts probably won't make too much difference).

For someone who really will be happy no matter what resort I stay in do you think I should be patient and wait for an SSR contract to come up for sale? I just can't decide if the expiration date really matters or not. Any advice appreciated!

WE bought BLT this past May but just came back from our first trip and we stayed at AKV. One thing that I like about DVC is that we can try out different resorts. My husband liked BLT and wanted a long contract. I did not really care as I knew that we would have the chance to try out many places. Find the one that makes the most sense financially and a use year that works for you.

Congratulations. I don't think you can go wrong!

 

[cusack1020]

Thanks for all the replies! I am on the email list for Timeshare store and actually spoke to them this afternoon. I have found two other resale sites too that seem reputable. I need to go back to those sites and see if they have email lists as well.

I go back and forth between buying AKV and SSR. AKV I do think would be my favorite but since it seems that it is not too difficult to get into at the 7 month mark I'm not sure I can justify the extra cost. In the end, I really want to try every resort and since I wouldn't mind SSR at all I think I'll end up buying there since it is the least expensive and has very reasonable maintenance fees.

 

[nytimez]

Expiration date doesn't matter a whole lot -- until/unless you plan to sell in 20-30 years, the value will obviously be higher in resorts with more years left.

If you don't care where you stay, be patient and wait for the perfect contract.

 

[ajpruett]

Thanks for all the replies! I am on the email list for Timeshare store and actually spoke to them this afternoon. I have found two other resale sites too that seem reputable. I need to go back to those sites and see if they have email lists as well.

I go back and forth between buying AKV and SSR. AKV I do think would be my favorite but since it seems that it is not too difficult to get into at the 7 month mark I'm not sure I can justify the extra cost. In the end, I really want to try every resort and since I wouldn't mind SSR at all I think I'll end up buying there since it is the least expensive and has very reasonable maintenance fees.

We bought at AKV. True it may not be hard getting in at all, but are you getting what you want. It seems like with a small contract you could get a lot of bang for value studios during off season. I just second the comment of buying where you want to stay. This is the only GUARANTEE as a DVC member (although very unlikely Disney would take away choices, they could change terms). Plus, if you buy where you want, you get a great reservation at 11 month window. Makes the 7 month window try much less stressful.

Good luck and welcome home.

 

[Pignanny]

I agree with other who are saying the expiration date should not play much of a role in your decision. One thing that might offer some help is what your annual dues will be. Here is a link that shows what the dues for 2011 will be. Actually they are percentages based on the amount of points you purchase http://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program/owning-dvc/faqs?task=view&id=51

Beyond the annual dues something else that could make a difference is how far in advance you can make a reservation. For your home resort you can book up to 11 months in advance whereas other (non home) DVC resorts you can only book up to 7 months out. In our time as members this has never played any role. However if you believe you might make reservations more than 7 months out remember your home resort will be the only place you can make the reservation. For that reason I suppose there is some consideration to be given to where you buy into.
As far as SSR goes, we have found it does not work as well as others for us. We find it secluded, bus stops are likely to be a distance away. And the resort itself is very spread out. Other resorts are much closer to parks and other things and are not as spread out. Just something else to consider.
All of that said, the most important thing to remember is that you will have access to ALL DVC resorts. We frequently split our stays between two resorts to be able to take advantage of the resort uniqueness and what they offer. For us that is part of the beauty of being DVC members. We have stayed at all of the resorts (except Kidani Village, which we will stay in this March) at least two times. At the risk of sounding like a advertisement, DVC is the best investment we have ever made, it has paid for itself at least 5 times over.
Whatever decision you ultimately make......WELCOME HOME!

 

[toniosmom]

You mentioned that you will be traveling in the summer, I believe. I don't usually travel at that time, so I'm not sure how difficult it is to get a reservation at 7 months. That is something you should consider -- i.e., if you travel in July and it's a popular time, then home resort priority booking will be important. I'm an AKV, BLT, and BCV owner and bought all contracts with that theory in mind. I have a DS5 and he loves AKV -- loves to watch the animals. However, this past December, we stayed at BLT and he loved that too. Each resort has it's own pros and cons.

Good luck with your decision. I bought a resale contract last year via The Timeshare Store and they were wonderful.

 

[kenny]

There are many factors involved. If price is really the deciding factor then SSR is a good deal. It has a long expiration, the resort is really nice, the dues are low and the buy in resale is cheaper than most.

I don't agreed with everyone that feels expiration doesn't matter. While it may not matter to them, I think it does matter to some. To me it does matter. While I may not be alive or able to use my contract at the end (will be in my 80's), I plan on leaving my contracts to my children. Yes, they may decide they don't want them but then they can sell them and use the money for something else. Considering the amount of money we are paying for DVC it would be nice to get the full time for my children or give them the option of getting some $$ for it.

As for not minding when you stay, we were like that too in the beginning. We bought in 2008. They were selling SSR and AKV at the time and we liked SSR better. Stayed there several times and really liked it and figured we try other resorts when we could get them and stay SSR when we couldn't.

However we stayed at BLT in March and fell in love. That was home and where we WANTED to be. While we still liked SSR and wouldn't mid staying there, we decided for the amount of money we are spending we want to stay were we LOVE all the time. We sold our SSR and bought BLT.

My advice would be if money is the deciding factor then SSR is a great choice. We really did like it and it provides many options (with DTD). If money is not the deciding factor then buy where you want to stay.

Good luck!

 

[Pignanny]

I just want to add this additional point. In 13 years, 28 visits to WDW, we have never had to make a reservation more than 7 months out, so I really believe where you buy into as your home is irrelevant. As A DVC member you can stay at all of the DVC resorts. You can even stay at places like Caribbean beach or other resorts (they just cost more points) so you really have total access if you really want it.

Except for the advantage to make a reservation up to 11 months out it doesn't matter where your home resort is. We bought in at OKW and as I have said in a previous post we have stayed everywhere at least twice. As far as staying during busier times of the year, we have regularly visited during very crowded times such as the summer months, the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We typically make our reservations about 5 months out and as I have said we have never had any issues. That said, probably the best place to buy in is the least expensive and then just enjoy the DVC experience.

Welcome Home

 

[toniosmom]

However we stayed at BLT in March and fell in love. That was home and where we WANTED to be. While we still liked SSR and wouldn't mid staying there, we decided for the amount of money we are spending we want to stay were we LOVE all the time. We sold our SSR and bought BLT.

I had the same experience. I own at AKV, BCV, and BLT, but the majority of my points are at AKV. We stayed at Kidani in March and loved it. In early December, we stayed at BLT and super-loved it. You just couldn't beat the location and the convenience. I have a couple of small AKV contracts, in addition to the initial 160 point buy-in. I am considering selling the small ones off and buying more BLT. We're staying at BCV for the first time in April and I just know that we are going to love it. I have enough points to have a trip there every 2nd or 3rd year.

 

[BlackRock]

You would get the most for your points at OKW

BlackRock

 

[Cisco]

I agree OKW is the best value. I love SSR but don't see the need to have that as my home resort. I've often obtained last minute reservations at SSR when all the other resorts are booked.

 

[cusack1020]

Thank you all!!! I have signed a contract for 70points at OKW! Was sent to Disney for ROFR yesterday. I am so excited.

 

[adminjedi]

congrats!!!

 

[CarolynMink]

Thank you all!!! I have signed a contract for 70points at OKW! Was sent to Disney for ROFR yesterday. I am so excited.

Congratulations and welcome home!

I have stayed at OKW several times and loved it.

Good luck getting though ROFR.

 

[aiterry]

WE bought into SSR because it had the longest contract period available. HOwever, we don't always stay there. We would like to stay in all of them at least once so we mix it up a lot. I've never had a problem getting a great reservation.