Just got my paperwork...a few questions...

[letitsnow]

it says that ownership expires 2042...so I only get to use it for 32 years??? i thought when i went to the open house they mentioned something about 50 years???? do the newer locations offer a later expiration date?

where is the part about paying the mf monthly??

 

[Disneycouple99]

BLT and VGC expires in 2060. AKL and extended OKW in 2057. SSR expires in 2054. BCV, BWV, VWL, VB, HHI, and non extended OKW in 2042. All end Jan, 31 of above stated years. Which resort you buy will determine how long you get.

 

[letitsnow]

BLT and VGC expires in 2060. AKL and extended OKW in 2057. SSR expires in 2054. BCV, BWV, VWL, VB, HHI, and non extended OKW in 2042. All end Jan, 31 of above stated years. Which resort you buy will determine how long you get.

so it would benefit me to invest in VGC and get the extra years for only a few dollars more per point and have it for more years? also i will have less mf, right?

 

[Disneycouple99]

This depends on when and where you go the most. Which resort were you looking at?

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

so it would benefit me to invest in VGC and get the extra years for only a few dollars more per point and have it for more years? also i will have less mf, right?

In my opinion depends which resort you like and how far in advance you make reservations. For example, if you love the Beach Club and make your reservations 10 months in advance then you should in my opinion buy at the Beach Club. If you make reservations typically less than 7 months in advance then I think Saratoga Springs via resale is the way to go.

Best of luck with your decision.

Jason

 

[letitsnow]

we usually go to the disneyland resort. so we would be staying at vgc...our guide said as long as i'm okay with booking 7 months or less out it would benefit us and save us a few thousands of dollars if we went with hilton head. we haven't signed the paperwork yet so i guess i have alot more research and reading to do.

and what are reductions to seller??? it added another $153 on to our contract. they told us that there are no closing costs?

 

[Disneycouple99]

The MF for HHI is 5.57 and at VGC are 3.94. I would go with GCV for the following reasons: Whatever savings you get buying HHI will be lost by the higher MF over the years. GCV only have 50 units, waiting till 7 moths to book could mean you will not get a reservation. Disney can limit you to only staying at your home resort.

You can buy direct from Disney for 97 dollars a point plus get 2009 points if you get a later UY.

 

[backyardponder]

I'm a bit confused from your questions.

Are you buying resale or direct from Disney? It sounds like you are buying resale, but you used the term "guide" which implies a Disney Salesperson.

Who are you buying from? And you are buying HHI, is that correct?

Most folks (myself included) feel you should buy at the resort you want to stay at so you can reserve at the 11 month window. Buying HHI when you want to stay at VGC doesn't make much sense to me. And, yes, HHI expires in 2042.

 

[Crystal_27]

we usually go to the disneyland resort. so we would be staying at vgc...our guide said as long as i'm okay with booking 7 months or less out it would benefit us and save us a few thousands of dollars if we went with hilton head. we haven't signed the paperwork yet so i guess i have alot more research and reading to do.

and what are reductions to seller??? it added another $153 on to our contract. they told us that there are no closing costs?

Yes, for sure you should do a little bit more research! As others have questioned, are you buying through Disney or via resale? I know that Disney just introduced a "deal" for HHI, so they may be pushing HHI right now (but make sure that you understand that buying HHI resale is still cheaper than buying it through Disney). Still, if you want to spend most of your time at VGC, that's where you should buy. Keep in mind that the MFs at the beach properties are the highest, so any initial savings you get from buying HHI will be eaten away at every year you pay MFs (plus you have to consider the length of the VGC contract versus HHI). As to your question about "reductions to seller," depending on your use year, it could be your pro rata share of maintenance fees for the year *or* it could be your portion of the closing costs. You should be able to call your Guide and find out what that line item is very easily.

 

[letitsnow]

Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions. We are going through Disney directly and purchasing HHI. We wanted to get in with only 100 points and see how we like it and then add on more points as we need them. I figured since we get last years points we can do a nice trip in a 1 br this time and then for future vacations just do a studio. Unless I get spoiled and HAVE to stay in at least a 1 br all the time. That is when I was planning on adding the points.

I have been on these message boards for over a month every day and have learned alot from the experts. I thought I was ready to buy and I thought I had enough information to make an educated decision.

I would love to move forward and sign all the paperwork and get the ball rolling but I definately do not want to make the wrong choice. Its very hard for us to committ to a purchase of $17000 compared to an initial $8000 initial investment.

 

[Disneycouple99]

If you check the Timeshare Store they have 2 GCV 100 point contracts with all points for 102 dollar/ point. This might be slower to get and cost a little more than HHI through Disney but it is something to think about.

 

[ckmouse]

Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions. We are going through Disney directly and purchasing HHI. We wanted to get in with only 100 points and see how we like it and then add on more points as we need them. I figured since we get last years points we can do a nice trip in a 1 br this time and then for future vacations just do a studio. Unless I get spoiled and HAVE to stay in at least a 1 br all the time. That is when I was planning on adding the points.

I have been on these message boards for over a month every day and have learned alot from the experts. I thought I was ready to buy and I thought I had enough information to make an educated decision.

I would love to move forward and sign all the paperwork and get the ball rolling but I definately do not want to make the wrong choice. Its very hard for us to committ to a purchase of $17000 compared to an initial $8000 initial investment.

Hi letitsnow, if you are planning to be at VGC most of the time, like the longer contract that goes along with it, but only want to purchase 100 points you might want to check out the TTS. I just negotiated a resale contract for 100 points at VGC yesterday, and now am waiting to hear about ROFR with Disney. The seller currently has two more 100 point contracts for sale. That way you get everything you want! I hope it all works out for you!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions. We are going through Disney directly and purchasing HHI. We wanted to get in with only 100 points and see how we like it and then add on more points as we need them. I figured since we get last years points we can do a nice trip in a 1 br this time and then for future vacations just do a studio. Unless I get spoiled and HAVE to stay in at least a 1 br all the time. That is when I was planning on adding the points.

I have been on these message boards for over a month every day and have learned alot from the experts. I thought I was ready to buy and I thought I had enough information to make an educated decision.

I would love to move forward and sign all the paperwork and get the ball rolling but I definately do not want to make the wrong choice. Its very hard for us to committ to a purchase of $17000 compared to an initial $8000 initial investment.

I hope you never want to stay at WDW during early Dec or in a GV at WDW or the BW view at BWV or AKV Concierge, because with HHI you will probably never get them. Buy HHI because you want to stay at HHI during those hard to get times (like summertime) and not because it's the cheapest way to buy in via Disney.

 

[Lynne M]

I'm also baffled as to why the guide would recommend an HHI purchase for someone who wants to stay at VGC. It makes no sense.

The HHI dues are among the highest for all DVC properties, and at risk to go higher, since the property is in a hurricane-prone area. Your guide may have been correct in saying that you'd save a few thousand upfront by buying HHI, but they left out the part where you'd be spending many thousands more over the life of the contract than you would at VGC.

I would also think the very small number of VGC villas would put you at real risk of not being able to reserve at 7 months.

So, to recap, your guide sold you a resort that is 3000 miles from the place you want to vacation, will make it tough for you to book the resort you do want, will cost you far more in maintenance fees, and has a contract that's about 20 years shorter. I really hate to say this, but it sounds to me like the guide had some HHI points they needed to dump. Run, don't walk, away from this contract.

Look for a VGC resale contract. Cheaper maintenance fees, 11-month booking window, and 18 extra years of vacations.

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions. We are going through Disney directly and purchasing HHI. We wanted to get in with only 100 points and see how we like it and then add on more points as we need them. I figured since we get last years points we can do a nice trip in a 1 br this time and then for future vacations just do a studio. Unless I get spoiled and HAVE to stay in at least a 1 br all the time. That is when I was planning on adding the points.

I have been on these message boards for over a month every day and have learned alot from the experts. I thought I was ready to buy and I thought I had enough information to make an educated decision.

I would love to move forward and sign all the paperwork and get the ball rolling but I definately do not want to make the wrong choice. Its very hard for us to committ to a purchase of $17000 compared to an initial $8000 initial investment.

I recommend holding off and making sure you are comfortable. While you can trade out at 7 months, there is no guarantee that what you want, when you want is going to be there.

For example, say you decide you want a 1 bedroom for 5 days but call at 7 months and can only get it for 3, what do you do? It is not like you can book your home resort as a back up (since its on the other side of the USA!).

Even owning a WDW resort, if your plan is to stay at VGC for Disneyland, is not necessarily the best either (unless you see yourself going to there on occasion).

While buy in at HH is cheaper through Disney right now, it's MF's are on the higher end and that is the bulk of what you pay. After 10 years or so, you will have eaten away at that savings.

I know that you have to do 160 to get VGC, but you can always have them do the contract as 100 and 60. If you find that it is really too many points, you can always sell the 60 point one down the road. While you could end up losing some money this way, you would own where you really want to be and bring that initial investment down (of course, once you own that many points, you will realize that it is never enough!!!)

Good luck!

I

 

[letitsnow]

I am going to try to convince my sister to go 1/2 with me on 160 or 200 points. We always travel together anyway. I hope she goes for it! I just need to find a way for her to understand. How many owners can be on one contract? Or will they allow 2 separate contrActs with 2 separate people owning it?

 

[wildernessDad]

The dues for HHI is roughly $5.57 per point. That's on the high end of the scale when compared to most other resorts.

Over the long term, your dues payment will be the major cost of your membership from the DVC standpoint.

 

[DenLo]

I am going to try to convince my sister to go 1/2 with me on 160 or 200 points. We always travel together anyway. I hope she goes for it! I just need to find a way for her to understand. How many owners can be on one contract? Or will they allow 2 separate contrActs with 2 separate people owning it?

I believe to meet the minimum required points for purchase, your two contracts would have to be titled exactly the same. That way you would have one member number. Eg. 99999999.0 and 9999999.01.

BTW, I would buy the poi
nts where you want to stay, that way you have home resort advantage for 8 to 11 months before your reservation. During popular times the resorts often book up and it's difficult to get a reservation unless it's at your own resort. VGC is a small DVC resort, only 50 2 BR units, so it could fill up quickly.

 

[ToddyLu]

Please run away from your contract!! Have you decided to now purchase at VGC?? Don't tie yourself down at HHI when you want to be in California. With HHI points you will never get to stay there.....please tell me you will look at resale or go with 160 points at VGC.

I am not trying to be a Downer....but what was the guide thinking other than meeting his quota.

 

[bumbershoot]

Wow, interesting guide!

If you want to stay at the Grand's villas, and you can use the home resort booking time (further out that 7 months), you want to buy at the Grand, most definitely. As someone stated, they saw a contract almost the same as what you're being offered with HHI (though not with 2 years of points I assume) on a resale site.

Now if you can't ever book more than 7 months out, it doesn't really matter...unless at some point in the future they close down the ability to book at any DVC resort of course.

I would be switching guides, that's for sure! Especially since he didn't bring up the big difference in dues for you! HH's dues are the highest, I believe, because they have to have all that insurance against coastal storms etc. Our guide, out in Anaheim, helped us decide between BLT and AKV (we visit DLR often, but aren't interested in staying at the Villas very often if at all) *because of* the difference in dues, because dues far outstrip the cost per points, over the course of your membership!