Kicking around DVC - need help!

[Disneyvirg]

We're considering purchasing DVC. I'd like to buy into BLT, as the monorail location appeals to me. We live in Iowa, and travel to WDW is more expensive than I'd prefer to spend annually, so we know we won't visit WDW every year. We would like to visit every 2-3 years and understand banking and borrowing.

I just don't think we need 160 pts at BLT every year. We don't need to stay in a super fancy room, so a plain 1 bedroom or even a studio would be fine for us. I know we cannot purchase less than 160 pts to start our ownership.

Does anyone know if we can purchase 25 pts thru resale and then add on BLT in the number of points we want...like 75 pts?

Any other ideas to bring down the cost to make this a viable option?

 

[princessbride6205]

If you aren't picky about location of those 25 points, you can buy something resale. 25 pt contracts are mostly sold before they are ever posted on resale sites, so you'd need to contact the resale sites to be notified of small contracts. I'm not sure if/when small BLT resales will appear on the resale market.
No matter how small your original contract is, you are a DVC member. Then you can add on 75 BLT points thru Disney.

 

[crisi]

You may not find many small BLT contracts available through resale, but if you can find one, you can do that. You could also buy another resort with a small contract, add on at BLT, then sell the other small contract - although that may be a costly way to go about it.

 

[Tikihula]

Right now there are only a couple of resale listings for BLT, and the price is quite high and you don't get the incentives you would get from buying direct through Disney. Here's a link to The Timeshare Store showing their current listings for BLT:

http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting-baylaketower.cfm

You could purchase as little as 25 points as an add-on thru DVC once you make an initial purchase of the minimum requirement, but again you're paying premium and buying more points than you feel you need.

You could try purchasing a small contract at another resort through resale and hope you could get a BLT reservation at 7 months out, but as you know you would need to bank and borrow to have enough points for a BLT stay.

BLT is such a new resort that there aren't many options for resale yet. You could wait several months or a year and see if there are BLT resales available by then, but smaller contracts are going to be gobbled up quickly.

You can always purchase the 160 points and share your extra points with family or friends, or rent them out. Good luck in making a decision.

 

[arthur06]

We're considering purchasing DVC. I'd like to buy into BLT, as the monorail location appeals to me. We live in Iowa, and travel to WDW is more expensive than I'd prefer to spend annually, so we know we won't visit WDW every year. We would like to visit every 2-3 years and understand banking and borrowing.

I just don't think we need 160 pts at BLT every year. We don't need to stay in a super fancy room, so a plain 1 bedroom or even a studio would be fine for us. I know we cannot purchase less than 160 pts to start our ownership.

Does anyone know if we can purchase 25 pts thru resale and then add on BLT in the number of points we want...like 75 pts?

Any other ideas to bring down the cost to make this a viable option?

Another Iowan! (Mason City...)

Anyway, that is what I did! I bought a 30 point BWV resale thru TSS. Then when that closed I called and added on 125 at BLT. There are many threads going around right now about a 100 point buy in for AKL and SSR. If you bought a 25 point resale and 75 BLT, that would give you the same 100. If you are really set on BLT, then you would have to do the 160 or resale and add on.

Sometimes I wonder how many Iowans there are in DVC?

 

[Sandisw]

I started out with a small resale contract at VWL (50 points), and then added on at BLT. This is a great way to get in without having to commit to the 160 point minimum required to go direct via Disney.

Once you are a member, you can add on at BLT for whatever point level you want. And, in the future, once you get the # of points you need at BLT, you can always sell the small contract so that you end up with just the right amount of points at the resort you would like!

Good luck!

 

[disneybass]

You hava a good idea if you can find a 25 or 50 point resale. Use the points for a year or two then resale it. Should be able to get all or most of your money out of it and end up with exactly what you want at BLT.

 

[Greysword]

Make sure that a smaller contract, especially for BLT, is enough for your usage in the future.

We started with 165 points at SSR. We go about every 1.5-2.5 years, and 165 was just enough. This is because we found we prefer a 1BR over a studio due to the kitchen, washer/dryer, and extra room. In addition, we have hosted friends and family in almost all of our trips (requires 2BR), and we are also venturing out of our fall/winter travel into the more point intensive summer/holiday time frames. Even with banking and borrowing, we need to make hard decisions to travel with more people in the off season periods or fewer friends in more popular months. Of course, you could always add as required, but I wanted to share our story.

Also, 160 points should allow you to trade through RCI for another timeshare at any time of year (winter in the mountains or summer in the Caribbean), which extends the usefulness of the ownership. Finally, if you want to travel to any traditional Disney hotels (California, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo), they are expensive per night.

I just felt like playing devil's advocate. Good luck on your purchase and welcome once you do!

 

[Disneyvirg]

Thank you all for your input! Sorry my original post was a bit hasty - I was late getting back to work after lunch. I did intend to write that I wanted to buy a small contract - 25 pts or so - at any resort and then wanted to know if that would allow me to add on thru Disney to get BLT in the number of points I want. I think most of you figured that out or included it somehow in your posts.

Thank you also to those that pm'd me.

Another Iowan! (Mason City...)

Hello! We live outside a small town in West Central Iowa. We're about 20 miles from Carroll. We're situated about 1-1/2 hours from both Des Moines and Omaha. How do you get to WDW? Do you fly a specific airline? What airport do you normally use? Airfare is our biggest hurdle to purchasing DVC. It seems silly to pay $1500 every year just for airfare!

Anyway, that is what I did! I bought a 30 point BWV resale thru TSS. Then when that closed I called and added on 125 at BLT. There are many threads going around right now about a 100 point buy in for AKL and SSR. If you bought a 25 point resale and 75 BLT, that would give you the same 100. If you are really set on BLT, then you would have to do the 160 or resale and add on.

Awesome! I was hoping someone would post that they had done something similar themself. Who did you go thru to add BLT? A reseller or Disney direct?

I'm not sure what you mean by the 100 point buy in. I'll nose around the DVC boards to see what I can find.

If you have any questions, PM me. I would be glad to help. Sometimes I wonder how many Iowans there are in DVC?

Thank you! I'll keep you in mind as a contact.

I started out with a small resale contract at VWL (50 points), and then added on at BLT. This is a great way to get in without having to commit to the 160 point minimum required to go direct via Disney.

Once you are a member, you can add on at BLT for whatever point level you want. And, in the future, once you get the # of points you need at BLT, you can always sell the small contract so that you end up with just the right amount of points at the resort you would like!

Good luck!

Great! Thank you for your personal example! That's just what I'm wanting to do! Any idea how much of a loss we'll have by purchasing, then selling the little contract?

Thank you all for your input!

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can only use home resort points at 11 months out to make a reservation at that resort. So if your 25 points are at OKW and the 75 are at BLT, you could only use the 75 (plus those BLT banked and borrowed points) at 11 months out to make a reservation at BLT. The OKW points couldn't be used for a reservation at BLT until 7 months out .

One more thing: A studio will only sleep four, unless the fifth person is under the age of three. A one bedroom at BLT will sleep five plus one under the age of three, but the quarters will be tight, especially if you add another adult to the mix (like gramma or grandpa).

 

[Pirate Jack]

What I did was buy a 25 point resale contract and paid cash for that one. It had 2008 points and 2009 coming in August. I have already booked 4 days in a studio with those points. Not in the home resort .... I might add. I then purchased 50 points at BLT on my Chase Disney Rewrds card and now have 6 months interest free financing. Once that is paid for. I MAY buy more points. We will see how things go by then. We don't plan on doing more than a studio every 2 or 3 years. If we do decide to visit more often, we can purchase more points!

 

[SunnieRN]

I'm glad you got your questions answered. I would just like to add that if you bought a small contract at another resort, in order to purchase BLT, that you will have an 11 month window at that resort also,

The prudent thing to do would be to book your trip at the 11 month window at BLT and also for the number of points you have at your other resort. In example, you have 225 pts for BLT by banking and borrowing as well as 75 pts at OKW or SSR or where ever you have purchased. At your 11 month booking window, book BLT for the desired number of nights and book your other resort prior to or at the end of your BLT stay. At the 7 month window of your non BLT resort, call and try to transfer your beginning or ending days to BLT also if you so desire.

The other positive thing about owning at two resorts is the chance to "change-up" your vacation. We are planning on doing future trips this way. Four to 6 nights at BLT, touring MK and Epcot for two days each and then switching to AKV for 3 or 4 nights and going to AK And HS once each. This will give us time to relax and "smell the coffee" at AKV.

 

[VTNuke]

If I were you, I'd slow down a bit and make sure you are only getting what you want or need. If you only want a 100 points at BLT, that's what I would buy via resale. If you buy 25 points at another resort and 75 at BLT, now you have two contracts and you've made it a lot more complicated.

DVC is an emotion purchase that for some people, can be easy to regret. Look at the BLT resale market right now. The resort hasn't even opened yet and people are selling. Really nobody HAS to go to Disney, even if some of us around here would disagree. Don't be too hasty and buy something that isn't exactly what you want. You'll regret it at some point.

I'd wait for a 100 point resale contract for BLT. Like previous posters said, it won't be too long before you see one. You can even tell TTS what you want and they'll keep an eye out for you.

 

[Ghostman]

If I were you, I'd slow down a bit and make sure you are only getting what you want or need. If you only want a 100 points at BLT, that's what I would buy via resale. If you buy 25 points at another resort and 75 at BLT, now you have two contracts and you've made it a lot more complicated.

DVC is an emotion purchase that for some people, can be easy to regret. Look at the BLT resale market right now. The resort hasn't even opened yet and people are selling. Really nobody HAS to go to Disney, even if some of us around here would disagree. Don't be too hasty and buy something that isn't exactly what you want. You'll regret it at some point.

I'd wait for a 100 point resale contract for BLT. Like previous posters said, it won't be too long before you see one. You can even tell TTS what you want and they'll keep an eye out for you.

Great post. Do the DVC "thing" on your own terms and take your time.

 

[BHTrey]

To get your price down just buy points at another resort, you can probably cut your cost down by more than 30% and then reserve BLT 7 months in advance.

 

[rmonty02]

If you go with your original plan, 25pt resale then 75pt BLT direct, keep in mind that UY. Make sure to look for a UY that will fit your travel needs for your first contract, then when you add on you can pick the same UY. That will make banking/borrowing a bit easier

 

[Disneyvirg]

If you go with your original plan, 25pt resale then 75pt BLT direct, keep in mind that UY. Make sure to look for a UY that will fit your travel needs for your first contract, then when you add on you can pick the same UY. That will make banking/borrowing a bit easier

What does UY mean?

 

[chalee94]

What does UY mean?

use year tells you when your points are valid for stays at DVC resorts. it also tells you when your banking window closes.

try reading this thread.