Kind of bizarre question -- renting/resale

[Ciyra]

My husband and I and some friends are taking our first WDW trip in May 2014 and after much research I've decided that I really want to become DVC owners, but we are looking into resale and Grand Californian home resort, which seems to be a bit hard to find. We're just hours from Disneyland so GC is the only one that makes sense.

For our 2014 trip we need a 2 bedroom value villa at AKV for a week which I know is one of those things that books out at the 11 month mark, so my question... if we rent points and have another member make the reservation for us at the 11 month mark, if/when we close on our own could we theoretically transfer points back to the owner we rented from? My thoughts are they would be points that expire further out than the points the renting owner used to make our reservation and of course we could have something sort of financial incentive to make the trouble worth their time or something.

The reason I ask such an odd question is that I don't think we would be able to use our points in 2014 if we just took a week long WDW trip with rented points. I just don't get that much time off of work.

So... owners who rent points to people... what do you think??

 

[TSMMANIAC]

In my opinion it's possible but improbable. I wouldn't buy hoping to be able to accomplish this transfer.

 

[cvjw]

Seems like a much easier solution would be to rent AK points from an owner to book your trip at the 11 month mark, and then rent out your points when you receive them. You should end up out little to no money for your 2 bedroom value villa.

 

[zavandor]

Points for VGC rent for a bigger price than WDW points on average (it's not uncommon to see 13 or even 14$ per point). So I support the suggestion of renting points now for AKV and then rent your points later. In the exchange you'll end saving more.

 

[sechelt]

My husband and I and some friends are taking our first WDW trip in May 2014 and after much research I've decided that I really want to become DVC owners, but we are looking into resale and Grand Californian home resort, which seems to be a bit hard to find. We're just hours from Disneyland so GC is the only one that makes sense.

The reason I ask such an odd question is that I don't think we would be able to use our points in 2014 if we just took a week long WDW trip with rented points. I just don't get that much time off of work.

So... owners who rent points to people... what do you think??

Smart to go with VGC. That's my home and being West Coast it just makes sense. Contact some resellers and get on their email lists. If you wait to see something listed on their websites, it will likely be too late. I used The Timeshare Store (see banner above) and they were great.

You won't have to worry about using your 2014 points or transferring them. You'll be able to 'bank' those points and use them yourself in 2015. You could rent them out but by banking, you'll have more points for yourself, to either stay longer or in a larger unit.

 

[DebbieB]

My husband and I and some friends are taking our first WDW trip in May 2014 and after much research I've decided that I really want to become DVC owners, but we are looking into resale and Grand Californian home resort, which seems to be a bit hard to find. We're just hours from Disneyland so GC is the only one that makes sense.

For our 2014 trip we need a 2 bedroom value villa at AKV for a week which I know is one of those things that books out at the 11 month mark, so my question... if we rent points and have another member make the reservation for us at the 11 month mark, if/when we close on our own could we theoretically transfer points back to the owner we rented from? My thoughts are they would be points that expire further out than the points the renting owner used to make our reservation and of course we could have something sort of financial incentive to make the trouble worth their time or something.

The reason I ask such an odd question is that I don't think we would be able to use our points in 2014 if we just took a week long WDW trip with rented points. I just don't get that much time off of work.

So... owners who rent points to people... what do you think??

You can only do 1 transfer per use year. I doubt you'll find a member willing to do this for a small return.

 

[tjkraz]

Seems like a much easier solution would be to rent AK points from an owner to book your trip at the 11 month mark, and then rent out your points when you receive them. You should end up out little to no money for your 2 bedroom value villa.

Agree. That seems much more likely.

As for owning at VGC, just bear in mind that ALL DVC owners can book available rooms at the Grand Californian 7 months out. You would still have to plan far in advance to use your VGC points at that resort.

Don't go into it thinking you will be able to schedule long weekend stays on just a few weeks' or months' notice. More often than not, availability will be pretty scarce within 5-6 months of arrival.

 

[Ciyra]

Thanks for all the responses. I thought it was a little crazy, but that you all would have answers.

The reason we want VGC as a home resort is because we know we'll probably need to book at the 11 month mark to get exactly what we want or close to it. Although right now we're kid-free and have pretty flexible vacation dates so we usually go mid week in the off season.

I know I want to rent from someone, but it sounds a bit scary to rent when you're an owner. People could really screw you over. Am I just paranoid?

 

[bumbershoot]

I know I want to rent from someone, but it sounds a bit scary to rent when you're an owner. People could really screw you over. Am I just paranoid?

It's scary on BOTH sides. The owner retains control of the reservation until the moment the renter checks in, and most of the time you have to pay *in full* before the time of the vacation. So the renter could get to the resort to check in, and have absolutely nothing. You have to have a TON of trust.


If Disneyland Resort is the only Disney park you go to, then the Grand makes total sense. But if WDW is also on your vacation docket, it's not the only one. We live in WA and bought at WDW. I'm not the Grand's biggest fan (normal hotel rooms are tiny, the lobby is dark when the xmas tree is up, and to me the best part of the hotel is the lobby which is free and open to all) and there are many hotels and motels around there that make us happy, so we bought at WDW.

Just saying that buying on the west coast because you live on the west coast isn't the ONLY way to make that decision.

 

[Ciyra]

Thanks again for all of your help.

We've decided to rent at AKV. Just confirmed our 1st week. Waiting until next week to hear if the 2nd week came through as well.

Having a tough time finding the right VGC to buy. It's either way too many points or not enough. We may hold off until after our 1st WDW trip and see if there are any resorts there that we will consider.

It's a DVC adventure!