Life changes means more points needed but how many?

[lilfaeriebrat]

When I bought at Poly I got enough points for my husband and I to travel every two years. We lived in So Cal and were DLR regulars so I was continent with a WDW trip every other year. We now live in TN and will be going to WDW more often especially now that APs are coming back. Last year we did an unexpected trip and stayed off property because we didn't have the points. A trip is planned for September but will leave little for more trips in the year to use the APs so I'm looking to buy another contract.

It's just two of us so studios work great. We might need larger once in a great while but not likely, part of why I like Poly. I haven't decided which resort to buy at yet, DH loves Poly but we've only stay their and AK which I loved (except for the parking). I know deciding which resort will play into how many more points to get but not sure how to even start figuring out how many we'd need, I foresee that most of our trips will be long weekends and planned on short notice with one week trip planned ahead and no trips during the summer.

How do you decide how many points is enough or is too many?

 

[RoseGold]

You decide when and where you are staying. Big difference in a June 11 point OKW room and a 36 point Poly NYE.

As you know, short notice and DVC do not play well together. If you are booking studios, this might not be possible at all. Depends on what you mean by short or how flexible you are.

 

[Sandisw]

Really have to just decide which resorts are ones you can see yourself staying at and going from there....I would probably use the Poly chart as a guide since you already own there, and see how many more points might would it take to do some of those short term trips.

Since the Poly chart is one of the higher ones out there, any trades you make to other resorts would be doable...not that you have to buy Poly, but at least its a good place to start.

Just remember, that resale points bought today are not good at RIV and future resorts, though we are still waiting on DVD to announce if this will still be true for VDH and the new Poly tower....

 

[MFMont]

In this buyers market, I would buy more points than you think you need and rent the rest. If you do it right, you can augment some/all of your maintenance fees with the rental points. We originally bought 150 points back in 2011 and quickly had to start playing the borrow game. There were also times we had to rent others points to keep up with annual trips. We ultimately had to buy a second 150 point contract last year at the most expensive $pp just to cover a big trip this year. ROFR was so aggressive at the time, we had no choice but to pay rough $50 more pp than we would have a year later. DON"T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!

 

[E2ME2]

When I bought at Poly I got enough points for my husband and I to travel every two years. We lived in So Cal and were DLR regulars so I was continent with a WDW trip every other year. We now live in TN and will be going to WDW more often especially now that APs are coming back. Last year we did an unexpected trip and stayed off property because we didn't have the points. A trip is planned for September but will leave little for more trips in the year to use the APs so I'm looking to buy another contract.

It's just two of us so studios work great. We might need larger once in a great while but not likely, part of why I like Poly. I haven't decided which resort to buy at yet, DH loves Poly but we've only stay their and AK which I loved (except for the parking). I know deciding which resort will play into how many more points to get but not sure how to even start figuring out how many we'd need, I foresee that most of our trips will be long weekends and planned on short notice with one week trip planned ahead and no trips during the summer.

How do you decide how many points is enough or is too many?

You can never have enough points! &
You can never have too many points!

 

[AstroBlasters]

I would caution not to overbuy assuming you can always rent.

Just like with the current AirBNB bust, the ease and ability to rent points in the future at a reasonable rate is not guaranteed. The only thing guaranteed is that you will get points every year, that you will pay dues, and that the dues will go up.

You also should declare the income on your taxes, which eats into the amount depending on your federal/state/local tax bracket.

 

[MFMont]

........And if you have to few points and increase your trips beyond the points you have, there is a guarantee you will over pay. As someone that has been around the DVC market and followed it for many years, it is unlikely that there will be a better time to buy than during this period. I agree that there is no telling if there is a lower bottom or if the rental market will suddenly dry up. History though would prove that there will be a relatively short window at these prices and the rental market will continue to be healthy. AirBNB is really no comparison as these properties are very specific and there is a retail market that is renting the exact same product, keeping the prices propped up. Those retail prices will always be well above your maintenance fees at the very least. If there is ever a case where the last sentence is not true, we are all going to have a lot bigger problems going on with our daily lives as we will be in the 2nd great depression.

We don't know your personnel financial situation so you will certainly have to make this decision for yourself. I regret every day not purchasing many many many more points when a similar time happened 12 years ago. I have not let this opportunity pass me by this time.

Also, I agree, always consider taxes with any rentals. Not paying income tax on your rentals is certainly asking for trouble.

 

[sethschroeder]

we had no choice but to pay rough $50 more pp than we would have a year later. DON"T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!

You could have also bought transfer points of like 200-300 points from someone to essentially refill your tank allowing you to start banking your own points.

Buying more points wasn't the only option but you chose to take it as it likely made the most sense then.

Flip side is I feel prices could continue to decrease and buying too many means you need to go through the pain of renting. I know some people don't mind it but for the little amount of "profit" you will get from renting out points I don't see it personally worth my time as a recurring thing on my to do list.

 

[MFMont]

You could have also bought transfer points of like 200-300 points from someone to essentially refill your tank allowing you to start banking your own points.

Buying more points wasn't the only option but you chose to take it as it likely made the most sense then.

Flip side is I feel prices could continue to decrease and buying too many means you need to go through the pain of renting. I know some people don't mind it but for the little amount of "profit" you will get from renting out points I don't see it personally worth my time as a recurring thing on my to do list.

We needed more points specifically at BWV that will be every year for the foreseeable future.

The OP sounds like a similar scenario to ours. I have written extensively on this topic in another thread so there is no need to beat that horse again. It also doesn't benefit me to have more people out there renting points. I did not see where the original poster titled this thread "talk me out of buying more points". I was just presenting them a positive path from my experience. It is certainly their choice to do what they like and is best for them. I am simply trying to follow the intent of the OP question.

 

[sethschroeder]

I did not see where the original poster titled this thread "talk me out of buying more points".

Anything on this forum I view as open ended because not everyone is always fully informed of other options and alternative views.

Additionally nothing I stated means don't buy it simply means there is an alternative to possibly overbuying to protect yourself against DVC spikes in resale prices. Buying a reasonable amount of points with the fallback quick fix of transfer points is a good plan for people with the question "how many points".

I followed up with my reasoning why you might want to avoid possibly overbuying at the current time in the current market.

If you think you might need an extra 100-200 points it might be useful to just get the 100 points and if you find yourself borrowing each year get a larger point transfer until you find the correct sized contract.

 

[lilsonicfan]

for me, too many points means MF that are uncomfortably high compared to how much I'll use them. As well, clearly the point charts are important b/c staying at a 1BR in Aulani (where we think we'll go) is a lot pricier than staying at a 1BR at SSR.

 

[DisneyDad0315]

When I bought at Poly I got enough points for my husband and I to travel every two years. We lived in So Cal and were DLR regulars so I was continent with a WDW trip every other year. We now live in TN and will be going to WDW more often especially now that APs are coming back. Last year we did an unexpected trip and stayed off property because we didn't have the points. A trip is planned for September but will leave little for more trips in the year to use the APs so I'm looking to buy another contract.

It's just two of us so studios work great. We might need larger once in a great while but not likely, part of why I like Poly. I haven't decided which resort to buy at yet, DH loves Poly but we've only stay their and AK which I loved (except for the parking). I know deciding which resort will play into how many more points to get but not sure how to even start figuring out how many we'd need, I foresee that most of our trips will be long weekends and planned on short notice with one week trip planned ahead and no trips during the summer.

How do you decide how many points is enough or is too many?

I own 100 Aulani points and that was perfect for my family of 3 when we would go. Two adults and a toddler was perfect for a studio. Then we had another kid. Now there are 4 of us in a studio. Not too bad, but my wife and I realized we just need more space. My kids are 2 and 7 now and this is going to be our last year in a studio. We are in the market for 100 more Aulani points and we will be staying in 1 bedroom villas after this vacation. Even though we eat out practically every meal while in Hawaii, the kitchen is nice to sit at and the living room space is great for the kids to run around. I don't want to feel cramped anymore while on vacation. I need more points for that.

 

[lilfaeriebrat]

Thanks for all the great thoughts. I considered if I had too many points that I could rent them, I already have to do the tax thing with rentals because I have an AirBnB so that's nothing new. But I don't want to have to depend on someone renting the points so they get used if I'm unable to use them. My short notice trips will hopefully give me a few months notice so I can at least get OK or SS. I've combed points charts, run a few different options and I think I figured it out.

 

[crisi]

You can never have enough points! &
You can never have too many points!

We have too many. They are rentable, but that's kind of a bother. So we are currently planning a longer trip than we really want to take to use up points.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I would look at which property you want to stay, the size of the room, the time of year, and then buy ~10% more than you think you’ll need.

 

[lilfaeriebrat]

I would look at which property you want to stay, the size of the room, the time of year, and then buy ~10% more than you think you’ll need.

I'm going to stick with Poly. Since I'm looking at resale I also have to see what's available with my UY and factor those options in as well. I have a range of points that I'm good with but I see a lot of larger contracts than what I want and I have a cash budget to work with also.

 

[RoseGold]

Buying more points could come in handy if you are making speculative reservations and plan to cancel at 31+ days. Longer explanation here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-newbie-availability-direct-vs-resale.3883760/post-64020887

This requires work, spare points, and a lot of knowledge of the DVC rules.

It's hard to argue with SSR pricing right now, for sure. I think I could do more with a lot of SSR points than I could with some Poly, in your situation.