looking for some input on our first purchase

[nkereina]

Just curious on your take for what I am considering. Still very much in the research phase of purchasing DVC, but I am trying to narrow it down. Looking at resale. Here is what I am thinking:

* We love the week before Thanksgiving due to weather and low crowds. I have read that this is a relatively peak period for DVC. True?

* Considering BWV for home resort. Never stayed but we love the Boardwalk restaurants, cost is affordable to us, and we love the location. We love VWL as well - how hard is it to book there 7 months out for mid-November?

* Looking at 100 point contracts with October UY. Should I be looking at a different UY? More points? I thought that would be good to start with. I struggle with UY but one thread I read said to choose the UY that falls before the month you like to travel. I have difficulty understanding it.

Any other thoughts or advice? We are two adults in our early 30s, coming from upstate NY likely every other year. We will be using a home equity line of credit for financing the initial cost. We will likely bring our families down the line, and plan to have kids in the next 5-7 years.

Thanks all!

 

[disneynutz]

October would be a good UY. Read the other "should I buy threads" for more info.

I suggest that you plan on changing home resorts later after you stay at all of the resorts and decide where you want to call home. There is more than just liking the area that goes into deciding on a home resort. If you plan on moving you won't be upset when you like a different resort other than the one you bought.

Plan on all times being busy at WDW, Disney is spending billions of dollars to make it so. You can't use past availability to predict the future. At one time there wasn't a F&W, who knows what they will come up with tomorrow.

Buy what works for you now, you can always buy another contract(s) later.

We own 26 contracts at 6 resorts.

Bill

 

[DVC Dude]

I say hop on a plane and make a trip to WDW just to evaluate all the DVC resorts and then pick the one you like best. The cost savings will be enough to justify a trip for this research.

You may also want to consider annual dues and the RTU expiration date over the use year. 100 point is a good start and if you only want studios, it is fine. What most people do is creep into the 1 and 2 bedrooms and that obviously requires more points.

 

[htmlkid]

Just curious on your take for what I am considering. Still very much in the research phase of purchasing DVC, but I am trying to narrow it down. Looking at resale. Here is what I am thinking:

* We love the week before Thanksgiving due to weather and low crowds. I have read that this is a relatively peak period for DVC. True?

* Considering BWV for home resort. Never stayed but we love the Boardwalk restaurants, cost is affordable to us, and we love the location. We love VWL as well - how hard is it to book there 7 months out for mid-November?

* Looking at 100 point contracts with October UY. Should I be looking at a different UY? More points? I thought that would be good to start with. I struggle with UY but one thread I read said to choose the UY that falls before the month you like to travel. I have difficulty understanding it.

Any other thoughts or advice? We are two adults in our early 30s, coming from upstate NY likely every other year. We will be using a home equity line of credit for financing the initial cost. We will likely bring our families down the line, and plan to have kids in the next 5-7 years.

Thanks all!

All my life I have been a raging lunatic against timeshares including DVC until one day 3 years ago I was convinced into buying some points. I now regret that day cause I never purchased DVC sooner . In addition my initial purchase was 250 points and now own 440 points. I'm not the best person to ask about use years but I would suggest renting points from an owner and staying at the top two choices you might want to purchase before you buy.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but know the almost everyone you talk to who is a DVC owner has only one regret....always wanting more points then they purchased

 

[Dean]

Just curious on your take for what I am considering. Still very much in the research phase of purchasing DVC, but I am trying to narrow it down. Looking at resale. Here is what I am thinking:

* We love the week before Thanksgiving due to weather and low crowds. I have read that this is a relatively peak period for DVC. True?

* Considering BWV for home resort. Never stayed but we love the Boardwalk restaurants, cost is affordable to us, and we love the location. We love VWL as well - how hard is it to book there 7 months out for mid-November?

* Looking at 100 point contracts with October UY. Should I be looking at a different UY? More points? I thought that would be good to start with. I struggle with UY but one thread I read said to choose the UY that falls before the month you like to travel. I have difficulty understanding it.

Any other thoughts or advice? We are two adults in our early 30s, coming from upstate NY likely every other year. We will be using a home equity line of credit for financing the initial cost. We will likely bring our families down the line, and plan to have kids in the next 5-7 years.

Thanks all!

Other than financing, I think you're on the right track. I'd suggest you consider whether BWV is the best choice given the expiration in 2042. Unless you are planning standard view there most trips, it may not be.

 

[browniemtb]

We purchased BWV from a quick business trip on my part and my wife never saw the property. She loves it as do the kids......location is second to none and the Boardwalk entertainment is great. For us being with in a short distance to 2 major parks was and is huge. We can walk or take the boat, depending on how we feel that day.

As far as booking BWV in late November at 7 months, we've never tried. We generally stay early in November when the F&W is still in full swing so you need that 11 month advantage at that point in time. But from my experiences both the BWV and BCV are always seemingly in high demand.

Good luck on your purchase...

 

[a742246]

I would also recommand that you rent points and tour all the DVC's at WDW, first.

 

[Nabas]

Just curious on your take for what I am considering. Still very much in the research phase of purchasing DVC, but I am trying to narrow it down. Looking at resale. Here is what I am thinking:

* We love the week before Thanksgiving due to weather and low crowds. I have read that this is a relatively peak period for DVC. True?

* Considering BWV for home resort. Never stayed but we love the Boardwalk restaurants, cost is affordable to us, and we love the location. We love VWL as well - how hard is it to book there 7 months out for mid-November?

* Looking at 100 point contracts with October UY. Should I be looking at a different UY? More points? I thought that would be good to start with. I struggle with UY but one thread I read said to choose the UY that falls before the month you like to travel. I have difficulty understanding it.

Any other thoughts or advice? We are two adults in our early 30s, coming from upstate NY likely every other year. We will be using a home equity line of credit for financing the initial cost. We will likely bring our families down the line, and plan to have kids in the next 5-7 years.

Thanks all!

* When it comes to DVC, booking a DVC room is always harder than an equivalent cash room. At BWV, the toughest to book is the Standard View Studio followed by the Boardwalk View Studio. If you are willing to settle for a Water/Pool View, booking at 7 months the week before Thanksgiving isn't too hard. Any BWV Studio for Thanksgiving week (especially Wednesday to Saturday) or during Food & Wine Festival can be difficult to book. In addition, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are hard.

* BWV ownerships expire in 2042. You are young enough that you should be around for that. No one knows what Disney will do, maybe offer extensions, maybe not. Conversely, it's 28 years from now. How worried should you be about your vacation plans 28 years from now. So much can change in 28 years. If you really like the Crescent Lake area, then I wouldn't let the 2042 date change that.

* Ideally, you want a UY that covers the 8 months you are most likely to vacation. Once you have children, you're going to be limited to their school breaks. If I were you and was (for now) certain that you want to go in November, then I'd consider UY as early as April. (April requires banking by November 30.)

* As the only MK-area DVC, VWL once was hard to book. With the opening of BLT and VGF, it seems a bit easier to book at 7 months. The DVC at the Poly will be opening in a couple of years, which should make VWL even a bit easier. At that point, DVC members will have 4 MK-area DVCs to choose from.

* 100 points should be fine to start with. I assume you'll initially stay in Studios. If you own at BWV and book a Standard View Studio, then 100 points will cover at least 6 nights for most of the year (except Christmas and Easter weeks). At some of the other resorts, 100 points might not be enough except for the slowest months of the year.

* If you cannot book far enough ahead to take advantage of the booking window, then consider SSR. It has a low buy-in price resale and the lowest Maintenance Fee.

* It's a timeshare and financing generally is a bad idea. Do you really want to tie-up home equity in a timeshare, even if it's Disney? Even with a resale, reaching the break-even point takes years. Financing stretches out that break-even. If you simply stay at Moderate Resorts, the break-even is even longer. If you can manage to go when Disney offers room or food discounts, then it could be 10-to-20 years to reach the break-even. Conversely, if you are absolutely set on always staying at Deluxe Resorts, then a short loan could work.

I realize owning a DVC sounds really exciting but is it the best move for you financially? If you were sitting on excess cash, then I could understand the purchase. However, if you need to take out a home equity, then maybe you should wait a bit and spend time at Disney's Value or Moderate Resorts instead.

In summary, there are lots of conflicting points to consider. Take your time. There always are more DVCs available via resale.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Good luck with whatever you decide, but know the almost everyone you talk to who is a DVC owner has only one regret....always wanting more points then they purchased

We will be the exception to your rule. We had 500 points and now have 325. 325 is enough for us. We don't spend as much on dues, park admission, etc. Just enough.

As the only MK-area DVC, VWL once was hard to book. With the opening of BLT and VGF, it seems a bit easier to book at 7 months. The DVC at the Poly will be opening in a couple of years, which should make VWL even a bit easier. At that point, DVC members will have 4 MK-area DVCs to choose from.

But both BLT and GFV require a lot more points than VWL. So, especially around the holiday, I think VWL will be prime territory. And it is smaller than BLT (but not GFV which has horrible point requirements). But if Polynesian villas do become only studios and GVs, one and two bedroom villas could be more enticing to members.

 

[nkereina]

Wow, thank you all so much for your great responses and invaluable advice. I'm so glad I asked. There's so much to consider and I'm taking it all to heart. Thank you!

I hear what some of you are saying about the financing. Fact is, we rarely will have $7K plus in one lump sum. Not until we retire. We recently built a house so any chunks of money like that go to home improvements, college funds, etc. We took out a HELOC just to have. I've done the math and we no doubt could afford the payments on it, in addition to the dues. Should I really have qualms about going this route? I figure it beats waiting 3+ years to save that cash, and also beats the borderline usurious interest rates timeshare financing companies can charge. What did you all do for that initial cost?

 

[Msmithmd]

I've done the math and we no doubt could afford the payments on it, in addition to the dues. Should I really have qualms about going this route? I figure it beats waiting 3+ years to save that cash, and also beats the borderline usurious interest rates timeshare financing companies can charge. What did you all do for that initial cost?

Many (but perhaps not most) of the frequent posters in this board bought using cash. Speaking for myself, full cash would be the only way I would ever buy a timeshare. It essentially comes down to this for me: there are three things where I think financing is a good idea- your home, your education, and your primary vehicle. All the above with caveats (a new 7 series BMW isn't a great financing idea for a manager at a McDonald's, for example).

Financing a timeshare, on the other hand, is essentially always a bad idea. What DVC and all timeshare systems are, is a way to save costs long term on the lodging portion of your vacations. If you finance, you are cutting directly into that savings.

Now, can you make the math work out to where you still would save money long term versus cash resort stays by using a HELOC? Sure. But you also have to account for risk. By doing HELOC financing, you are using your residence as collateral for a fixed price on a hotel room over the next thirty years.

What if you unexpectedly become disabled? Or get laid off? Or any other number of unforeseen things occur? If you own a share of dvc outright, you can put that on the market and sell it as an asset to deal with such eventualities. If you don't, you can't. So don't buy a timeshare with financing.

There is an active resale market for a reason. Sure, some of those folks simply got tired of going to Disney and want to free up their money to do other things. But a lot of those people have to sell even when they don't want to, because unexpected things happen.

Also, don't underestimate the other costs associated with owning dvc. Over the course of a membership, you likely will spend much more in travel, park tickets, food, etc than you do in purchase costs.

Please don't take offense, but if it really would take you three years to save up $7k, you have to recognize that as a big red flag for being a DVC owner. This isn't a value statement, and your income is no business of mine, but the reality is that DVC is a very expensive product- both initially and over the long haul. Speaking for myself, there's no way I would own a DVC membership in that financial context.

Good luck with your decision. And props to you for discussing it in an open forum before jumping in full force.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We own 100 boardwalk points and it is great, especially if you can visit in the off season. We alternate between standard and boardwalk view. We have not stayed with the pool view. So far, we've gone to different resorts instead of getting the pool view.

I think if you are pretty familiar with Disney then its not necessary to take a special trip to see all of the resorts. We had visited BWV before purchasing and liked it. However, we had not gone to OKW or VWL or BCV. We had not stayed at a villa either. We DID look at lots and lots of pictures. There are lots of pictures both here and in other places on the web. There are great videos on youtube as well.

We also paid cash.

Don't forget about the price of souvenirs, tickets, and possible airfare.

 

[nkereina]

Many (but perhaps not most) of the frequent posters in this board bought using cash. Speaking for myself, full cash would be the only way I would ever buy a timeshare. It essentially comes down to this for me: there are three things where I think financing is a good idea- your home, your education, and your primary vehicle. All the above with caveats (a new 7 series BMW isn't a great financing idea for a manager at a McDonald's, for example).

Financing a timeshare, on the other hand, is essentially always a bad idea. What DVC and all timeshare systems are, is a way to save costs long term on the lodging portion of your vacations. If you finance, you are cutting directly into that savings.

Now, can you make the math work out to where you still would save money long term versus cash resort stays by using a HELOC? Sure. But you also have to account for risk. By doing HELOC financing, you are using your residence as collateral for a fixed price on a hotel room over the next thirty years.

What if you unexpectedly become disabled? Or get laid off? Or any other number of unforeseen things occur? If you own a share of dvc outright, you can put that on the market and sell it as an asset to deal with such eventualities. If you don't, you can't. So don't buy a timeshare with financing.

There is an active resale market for a reason. Sure, some of those folks simply got tired of going to Disney and want to free up their money to do other things. But a lot of those people have to sell even when they don't want to, because unexpected things happen.

Also, don't underestimate the other costs associated with owning dvc. Over the course of a membership, you likely will spend much more in travel, park tickets, food, etc than you do in purchase costs.

Please don't take offense, but if it really would take you three years to save up $7k, you have to recognize that as a big red flag for being a DVC owner. This isn't a value statement, and your income is no business of mine, but the reality is that DVC is a very expensive product- both initially and over the long haul. Speaking for myself, there's no way I would own a DVC membership in that financial context.

Good luck with your decision. And props to you for discussing it in an open forum before jumping in full force.

Thanks for your post and wise words. I threw 3+ years out there to save $7K just as a figure, but it would probably take over a year unless I factored in tax returns, bonuses, etc. We recently built a house so any cash savings we have put together over the last 18 months has gone towards hiring contractors for a fence, deck, landscaping, etc. Things we couldn't finance, but could have used our HELOC for if we had wanted to. We didn't need to at the time.

My intention would be to use the HELOC for the initial cost so we could purchase within the next calendar year (before our next trip), and then as we manage to save extra money, make additional HELOC payments. I work in banking so maybe I'm more liberal thinking on it or have a skewed view of financing. I get a discount on the interest rate as an employee, and I personally know the underwriters and servicers so I think I get comfortable with the idea. It's good to hear opposing views! Thanks!

 

[sndral]

Any other thoughts or advice? We are two adults in our early 30s, coming from upstate NY likely every other year. We will be using a home equity line of credit for financing the initial cost. We will likely bring our families down the line, and plan to have kids in the next 5-7 years.

Thanks all!

I hear what some of you are saying about the financing. Fact is, we rarely will have $7K plus in one lump sum. Not until we retire. We recently built a house so any chunks of money like that go to home improvements, college funds, etc. We took out a HELOC just to have. I've done the math and we no doubt could afford the payments on it, in addition to the dues. Should I really have qualms about going this route? I figure it beats waiting 3+ years to save that cash, and also beats the borderline usurious interest rates timeshare financing companies can charge. What did you all do for that initial cost?

Thanks for your post and wise words. I threw 3+ years out there to save $7K just as a figure, but it would probably take over a year unless I factored in tax returns, bonuses, etc. We recently built a house so any cash savings we have put together over the last 18 months has gone towards hiring contractors for a fence, deck, landscaping, etc. Things we couldn't finance, but could have used our HELOC for if we had wanted to. We didn't need to at the time.

My intention would be to use the HELOC for the initial cost so we could purchase within the next calendar year (before our next trip), and then as we manage to save extra money, make additional HELOC payments. I work in banking so maybe I'm more liberal thinking on it or have a skewed view of financing. I get a discount on the interest rate as an employee, and I personally know the underwriters and servicers so I think I get comfortable with the idea. It's good to hear opposing views! Thanks!

I paid cash for the 160 points I just bought.
In your math did you factor in one parent taking time off for the birth of each child and the subsequent child care costs once you have children and the higher expenses in general adding children to your budget causes?
Why not rent points at BWVs for your planned next trip and meanwhile start your DVC fund? At that point you'll have a better idea if DVC is a good fit for you as you'll have experienced a vacation in a villa plus you'll have some of the purchase price saved. Meanwhile stalk the resale listings to get a sense of what the pricing trend is.
Many people borrow money intending to repay early, few manage to do so, there's just too much else that 'comes up' to spend money on, as you've discovered w/ the recently built house.
You don't indicate what your 'special employee' interest rate is, if it is below the cost of living/inflation rate, then borrowing might make sense, otherwise I'd save until I could pay cash.

 

[kenspidey]

Many (but perhaps not most) of the frequent posters in this board bought using cash. Speaking for myself, full cash would be the only way I would ever buy a timeshare. It essentially comes down to this for me: there are three things where I think financing is a good idea- your home, your education, and your primary vehicle. All the above with caveats (a new 7 series BMW isn't a great financing idea for a manager at a McDonald's, for example). Financing a timeshare, on the other hand, is essentially always a bad idea. What DVC and all timeshare systems are, is a way to save costs long term on the lodging portion of your vacations. If you finance, you are cutting directly into that savings. Now, can you make the math work out to where you still would save money long term versus cash resort stays by using a HELOC? Sure. But you also have to account for risk. By doing HELOC financing, you are using your residence as collateral for a fixed price on a hotel room over the next thirty years. What if you unexpectedly become disabled? Or get laid off? Or any other number of unforeseen things occur? If you own a share of dvc outright, you can put that on the market and sell it as an asset to deal with such eventualities. If you don't, you can't. So don't buy a timeshare with financing. There is an active resale market for a reason. Sure, some of those folks simply got tired of going to Disney and want to free up their money to do other things. But a lot of those people have to sell even when they don't want to, because unexpected things happen. Also, don't underestimate the other costs associated with owning dvc. Over the course of a membership, you likely will spend much more in travel, park tickets, food, etc than you do in purchase costs. Please don't take offense, but if it really would take you three years to save up $7k, you have to recognize that as a big red flag for being a DVC owner. This isn't a value statement, and your income is no business of mine, but the reality is that DVC is a very expensive product- both initially and over the long haul. Speaking for myself, there's no way I would own a DVC membership in that financial context. Good luck with your decision. And props to you for discussing it in an open forum before jumping in full force.

Although you might be right logically I don't think you are being realistic in a world consumed by debt..... And we all know DVC purchases are largely not driven by logic. Many people will consider financing options for DVC as they will for vacations in general..,. And I would hardly consider financing a 7k DvC purchase being beyond reasonable and in some circumstances perfectly acceptable. In fact I bet more people finance DVC than pay cash and if they are going to do it anyone financing a Small resale purchase may be the best option for them.

 

[Msmithmd]

Although you might be right logically I don't think you are being realistic in a world consumed by debt..... And we all know DVC purchases are largely not driven by logic. Many people will consider financing options for DVC as they will for vacations in general..,. And I would hardly consider financing a 7k DvC purchase being beyond reasonable and in some circumstances perfectly acceptable. In fact I bet more people finance DVC than pay cash and if they are going to do it anyone financing a Small resale purchase may be the best option for them.

How quick people forget why we had a "Great Recession"- our society in aggregate deciding that it was okay to buy anything we couldn't afford "on credit." The worst part of which was overextension in bad housing loans- and timeshares are in a way an extreme end of the real estate market.

To your point, we don't disagree. A 7k loan is certainly not the end of the world. But if buying non-essential things by borrowing money is eminently more reasonable than not borrowing to obtain those luxuries, then I guess I'm comfortable being unreasonable. Each person is entitled to their opinion and the OP here certainly knows more about financing options than most of us.

I just feel that financing any strictly luxury purchase (like a timeshare) is never a wise financial decision. That of course won't stop several thousand people from doing it this year. Most of them will be just fine. For a few, it will contribute to their unforeseen bankruptcies. To each their own...

 

[tanjiers]

To say not to finance a DVC is not totally correct. You can still save money even when you finance under the right conditions. The problem is that there are so many variables it's hard to know if you're making the right decision. Let's take BLT and look at the variables. The dues which I find the biggest variable where will they be 5 or 10 or 15 years out????? Where will Disney be???? What about the special offers Disney throws out there to discount their Resorts which will drive the savings down on our DVC's. Where will you and your family be years down the road will it still be the best Vacation option for you and your family??? Those are just a few things that worry me cause I have been seriously considering buying into the DVC but definitely not the only ones.
The one way I would never buy is direct thru Disney I just can't justify $150 a point plus the rep. wasn't to truthful when he was talking about the details either. So when I know I was lied to it just makes me think how truthful are those people and why would I cut a check to someone that is not being truthful to me??
Second hand is the only way to go. I still love The Grand Floridian but I will settle for the BLT. I guess once I put my fears to rest I'll be able to make the final decision.

 

[Dean]

Wow, thank you all so much for your great responses and invaluable advice. I'm so glad I asked. There's so much to consider and I'm taking it all to heart. Thank you!

I hear what some of you are saying about the financing. Fact is, we rarely will have $7K plus in one lump sum. Not until we retire. We recently built a house so any chunks of money like that go to home improvements, college funds, etc. We took out a HELOC just to have. I've done the math and we no doubt could afford the payments on it, in addition to the dues. Should I really have qualms about going this route? I figure it beats waiting 3+ years to save that cash, and also beats the borderline usurious interest rates timeshare financing companies can charge. What did you all do for that initial cost?

I don't intend to be harsh but if one can't get together $7K at one time, how can one do a trip to one of the most expensive places on earth routinely. I personally wouldn't do it unless I could pay cash and had no other consumer debt plus a good emergency fund.

Although you might be right logically I don't think you are being realistic in a world consumed by debt..... And we all know DVC purchases are largely not driven by logic. Many people will consider financing options for DVC as they will for vacations in general..,. And I would hardly consider financing a 7k DvC purchase being beyond reasonable and in some circumstances perfectly acceptable. In fact I bet more people finance DVC than pay cash and if they are going to do it anyone financing a Small resale purchase may be the best option for them.

The fact that a lot of people make bad choices doesn't change the fact it's a bad choice. Most people are broke when you get right down to it (owned vs owed). Are there worse choices, sure, but it's still a bad one to finance a luxury purchase or a timeshare (DVC is both). I'm sure some will come out of the woodwork about all the great memories but what you won't hear from are the ones that buying a timeshare put them into bankruptcy or the financial stress caused family issues. I'm also of the opinion that memories are made by effort and responsibility. Don't look at me as a naysayer but as a cheerleader to do it the right way.

To say not to finance a DVC is not totally correct. You can still save money even when you finance under the right conditions. The problem is that there are so many variables it's hard to know if you're making the right decision. Let's take BLT and look at the variables. The dues which I find the biggest variable where will they be 5 or 10 or 15 years out????? Where will Disney be???? What about the special offers Disney throws out there to discount their Resorts which will drive the savings down on our DVC's. Where will you and your family be years down the road will it still be the best Vacation option for you and your family??? Those are just a few things that worry me cause I have been seriously considering buying into the DVC but definitely not the only ones.
The one way I would never buy is direct thru Disney I just can't justify $150 a point plus the rep. wasn't to truthful when he was talking about the details either. So when I know I was lied to it just makes me think how truthful are those people and why would I cut a check to someone that is not being truthful to me??
Second hand is the only way to go. I still love The Grand Floridian but I will settle for the BLT. I guess once I put my fears to rest I'll be able to make the final decision.

It's more difficult to finance resale and all financing options for DVC are far too high OR increase risk (or both). While one MIGHT be able to save money with DVC, they might not. Truthfully I think few people actually save money with DVC, they just spend more in other areas. What financing DVC or any similar option does is increase risk significantly.

 

[DisneyDenis]

Let me be the Devil's Advocate ....

Go ahead and buy 100 points at BWV or VWL. You will NOT be wrong financally..... and use your HELOC !!!

My reasons:
1. When you do stay on property and use points you save a boatload of money over cash rooms. I stayed at AKV Jambo Savannah View this past March with my family in 2 studios for 5 days, using 2 years worth of BWV points (100 point contract) + some extra one-time use points from Disney.

My savings over cash cost: $4200.
My resale contract cost with closing - 2011: $6450.
If I rented those points from David I would have spent $1223 more ($2996).
My cost: 2 years membership fees + onetime use point cost + 2 years straight line depreciation (to make it simple): $ 1773.

Two Disney trips and I have my money back in spades over cash/credit card.

2. RENTING. I have found someone to rent the next 2 years of my BWV points. After deducting membership fees I will get a 9.3% return per year:
($600 "profit" per year/ $6450 cost) * 100%. Since this is my first rental, I charged a lower rate. Next time I plan on making over 10% each and every year. You could think of DVC as an annuity with guaranteed payout over the life of the contract (28 or 27 years) at 10% and you can "cash out" at any point with some principal loss - Where else can you get this???

As they say: "The Devil is in the Details". Why would people buy DVC, then buy again and again and again (the disease ADDONITIS) if it was a bad deal financially?

I have recently bought an SSR 160 point contract with 40 years of points on it and very low membership fees.

Go with the HELOC !!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Let me be the Devil's Advocate ....

Go ahead and buy 100 points at BWV or VWL. You will NOT be wrong financally..... and use your HELOC !!!

...
2. RENTING. I have found someone to rent the next 2 years of my BWV points. ...

And if something happens (like job loss or medical needs) and you can't pay the loan off, you lose the points AND your home.

You plan to not use your points, but rent them instead of going? Why bother buying them???