Looking into purchasing DVC

[darly2004]

My husband and I are interested in purchasing DVC. Our main interest is actually at Aulani, but do not want to pay retail for it. So, we are looking at SSR since the upfront cost and MF are cheaper. We would like to visit WDW in the next few years when our kids get a little older. From what I've seen, it seems like as long as you plan early enough, it is not too much of an issue to get the other resorts. If worse comes to worse, we would not mind staying at SSR since it is close to DTD. Am I wrong to think that this is the best plan for us? I know a lot of people say to buy at the resort you love, but it'll be a difference of $10-15k to buy retail at Aulani vs resale elsewhere. If it comes down to us having difficulty getting rooms at Aulani, then we may consider selling SSR and buying Aulani resale at that time.

There are also questions that I couldn't find an answer to. How low can you negotiate the price? Most SSR listings I see between $65 to $70. However, in the ROFR thread, I see them purchased at $50-$55? I don't want to seller to balk at our offer if we offer closer to $50/pt. Also, do people try to get the seller to pay the closing costs first?

Lastly, I think I know the answer, but just in case... the deadline to use the points mean that the hotel stay has to occur by then, correct. The deadline is not for booking, right.

Thanks so much everyone for helping us in this process.

 

[ccgirl]

My husband and I are interested in purchasing DVC. Our main interest is actually at Aulani, but do not want to pay retail for it. So, we are looking at SSR since the upfront cost and MF are cheaper. We would like to visit WDW in the next few years when our kids get a little older. From what I've seen, it seems like as long as you plan early enough, it is not too much of an issue to get the other resorts. If worse comes to worse, we would not mind staying at SSR since it is close to DTD. Am I wrong to think that this is the best plan for us? I know a lot of people say to buy at the resort you love, but it'll be a difference of $10-15k to buy retail at Aulani vs resale elsewhere. If it comes down to us having difficulty getting rooms at Aulani, then we may consider selling SSR and buying Aulani resale at that time.

There are also questions that I couldn't find an answer to. How low can you negotiate the price? Most SSR listings I see between $65 to $70. However, in the ROFR thread, I see them purchased at $50-$55? I don't want to seller to balk at our offer if we offer closer to $50/pt. Also, do people try to get the seller to pay the closing costs first?

Lastly, I think I know the answer, but just in case... the deadline to use the points mean that the hotel stay has to occur by then, correct. The deadline is not for booking, right.

Thanks so much everyone for helping us in this process.

Not always true. Especially if you are going during high demand times. For example, any school vacations, Christmas, F&W at one of the Epcot resorts etc. You say you would like to visit WDW in a few years when your children get older. If that's the case, DVC would not be for you IMHO. DVC is for those that vacation at WDW yearly. Keep in mind that you cannot get the free dining deal if it is released. To some, it is less expensive to get free dining and rent two rooms at a value that purchase DVC. I would do a lot of investigation before you purchase.

 

[JimMIA]

My suggestion is to go back to the start.

Before you decide to buy anybody's timeshare, make sure you want the initial buyin cost plus a 30-50 year annual financial committment for the dues.

Yes, if you want to terminate the ongoing financial committment you can sell. But for folks buying in now, you'll probably only get back a small percentage of your initial outlay when you sell.

The most important thing to me is not to get blinded by the pixie dust, really analyze the purchase, and be sure your family will get good value for what you are buying.

The second question I'd ask has two parts. Will you use any timeshare often enough to get sufficient value from it? And if a timeshare makes sense for your family, is DVC the best choice?

To answer these questions, you have to give a lot of serious thought to future vacations -- where, how long, what kinds of activities, etc. ANY timeshare works best within its internal family of resorts. Any time you start looking outside of the family of resorts (with ANYbody's timeshare), the ease of use and value drops way off. And DVC is more limited than most.

If you decide DVC is for you, the third big question I would have is whether Aulani is your best choice.

• Are you experienced Hawaii travelers?
• Is Oahu the island you want to visit?
• Or, are you just interested in Aulani because it's a beautiful resort. If so, be advised that there are hundreds of wonderful resorts in Hawaii.
• How often do you anticipate visiting Aulani?
• What are the airfares like to Honolulu from where you live?

I'd encourage you to answer the big timeshare question first, then consider your future vacations. Then, if you think timeshares are for you, research several of the major systems and see if one fits your needs.

DVC is a very good product for stays at DVC resorts at WDW. My personal opinion is that anywhere outside WDW (VB, HHI, DL, and Hawaii), there are numerous, better options than DVC. Many disagree with me, especially folks who live near DL and really love Grand California...but that's my personal opinion.

 

[disneynutz]

My suggestion is to go back to the start.

Before you decide to buy anybody's timeshare, make sure you want the initial buyin cost plus a 30-50 year annual financial committment for the dues.

Yes, if you want to terminate the ongoing financial committment you can sell. But for folks buying in now, you'll probably only get back a small percentage of your initial outlay when you sell.

The most important thing to me is not to get blinded by the pixie dust, really analyze the purchase, and be sure your family will get good value for what you are buying.

The second question I'd ask has two parts. Will you use any timeshare often enough to get sufficient value from it? And if a timeshare makes sense for your family, is DVC the best choice?

To answer these questions, you have to give a lot of serious thought to future vacations -- where, how long, what kinds of activities, etc. ANY timeshare works best within its internal family of resorts. Any time you start looking outside of the family of resorts (with ANYbody's timeshare), the ease of use and value drops way off. And DVC is more limited than most.

If you decide DVC is for you, the third big question I would have is whether Aulani is your best choice.

• Are you experienced Hawaii travelers?
• Is Oahu the island you want to visit?
• Or, are you just interested in Aulani because it's a beautiful resort. If so, be advised that there are hundreds of wonderful resorts in Hawaii.
• How often do you anticipate visiting Aulani?
• What are the airfares like to Honolulu from where you live?

I'd encourage you to answer the big timeshare question first, then consider your future vacations. Then, if you think timeshares are for you, research several of the major systems and see if one fits your needs.

DVC is a very good product for stays at DVC resorts at WDW. My personal opinion is that anywhere outside WDW (VB, HHI, DL, and Hawaii), there are numerous, better options than DVC. Many disagree with me, especially folks who live near DL and really love Grand California...but that's my personal opinion.

Well said.

Bill

 

[darly2004]

My suggestion is to go back to the start.

Before you decide to buy anybody's timeshare, make sure you want the initial buyin cost plus a 30-50 year annual financial committment for the dues.

Yes, if you want to terminate the ongoing financial committment you can sell. But for folks buying in now, you'll probably only get back a small percentage of your initial outlay when you sell.

The most important thing to me is not to get blinded by the pixie dust, really analyze the purchase, and be sure your family will get good value for what you are buying.

The second question I'd ask has two parts. Will you use any timeshare often enough to get sufficient value from it? And if a timeshare makes sense for your family, is DVC the best choice?

To answer these questions, you have to give a lot of serious thought to future vacations -- where, how long, what kinds of activities, etc. ANY timeshare works best within its internal family of resorts. Any time you start looking outside of the family of resorts (with ANYbody's timeshare), the ease of use and value drops way off. And DVC is more limited than most.

If you decide DVC is for you, the third big question I would have is whether Aulani is your best choice.

• Are you experienced Hawaii travelers?
• Is Oahu the island you want to visit?
• Or, are you just interested in Aulani because it's a beautiful resort. If so, be advised that there are hundreds of wonderful resorts in Hawaii.
• How often do you anticipate visiting Aulani?
• What are the airfares like to Honolulu from where you live?

I'd encourage you to answer the big timeshare question first, then consider your future vacations. Then, if you think timeshares are for you, research several of the major systems and see if one fits your needs.

DVC is a very good product for stays at DVC resorts at WDW. My personal opinion is that anywhere outside WDW (VB, HHI, DL, and Hawaii), there are numerous, better options than DVC. Many disagree with me, especially folks who live near DL and really love Grand California...but that's my personal opinion.

Thank you for the responses. I will try to answer your questions the best I can. DH and I feel that we are okay with the initial purchase cost and the maintenance fees. With that said, we do want to keep that cost reasonable. We will pay for the upfront cost outright and the MF's are manageable for our budget. We love to travel. We take one big trip per year if possible. We love Hawaii. I would go there every year if I could. However, we are probably looking at every other year at this point.

As for WDW, we have not been there yet since our kids are still young, although we did just come back from a DCL trip. We both grew up minutes from DL and were annual passholders for years, so we don't doubt that we will love WDW. Our only issue is we'd like our kids to be able to walk on their own for an extended amount of time before attempting Disney World. So, if we love it enough as a family, we may consider doing it frequently (especially if we have a place to stay). I know that it is not guaranteed that we'll get to stay at other resorts, but we can be flexible with when in the summer break we will go. Like I said, if we have no other choice, we don't mind staying by DTD.

Like I said initially, we are looking in Aulani as our most frequently visited place. I would love to own there, but it is too pricey for us right now. My thought is that why buy there if you can still get in at 7 months. Not sure if that will change in the future but if it will, we may consider buying there and selling SSR. Hopefully, there will be a resale market for Aulani then. If we continue to get in at 7 months without issue, then we'll probably keep SSR. We are in the West Coast, so flying to Hawaii will probably be as cheap as it gets from the States.

DH and I have been going back and forth on whether it makes financial sense for us. We may be the odd ones, but we love Oahu. We have friends with timeshares at the Marriott and they rave about the area. Yes, we are drawn to Aulani because it looks awesome. Yes, there are great resorts in Waikiki, but we really like all the activities/amenities available at Aulani. To get something similar to Aulani, we'd probably be looking at least $400/night in Hawaii. We understand that buying a timeshare is not a great investment financially, but we feel like it would be a good investment for our family enjoyment. DH and I work hard throughout the year, I guess we feel like it would be nice to have a place we can vacation at and not have to worry about a place to stay, whether it be Hawaii or maybe WDW in the future.

So, the reason we are looking at SSR is because of the low upfront cost and the MFs. For the number of points that we are looking at, the upfront cost will hopefully be low $10k and MFs be $800/yr. We are already thinking about going to Hawaii this summer anyway, so were going to spend about $2500 on hotel alone. So, we thought it may be a good idea to consider the DVC option before going there. This will be our 3rd time in Hawaii in the 7 years we've been married.

I know that there are lots of factors to think about when making a big purchase. I really do appreciate all of your and everyone else's input. Please keep them coming.

 

[disneynutz]

I suggest that you get someone to watch the kids, rent a split reservation from a owner and go on a WDW fact finding vacation. There's nothing worse than spending a lot of money only to find out that you made a mistake.

There are many owners that get tired of the same vacation year after year and repeat vacations is what the DVC is all about. Even Hawaii can get old after a while so you better like your home resort.

There has to be a reason why there are so many resales.

Bill

 

[bwvBound]

Howdy, West Coast "neighbor"!

FWIW, we own our DVC points at SSR and use them, fairly easily, through most of the DVC system. We visited Aulani in Sept (8 nights, 1BR Ocean View) and really enjoyed it. We hope to visit every-other-year and don't anticipate any major problems doing so.

One caution: The Grand Californian in Anaheim has very few "villa" units. I don't consider this location "easy" to book at the 7-month window. If you plan to visit the Anaheim parks you might want points from the Grand California Villas (booking at the 11 month window) or simply plan to book off-property.

Happy researching!

 

[backyardponder]

Daryl,

I really think that, as Bill suggested, you go to WDW for a few days to see if DVC makes sense for you. I'm really concerned that you might be thinking of a major investment without ever seeing it.

If you do go, my suggestion is to rent a car and go to each of the seven resorts which are part of DVC. Actually, I'd start with a "tour" in the tour center to get the overview they'll give you. After that, go to each of the resorts and plan to spend 2 - 3 hours at each one. Stop at the front desk and ask for a map of the resort. Ask them to point out on the map the important things to see at the resort. Feel free to tell the desk that you are thinking of buying into DVC. Everybody will be quite helpful.

There are lots of discussions of pros and cons of different resorts on these boards and I don't want to start that here. What you'll discover is everybody has a different opinion on which resort is their favorite. This is why you really need to go and see for yourself.

Good Luck in your decision.

John

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you for the responses. I will try to answer your questions the best I can. DH and I feel that we are okay with the initial purchase cost and the maintenance fees. With that said, we do want to keep that cost reasonable. We will pay for the upfront cost outright and the MF's are manageable for our budget. We love to travel. We take one big trip per year if possible. We love Hawaii. I would go there every year if I could. However, we are probably looking at every other year at this point.

As for WDW, we have not been there yet since our kids are still young, although we did just come back from a DCL trip. We both grew up minutes from DL and were annual passholders for years, so we don't doubt that we will love WDW. Our only issue is we'd like our kids to be able to walk on their own for an extended amount of time before attempting Disney World. So, if we love it enough as a family, we may consider doing it frequently (especially if we have a place to stay). I know that it is not guaranteed that we'll get to stay at other resorts, but we can be flexible with when in the summer break we will go. Like I said, if we have no other choice, we don't mind staying by DTD.

Like I said initially, we are looking in Aulani as our most frequently visited place. I would love to own there, but it is too pricey for us right now. My thought is that why buy there if you can still get in at 7 months. Not sure if that will change in the future but if it will, we may consider buying there and selling SSR. Hopefully, there will be a resale market for Aulani then. If we continue to get in at 7 months without issue, then we'll probably keep SSR. We are in the West Coast, so flying to Hawaii will probably be as cheap as it gets from the States.

DH and I have been going back and forth on whether it makes financial sense for us. We may be the odd ones, but we love Oahu. We have friends with timeshares at the Marriott and they rave about the area. Yes, we are drawn to Aulani because it looks awesome. Yes, there are great resorts in Waikiki, but we really like all the activities/amenities available at Aulani. To get something similar to Aulani, we'd probably be looking at least $400/night in Hawaii. We understand that buying a timeshare is not a great investment financially, but we feel like it would be a good investment for our family enjoyment. DH and I work hard throughout the year, I guess we feel like it would be nice to have a place we can vacation at and not have to worry about a place to stay, whether it be Hawaii or maybe WDW in the future.

So, the reason we are looking at SSR is because of the low upfront cost and the MFs. For the number of points that we are looking at, the upfront cost will hopefully be low $10k and MFs be $800/yr. We are already thinking about going to Hawaii this summer anyway, so were going to spend about $2500 on hotel alone. So, we thought it may be a good idea to consider the DVC option before going there. This will be our 3rd time in Hawaii in the 7 years we've been married.

I know that there are lots of factors to think about when making a big purchase. I really do appreciate all of your and everyone else's input. Please keep them coming.

Just a thought--if you buy SSR and find it difficult to get what you want in Aulani, you plan to sell. But, what happens if the resale value for SSR is quite a bit lower than what it is now (or has no resale value), are you going to be okay with this?

I would not advise buying into SSR when your goal is Aulani for the most part, especially having never visited WDW. I also agree with Bill that you should take a trip to WDW and check it out.

Remember, Aulani is still in sales and sometimes, that means availability at the 7 month mark could be a bit easier than when the resort is sold out.

When we bought in, we really wanted BLT but didn't want to pay the extra price so figured we would start with VWL, 50 points, and then add on at BLT since we would be able to buy in with less points once we were members. We knew 2 months after we bought it was a mistake. We really wanted BLT so we sold VWL, took a loss, and just re-bought BLT direct through Disney. It was a great decision because I now know I can book BLT at 11 months and don't have to stress about my vacations. Because it was only 50 points, the loss was manageable, but if you buy a bigger contract, it might not be so easy to just take the loss. By the time you are done, you may find the savings not to be as good as you had hoped.

Good luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I hope you realize there is a big difference between DL DTD and WDW DTD. Really very different. I can't imagine coming from the West Coast and just visiting WDW DTD.

I'll ditto what Bill said about actually visiting WDW before you plunk down big cash for a DVC timeshare and find out it really isn't what you thought it would be.

 

[Sammie]

Also be aware that the only guarantee you have by purchasing SSR is the ability to book there with a one month advantage over non owners.

I would never buy somewhere to stay somewhere else.

There is no telling what changes and limitations lie ahead for all of us but definitely for resales.

Years ago we never though there would be any differences in buying direct and buying resale and we have seen that is not true with the recent changes.

 

[CMOORE185]

Also be aware that the only guarantee you have by purchasing SSR is the ability to book there with a one month advantage over non owners.

IMO the disclaimer to this statement should be that there is such a remote possibilty of this happening it is not even worth mentioning.

 

[luckyman_apd]

I'm not an owner, but very well knowledgeable about DVC as we rent from and vacation with owners. I have to disagree with the statement of using it as an every year vacation. It all really depends on the point totals you need. Example, if you decide a trip you want to go on requires 200 points, but you don't plan on it EVERY year, the bank and borrow comes into play. You can buy a 100 point ownership(resale only as Disney requires 160 min for a new owner) and go every other year by banking the 100 points every year.

Before purchasing be sure that you are SURE you know what the point totals you need for your vacation would be. For example, for me and my family, studio accommodations are fine and and every 18 months to 2 years we like to go. So if my trip needs a total of 110 points, I really don't need much more than a 50 point purchase as I can bank for a year, and use 100 points every other year. We can rent 10 points from someone else. We occasionally my want a 1 bedroom with the kitchen, so we would buy a 100 point purchase max.

We have friends that bought 210 points at AKV a few years ago and they regret it. They like AKV, but the dues are among the highest, and they go to Disney twice a year....just to use all their points. They are approaching the point where they are "Disneyed out" because they have overdone it. If they had bought less they could have reduced their costs, and not felt "compelled" to take so many Disney trips.

Really a DVC is prepay for future trips, but it may not always be the best for you. With the amount of trips my wife and I have made recently, it would have been beneficial to purchase 3 years ago....However, we haven't bought in because we are not sure if we will continue at this pace. We have young children now that love it, but will they love it in 10 years? We aren't sure. We are once again considering a purchase as we are planning to go next fall.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm not an owner, but very well knowledgeable about DVC as we rent from and vacation with owners. I have to disagree with the statement of using it as an every year vacation. It all really depends on the point totals you need. Example, if you decide a trip you want to go on requires 200 points, but you don't plan on it EVERY year, the bank and borrow comes into play. You can buy a 100 point ownership(resale only as Disney requires 160 min for a new owner) and go every other year by banking the 100 points every year.

Before purchasing be sure that you are SURE you know what the point totals you need for your vacation would be. For example, for me and my family, studio accommodations are fine and and every 18 months to 2 years we like to go. So if my trip needs a total of 110 points, I really don't need much more than a 50 point purchase as I can bank for a year, and use 100 points every other year. We can rent 10 points from someone else. We occasionally my want a 1 bedroom with the kitchen, so we would buy a 100 point purchase max.

We have friends that bought 210 points at AKV a few years ago and they regret it. They like AKV, but the dues are among the highest, and they go to Disney twice a year....just to use all their points. They are approaching the point where they are "Disneyed out" because they have overdone it. If they had bought less they could have reduced their costs, and not felt "compelled" to take so many Disney trips.

Really a DVC is prepay for future trips, but it may not always be the best for you. With the amount of trips my wife and I have made recently, it would have been beneficial to purchase 3 years ago....However, we haven't bought in because we are not sure if we will continue at this pace. We have young children now that love it, but will they love it in 10 years? We aren't sure. We are once again considering a purchase as we are planning to go next fall.

You make a good point but the majority seem to vacation at least once a year. Maybe it has something to do with the psychological feeling that you want to get your money's worth.

Bill

 

[etemplet]

We have friends that bought 210 points at AKV a few years ago and they regret it. They like AKV, but the dues are among the highest, and they go to Disney twice a year....just to use all their points. They are approaching the point where they are "Disneyed out" because they have overdone it. If they had bought less they could have reduced their costs, and not felt "compelled" to take so many Disney trips.

I believe the key is to purchase what you can easily afford, or what fits into your lifestyle. If you have an attitude of "so what" that is a good approach. Too often we worry about getting our money's worth, which can make us a slave of sorts. Look at the Dining plan. Instead of ordering what we want or would be happy with, we look for the most expensive item and eat dessert even when we don't want it. The same can happen when we feel obligated to take a vacation because we own points. There are other alternatives, sell points, bank, give them away (make someone happy), buy a smaller contract... who knows what else?

So, if one does their due diligence and has the approach that "money is our slave" we can have allot more fun and skip the dessert without feeling guilty or that we left something on the table. Just my perspective, and opposite of the world view. LOL

Happy Holidays !!

 

[littlestar]

Have you thought about buying a resale week at Marriott's Ko-olina - prices have come down.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARRIOTTS-K...M-Timeshare-RESALE-/190605148698?pt=Timeshare

And maybe buy some points at Disney's Aulani, too? Just an idea to consider. Since you're on the west coast, I don't know if I'd want to own in Florida because of the slim chance Disney could limit you to home resort.
I happen to really like Disney's Saratoga resort, but my primary vacation destination is Orlando and not the west coast so owning SSR points was the best deal for my family (I wouldn't mind staying at SSR every trip).

We bought some resale Wyndham points for less than $1,000 off Ebay and have enjoyed the Wyndham Waikiki Beachwalk resort on Oahu. The lower floor units are easy to get without owning there. But, if I lived on the west coast and wanted the high floor units with ocean views, I would probably want to own my points at Wyndham's Waikiki Beachwalk to ensure priority booking of those higher floor units.

Another timeshare system to consider would be Hilton Grand Vacation Club. They have beautiful resorts in Hawaii. I would only buy resale, though.

 

[lovin'fl]

We own 200 points at OKW and my inlaws paid for use of 1/2 of those points. So, they go to WDW every January and we bank/borrow and tend to use the points every 2 or 3 years (this is since we moved from NC to MD where it's harder to drive to WDW so frequently). We would love to vacay at HHI more often (did 1 trip there), but it is hard to book at 7 months out. We're looking at adding on HHI points. We figure we will go every 3rd year to each: HHI, WDW and random vacays (like cruises). And our inlaws will continue to use 100 points/year either at WDW or elsewhere (they are starting to tire of WDW). So, we don't feel like we need to go multiple times a year or even once a year. Also, it can be difficult to book places at the 7 month window...not sure about Aulani. But, I suggest you consider buying points at BCV or even HHI or another fave resort that is hard to get at 7 months and you may be able to trade with Aulani owners for vacays there. BCV has a sweet lazy river pool. And they are a great location...a short walk or boat ride to Epcot and not a bad walk to HS...also near the boardwalk with stuff to do and tons of dining choices.

 

[ToddyLu]

Like the other PP have stated I would definitely visit WDW a couple of times before DVC. I recently took my parents (68 and 74) and it was like herding cats. DH and I do not have kids and taking them was like being with two 5 year olds. Do you need a potty? a snack? Dad, Dad, DADDDDD!! He cannot hear and refuses a hearing aide due to the cost. I was exhausted and these are adults I am taking. It was a fantastic trip and of course I treasure the time with them, but WDW is huge, I mean huge.

So I guess my point is to decide if you even like WDW first. DH and I have been going every year for at least 9 nights since 2002. We are Disneyphiles. My DH does not like to travel and this is one place that we love, know and have a blast enjoying. DVC made sense because in our early and mid 40s we wanted to add luxury to our WDW vacations and stop staying in values. It was a fantastic decision for us and we are completely happy and use our timeshare to the max. We have purchased APs as an extra cost and fly or drive. So we are very invested in Disney and do not see that changing over the next 30-40 years.

With small children I would rent and wait for ownership until you are comfortable with the changes life can bring when having kids--your habits may change. Then again the kids could grow up loving their vacations to Hawaii. I think there are other timeshares out there that would do Hawaii justice and not commit you to Walt Dsiney World.

I would never buy a Corvette without driving one first.

 

[bakerworld]

Aulani is available on the re-sale market

Don't buy if you're going every 2 or 3 years - it's cheaper to just pay cash and you get daily housekeeping and coffee.