minimum points

[dmciii]

I keep getting different answers to this question:

I am planning on buying a resale as ssr does not work for the family as well as some other resorts.

Some times I am told to become a member you must buy 150 points to start then you can add on with lesser point contracts

Then other times I am told that by resale I can start with as little as a 50 point package and still be a fully "accredited member". Its not that I am not interested in more points but I may have the opportunity at a smaller contract that would pass rofr (i understand the multiple closing costs. But it might be a good way to get started but do I have to pick up a 150 point contract first ?

I am so confused but its begining to get clearer

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

You can buy whatever size contract you want through resale. The 150 minimum is only if you buy directly from DVC.

 

[dmciii]

So I would still get Member services to set me up an account if I only had 50 or so points per year in total. Well it would not be ideal but it would be a start

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by dmciii
So I would still get Member services to set me up an account if I only had 50 or so points per year in total. Well it would not be ideal but it would be a start

Absolutely, even for only 25, which would be the minimum. Still, you must realize your usage options are limited with only a few points and the fees will dramatically add to your costs resale with such a small number of points.

 

[AFMom]

When I crunched the numbers (adding in closing costs for a resale), what we would want to do with our points, etc... I found that 100 points was really the minimum for us to get to use our points every other year, get a 1 bdrm, and make it worth paying the $450 in closing costs. Anyway - you may want to do the same. Go to the point charts, figure out where and when you want to stay, what accomodations you want, and how many times you want to go. If you go too small this time, you'll just have to pay closing costs again. We got a 100 pt OKW, and I think it'll be great to get our foot in the door until we can add on when the kids are older!

 

[ArnyVee]

Also, remember to factor in the fact that your resale contract might have 'banked' points.

We purchased a small contract to join DVC last year. It was a 75 point OKW contract with all points 'banked' from the previous year. Technically, I was starting out with 150 points for the first year! So, we made good use of those already. Needless to say, we are only in year 2 of our DVC ownership and already borrowing points.

So, as the previous poster stated, be sure and figure out what time of year you are more likely to go and then what size accomodations you are going to need. From there, figure out the frequency of visits. Once a year, once every two years, etc. For instance, if you only plan to visit once every three years, you can actually 'bank' this year's points...once your use year comes, you now have that year's points available...and then borrow the following year's points. That gives you three year's worth of points to use on one grand vacation! With a resale, you are going to be able to make almost 13 trips like that from now until 2042.

Add in all factors as you start because even though you can purchase add-ons, you are paying up front for some closing costs that might not be worth it to you in the short term. Personally, I didn't care about paying the closing costs....I just wanted to become a DVC member right away!

Good luck!