Need Some Opinions for New Member

[bumbershoot]

I agree, but the longer I wait, the more of a hit I will take since the price per-point will decrease--right?

On the other hand, you will have had some fabulous vacations in a gorgeous place. That should have some value to you, IMO.

Remember, you are only competing with other VGF owners, so it really doesn't matter if the resort is popular with non-owners if you book at 11 months.

ISecond, your selling price will have to be low enough to entice a potential buyer to sacrifice the direct-purchase benefits that they could get by buying from DVC. ....

I would hang on to your VGF contract...use it...LOVE IT...and maybe think about adding on more points down the road if you need to upgrade or go more often.

and

Glad to see someone else jump into this with limited research, lol! I just am getting greedy when I see what we spent for (195) points, could have got me over (300) points by buying resale. The booking availablity is also making me nervous, but it is mostly understanding now that I could have ALOT more points by buying resale.

I totally get that. We bought Bay Lake in 2009. And we financed. And we've never stayed there. Turns out we like other places just fine. And we don't like the points needed for Bay Lake, since we like more vacations and longer vacations.

You LOVE the GFV (VGF?). You LOVE studios. Don't discount the ability to get what you LOVE, 11 months out. 4 months further out that I could get it, for example.

People say to buy where you WANT to stay. For us, turns out we made the wrong choice, and only realized it later on. Since we financed and since we fell behind on our promises (to ourselves) to pay it off asap, we can't really sell it right now. Gotta wait it out. Yours is all paid for. You love the place. Go with that.

Remember, at 11 months, you are only competing with the other GFV owners. DVC can grow and expand, but your competition at 11 months is finite.

Kind of surprised by the replies I'm getting on this! I figured since most of you here bought resale, that would be the concensus.

1- I'm not sure MOST people bought resale. I think most people who respond say that newbies should buy resale, but I'm not sure that's the majority of the actual users. Heck, I'm starting to say "buy resale with cash unless xyz", and we bought direct (and financed, shudder!).

2- You love it. You love the size of the rooms you want to get. You get the 11 month advantage. Go with that. Enjoy the heck out of your purchase.

 

[Minniesgal]

I agree, but the longer I wait, the more of a hit I will take since the price per-point will decrease--right? I would think VGF resales will be at the highest for the next several months--then will drop off probably around this time next year.

I'm not sure about that. I bought VGF and have other resale points but if they were selling resale for close to what they were selling for direct I'd buy direct. I think the best chance if a good resale price us just after Disney sells out.

I'd keep your points and book at 11 months I think chances are you will be fine

 

[Minniesgal]

Just so happens a VGF contract just popped up for sale at one the broker's sites. Isn't that price about what DVC is currently asking, or did I miss a price increase or two along the way? I post this just to show the OP that while the idea of selling is feasible, to get someone to buy resale at VGF now might require a somewhat lower asking, and acceptable to the seller, price than what DVC is getting.

I wouldn't consider that contract personally while Disney is selling direct.

 

[boxer]

Thanks to everyone for your responses--you made me feel a 'little' better about spending $30k, lol. Seriously though, we LOVE the VGF, so I think we will just sit tight for the time being. The weird thing is we have never been Grand Floridian people before, and even when the guide said they had VGF, our response was 'we don't like that place'. Then we walked in..........and now I'm missing alot of money in my account!!!!

I will see what the finances bring in the next year, and maybe add a small resale contract to get my points closer to (300) overall.

 

[boxer]

Just so happens a VGF contract just popped up for sale at one the broker's sites.



Isn't that price about what DVC is currently asking, or did I miss a price increase or two along the way?

I post this just to show the OP that while the idea of selling is feasible, to get someone to buy resale at VGF now might require a somewhat lower asking, and acceptable to the seller, price than what DVC is getting.

As a resale purchaser, I would NEVER pay that for a stripped contract. I was thinking of listing mine around $145/PT, and I have (195+139) available for this year, and would be getting (195) again next October. Rumor has it that VGF will soon be jumping to the $160/PT range, but that sounded like a few months away yet.

 

[JimMIA]

1- I'm not sure MOST people bought resale. I think most people who respond say that newbies should buy resale, but I'm not sure that's the majority of the actual users.

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of DVC contracts sold each year are sold direct by DVD. I don't think the resale market is much more than an annoyance to DVC timeshare salesmen -- something they need to be aware of and have a counter-argument for...whether legitimate or otherwise. And obviously, ALL DVC points were originally sold direct. Disney has already gotten their money for anything on the resale market.

The readership here on the DIS is a tiny percentage of the hard-core Disney people, and they tend to be much more knowledgeable about DVC, Disney, and timesharing generally than the average DVC owner. I've talked to some non-DIS DVC owners who don't even realize they bought a timeshare...

 

[deedisneydream97]

I agree with others who say "enjoy what you bought". Can't think about the "what-ifs" right now. I seriously doubt you will have any trouble booking what you want at 11 months out. If you do have some extra $$, you may want to look into re-sale for other DVC resorts, but personally I would rather do a couple of smaller contracts than one bigger one (because if the need arises it is easier to sell a smaller contract). You may find that your needs/wants change when your kids get older. You could rent your VGF points and in turn, rent from someone for a different resort. Or just book a stay at VGF and try to switch elsewhere at 7 months to see if you like a different resort better.

We have been doing some split stays during Food and Wine (BWV/BLT), but found during our last trip that I just get too worn out moving from resort to resort. We did come very close to purchasing VGF in October when we got the tour the day before opening....we thought about selling a small VWL contract; then thought about it for a couple of days and decided against it....mainly because I really, really want to stay at VWL at Christmas in the next couple of years. We haven't used our points there at all.....have banked and borrowed them for Aluani (along with our SSR points).

Believe me, when we bought our first contract, direct, in 1997 at BWV, I had alot of doubts about the amount of $$ we spent and the financing thing. But I ended up getting the new job I wanted and we were able to pay it off pretty quickly...and then proceeded to buy at more resorts. Then discovered the resale market (thru our Disney guide)....sold our BCV points to buy BLT direct; and have purchased a few smaller contracts re-sale since then.

You will be making some great memories and will have some really great vacations with your family. We were never sorry for any of our purchases. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Just make sure you keep organized about your booking window and keep track of banking and borrowing your points. And make sure you understand the rules about borrowing and how your can't "put them back" once you borrow (i.e. if you borrow 2015 points for 2014, you can't change your mind and put them back to 2015...they must be used for 2014 use year....and please someone correct me if I am wrong). It took me a few years to "get it"....and losing some points one year. Never happened again, though.

 

[deedisneydream97]

Sorry, just thought of something else. If you have a financial planner, maybe you should run your thoughts by him. If you seriously ARE considering selling, there might be some "tax" things involved (selling at a loss, etc.); then again, maybe not. Not sure how the whole thing works with a timeshare.

VGF is a beautiful place and you love it. That is what, sometimes, matters most.

Best wishes to you.

 

[chalee94]

If you seriously ARE considering selling, there might be some "tax" things involved (selling at a loss, etc.); then again, maybe not. Not sure how the whole thing works with a timeshare.

Gains are taxable - losses are not deductible.

 

[Dean]

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of DVC contracts sold each year are sold direct by DVD. I don't think the resale market is much more than an annoyance to DVC timeshare salesmen -- something they need to be aware of and have a counter-argument for...whether legitimate or otherwise. And obviously, ALL DVC points were originally sold direct. Disney has already gotten their money for anything on the resale market.

The readership here on the DIS is a tiny percentage of the hard-core Disney people, and they tend to be much more knowledgeable about DVC, Disney, and timesharing generally than the average DVC owner. I've talked to some non-DIS DVC owners who don't even realize they bought a timeshare...

To ECHO some of Jim's thoughts. How people got to be members really should have little impact on this issue for 2 reasons. One, we are all better educated than when we first bought in and two, the landscape has changed dramatically in a number of ways. When many of us bought the difference between retail and resale was around 20% and prices were much lower than they are now. However, that people bought retail and are happy does not automatically mean they made a good choice.

 

[Breyean]

Just to follow up on that VGF listing, the broker has changed the points details...

ID: 1311074
Resort: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
Points: 125
Use Year: April
Points Status: 0 2013, 222 2014 (includes 97 banked 2013 points)
Price Per Point: $150.00
Purchase Price: $18,750.00
Special Conditions: None

 

[bumbershoot]

The weird thing is we have never been Grand Floridian people before, and even when the guide said they had VGF, our response was 'we don't like that place'. Then we walked in..........and now I'm missing alot of money in my account!!!!

We feel the same about GF, and looking at pictures of the villas we're in love. It's why we cannot step foot inside of the villas until we know we can buy it. And, you know, not finance it this time, LOL.

I've talked to some non-DIS DVC owners who don't even realize they bought a timeshare...

Well gosh, it's a *club*, right?

Thankfully the people I know who know about DVC (which isn't many, I'll give you that) all call it the "disney timeshare". So glad I don't actually know anyone who thinks it's not a timeshare...

 

[sndral]

You don't say how long you typically stay, but if you assume you'll stay for 7 nights and play w/ the numbers and your worst case scenario which is a 1 br standard view @ 11 mo.s - here's how your numbers play out: a 1 br. sv @ VGF costs 247 points for 7 nights. You currently have 195+139 = 334 2013 points (I assume all of these are bankable) so you'll bank all these for your annual November vacation.
November 2014 vacation you'll use those 247 pts. you banked from 2013 use year - you'll have an extra 87 pts., so you may as well stay a little longer as you won't be able to bank them for your 2015 November vacation.
Meanwhile you've gotten your 2014 points on Oct. 1st, 2014, which you'll bank into 2015.
November 2015 vacation you'll use those 2014 195 points you banked, plus 52 of your 2015 points that you got in Oct. to reserve that 1 br., you'll bank the remaining 143 2015 points.
November 2016 vacation you'll use those 143 banked 2015 points plus 104 2016 points which you got in Oct. for your 1 br.. You will bank your leftover 91 2016 points.
November 2017 vacation you'll use those 91 banked 2016 points plus 156 of your 2017 points for your 1 br. and you'll bank 39 2017 points.
November 2018 vacation you'll use those 39 banked 2017 points all 195 of your 2018 points and borrow 13 of your 2019 points.
November 2019 vacation you'll use the rest of your 2019 points (182) and borrow 65 of your 2020 points.
November 2020 vacation you'll use the rest of your 2020 points (135) and borrow 117 of your 2021 points.
November 2021 vacation you'll use the rest of your 2021 points (78) and borrow 169 of your 2022 points.
At this stage - 2022 - you won't have enough to book that vacation through borrowing for a 1 br, but you'll have had 8 years of vacations in a 1 br..
All of this assuming that you never want to mix it up and stay elsewhere, or that you never snag a studio @ 11 months. So lots of vacations to enjoy before you don't have enough points for a 1 br. and skip a year (or buy more VGF resale.)

 

[msp2mco]

This really isn't addressing your original question, but you may find that you prefer 1-bedrooms after having the extra space and as your kids get bigger. It's hard for us to consider a studio after the luxury of 1- and 2-bedrooms.

 

[boxer]

You don't say how long you typically stay, but if you assume you'll stay for 7 nights and play w/ the numbers and your worst case scenario which is a 1 br standard view @ 11 mo.s - here's how your numbers play out: a 1 br. sv @ VGF costs 247 points for 7 nights. You currently have 195+139 = 334 2013 points (I assume all of these are bankable) so you'll bank all these for your annual November vacation.
November 2014 vacation you'll use those 247 pts. you banked from 2013 use year - you'll have an extra 87 pts., so you may as well stay a little longer as you won't be able to bank them for your 2015 November vacation.
Meanwhile you've gotten your 2014 points on Oct. 1st, 2014, which you'll bank into 2015.
November 2015 vacation you'll use those 2014 195 points you banked, plus 52 of your 2015 points that you got in Oct. to reserve that 1 br., you'll bank the remaining 143 2015 points.
November 2016 vacation you'll use those 143 banked 2015 points plus 104 2016 points which you got in Oct. for your 1 br.. You will bank your leftover 91 2016 points.
November 2017 vacation you'll use those 91 banked 2016 points plus 156 of your 2017 points for your 1 br. and you'll bank 39 2017 points.
November 2018 vacation you'll use those 39 banked 2017 points all 195 of your 2018 points and borrow 13 of your 2019 points.
November 2019 vacation you'll use the rest of your 2019 points (182) and borrow 65 of your 2020 points.
November 2020 vacation you'll use the rest of your 2020 points (135) and borrow 117 of your 2021 points.
November 2021 vacation you'll use the rest of your 2021 points (78) and borrow 169 of your 2022 points.
At this stage - 2022 - you won't have enough to book that vacation through borrowing for a 1 br, but you'll have had 8 years of vacations in a 1 br..
All of this assuming that you never want to mix it up and stay elsewhere, or that you never snag a studio @ 11 months. So lots of vacations to enjoy before you don't have enough points for a 1 br. and skip a year (or buy more VGF resale.)

That is an AWESOME explanation! I never really thought about borrowing, because quite honest, I felt like I would be robbing myself of future points (and trips). We typically stay (8) nights, so I would just need to change the math a bit to make it work.

I will say we have absolutely NO issue staying in the Studios---the reason I mentioned the 1-beds, is that seems to be the only thing open when the Studios are booked up, and seemingly the last room type to get booked. This makes me feel better we can still stay at the VGF in a 1-bed (if needed) without mortgaging and losing future trips.

 

[bakerworld]

With 2 cute little boys you are in an ideal location with better theme than BLT and a close walk to the Poly for some adult time. Enjoy!!

These forums only show a small slice of owners - obviously - some of us are reading while the rest of the owners are just enjoying their membership.

 

[boxer]

With 2 cute little boys you are in an ideal location with better theme than BLT and a close walk to the Poly for some adult time. Enjoy!!

These forums only show a small slice of owners - obviously - some of us are reading while the rest of the owners are just enjoying their membership.

Thank you!! I have already decided just to keep what I own, as I really think that is where we want to stay all the time anyhow. It just is appealing to read on here about people getting points for like $65ppt, and I paid almost 3x that. I would still like to have more points, but I'll probably wait a year or so, and then buy those from resale.

Funny thing about VGF--I was joking with the boys over the weekend and told them I was thinking about selling our points to get more at a different resort. They BOTH gave me quite the earful about wanting to stay at VGF, and using those pools and monorail on our next stay. I guess I made the right decision to buy VGF, lol.

 

[bakerworld]

Thank you!! I have already decided just to keep what I own, as I really think that is where we want to stay all the time anyhow. It just is appealing to read on here about people getting points for like $65ppt, and I paid almost 3x that. I would still like to have more points, but I'll probably wait a year or so, and then buy those from resale.

Funny thing about VGF--I was joking with the boys over the weekend and told them I was thinking about selling our points to get more at a different resort. They BOTH gave me quite the earful about wanting to stay at VGF, and using those pools and monorail on our next stay. I guess I made the right decision to buy VGF, lol.

Remember you can use points at any of the DVC venues without any extra charge and try another venue. If you routinely stay 8N than why not try out another venue for 2 or 3 nights and then move back to VGF. You could save points that way. Bell Services does all the moving - you just leave in the morning after they pick everything up, go to a park and show up at VGF after a few hours and you'll be all moved in. We did that a few times when we were new. We only owned AK and BL but we usually stay at BC. We finally bought 55 pts. 55pts lets us stay overy other year for 6N.