Need some quick advice, please!

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DH and I have been thinking about buying into DVC for awhile. We are currently looking at buying points on resale, but we aren't quite sure if we are approaching it from the right angle. We are looking at a contract where the point cost is relatively low, but the annual dues/maintenance fees are on the higher end. Those fees go up each year. Would we be better off buying points that cost a bit more and paying lower annual fees, or does it really make any difference? In the long run will it come out about the same anyway?

Is there a chart anywhere of the fees per point at the different properties?

 

[DVC Mike]

2008 Annual Dues

AKV = $4.71
SSR = $4.21
BCV = $4.80
BWV = $5.04
VWL = $4.87
OKW = $4.56
HHI = $5.16
VB = $6.04

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thank you! That was exactly what I was looking for!!

OK. So think this through with me. If we buy in at VB the dues per point are $1.83 higher than they are at SSR. With 174 points that would cost us an extra $318 per year (just using this year's rates).

My math skills are very weak, but I almost think we might be better off buying pts. for a bit more at SSR (and having more years on the contract) than going for the less expensive points. Or am I wrong?

 

[CarolMN]

If your plan is to stay mainly at WDW, do not buy one of the beach resorts.

As DVC membership continues to grow, it is getting more difficult to reserve at the 7 month window. If you at least buy one of the WDW DVC resorts, you will be assured of getting a reservation for the time you want to visit. (assuming you take advantage of the earlier booking window for your home resort).

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

As DVC gets more and more popular it might be difficult to reserve non-home resorts during popular times...so you really should buy into a resort you would be happy staying at if your first choice isn't available. If you want to guarantee being able to stay onsite -- buy an onsite resort. Also, look at it from a resale standpoint if for some reason you no longer want to keep your membership. Some of the offsite resorts have been on the market a very long time.

 

[ZekeKelso]

It sounds like you are considering one of the beach resorts. If you search, you'll see many threads on the topic (and, yes, I know the search function doesn't work very well, if at all).

The "standard" answer is that buying at one of the beach resorts is great if you are interested in going to the beach resorts - it's not so good if you are just looking for a cheap way to buy points to stay at WDW. As you've noticed, the maintenance fees are higher, which will wipe out any savings pretty quickly.

The other big problem is that you have no 11-month booking window at WDW. If you ever want to go to WDW at a time when you need the 11-month window, you won't be able to get in. Finally, there are some unlikely worries that the more paranoid members worry about - hurricanes wiping out entire islands, Disney spinning off the beach resorts, etc.

If you are looking at a cheap way to get points for WDW, consider OKW. Only a little more expensive than the beach resorts, with low maintenance fees and a "home" at WDW.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

My math skills are very weak, but I almost think we might be better off buying pts. for a bit more at SSR (and having more years on the contract) than going for the less expensive points. Or am I wrong?

IMHO...no, you aren't wrong. Those maintenance fees will add up a lot faster over the years than the initial savings that come from buying there.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

That's exactly what we were thinking. We thought we would buy at VB, save $15 or so per point, and then just always book at WDW. We aren't picky about which WDW property and we just need a studio, so I figured we'd probably be able to find something at the 7 month window.

BUT once we pay off the points that exta $300 per year in dues over the rest of the contract will wipe out what we initially saved by buying at VB, won't it? I think we might need to reconsider our original plan and go for SSR as our home property instead. Or maybe look at OKW.

 

[Lynne M]

BUT once we pay off the points that exta $300 per year in dues over the rest of the contract will wipe out what we initially saved by buying at VB, won't it?

You're absolutely right. And the difference in dues is $300 this year. Who knows what it could go to over the life of the contract, considering that both HHI and VB probably have more risk of damage from hurricanes.

If I were in your situation, I'd probably look for an OKW resale, or get SSR.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We are currently looking at SSR on resale.

Does anybody know how much it is to buy a new contract at SSR? I read that there are some incentives but I didn't see how much the points are.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Just saw this posted on another thread. It's the going deal throug Dis for SSR. Resale is going for about $79 - $85 per point, depending on how many points you purchase. Both Dis and resale will have closing costs, but I've purchased resale 3 times and have never paid closing costs.

They are selling the last 3% of SSR.
160 points goes for $16640.
December UY
You get 160 pounts to use this year.
$10 credit a point
$500 gift card
No dues this year
Annual dues are $673.

Best of luck on your decision!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks!

Although the extra points would be nice, I think we'll stick to the lower price on the resale.