Not sure what's best....

[ClaraOswald]

We currently have 160 VGC points. For the amount of visits we like to take, this is enough for us to stay in a 1-bedroom about half the trips and a studio the other half. Ideally, we'd like enough points for a 1-bedroom every single trip. I'm not exactly sure how many points that means we would need. I definitely don't want TOO many since we can't really go that often. I think an extra 75 points would probably be perfect. Or something around there. 50 might even be enough but I'd need to check the math on that. 100 might be okay but possibly too many.

We only want our current use year. And contracts in that 75 point range pretty much never show up.

We aren't necessarily in any big hurry to get more points but we're always watching to see what pops up. We're okay with our current points for at least a few more years.

But basically our options, even after those few years are up, would be:

Keep waiting for the perfect 75-ish contract to show up.
Sell our 160 points and buy a 230-ish point contract instead.
Buy a bigger than necessary contract.

The problem with the 2nd option is that we pretty much always have a trip booked. So we'd have to be fairly picky about the timing of selling/buying new. And we'd HAVE to sell before buying since VGC contracts are so pricey.

The problem with the 3rd option is that a lot of contracts in our UY seem to be 160 points, like our current one. 320 points is a LOT for us. More than we could really use each year. Plus, the up front cost of that would be over $40,000. And then we'd have twice as much in dues as we have now. As I'm typing this...I'm realizing this just won't be a realistic option.

So I guess it's really just between waiting out the perfect contract, selling 160/buying 230ish, or maybe buying 100 more points (but definitely not 160+!)

What do you guys think makes the most sense?

 

[pzw90]

What use year are you looking for?
Have you set up alerts at https://www.dvcforless.com or the various brokers?

 

[ehh]

We currently have 160 VGC points. For the amount of visits we like to take, this is enough for us to stay in a 1-bedroom about half the trips and a studio the other half. Ideally, we'd like enough points for a 1-bedroom every single trip. I'm not exactly sure how many points that means we would need. I definitely don't want TOO many since we can't really go that often. I think an extra 75 points would probably be perfect. Or something around there. 50 might even be enough but I'd need to check the math on that. 100 might be okay but possibly too many.

We only want our current use year. And contracts in that 75 point range pretty much never show up.

We aren't necessarily in any big hurry to get more points but we're always watching to see what pops up. We're okay with our current points for at least a few more years.

But basically our options, even after those few years are up, would be:

Keep waiting for the perfect 75-ish contract to show up.
Sell our 160 points and buy a 230-ish point contract instead.
Buy a bigger than necessary contract.

The problem with the 2nd option is that we pretty much always have a trip booked. So we'd have to be fairly picky about the timing of selling/buying new. And we'd HAVE to sell before buying since VGC contracts are so pricey.

The problem with the 3rd option is that a lot of contracts in our UY seem to be 160 points, like our current one. 320 points is a LOT for us. More than we could really use each year. Plus, the up front cost of that would be over $40,000. And then we'd have twice as much in dues as we have now. As I'm typing this...I'm realizing this just won't be a realistic option.

So I guess it's really just between waiting out the perfect contract, selling 160/buying 230ish, or maybe buying 100 more points (but definitely not 160+!)

What do you guys think makes the most sense?

Wait for a 'good enough' contract.

If 75pts is your goldilocks, expand your range up to maybe 100pts to increase your odds of gettting a hit.

As for what to do with your 0-25 extra points? You can add an extra night or bump up to a 2BR every so often.

 

[intamin]

Wait for a 'good enough' contract.

If 75pts is your goldilocks, expand your range up to maybe 100pts to increase your odds of gettting a hit.

As for what to do with your 0-25 extra points? You can add an extra night or bump up to a 2BR every so often.

Ditto, I'd just keep waiting or buy a little bit more than you need. I'd rather lose money in the form of having extra points than lose it giving more commission to a resale broker by selling your original contract. Even if you have extra points, you'll be able to rent them out with ease if you're able to plan ahead and know when you'll have excess points.

 

[Royal Consort]

100 points come on to the market semi regularly, so that would work to top up. Selling and repurchasing is a PITA.

 

[Genie+]

I think watching for a 75 to 100 point in your UY is the way to go.

Since 50pts might not meet your goals, I’d have a hard time paying the ‘small contract premium’ with the risk you may eventually need to buy one more small contract and another set of closing costs. The 50pt would need to be a relatively good deal, and with smaller contracts often commanding higher $pp, that’s unlikely.

Set alerts to in your UY between 50-100pts, with the preference of 75-100pts in mind.

 

[TCRAIG]

I’ve had an alert setup on the DVC resale aggregator for maybe a year or so for VGF - I think I’ve seen maybe 1 or 2 contracts all UYs less than 100 points…

 

[Bucketfoot]

I initially read this as VGF not VGC. For VGF I would have said wait for the right contract, but with Grand Californian I think you have identified your options.

Hardest: adding a small contract in your current UY
Easiest: finding a contract with something close to the points you want in whatever UY you can get and selling you current one

 

[ClaraOswald]

We purchased our 160 point contract only 2 years ago. $235 per point. I fear that if we try to sell and get a larger (235-ish) contract, we would come out losing money. Does that seem like a correct assumption?

 

[Royal Consort]

We purchased our 160 point contract only 2 years ago. $235 per point. I fear that if we try to sell and get a larger (235-ish) contract, we would come out losing money. Does that seem like a correct assumption?

Yes. I wouldn't bother doing that. Just set up alerts and wait. It won't be immediate but something will come up >100pts. I wouldn't be selling to buy a larger contract (which is harder to sell if you choose to downsize in the future).

 

[TCRAIG]

It might be worth a call to your guide - sometimes you can get lucky and they’ll have a small # of points they can sell you…for small points, the $$ difference between direct and resale is not ‘too’ bad if you consider closing costs.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

I know this probably goes without saying but when that perfect contract comes around, be ready to buy that instant. I had been on the lookout for a small resale RIV contract in my UY and one popped up last week while I was in the middle of a meeting at work. I swear it was gone less than an hour later

 

[Bucketfoot]

We purchased our 160 point contract only 2 years ago. $235 per point. I fear that if we try to sell and get a larger (235-ish) contract, we would come out losing money. Does that seem like a correct assumption?

I don't know. At 160 points you should be able to sell it for more than you bought it for. On top of that you should take into consideration the cost benefit of any stays you have already had using the contract.

With all that taken into consideration I would guess that at worst you break even and may actually see a net gain.

Of course you then need to factor in your new contract cost. I'd probably go with a few more points and target a 250 point contract as they appear to be better priced than ones in the 230 point range.

It really comes down to how patient you can be

 

[marmentrout85]

The problem with the 2nd option is that we pretty much always have a trip booked. So we'd have to be fairly picky about the timing of selling/buying new. And we'd HAVE to sell before buying since VGC contracts are so pricey.

The problem with the 3rd option is that a lot of contracts in our UY seem to be 160 points, like our current one. 320 points is a LOT for us. More than we could really use each year. Plus, the up front cost of that would be over $40,000. And then we'd have twice as much in dues as we have now. As I'm typing this...I'm realizing this just won't be a realistic option.

Option 1 sounds like it might be best since you've identified these problems with 2 and 3. And who knows, maybe the wait won't be that long. Sure, it might take 2 years, but it could just as easily take 2 weeks. I know waiting can be tough, but I say stay strong!

 

[lilsonicfan]

I'd also double check to see if you can get any nights in a 1BR with your other contract, at 7 months. I only bring this up because 1BRs are quite point heavy at VGC compared to say a 2BR, and sometimes that means they are easier to get. Taking a look here: https://dvcfieldguide.com/gcv-1br84 it does seem like in a very general sense it's not TOO hard to get a 1BR at 7 months though of course it depends on the week. I think this would require a mindset change though as you wouldn't know at the 11 month mark if you could get the room or not, and I realize this isn't for everyone.

So as an alternative, I'd probably consider another 100 points.

 

[Chili327]

Wait for a 'good enough' contract.

If 75pts is your goldilocks, expand your range up to maybe 100pts to increase your odds of gettting a hit.

As for what to do with your 0-25 extra points? You can add an extra night or bump up to a 2BR every so often.

Or rent out whatever you don’t use, it will help pay the extra dues each year.

I think watching for a 75 to 100 point in your UY is the way to go.

Set alerts to in your UY between 50-100pts, with the preference of 75-100pts in mind.

This is best, since you’re not in a rush to get them, just wait for your pitch.

 

[ClaraOswald]

It might be worth a call to your guide - sometimes you can get lucky and they’ll have a small # of points they can sell you…for small points, the $$ difference between direct and resale is not ‘too’ bad if you consider closing costs.

Honestly, my guide seems like a dud. I talked to him last year about getting 50-75 direct and he was basically like "that's really rare" and he only checked probably weekly for me. And then he'd just call to tell me there's nothing and then ask again if I was interested in VDH. And then question why I didn't just get resale like I did for our 160 contract.

He was kind of snarky about it, IMO. So I just told him to stop looking since he was barely doing it anyway. And now direct is $330 per point...which even for 75 points seems so steep. Probably similar overall to what I may be able to find for 100 points resale.

I know this probably goes without saying but when that perfect contract comes around, be ready to buy that instant. I had been on the lookout for a small resale RIV contract in my UY and one popped up last week while I was in the middle of a meeting at work. I swear it was gone less than an hour later

Yeah, I already told my husband we need to discuss if we want to jump on a 100 pointer or not. I know for 75, we would. And I need to do math to see if 50 would work or not.

Option 1 sounds like it might be best since you've identified these problems with 2 and 3. And who knows, maybe the wait won't be that long. Sure, it might take 2 years, but it could just as easily take 2 weeks. I know waiting can be tough, but I say stay strong!

Yeah, I think waiting is honestly the best. I kind of hope it takes at least another year because we have some house expenses still this year (last year we had a LOT as well) so it would be nice to have more time to build up our "DVC fund."

We're staying studio this December and it's too late to switch that to a 1-bedroom anyway. And we have enough points for a 1-bedroom next June. So we're good with what we have for those trips anyway.

As for switching from a studio to a 1-bedroom at the 7 month mark using our BRV points....I'm not really feeling great about that. We will have some years with "excess" BRV points but we were thinking we may "splurge" for a 2-bedroom here or there at WDW.

I also really don't know how the process of switching at 7 months works. Do you get on at 6am (or whatever) and book online? But I'd have to cancel my studio first and then I'd risk losing it, right? I don't really get it.

 

[TCRAIG]

Honestly, my guide seems like a dud. I talked to him last year about getting 50-75 direct and he was basically like "that's really rare" and he only checked probably weekly for me. And then he'd just call to tell me there's nothing and then ask again if I was interested in VDH. And then question why I didn't just get resale like I did for our 160 contract.

He was kind of snarky about it, IMO. So I just told him to stop looking since he was barely doing it anyway. And now direct is $330 per point...which even for 75 points seems so steep. Probably similar overall to what I may be able to find for 100 points resale.



Yeah, I already told my husband we need to discuss if we want to jump on a 100 pointer or not. I know for 75, we would. And I need to do math to see if 50 would work or not.



Yeah, I think waiting is honestly the best. I kind of hope it takes at least another year because we have some house expenses still this year (last year we had a LOT as well) so it would be nice to have more time to build up our "DVC fund."

We're staying studio this December and it's too late to switch that to a 1-bedroom anyway. And we have enough points for a 1-bedroom next June. So we're good with what we have for those trips anyway.

As for switching from a studio to a 1-bedroom at the 7 month mark using our BRV points....I'm not really feeling great about that. We will have some years with "excess" BRV points but we were thinking we may "splurge" for a 2-bedroom here or there at WDW.

I also really don't know how the process of switching at 7 months works. Do you get on at 6am (or whatever) and book online? But I'd have to cancel my studio first and then I'd risk losing it, right? I don't really get it.

Use the Modify online feature rather than Cancel/Book to switch at 7 months.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Use the Modify online feature rather than Cancel/Book to switch at 7 months.

So do you get on right at 6am at the 7 month mark to do that? Sorry, probably dumb but I've never modified at 7 months.

 

[TCRAIG]

Yup - 8am Eastern…