Points...Too many or too few?...Help

[Crystal_27]

I want VGC to be the place were we own all out pts. So I don't know if Disney will acuatually sell out here, then I'm not sure when resale will be available for VGC. What do you guys think about the possibility of that happening. Is the selling out VGC thing all hype?

VGC will eventually be sold out, yes, but there will always, always be a resale market, so even if VGC does sell out, you can always go that route (heck, there are BLT listings on resale and it isn't even supposed to open until August - LOL). The only problem that you're going to run into with resale is that you're going to have to spend the time to find the contract you want (use year, number of points, whether or not its stripped, etc.). I wouldn't worry too much about the whole selling out scenario and just buy the number of points that will get you where you need to be in the next several years.

 

[rkwier]

You have received excellent advice here. Here was our thought process when we were deciding how many points to purchase.

We knew that we would want to stay in a 1BR for a week each year. We started with the minimum purchase of 160 and compared them to the point charts. (I put them all into a spreadsheet for easy comparison.) I looked at where and when we could stay for that length of time. Then I kept going up by ~20 points and made the same comparison. We ended up with 225 points because we felt that this would give us the most options. We have one contract, but then again, I did not know that you could split them when we bought.

We may want to add-on 25-50 points in the future, but we want to see how our travel habits play out for the next year or two. We will actually be going three times this year because we received developer points in addition to the ones that we purchased. If this continues to be a trend, an add-on is highly likely, but I want to be sure before we shell out more $$.

I also relied heavily on this board for advice when I was doing my initial research. It was an excellent resource! I kept looking for reasons NOT to purchase actually. I even googled things like "DVC nightmare." In the end, I could not find even one reason not to do it. We have not regretted our decision for one second!

 

[crisi]

I'd go with fewer.

The first thing I'd do is look at the dues calculation - we don't have many points, but its still $1000 a year in dues. That isn't a financial hardship for us, but when I make that payment each year, I still cringe (and it arrives right when the bills from Christmas arrive too - although we could set it up to be monthly). Now, you may be easily able to afford dues on 300+ points, but make sure you won't regret the purchase every time dues come. You'll be paying those dues for years, and they are going to go up.

Second, I'd make sure you want to go to Disney that much. It seems like lately in particularly, we've had a lot of folks around here back off on the amount of Disney they do. We've seen people buy huge contracts, only to sell off half their points or more in a few years when they are "Disney'd out." Or when Disney makes changes that make it less appealing to you. Buying a few smaller contracts makes it much easier to 'right size' if you need to.

Third, I'd keep in mind that paying cash or renting points from another owner and transfering them in is a simple solution to "too few points." However, too many points is a somewhat harder problem to solve as points become 'use em or loose em.' We've taken several Disney trips on cash rather than choose to make the committment to owning that many points.

Forth, don't tie up money in a timeshare you are likely to need. This Fall and Winter there were some posts that really had me feeling sad - people who put a lot of money into DVC, lost jobs, and now couldn't sell for even what they owed. Once again, that may not be you - but a smaller purchase usually means less exposure.

 

[Golden Rose]

We bought 165 points initially, then almost immediately bought another 150 points. Based on our vacationing habits, 315 points is about right for us at this moment, but realistically, we will probably add on a few more done the road.

We really need a king-sized bed, as DH is 6'4", so we always do a one or two bedroom, depending on who is going with us. We're currently a family of three, but we're trying to adopt more children, plus we love to bring family members with us. We like to do at least 5 nights in October at WDW during the food and wine festival. We have enough points to do five nights in a one bedroom every year, or a two bedroom every other year, out of our 150 BWV points. We do a second trip most years, although it moves around during the year, and we do it out of our AKV. We don't have enough points to do both in two bedrooms, and we may want that eventually. But we're very happy with our 315.

 

[the who #3]

i started in 2005 with 235 pts. @ one home resort. i now have 676 @ three home resorts.

we need a 2 br most of the time and then i like to be able to pop down to the world for a few days alone for relaxation and light fun. once in a while i will take a friend, but i really love going alone too. the 2br is when i take my grandchildren. that is the greatest time of all. they are getting older so we need the extra room.

i still keep having this wild desire to add on more and probably will when the next new one is being built.

i paid for mine to begin with so it does not seem at all like a burden. i hate making payments, so i have to save before i add on.

i love dvc!

 

[Muhlenberg]

You've gotten good advice. We did things a bit backwards. We initially bought 160 points, and then almost immediately added 60 points because DD and DSIL wanted to take a trip on developer points. We bought for family use. Anyway, I had been taking my elderly parents every winter, and then somehow a summer trip always worked its way into the picture ....so we were really doing two trips a year. Our habits are already changing...DD/DSIL want the WHOLE family to go Aug '10.

Our/my plan? See how banking/borrowing pans out, and if we find ourselves always borrowing, we may need to do a small add-on.

Like Crisi said, it's easier to add on in smaller chunks than to buy too much and then be "stuck."

 

[rmonty02]

Thanks for all your posts. I sat down with the VGC point chart and ran through several vacation scenarios over the last three days. I did go with more points, but not the 350 I was debating. This will cover 2 trips a year or one longer trip. Plenty of flexibility.

I called our guide today and he's sending our paperwork for the 330 VGC contract!!!! Yeah, I'm sooooo excited. Now I'm going to get ready to do battle on June 7 for a December ressie. But that's for another thread. Thanks again.

 

[DVC Mike]

I called our guide today and he's sending our paperwork for the 330 VGC contract!!!! Yeah, I'm sooooo excited.

Congrats!

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Thanks for all your posts. I sat down with the VGC point chart and ran through several vacation scenarios over the last three days. I did go with more points, but not the 350 I was debating. This will cover 2 trips a year or one longer trip. Plenty of flexibility.

I called our guide today and he's sending our paperwork for the 330 VGC contract!!!! Yeah, I'm sooooo excited. Now I'm going to get ready to do battle on June 7 for a December ressie. But that's for another thread. Thanks again.

Congratulations on your decision! One thing I will mention is that the points charts can be reallocated. It has been announced that they will reallocate in 2010, and DVC can do it at any time. If you chose an amount that allows you 2 vacations twice a year for exactly 330 points, you may want to add a few more just to protect yourself if a reallocation now requires 335.

Something to consider. Again, congratulations and wishing you an early...

HOME!!!

 

[rmonty02]

It has been announced that they will reallocate in 2010, and DVC can do it at any time. If you chose an amount that allows you 2 vacations twice a year for exactly 330 points, you may want to add a few more just to protect yourself if a reallocation now requires 335.

Great minds think alike! I left myself a 15pt buffer. Thanks for the cheer!

 

[Crystal_27]

I called our guide today and he's sending our paperwork for the 330 VGC contract!!!! Yeah, I'm sooooo excited. Now I'm going to get ready to do battle on June 7 for a December ressie. But that's for another thread. Thanks again.

Congratulations and welcome home!!!

 

[DVC4me4Ever]

Congratulations on your purchase of 330 points at VGC and by the way...

Welcome Home!!!!

 

[Donald is #1]

Thanks for all your posts. I sat down with the VGC point chart and ran through several vacation scenarios over the last three days. I did go with more points, but not the 350 I was debating. This will cover 2 trips a year or one longer trip. Plenty of flexibility.

I called our guide today and he's sending our paperwork for the 330 VGC contract!!!! Yeah, I'm sooooo excited. Now I'm going to get ready to do battle on June 7 for a December ressie. But that's for another thread. Thanks again.

Congratulations!!!