Poll: In making a purchase decision, which of the following are your top three considerations?

[BeachClub2014]

I thought it might be interesting, and debate-worthy, over which are the most important variables in making a purchase decision.

 

[TCRAIG]

I said location, room type and resale restrictions…I prefer resorts where I can walk (well, in my case use my scooter) and reserve a 1BR and resale restrictions because I think they’re ‘tacky’ on DVC’s part.

 

[MinBz]

When I bought I never stayed or seen any of the DVC resorts (stayed offsite). I originally wanted Beach Club because of location to Food and Wine (which we go to every year) but steered away because of deed expiration date. Almost bought Riviera but steered away due to resale restrictions so I ended up buying copper creek. Nio regrets buying copper creek but still kept thinking about Beach Club (location) so about to close on a Beach Club contract later this month even with the deed expiration.

 

[_19disnA]

Would never buy a timeshare even if Disney's version is likely more reputable since they are subject to more public scrutiny. Paying $40,000-$50,000 as a pre-paid vacation expense doesn't make a lot of sense to us. We like to go to a variety of places on vacation. Rather invest that money and go various places on vacation not being tied to specific timeshare locations.

 

[DaveNan]

I view location and transportation options as the same, so I didn't vote for both (i voted for location). Another option for resale buyers is "Point status", it is very similar to price, but is more than just price, especially for first time buyers. For a buyer already having some points, a loaded or stripped contract just comes down the an effective price per point. However, for a first time DVC, resale buyer it is not just price, it is when can I go. When I bought my first contract, I would not even consider stripped contracts.

 

[Sandisw]

Location, price and amenities. But at this points, I know my favorites are RIV and VGF so those two I will always choose. And, because RIV is top, the only restricted points that work are resale RIV (which I own).

So, I will only buy direct from this point forward to ensure my points are not only good there but all resorts in the future that could be restricted, not so much for me, but for family and friends who also go on trips with my points!

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Price
Location
Transportation
I bought BC just for it’s location - so I could book at 11 months for Food & Wine and walk to Epcot
I loved AKL and it’s location - I liked being out there and never felt it was too far removed from everything
I always consider the transportation when looking at DVC - monorails mainly ? bus ? Boats , etc - you spend a lot of time on transportation so it is a consideration to me - you do a lot of walking so do you want to walk to your room ?
I also consider how close it is to other hotels or how easy to get there for meals - as I enjoy dining at other hotels .
nice poll will be interesting to see other peoples input !!!

 

[Marionnette]

Resale restrictions was my number one choice. It's the reason that we didn't add on at RIV and ended up buying 150 BWV points instead.

Location was second. It's why we own at BWV, VGF and Poly.

Deed expiration was third but not because we necessarily want a long contract. We purchased those 150 BWV resale points in spite of resale restrictions because it IS a 2042 resort. It will be good for stays at any of the O14 until it expires. After that, who cares? Our kids will be in their 50's and will be more worried about college for the kids and retirement funding. They may not want to inherit a timeshare that expires in 2070.

 

[BeachClub2014]

I said location, room type and resale restrictions…I prefer resorts where I can walk (well, in my case use my scooter) and reserve a 1BR and resale restrictions because I think they’re ‘tacky’ on DVC’s part.

I am not a big fan of the resale restrictions, either. I understand the "why" behind DVC going this route, and I fear that they are here to stay.

Would never buy a timeshare even if Disney's version is likely more reputable since they are subject to more public scrutiny. Paying $40,000-$50,000 as a pre-paid vacation expense doesn't make a lot of sense to us. We like to go to a variety of places on vacation. Rather invest that money and go various places on vacation not being tied to specific timeshare locations.

Thanks for sharing!

I view location and transportation options as the same

I can see that. They are definitely closely related.

 

[Zach197]

Location price deed expiration

 

[BeachClub2014]

We purchased those 150 BWV resale points in spite of resale restrictions because it IS a 2042 resort.

I get it. We almost did the same but opted to go for RIV directly because of the value in the 2070 expiration. I will be long dead by then, but the contracts will still have value. The differing perspectives are fun to read.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Location price deed expiration

I had the same top three.

 

[BamaGuy44]

I said location, price and transportation. Which is weird since our only contact is AKV resale. We got it because of price just to get in. We do love AKV though.

To me the point chart is as important as the purchase price. That's why I don't have much interest in GFV. Our next contract will probably be Poly2, hoping for good incentives and a not too crazy point chart. I know it won't be like AKV, hopefully in between that and GFV.

 

[BeachClub2014]

To me the point chart is as important as the purchase price.

The points chart is definitely a consideration and an important one. The hardest part for me was only picking three of the options in the poll.

 

[Dobermanns]

I chose only two: location, theming and decor.
I guess I should have chosen other, which is availability at 7 months.
My trips are all runDisney race weekends so 11-mon booking advantage is important. I bought points at all my favorite resorts, except AKV. I love AKV savana view (only reason for me to stay there), and it is available at 7 months. So I don’t see the need for owning there.

 

[Her Dotness]

I didn't pick any but "Other", because we bought in direct at VGF off-sale price so weren't considering anything beyond wanting VGF and no other resort. Case of ❤ for the GF and nowhere else.

We were told we'd have to waitlist it and would have only two weeks to decide once an offer was made. It would also be a take it or leave it, no second try. It took about a month to get an offer, and we said yes in under 24 hours.

Lots undoubtedly think that was stupid. We don't. We wanted a mostly effortless close and the famous blue card. Got both. Were happy.

At that time, we had no interest in staying anywhere else, still don't for more than a night or two to see what other resorts are like or to use leftover points somewhere cheap.

We only own at VGF these five years later and may never own at another resort. Yup, we're weird that way, but when you own at the best, why would you want anywhere else?

 

[BeachClub2014]

I didn't pick any but "Other", because we bought in direct at VGF off-sale price so weren't considering anything beyond wanting VGF and no other resort. Case of ❤ for the GF and nowhere else.

I love the certainty that you had in this purchase. Good for you!

We only own at VGF these five years later and may never own at another resort. Yup, we're weird that way, but when you own at the best, why would you want anywhere else?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that this may not be a universal sentiment. Might be a good topic for a future poll: Rank the DVC resorts in order from "best" to "worst".

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Location, price (which are currently the top 2 results) and theming/decor were my choices. When we bought at BCV, our primary reason was location. That narrowed it down to BCV and BWV and, to a lesser extent, RIV. The theming/decor of BCV made it the "no brainer" for us. We love the vibe there. At that point, it came down to finding the right contract/price. If we didn't find the contract we did, we might not have purchased. We found the absolutely perfect contract for us.

The other options in the poll are all good, but they weren't the primary factors in our decision. Because of BCV's location being where we wanted to be, location didn't really come into play. But if we were looking at AKL as a possible option, transportation would have been a much bigger factor. Obviously, deed expiration didn't really matter to use because BCV doesn't have a long expiration.

 

[Jrobo]

Location
Location
Location......
No but seriously,
Location.

 

[BeachClub2014]

The other options in the poll are all good, but they weren't the primary factors in our decision.

Totally agree. All of these choices (and more) are important considerations in some way, shape, or form. I was really thinking of what the "deal breakers" were for us in narrowing it down to the top three for us.