Purchase DVC or property in Orlando?

[Dean]

Thank you Dean for your generous insight on the Marriott system and how it works for you. In a couple of years when my wife and I are retired our plans are to spend 6-8 weeks a year time sharing. We already have about 2-3 weeks worth of points in the DVC system. For the other weeks we will be looking at other systems (Marriott and HGVC) at first we were looking at just the HGVC but now after reading your comments we will be looking at Marriott. Again, thank you!

Sure, I think Marriott is great for this situation for many, not for others. Assuming timeshares in general make sense and ones personal situation is conducive to owning/using timeshares; there are many options. I'd suggest going through the self reflective process initially to decide if you want to put in the work/effort to learn and use new options and if it's feasible in one's situation. Assuming both of those are affirmative and one decides to move forward, there's a process for deciding what's best. Questions like what's my budget, how will I use it, where do I want to go, how stringent are my requirements, how flexible can I be, how far out can/will I plan all come to mind. It takes at least a 2 BR per year on average to make the cost/effort worth going through but there is an economy of scale. Assuming one decides timeshares in general are a reasonable consideration, I'd start by looking at the destinations I most wanted to visit routinely and who could best get me there. For me that's Marriott since I want to go to Aruba, HI, HH and the like; I can/will plan ahead, I usually go a full week or close to it and I expects higher end accommodations. I will say though that my Bluegreen points offer things Marriott doesn't (and vice versa) and are a better value in many ways. But what works well for one person/situation doesn't for another.

@Dean - how do I sign up for your Timeshare Purchasing and Ownership class?

I've spent 24 years learning, trying, investigating and experiencing timeshares. I've made a lot of good choices, a few less than perfect ones and been lucky at times along the way. There aren't many things I would have done differently but there are a few, esp my one Marriott retail purchase and even then it was a reasonable one at the time it's just that the conversion to trust points and the destination club wiped out the benefits that I gained by doing so, basically I could have had the same benefits without the purchase had I waited on the Destination Club.

Like DVC, some of the options for timeshare at a reasonable price are gone forever. I was able to get to Bluegreen Platinum (top VIP tier) for almost free and I was able to upgrade to the Marriott top level again almost for free for the upgrade itself. Neither of those are available at a reasonable price now and likely never will be again. OTOH, prices have come down resale and you could get to my same Marriott weeks portfolio for a reduced price, likely about 80% of what I paid but you would have a few less options. TUG (Timeshare Users Group) among others are great resources to educate oneself. Many, myself included, are willing to share our perspective and knowledge for a given area. By the time you piece things together as it applies to your situation, you'll have a better understanding of timeshares as it applies to your situation than anyone else will if you put in the time and effort. At the end of the day what I like best about timesharing is the willingness of many to help each other.

 

[mj2vacation]

We live in Celebration and are also DVC members. We stay on property a few times a year, as the experience is totally different. Even though we can decide to go to the park and be at the parking lot in 15 minutes, there is something completely different when staying on property.

We have looked at vacation homes numerous times, but we have gone the other route, with Marriott and DVC timeshare.

Many other things to consider, including how Florida treats second homes vs homestead. My mom pays 2/3 the taxes that we do for a condo vs our 4000 sq home. We have residency, she does not.

 

[Dean]

We live in Celebration and are also DVC members. We stay on property a few times a year, as the experience is totally different. Even though we can decide to go to the park and be at the parking lot in 15 minutes, there is something completely different when staying on property.

We have looked at vacation homes numerous times, but we have gone the other route, with Marriott and DVC timeshare.

Many other things to consider, including how Florida treats second homes vs homestead. My mom pays 2/3 the taxes that we do for a condo vs our 4000 sq home. We have residency, she does not.

This is a function of it not being the primary residence, not actually of FL residency. $50K is reduced from the assessed value on the primary residence if one meets the other criteria and applies for a homestead exemption.