Resale vs New (BLT)

[RJJS03]

Hi All,

I've been researching these boards for a long time and found all the advice and info very informative. I finally have saved up enough money to buy a 100 pt contract cash or now that BLT has opened I'm strongly considering that property new. I feel that to spend more up front now and with the low maintenance fees it will be much more worthwhile in the long run. Not that I plan on selling in the future but that along with location is an added bonus. Plus with 2 small children i think the additional points would be nice to have as well. I also looked at 150 point VWL resale but again I think the newer BLT contract for many reasons is a much better value in the long run. Any experts or veterans have an opinion on this. Thanks for any insights you may share.

 

[Cmbar]

First off, welcome to the boards!! You will get great information and some great veterans giving you good advice.


I didn't quite understand what your choices are. Are you saying you are trying to decide between a 100 point contract on the resale market and a new purchase through Disney for a 160 point contract at BLT?

If you like BLT, and you can afford to purchase this at the current incentives price (160 points equals about 17120.00) then currently they are giving decent incentives so now might be a great time to purchase. If you are new member you have to buy BLT for 160 points. You cannot buy below that. However they are offering for first time buyers to buy at AKV and SSR for 100 point buy in. I believe you get the discount price per point of 6.25 off making the purchase price per point 105.75. This is a good way to get in the door. If you want to spend less money on your investment initially. You have to see if 100 points is enough for you.

That being said if you want BLT then you have to purchase through Disney or wait for some of them to come onto the resale market.

There are many pros and cons to purchasing Disney Vs. Resale, just keep reading this board and you will get great information.

Good Luck!

 

[Buckeye Fan]

to the Disboards!

If you love BLT, purchase there for sure! However, the point structure there is high. Your points won't go as far they will at some of the other resorts.

With that said, some things you should consider:
* Can you book 8 - 11 months out? If not, then home a home resort will mean very little to you. Go for the longest length of contract at the lowest price.
* Contract length - does it matter to you? If so, SSR, OKW extended/AKV, and BLT are good options for you. They expire 2054, 2057 and 2060 respectively. Otherwise, all other resorts expire in 2042.
* Do you want to stay at one location most of the time, or resort hop? If your heart is set on one location, definitely buy there!
* Do you prefer "condo" style resorts? If so, you'll be happiest at OKW or SSR. If you prefer "hotel" style resorts, look at the other DVCs.
* As you've mentioned, MFs over time will cost more than your initial purchase price. The best deal on the market right now for contract length, maintenance fees, and purchase price is SSR (via resale - approx $70 - $75 per point). But that doesn't mean much if you don't want to stay there. Consider MFs as a factor, but just one factor. If you really want to stay at VWL, the extra money per year may be worth it to you. We purchased at VB even though the MFs are the highest of any DVC resort.

There's so much to consider, but you can definitely over-think the situation, too. When we purchased, we bought resale and went with our gut (SSR). AKV was not available, and we wanted the extra years. I'm still pleased with our decision, and glad we joined when we did. Lastly, if your not familiar with all of the DVC resorts, here's a link. Hopefully, it will help you make an informed decision: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ho...ResortCategoryFacet=facetValueng:deluxe-villa

Best of luck with your decision!

 

[disneynutz]

I finally have saved up enough money to buy a 100 pt contract cash or now that BLT has opened I'm strongly considering that property new. I feel that to spend more up front now and with the low maintenance fees it will be much more worthwhile in the long run.

BLT has lower maintenance fees because currently Disney is helping to pay the bill. Later when BLT is sold out, the fees will be adjusted to the actual amount.

 

[Crystal_27]

We were in the same boat last month and opted to buy into BLT because that's where we will want to stay the majority of the time. If you've never stayed on the monorail with young children, if you opt for BLT, you will see a huge difference in the ease of your vacation. Plus, for us, the free cruise that we received as an incentive was a huge plus in that DH prefers to cruise whereas I prefer the parks. Anyway, good luck with your decision.

 

[timandlesley]

Have you looked at the point charts at AKL? If you are buying the minimum amount you can really stretch your points at AKL vs. BLT, plus the new pool area at Kidani would certainly be a hit with your kids. BLT is incredible though and I probably would have bought there if it were available when we bought in but the point structure is high and we like to get the most bang for our Disney buck.
Previous posters are right, current incentives are great, especially if you use a current DVC member as a referral.
Lesley

 

[JimMIA]

If I were looking to buy right now, there is only one reason I'd buy BLT -- that I absolutely HAD to have the MK view.

That, of course, assumes that I could reliably book and keep reservations 11 months to the day when my booking window opens. If you call a week into your booking window, all the MK views will be gone and you will have paid a huge premium for nothing.

For other views at BLT, it's a big enough resort that we will be able to get ressies there at 7 months...and you can do that with any resort points.

If I were buying right now, I would ask myself the following question: Do I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE something very specific -- a GV anywhere, cheap standard-view at BWV, VWL during Christmas, BCV during F&W, etc? I don't mean need one of those occasionally; I mean need it almost every vacation.

If the answer to that question was no, I'd buy SSR resale.

SSR contracts expire in 2057, and they are currently selling on the resale market (AND passing ROFR) at about $70 per point. BLT is selling for $112-$5 = $107.

You do the math -- SSR resales give you almost a 35% discount over BLT. Save a lot of money...buy a lot more points for the same money...or buy more points for less money...your choice.

 

[RobDoc]

BLT has lower maintenance fees because currently Disney is helping to pay the bill. Later when BLT is sold out, the fees will be adjusted to the actual amount.

The subsidy currently being paid by Disney is $0.05 per point at BLT. The likely reason for the lower annual fees is that the higher point chart for BLT spreads out the costs on a per villa basis. In addition, the building footprint and minimal resort grounds have a lower maintenance cost than the other DVC resorts. Combining these factors results in a lower annual fee - and that is likley to continue into the future.

 

[Sandisw]

Choosing a home resort can be one of the hardest decisions for many people with DVC.

There are some great values out there through resale at many of the resorts and I think that someone really has to weight the value of saving money against the value of being thrilled when you arrive.

I, as many know, bought in to DVC only because BLT became a reality. I have stayed at the world many times, and almost always ended up at the Contemporary for the trip (even if I didn't start out there). My DH and I knew that I was only really happy when I could walk to/from the MK, my favorite (and my kids) park.

Of course, committing to 160 points was more than I was comfortable with so I decided to buy in with a small VWL contract with the understanding and plan to add on at BLT with less points when I visited in August (I already had my Contemporary trip booked with a 40% discount code).

Well, once I closed on VWL and it was announced that BLT was opening early, I got so excited that I added on within a week!! For me, even though I know I could have saved money by buying elsewhere, and that there is a great chance I would have been able to book my trips at 7 months out, I was just not okay with the chance that I MIGHT NOT be at BLT.

I agree with many, BLT is a premium price and uses premium points. If you really would be okay staying somewhere else and it wouldn't ruin your trip, then I think you may want to seriously consider some of the resale contracts--even a smaller one to start--with the plan of adding on at BLT at some point in the future when the contracts start showing up in the resale market!

Good Luck!!!!!

 

[backyardponder]

Whatever you do, please make sure you can afford doing it in the long run. You have 2 small kids and, from experience, they get more expensive every year. Wait till they hit high school, then college. As you look at Disney, don't forget transportation from NJ to Orlando, tickets, addictive Disney Merchandise, food, etc.

If you do feel you can afford it...go for it!

Good Luck with your decision!

 

[RJJS03]

Wow! Thanks to all for all of the advice. I really want to be near a park preferably MK. I have always been pondering buying a 100pt contract somewhere and add on later if needed. My original plan was to buy at VWL or BWV and see how it goes using a 100 pts (Similar to Sandisw). My DW seems to think we should buy more points now because as the kids get older she will want to stay in a 1 bedroom rather than a studio. She also loves the idea of being within walking distance of the MK and a monorail ride to Epcot. She also thinks the resale value will hold up much better on BLT than others. Again, Thanks for all of your help and I'm sure more questions to follow.

 

[RJJS03]

Wow! Thanks to all for all of the advice. I really want to be near a park preferably MK. I have always been pondering buying a 100pt contract somewhere and add on later if needed. My original plan was to buy at VWL or BWV and see how it goes using a 100 pts (Similar to Sandisw). My DW seems to think we should buy more points now because as the kids get older she will want to stay in a 1 bedroom rather than a studio. She also loves the idea of being within walking distance of the MK and a monorail ride to Epcot. She also thinks the resale value will hold up much better on BLT than others. Again, Thanks for all of your help and I'm sure more questions to follow.

 

[alice99]

RJJ - We used the same logic and reasons for buying @ BLT.

I did all the math figured cost per point/ per year & maint. per point / per year and compared them to the other resorts we were interested in and determined that the long term cost @ BLT would be cheaper.

The only ones that would have been truly cheaper was SSR or OKW, but we were not interested in those resorts at all.

Our comparison was between Boardwalk, Beach Club and BLT,which were really the only ones we were interested in.

I am now considering an add on of 50 points @ Boardwalk, just to have the 11 month booking window for Food and Wine or Spring Flower Festival.

 

[ecdoesit]

Resale: good if you want to start small and at a lower price.
Dont forget though that some of the older resort will expire sooner than new ones. You can also negogiate price as long as disney wont buy back.

New: You get incentive and dont have to pay the full year dues.
Make sure you get a referrel from dvc member to get more. BLT is extremely popular. With MK view, it is hard to pass by.

I am thinking about VGC but the startup price is high, so I will start with resale and add points later on.

 

[RJJS03]

My DW thinks we should by 100 pts at AKV resale and add on in the future if needed. A few reasons, $$$ being the big one. I think we could get away for 3 or 4 years by borrowing a small amount of next years points but there will eventually be a year where we would run out. I guess that could be a year where we go somewhere else. Has anybody else traveled just about every year on 100pts. I don't want to wish every year that had bought more points. Also, once the kids get older I'm sure I'm going to want the 1BR. I love the AK but the locationm of BLT is hard to pass up.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

We bought 2 contracts. One at Old Key West, and the other at Bay Lake Tower. We wanted a 100 point contract at BLT, so we bought a small resell at OKW, then added on the 100 points at BLT. We are set on a MK view, and thankfully was able to obtain one for this September.

Best of luck on your decision.

 

[dianeschlicht]

My DW thinks we should by 100 pts at AKV resale and add on in the future if needed. A few reasons, $$$ being the big one. I think we could get away for 3 or 4 years by borrowing a small amount of next years points but there will eventually be a year where we would run out. I guess that could be a year where we go somewhere else. Has anybody else traveled just about every year on 100pts. I don't want to wish every year that had bought more points. Also, once the kids get older I'm sure I'm going to want the 1BR. I love the AK but the location of BLT is hard to pass up.

.
A small 100 point contract isn't going to go far at BLT. The point schedules are higher there, making it less of a value than some of the other resorts would be for the same number of points. Also, don't buy AKV if you don't love it and don't want higher dues. Remember that maintenance fees will be by far the larger cost over the length of the contract. While BLT fees are low now, they WILL increase once the resort is sold out. AKV will always have higher fees because of the savanna and the animals.

You need to familiarize yourself with the individual resorts more. Understand EVERYTHING about them (dues costs, year of expiration, transportation to and from, as well as location and accommodations). Whatr is best for one family might not be for another.

We own a total of 449 points, and we are an empty nest couple. We own at AKV and OKW (early expiration there), and feel we have the best of both worlds for us. BLT has no appeal to us, because MK is our least favorite park, and we like the more quiet laid back atmosphere of some of the other resorts.