Taking the leap to be a DVC member...

[CarolynFH]

I kept telling myself that even if I decided I had made a mistake buying in, I could rent the points and then sell the contract and get out with minimal financial damage. I also imagined myself NOT buying DVC, checking into All Stars, and kicking myself every time I thought about the fact that I could be at Copper Creek for the same price if I had bought DVC.

If you keep your DVC long enough and Disney keeps increasing its resort prices as they have been, you’ll be in our position. We brought our adult kids and our grandkids for the week leading into Christmas. One night in a BW view studio, six nights in TWO 2-bedroom G/P view villas for 2 UY worth of points: about $4,000. So in 20 years you could potentially be checking into All Stars and paying a lot more than the CCV MFs would have been for that stay.

 

[MonaMN]

We are in ROFR on our first contract (Copper Creek). Frankly, I started looking at prices for rooms and even moderates are starting to be excessively expensive for a regular stay. We have talked about DVC off and on, and we realized that we could do it without breaking the bank now... so we decided to take the plunge. Hoping to take our first trip as DVC members in early 2022!

 

[DVCSunDevil]

I've been considering DVC since my first Disney trip in 2018. Since then my extended family has decided to go back every other year and I hope to go once a year (single no kids so I'd either go by myself or bring a friend). So I know our points would get used, but how in the heck do you convince yourself it's OK to spend the money?!?! I plan to do resale and pay cash. Regardless if it's $5k or $50k it's still a lot of money and I'm having a hard time taking the leap. And then let's not even get in to the addonitis that is bound to kick in afterwards! So tell me what was the tipping point mentally that allowed you to make that large purchase?

The tipping point for us mentally was when we realized how much money we would save in the long term. If you love WDW and truly see yourself going at least every other year, then DVC makes deluxe resorts much more affordable. And the savings will continue to grow as WDW room rates continue to increase. All that, combined with knowing that we can rent our points if there are some years when we won't be going to WDW, tipped us into making the leap. We bought our first contract last year and have no buyers remorse!! We have our first DVC trip in April and we can't wait!

 

[starfrenzy]

Thanks so much for this thread. The responses are wonderful.

I’m at the exact same spot. I’ve been dreaming of, researching, and saving for DVC since my first trip in 2017. Now I DO have the money, but I keep hesitating on making any offers because I keep thinking, “Gee, that’s a lot of money!” (Both the buy-in and annual). But we do spend that much on stays! Or stay somewhere offsite for a bit less but with less “magic” & convenience, thinking “I’d rather be in a deluxe on property.”

Thanks for starting this topic, and thanks to all those that shared their thoughts!

 

[Popouri DVC]

Our family bought DVC in 2014. Thankfully we were able to pay cash.

Now every time I check in to VGF for a DVC stay, I still pinch myself that we are actually staying at The Grand Floridian!

That was a Disney resort that, growing up, I never fantasized about being able to stay in for one night, let alone own a part of!

Now, seven years later, I could sell my DVC for more than I paid for it; I could easily say that it has paid for itself when I consider what I would have paid if we had stayed on cash each time (if we could have afforded to).

And I still have over forty years to go. It won't do anything but get cheaper as prices go up and up and up.

Not one second of buyer's remorse have I had.

 

[RoseGold]

If you've only been to WDW once, in 2018, this is a BIG commitment.

I wouldn't buy DVC unless you really want to commit to a long time of going regularly. As a single person, who has only gone once, I would advise you to think long and hard about this. It's not like there is a shortage of Orlando hotel rooms. This is a lot of work and money to go every other year.

I'd just stay Art of Animation Little Mermaid room. You'll come out cheaper than DVC, and if you don't want to go next year, just cancel.

 

[smsharp]

If you've only been to WDW once, in 2018, this is a BIG commitment.

I wouldn't buy DVC unless you really want to commit to a long time of going regularly. As a single person, who has only gone once, I would advise you to think long and hard about this. It's not like there is a shortage of Orlando hotel rooms. This is a lot of work and money to go every other year.

I'd just stay Art of Animation Little Mermaid room. You'll come out cheaper than DVC, and if you don't want to go next year, just cancel.

I've been 2 times since then with my next trip slated for this December and two slated in 2022.

 

[RoseGold]

If you keep your DVC long enough and Disney keeps increasing its resort prices as they have been, you’ll be in our position. We brought our adult kids and our grandkids for the week leading into Christmas. One night in a BW view studio, six nights in TWO 2-bedroom G/P view villas for 2 UY worth of points: about $4,000.

Sure, if you bought 20 years ago, you are looking good.

If you bought CCV, you are probably losing money, maybe a whole lot of money, if you need to sell now.

Resale can help this math and make it less commitment, but I would definitely not buy DVC expecting to make money. This is a prepaid, expensive hotel room in the form of real estate. It costs money to sell and buy, and it is a big commitment. It will save you money against deluxe properties, and fancy bookings like 2BRs, but not against bookings like AoA or AirBnb.

 

[CarolynFH]

Sure, if you bought 20 years ago, you are looking good.

If you bought CCV, you are probably losing money, maybe a whole lot of money, if you need to sell now.

Resale can help this math and make it less commitment, but I would definitely not buy DVC expecting to make money. This is a prepaid, expensive hotel room in the form of real estate. It costs money to sell and buy, and it is a big commitment. It will save you money against deluxe properties, and fancy bookings like 2BRs, but not against bookings like AoA or AirBnb.

Yes, my point is that a timeshare, especially an expensive one like DVC, is valuable only if you hold onto it and use it for many years, not just five or even ten but 15-20+. The value is in the use as prepaid accommodations not as appreciating real estate that you can sell for a profit when you’re done.

 

[RoseGold]

Yes, my point is that a timeshare, especially an expensive one like DVC, is valuable only if you hold onto it and use it for many years, not just five or even ten but 15-20+. The value is in the use as prepaid accommodations not as appreciating real estate that you can sell for a profit when you’re done.

DVC has not grown as quickly as it did for early buyers. Early buyers did make money over time.

I'm not sure that's a fair assumption to make anymore, mathematically. Even BLT/VGF/Poly buyers can still have lost money, and financing can flip the math on any deal.

We don't know what DVC will look like in 15 years, but recent growth has not matched the historic performance of DVC.

 

[sethschroeder]

If you bought CCV, you are probably losing money, maybe a whole lot of money, if you need to sell now.

It has been 3 years.

Even BLT/VGF/Poly buyers can still have lost money, and financing can flip the math on any deal.

• BLT if you bought before they essentially sold out and raised their prices like 5 times and reduced incentives would be in the green right now to sell.
• VGF launched at $145 so you would need to sell for $158 to cover the commission and original closing costs. That should be doable to come out even or slightly ahead (even after using it for a few years now).
• Poly launched at $160 (not sure about incentives). They are now 6 years in and would take roughly a $15-$25/point hit based on the ROFR thread.

With direct you really have to buy in typically right after the launch of the resort to get the best price. With Riviera you had a 2nd chance between June-September before the price went up with less incentives and a price bump.

As far as financing DVC its not a good choice especially on a higher priced direct contract.

Also the big thing here is that even at Poly where you might take a $15-$25 point hit that is 9-16% of the original price which equates to 4.5-8 years worth of the contract. So that means using up points through 2023 would allow you to get back the rest of your initial outlay of cash (obviously way more things to do it but just basic math).

 

[CarolynFH]

The value is in the use as prepaid accommodations not as appreciating real estate that you can sell for a profit when you’re done.

DVC has not grown as quickly as it did for early buyers. Early buyers did make money over time.

Well, I don't think I said we "made money" over time. I said we received value as hotel prices rose over time - a long time - but if you want to equate that with "making money" then I guess we agree.

 

[Lorana]

If you bought CCV, you are probably losing money, maybe a whole lot of money, if you need to sell now.

CCV has only been open for 3 years, and the opening price ($176) and incentives made it affordable to purchase direct. 200 points when it went on sale would have cost $158.50/point due to new member incentives (and less for existing members). If you needed to sell now, you'd likely get $140-$150 (DVCResaleMarket says the average sales price in January was $147). Still a loss, but not a "whole lot of money," and you'd have gotten three years of use.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I took the leap when I realized I could stay at BWV for the price of a Mod.

Just a few years later and the price is more comparable to a Value resort stay.

I didn't buy a lot of points. I bought just enough to keep my spending in line with my historical Disney trip spending. Which means I stay in studios as we previously stayed in a basic hotel room.

 

[ITGirl50]

We stayed at Deluxe resorts every year by paying cash or renting points. Since DVC kept its value if we wanted to sale some day and we were spending the money anyway, we thought we might as well as buy. We also wanted to prepay for Deluxe resorts for our retirement. We treat DVC like it’s a vacation home.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I thought about Saratoga due to the low buy in, but when we went in 2018 we had dinner at Ohana and I just fell in love with the atmosphere at poly. Low dues and longer contract along with being on the Monorail and I just keep going back to buying at poly. It's higher up front, so I'm freaking out even more, but I just think it's the better buy in the long term. Things change....and if I need to sell 20 yrs down the road I think poly will hold its value longer.

www.dvcresalemarket.com has a blog that posts the most economical resorts, and PVB is often very near SSR on the list. PVB has a higher buy-in, but the contract is 2066 instead of SSR's 2054, so you get 12 more years for that higher price. This does not take into account the more compact footprint and location for PVB, both of which I see as positives compared to SSR.

ETA: Direct link to the blog post: https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resort-to-purchase-fall-2020/

 

[tgarre06]

www.dvcresalemarket.com has a blog that posts the most economical resorts, and PVB is often very near SSR on the list. PVB has a higher buy-in, but the contract is 2066 instead of SSR's 2054, so you get 12 more years for that higher price. This does not take into account the more compact footprint and location for PVB, both of which I see as positives compared to SSR.

ETA: Direct link to the blog post: https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resort-to-purchase-fall-2020/

I agree with this too. I think the one thing though other than the initial buy in is that PVB takes significantly more points per night to stay there. If someone is trying to buy in to DVC in a more affordable way and buy less points, PVB can be cost prohibitive because not only is the buy-in more, but you have to buy more points as well.

 

[Spinster Travel]

I just bought in at the Poly over the summer after years of lurking and had the same issues of pulling the trigger even though I knew I was in a position to afford it....and that was the tipping point for me; I KNEW I could afford it because I had set out plans for my money before I really got serious about DVC. As a single person, I don't have a spouses income to bail me out in the event that something happened to my job and/or health etc., so for me this meant no debt, a paid off car paid and an emergency fund for whatever life might throw at me. Then the pandemic came along and I had nowhere to go on the weekends so I found myself sitting in front of the computer one Saturday morning for a few hours scrolling these boards and watching the DVC show...all the meanwhile swearing I wasn't serious about really buying in. A couple of Saturdays later, I had done the math on what I was spending each year and how a DVC purchase would impact my "plan" and I was more or less ready.....I was going to buy at Boulder Ridge; it was the best price per point for the resorts I was willing to be "stuck at" as a home resort....BUT.....the Poly is my absolute favorite resort.....so then a few Saturdays later....and a few Excel spreadsheets later; I realized that over the course of the many years of ownership; the Poly was the perfect buy for me. So that's what I got - found a great resale contract and haven't looked back. Good luck!

 

[Marionnette]

I've been considering DVC since my first Disney trip in 2018. Since then my extended family has decided to go back every other year and I hope to go once a year (single no kids so I'd either go by myself or bring a friend). So I know our points would get used, but how in the heck do you convince yourself it's OK to spend the money?!?! I plan to do resale and pay cash. Regardless if it's $5k or $50k it's still a lot of money and I'm having a hard time taking the leap. And then let's not even get in to the addonitis that is bound to kick in afterwards! So tell me what was the tipping point mentally that allowed you to make that large purchase?

The tipping point came when we felt financially secure enough to spend the money. House, cars and college educations for the kids were paid for. We had no outstanding debt.. Our retirement savings were on track and we had a nice emergency fund cushion.

We had been visiting Disney once or twice a year for over 15 years when we dipped our toes into DVC ownership. We loved the deluxe resorts and pretty much stayed at all of them at one point. With the "kids" reaching young adulthood, we could no longer stay comfortably in one room.

We started with a small, 25-point contract in order to get a feel for how DVC works. We've added on (all resale) since that time and now own over 1,000 points. Addonitis is a very real thing.

 

[Wishuponastar0412]

It for sure is a big investment! My husband and I started out renting points to make sure we liked it (we did 3 different times of year and places) and decided to get a small contract of 25 points on the resale market to make sure we liked it. Before renting points, we were typically moderate people. We've owned for 2 years and the fact we can stay at The Grand Floridian for the same price as Coronado is amazing. Of course now my husband is spoiled and only wants to stay DVC now... We're ready to add on now- just looking for the right resale contract!