Talk me out of buying a resale

[Snurk71]

We're long-time WDW and DL visitors, new DVC owners (100 at BLT, 100 at VGC). We had been GF and GC/DLH snobs (10 trips GF, 5 trips GC/DLH) prior to our first BLT stay this past October in a 1BR. We've know for a long time with as much as we went to WDW/DL that DVC was an economic slam dunk, but we were hesitant about other resorts - especially non MK resorts at WDW. But when GC built a DVC and BLT was there for MK - we were in.

Our first non-GF trip went fine. We were worried we'd miss GF, but we were fine in a 1BR at BLT and didn't miss GF in Oct. So now we have the addonitis itch.

We probably won't always book more than 7 months out, but if/when we do take advantage of the 11 month window we essentially have 200-300 pts for a trip to play with (with banking and borrowing) for BLT and VGC if they get tight. So we're looking at adding on another 100 pts to give us some additional pts to use in those 7 month or later bookings. If we have to stay SSR, OKW, or whatever might be available at 4 months - I think we would be fine as long as we have that 1BR.

Financially, it looks like a SSR resale for $70ish/pt is the best option. I hate to say money isn't a big issue, but it probably isn't. I'm kind of cheap though and if I can save $3-$4K, I know I should.

So, tell me why I shouldn't be looking at a less expensive resale contract given what I've shared.

Thanks

 

[arthur06]

You stated that you are monorail snobs! To me that is enough of a reason to go with BLT! MF's are very low at BLT, so that is a huge advantage. If you have never stayed at SSR and consider yourself a monorail snob, I would stay away from anything non-BLT, especially when you say that money is no object...

Better to get what you know you will be happy with for 11-12 grand then gamble that you might be happy with what you get for 7-8 grand...

 

[Dean]

We're long-time WDW and DL visitors, new DVC owners (100 at BLT, 100 at VGC). We had been GF and GC/DLH snobs (10 trips GF, 5 trips GC/DLH) prior to our first BLT stay this past October in a 1BR. We've know for a long time with as much as we went to WDW/DL that DVC was an economic slam dunk, but we were hesitant about other resorts - especially non MK resorts at WDW. But when GC built a DVC and BLT was there for MK - we were in.

Our first non-GF trip went fine. We were worried we'd miss GF, but we were fine in a 1BR at BLT and didn't miss GF in Oct. So now we have the addonitis itch.

We probably won't always book more than 7 months out, but if/when we do take advantage of the 11 month window we essentially have 200-300 pts for a trip to play with (with banking and borrowing) for BLT and VGC if they get tight. So we're looking at adding on another 100 pts to give us some additional pts to use in those 7 month or later bookings. If we have to stay SSR, OKW, or whatever might be available at 4 months - I think we would be fine as long as we have that 1BR.

Financially, it looks like a SSR resale for $70ish/pt is the best option. I hate to say money isn't a big issue, but it probably isn't. I'm kind of cheap though and if I can save $3-$4K, I know I should.

So, tell me why I shouldn't be looking at a less expensive resale contract given what I've shared.

Thanks

IF you're going to buy now and some of your trips will be reserved at or after 7 months out or at SSR/OKW; that likely is your best & cheapest option. In part it depends on your preferences and how many points you need. If looking at 150-160 or more and you are going to buy now, SSR is likely the best value OR an extended OKW contract if you can find one that fits your needs. Make sure you get the same UY. OTOH, if you're looking at 100 points or less, the savings may not be that much. Another approach is to temporize and wait and consider new resorts such as HI and any other resorts that hopefully will come later. There are a lot of ways to stretch your points including one time transfers, paying cash for weekends, taking advantage of other discounts, staying off property, etc. If you're thinking about using points for non DVC options, I'd certainly recommend you rethink that approach. You might want to consider non DVC timeshares that might give you a world of options outside DVC and at a fraction of the cost if done correctly.

 

[arthur06]

Another thing people always say is travel habits change... So just because you dont book at 11 months out doesn't mean that you always will... I would want more then 100 BLT points...

 

[Dean]

To add: This is also an opportunity to pick up a different home resort which is one of the reasons I mentioned the upcoming HI option and other future possibilities. You can always buy more points, not as easy to sell them in the future although it's not that difficult to do for most situations.

 

[Snurk71]

You stated that you are monorail snobs! To me that is enough of a reason to go with BLT! MF's are very low at BLT, so that is a huge advantage. If you have never stayed at SSR and consider yourself a monorail snob, I would stay away from anything non-BLT, especially when you say that money is no object...

Better to get what you know you will be happy with for 11-12 grand then gamble that you might be happy with what you get for 7-8 grand...

I failed to mention that as DD9 ages, we are spending more and more time at non-MK spots as when she was 3-6 years old. We seem to spend more time at EP, MGM, and AK than we used to. So I think we're also transitioning from being monorail snobs too.

I should have also mentioned that we always have a car - so buses/boats aren't really a consideration. We drive everywhere (I'm an impatient freak that wants to go as I please).

 

[Snurk71]

To add: This is also an opportunity to pick up a different home resort which is one of the reasons I mentioned the upcoming HI option and other future possibilities. You can always buy more points, not as easy to sell them in the future although it's not that difficult to do for most situations.

Yeah, we were thinking about another home resort too. If we want to take another family with us sometime, BLT has the highest WDW points. So having points at an SSR for a 2BR or a GV would provide some nice flexiblity.

We have our eyes on HI too. Kind of funny since we've never been to HI, but we've talked about going for a few years. We've been adding a few days at the beach to trips recently (VB for WDW trips, SD for DL trips) - so a trip tp HI (DVC or not) is likely in our future.

Is there any scuttlebut on when HI might start selling?

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Please take a good look at Boardwalk Villas and Beachclub Villas.

They are a walk/boat ride away from Epcot and DHS, and have upscale decor that is somewhat in the same ballpark as the Grand Floridian. Both of these resorts are quite charming.

SSR has an upscale decor with granite countertops as well as a spa and golf course.

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

Point charts were just reallocated. Double check how many point syou think that your family will be requiring. You may be in for a disappointment.

 

[GuySmiley]

Sounds like MK proximity is important, so I'll rule out you using the points 11 mo out at another resort. The only reason I can think of is for the Magic Kingdom view at BLT. Its hard to get some times of the year, and will get harder as the resort sells. If you buy a resale at SSR you can't use those points 11 months out, which may bite you at some point.

 

[robertdangelo]

BCV can be very hard to get in at 7 months. If you can swing an additional contract here, I highly recommend it. Stormalong bay is the Best pool on Property! In addition to being Monorail snobs... you can be water taxi snobs!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

BCV can be very hard to get in at 7 months. If you can swing an additional contract here, I highly recommend it. Stormalong bay is the Best pool on Property! In addition to being Monorail snobs... you can be water taxi snobs!

Boardwalk is a little easier to get at 7 months, but standard and BOARDWALK views can also be a tough reservation at 7 months.

My advice is to really check both of these resorts out to see which one suits you most.

 

[DenLo]

These are really just questions for you to consider before you decide where to buy more points.

How you plan to use your current points. Will you be staying at either WDW or DL each year? So that one year you'll use two years of points at BLT and the next year two years of points at VGC? How many days do you plan to stay at each resort? Do 200 points cover your stay at each resort or do you have to borrow from the future? And if you borrow, how long will it be before you are unable to go each year?

If you think you do not need to add any small contracts to your BLT or VGC points, then I would still think about buying where you want to stay or what parks you want to go to. If you only go to AK once a visit and then go to Epcot and DHS (MGM) multiple times each trip wouldn't it be better to buy points at either BWV or BCV? That way you could walk over to either Epcot or DHS. Or would still drive to those two resorts even if you were staying at an EPCOT property?

I would also always compare the cost at adding on points direct versus resale first before I made a bid. Last August it would have cost us less than $50 to go through Disney direct and we would have had the points the next day. But in September it was better for us to purchase a resale contract for our AKV points. We always total all costs, MF's for all points, closing costs and point price and then we pick the one that is cheaper. BTW, Disney seems to ROFR points that are fully loaded and when the seller pays the MFs on current points. E.g. many bids that received all 2009 and 2010 points and the seller paid the MF's and closing costs, those bids were usually ROFRed. As were many of the ones that just the current year MF's were paid by the seller and the buyer received the current year points.

If none of my questions affect your plan to buy the cheapest points at WDW, then go ahead an buy resale at SSR or OKW. We bought our second contract at AKV through resale. It took about 6 weeks between offer, closure and when the points hit our DVC account. We were awaiting the ROFR decision for 29 days, and then had to wait on the seller to sign the final contract. Boy was the wait agonizing. I have to admit that I really preferred the time we did a BLT add-on direct with Disney. We received our points in the account that afternoon. But if we ever add-on points again, the total money spent will decide for us whether we purchase resale or direct. And we will always buy points at a resort we want to stay at.

Good luck.

 

[Greatfalls]

Most of my points are at SSR, and I bought a 50 point add-on at AKV this year because my family loved Kidani. I originally looked at resale but went ahead and bought through DVC. At the time, the net savings in buying resale would have been about $300. My decision to go with DVC was based on three things. First, the resales at the 50-ish level were in use years different from mine. Other boards have discussed dealing with different use years, but I thought it would be easiest to have the same use year for all my points, especially at the 7-month mark (i.e., easier to combine contracts for a single reservation). Second, buying through DVC is just a lot easier. You call your rep, they put it on a credit card, and your points are immediately usable. Then you just sign and return the paperwork a week later. I haven't done resale, but it looks like it's a drawn out process of about 3 months. Third, I was able to get a 2008 contract in 2009, so I got double points, and DVC waived the rule against banking within 4 months of the end of my use year. Some resale contracts have banked points, but others don't.

So these benefits outweighed the modest price difference for me. The price differences are probably greater now, with both the hike in price per point through DVC and the continuing drop in resale prices.

 

[dsanner106]

My suggestion would be buy someplace you like, if the price difference is not too great, with your 9yr old getting older, I would look for kid friendly resorts near other parks as well. I have 3 teens and watched them progress from MK fans to hollywood studios, animal kingdom and finally epcot. Beachclub and Boardwalk would be my first choices in your situation. Both walking or boating distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Both have great pools, with Beachclub being the better in that dept if your child likes swimming. Boardwalk has more restaurants, shops, and entertainment on site if you prefer that. After those two I would say AK next. I was shocked at how much we really liked the place and the kids were captivated with the animals and being able to step on the balcony and be that close to Giraffes, Zebras etc.

Drew

 

[Snurk71]

Thank you all for the comments to consider. I'm an analyst at heart (work in accounting/finance), so I took a harder look at the fiscal picture of resale - making sure to take into account the expiration dates of the different resorts (but not overanalyzing with a current value analysis to drive myself bonkers). And that harder look is pushing me back to adding on through Disney at either BLT or VGC.

Comparing to SSR (attractive for the low cost), 6 years of 100 pts is 600 pts. The net value of those 600 pts might be debatable (have to take MFs into account for 6 more years). But I can bridge the $2,500 - $4,000 in acquisition cost difference to where BLT/VGC are probably at least even (and at more desireable locations for the 11 month window).

Comparing to BCV/BWV (attractive as a home resort - thanks for mentioning those resorts), 18 years of 100 pts for the acquisition cost differential is a slam dunk for BLT/VGC.

So I'm back to looking at adding on (probably 100 pts) at either BLT or VGC. BLT would be $115/pt, VGC $95/pt. So I'm probably leaning towards either 100 at VGC or 50/50 (assuming I can still qualify for the 100pt discounts on a split - I did on my initial buy-in).