**Update** Pg. 2 Is this a good deal? Need opinions & advice please.

[disneymotherof3]

My DH and I are REALLY interested in buying into DVC. We love the idea of being able to take our family to DW at least every other year. We found a deal on TTS at OKW that looks pretty good to us. The only thing that's bothering us is that we'd really like to buy in at AKV, but right now we really can't afford to buy there. It's my understanding that it's pretty difficult to get in at another resort that's not your "home". Is that true? Would we have a difficult time getting a room at AKV if we bought at OKW? Is there any charge to stay at another resort?

Ok.....here's the deal.

Old Key West 110 points with a June use year. There are 220 points coming 6/1/08 (110 + 110 banked points from 2007) and 110 points coming on 6/1/09. Priced at $80 per point or $8,800.


Purchase Price: $8,800.00
Closing Costs: $425.00 (title insurance, recording of the deed, and guarantee of free and clear title)
Annual Dues: $501.60 (2008 points, 110 points X $4.56 per point)


Total: $9,726.60


What do you all think? Any advice for a DVC newbie would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks in advance!!

 

[luvindisneyworld]

I think it sounds like a good deal to me but you would have to make it through Right of First refusal from Disney.
It is very difficult to get in some resorts for sure.So I always tell everyone to buy where you want to stay.I dont know how difficult it is going to be to get into AKV at the 7 month window but if thats where you want to stay all of the time then thats where I would buy because thats where your 11 month booking comes into play.
But if you are OK with staying anywhere as long as you ar at Disney then you should be fine.But if you are only able to book during the busiest of times and you are wanting to pretty much stay at AKV then thats definetely where I would buy.

 

[duckie0517]

We purchased SSR in 2004.
We have had no problems in booking at other resorts.
There is no extra cost to book at other resorts at WDW.

As long as you keep in-mind that it would be harder to book at another resort during peak seasons like x-mas and New Year.

 

[ldo]

this is a "loaded" contract, meaning that you get the banked points from the prior year. $80 PP is a decent price for OKW. You understand about home resort and 11 month booking. As long as you realize that it will be hard to stay anywhere but OKW for Christmas, Easter, etc. and you are OK with OKW, you'll be fine.
Also, IMHO, I think you'll be able to book AKV in non-holiday times at 7 month out because it is going to have about 700 units when done--just as OKW is usually still available at 7 months out (and much shorter notice).
Good luck with your decision. Elaine (ps-we just bought VWL resale from TTS and were VERY happy with deal and service).

 

[browniemtb]

I would agree with all the above posters.....yes its a good deal when you can get a loaded contract at a good price. Even though you will have to wait for the ROFR process which in turn Disney may absorb the points back into their system.

As far as booking elsewhere, well as others have said it may be tough during the busy holiday season. But AKV has many more rooms to come on-line which should free things up a little. Just remember when you want to book a trip, book your home resort "OKW" at 11 months and then try to switch at the 7 month mark. This way you at least know your going to Disney.

Brownie

 

[JimMIA]

I think the contract you're looking at is certainly a good one, and I'd expect it to sell very quickly because of the banked points. Don't be too surprised if it's already gone when you call TTS.

As far as AKV, it's hard to predict how easy or hard AKV is going to be to get into at seven months. On the surface, when it's fully open it will be a pretty large resort -- about the size of BWV. However, it offers a multiplicity of villa options, so if you are looking for a very specific type of accommodation, that could be more difficult.

You will probably have difficulty getting in between Thanksgiving and New Years, and during some of the big holiday weeks (Easter, etc.) Outside of those times, however, I think you'd have a good shot of getting something there at seven months.

Also don't forget, once you are in DVC you no longer have to worry about the minimum purchase. So if you buy that OKW contract, you could buy addons at AKV in increments as small as 25 points (50, if you need to finance), and build up an AKV points pool that way.

 

[LisaS]

this is a "loaded" contract, meaning that you get the banked points from the prior year.

The banked points are not from the prior year, they are from the current use year (2007). So this isn't really a loaded contract since a loaded contract would have banked points from the prior UY (2006), all 2007 UY points available and all 2008 UY points coming.

Points-wise this contract is equivalent to what you would get if you purchased directly from Disney: all current UY points, and full points from next UY available. Disney charges $96/pt for OKW but you would get an expiration date Jan 31, 2057 instead of Jan 31, 2042 so you would get 15 more years for an additional $16/point. Closing costs with Disney might be lower as well and dues for 2008 would be pro-rated from your purchase date so that cost would be lower as well. Just something to consider.

I agree that once AKV is completed, it should be possible to get a Savanna View room 7 months out for all but the busiest times like early December. However, it will be difficult to impossible for non-owners to book AKV Concierge if it continues to be just the five 2BR lockoffs in Jambo House and the Value villas could be difficult as well since those are also very limited.

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

Does the contract expire in 2042 or 2054?

 

[luvindisneyworld]

The particular one the OP is talking about would be 2042.If you buy through Disney and with the extension it would be 2057.

Does the contract expire in 2042 or 2054?

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think this year booking AKV at 7 months will be difficult, but once Kidani is opened, I think it will be possible as long as you are not always trying to book at those "difficult" times that we all know about with DVC. I think if you are willing to be happy to stay at OKW if you can't get into AKV, it will be a great deal, should you pass ROFR. FOr one thing, OKW has one of the lower dues per point. That will likely still be true for some time yet. We own both AKV and OKW....We wanted to make sure we could have the 11 month booking window for AKV every 2-3 years, so we did a smallish add-on of points there when it became available to members.

 

[disneymotherof3]

Thank you everyone for your advice and information.

Does the contract expire in 2042 or 2054?

I'm not sure. I guess we need to call and find out.

Does anyone know if the point price is negotiable? I know that you don't want to go too low because of Disney's ROFR. We're also wondering about the closing costs. I guess it would depend on the seller if they would be willing to maybe split them? Is that too much to ask??

 

[disneymotherof3]

Also don't forget, once you are in DVC you no longer have to worry about the minimum purchase. So if you buy that OKW contract, you could buy addons at AKV in increments as small as 25 points (50, if you need to finance), and build up an AKV points pool that way.

We own both AKV and OKW....We wanted to make sure we could have the 11 month booking window for AKV every 2-3 years, so we did a smallish add-on of points there when it became available to members.

This is along the same line of thinking that we had. We thought to get our feet in the door, we could do a contract like this one and then do a small one at AKV. Any idea on how much a small contract like 25 points at AKV would cost?

 

[luvindisneyworld]

It is 104.00 PP, I think for something that small.

This is along the same line of thinking that we had. We thought to get our feet in the door, we could do a contract like this one and then do a small one at AKV. Any idea on how much a small contract like 25 points at AKV would cost?

 

[disneymotherof3]

Well we talked to TTS and I think we're going to do it! I'm so nervous for some reason. I know it's a good deal, but still.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Thats Awesome

Well we talked to TTS and I think we're going to do it! I'm so nervous for some reason. I know it's a good deal, but still.

 

[Chellymouse]

We are new to DVC and I can tell you that my DH was nervous for quite a while. We are VERY excited to have purchased (still kicking ourselves for not buying in 4 years ago) but if you're nervous because you think you may not be able to afford it or you are biting off more than what's chewable at the moment, then you may want to hold off a while especially with the economy the way it is. While we would have saved a bit had we bought in 4 years ago, it was really going to be a stretch.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Well we talked to TTS and I think we're going to do it! I'm so nervous for some reason. I know it's a good deal, but still.

Yeah!!! I'm so excited for you!!!

I was super nervous, too. First, I went through...did I do the right thing? Then it was...what if we don't pass ROFR? Then it was...did we buy enough/too many points? And so on, and so on! One year later, I'm so glad we jumped in when we did. We've enjoyed a BWV trip, we're going to SSR in about a month and to Vero this summer!

Best of luck passing ROFR. Sending some pixie dust your way and wishing you an early WELCOME HOME!!! (whether it's this contract or the next one!!!)

 

[PIERCEDRN]

Don't worry you will be fine! The worst thing that could happen is that it gets ROFRed because small contracts are attractive to disney. This would be annoying but its not the end of the world...it just delays things until another contract comes by. Some people also defray the starting costs by renting out the "extra" points of a loaded contract. 220 points is worth over $2000 to rent. Consider that if a broker suggests a "stripped" contract at a slightly cheaper price. Of course, we splurged on a 12 day trip after getting my "loaded" contract last year so I couldn't delay my fun to get a better overall deal!!!
BOB

 

[nunzia]

Yes..everything is negotiable. I wouildn't try to get the points any lower, but maybe the seller could help with closing costs?
That said, my sellers wouldn't budge and I paid it all. I was very nervous too and no I just can't wait for DGC to be announced.
I bought OKW, 2042 expiration, at 78 a point and it passed, so good luck!

 

[disneymotherof3]

Well we're definitely doing it! We're biting the bullet and buying!! We tried to get the point price reduced, but the buyer wasn't budging, which is fine. We're still getting a great deal. I can't believe that we're doing it! I'm and all at the same time. My DH just keeps reminding me that this is something that we've really wanted and it will be great for our family. All things that I know, but still. Now we just have to get through the ROFR and then I'll feel much better.

From what I've read in some other posts, I think that our UY is great for us. Our UY is June and we plan on doing most of our vacations in August because of school for the kids. Am I right in my thinking?