Vero Beach: Why are resale prices so low?

[mariepapa]

Looking through the various resale prices I noticed that the Vero Beach ones are a virtual steal. Am I missing something? Even if I bought into that resort I can still book anywhere, right?

Needing obvious clarification!
Thanks in advance

 

[BigEeyore]

Vero has the highest yearly maint fees, so that is probably a big factor.
And yes, you can book anywhere after the 7 month window opens up, but you will only have the 11 month home resort booking advantage at Vero. This is usually only a big deal if you like to travel at peak times of year (summer, spring break, holidays).

 

[GoofItUp]

They have some of the (if not THE) highest MF which will cost you more over the life of the contract than the initial buy-in. Yes, you can still book anywhere if you own at VB at the 7-month mark. And some people will tell you that rules can change at any time and Disney might not let you trade around so that you'd be stuck at VB, but I think that has about as much chance as ..... well, you know.

 

[wdrl]

Looking through the various resale prices I noticed that the Vero Beach ones are a virtual steal. Am I missing something? Even if I bought into that resort I can still book anywhere, right?

Needing obvious clarification!
Thanks in advance

Yes, even if you bought points at Vero Beach, you can use those points to book at any DVC resort. But you will have to wait for the 7-month window before you can book at any resort other than VB. Some of the more popular accommodations, such as AKV's concierge level, SSR's TreeHouse Villas, BWV's Standard view, etc, are very difficult to get unless they are booked during the home resort window. And during popular DVC travel times, such as December, October during Food & Wine, etc., other resorts can book very, very quickly. If you have your heart set on a certain resort at a certain time of year, you may not be able to book it at the 7-month window.

Another issue to consider is the cost of owning Vero Beach compared to other resorts. At $6.41/point, Vero Beach has the highest yearly maintenance fees of all DVC resorts. Over the life of a contract, these MF quickly eat up any initial savings. Let's assume you could buy a 100-point VB resale for $50/point. With closing costs of $397, that VB contract will could you $5,397. By comparison, a Saratoga Springs resale goes for $75/point, bringing its cost to $7,897. The VB resale contract starts off being $2,500 cheaper. But each year you'll pay $641 in MF. With SSR's MF being $4.34, you'll pay $434 a year, or $207 less each year than at VB. After 12+ years, the difference in MF between VB and SSR will make the SSR contract cheaper.

 

[mariepapa]

Thank you for your replies. Everything that looks too good to be true usually is. I keep leaning to AKL, mainly for ambience, but I could stay anywhere!

 

[puente0629]

They have the highest annual due and they expire earlier than the newer DVC resorts

 

[Dean]

I'm sure you got that the fees are higher. The other issue is you do not have a home resort window for on property. This means you have to try at 7 months for WDW each and every time and that certain times of the year you may not get anything. Some would say if you book at 7 months or less normally that it doesn't matter, I would say if you book that late not to buy at all. The last issue is that you're getting what you pay for. Those points you pay $20 a point less for now are likely to be worth even less later compared to other options. If you don't care, buy SSR. ONLY buy HH or VB if you plan to stay at those resorts part of the time.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm sure you got that the fees are higher. The other issue is you do not have a home resort window for on property. This means you have to try at 7 months for WDW each and every time and that certain times of the year you may not get anything. Some would say if you book at 7 months or less normally that it doesn't matter, I would say if you book that late not to buy at all. The last issue is that you're getting what you pay for. Those points you pay $20 a point less for now are likely to be worth even less later compared to other options. If you don't care, buy SSR. ONLY buy HH or VB if you plan to stay at those resorts part of the time.

Well said!

 

[mariepapa]

I'm sure you got that the fees are higher. The other issue is you do not have a home resort window for on property. This means you have to try at 7 months for WDW each and every time and that certain times of the year you may not get anything. Some would say if you book at 7 months or less normally that it doesn't matter, I would say if you book that late not to buy at all. The last issue is that you're getting what you pay for. Those points you pay $20 a point less for now are likely to be worth even less later compared to other options. If you don't care, buy SSR. ONLY buy HH or VB if you plan to stay at those resorts part of the time.

Well, we want to go to WDW but might want to go to the beach once in a while. Thanks!

 

[wdrl]

Well, we want to go to WDW but might want to go to the beach once in a while. Thanks!

Here is another option you should consider: Buy two small resale contracts, one at a beach resort and one at a WDW resort. With banking and borrowing of points, you can go to the beach every two or three years with the points from one contract, and to WDW every two or three years with the second contract. Each contract can have half or even just a third as many points as you would need if you planned on visiting every year. So if you were thinking of buying 150 points, you might try buying 75 points at VB and 75 points at SSR. Although I have never been to either HHI or VB, many posters here on the disboards think they are great resorts. In fact, I've heard that both resorts sometimes are very difficult to book for the peak beach seasons unless you have the 11-month home resort advantage.

Good luck!!

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Looking through the various resale prices I noticed that the Vero Beach ones are a virtual steal. Am I missing something? Even if I bought into that resort I can still book anywhere, right?

Needing obvious clarification!
Thanks in advance

The main reason as others have said are the high annual dues. They are $6.41 per point for 2009 and that is the highest of any of the resorts.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

That's what I did. Bought a 50 point contract at Vero beach. We use our points there and lately it's been good to have the 11 month booking advantage. It seems more members are staying outside WDW, looking for a cheaper vacation. It is a beautiful resort!

Here is another option you should consider: Buy two small resale contracts, one at a beach resort and one at a WDW resort. With banking and borrowing of points, you can go to the beach every two or three years with the points from one contract, and to WDW every two or three years with the second contract. Each contract can have half or even just a third as many points as you would need if you planned on visiting every year. So if you were thinking of buying 150 points, you might try buying 75 points at VB and 75 points at SSR. Although I have never been to either HHI or VB, many posters here on the disboards think they are great resorts. In fact, I've heard that both resorts sometimes are very difficult to book for the peak beach seasons unless you have the 11-month home resort advantage.

Good luck!!

 

[Dean]

Well, we want to go to WDW but might want to go to the beach once in a while. Thanks!

The question is how often for each and is VB where you want to go to the beach. Is it worth it to pay higher dues and give up an 11 month WDW priority for that occasional beach trip? Other than Xmas, President's week and Easter and the 3 BR cottages it's not that difficult to get into VB overall at the 7 month window.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

The question is how often for each and is VB where you want to go to the beach. Is it worth it to pay higher dues and give up an 11 month WDW priority for that occasional beach trip? Other than Xmas, President's week and Easter and the 3 BR cottages it's not that difficult to get into VB overall at the 7 month window.

That has not been the case recently. There have been reports fom members not being able to get 5 consecutive days in the months of June, July and August. With the increase in membership it is getting harder to get into VB

 

[Dean]

That has not been the case recently. There have been reports fom members not being able to get 5 consecutive days in the months of June, July and August. With the increase in membership it is getting harder to get into VB

I think overall one can anticipate VB will not be that difficult except as I mentioned. Certainly middle of the summer will be more difficult than some of the rest (say May and Sept).

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I think overall one can anticipate VB will not be that difficult except as I mentioned. Certainly middle of the summer will be more difficult than some of the rest (say May and Sept).

May and September are shoulder seasons and are easier at any of the DVC resorts, not just VB. April, June, July, August are extremely tough.

 

[Dean]

May and September are shoulder seasons and are easier at any of the DVC resorts, not just VB. April, June, July, August are extremely tough.

That has not been my experience thus far. I think the recent difficulties were more related to a change in patterns we've seen with a lot of things for more domestic, more drive and less fly or international travel. Whether this trend conts will likely be the big player in this issue as well as the more difficulty for WDW for certain times including Jan.