What am I missing with the point costs?

[3girlsfun]

I was just looking at the TSS, and saw that there are 200 points for around $11k.

Ok, so, other than the 11 month booking window, what am I missing by buying this points (much cheaper than buying at BLT, or AKL) and then using them at the DVC resorts in Orlando?

Or, am I missing something?

 

[william1375]

Dont forget maintenance fees, they can add up in a hurry. A "cheap" bunch of points can over time end up costing more.

 

[Metsoskil]

You are missing the higher MF and the 11 mo. booking window.

At certain times of year WDW DVC resorts are very hard to book inside the 7 mo. window.

At HHI and VB the MF can be 1-2 more per point than at some of the WDW resorts. That could be as much as $400 per year on a 200 pt contract. You'll end up spending considerably more over the life of the contract by buying at those resorts, even if the buy-in price is cheaper.

 

[3girlsfun]

That is what I thought, I knew that price looked too good to be true....

Thank you everyone!

 

[gkrykewy]

??? No, i wouldn't say that the price is too good to be true. I assume you're referring to SSR? If I were buying my first contract now, I would almost certainly be buying an SSR resale contract. That's tremendous value.

 

[vicki_c]

I don't understand the OP's point either - what resort are we talking about with 200 points for $11K. Some seem to think it's VB or HHI, someone thinks it's SSR. There's quite a difference (to me) between considering the 2 off-site resorts with an on-site resort, no matter which one it is.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

What's TSS? Just when I thought I knew most of the acronyms in use around here!

 

[CMOORE185]

What's TSS? Just when I thought I knew most of the acronyms in use around here!

Time Share Store

 

[BigTigger]

What's TSS? Just when I thought I knew most of the acronyms in use around here!

The TimeShare Store.

 

[JimMIA]

What's TSS? Just when I thought I knew most of the acronyms in use around here!

Also more commonly abbreviated as TTS -- The Timeshare Store.

 

[JimMIA]

I was just looking at the TSS, and saw that there are 200 points for around $11k.

Ok, so, other than the 11 month booking window, what am I missing by buying this points (much cheaper than buying at BLT, or AKL) and then using them at the DVC resorts in Orlando?

Or, am I missing something?

If you are interested in BLT or AKV, the resale savings are less than your original post, but still significant. Resale is still probably better unless you are looking for a very small contract.

If you don't care about home resort booking advantage at BLT or AKV so much, I'd take a good look at OKW or SSR resale -- both great prices ($30 or more less than direct) and low maintenance fees.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

That is what I thought, I knew that price looked too good to be true....

Thank you everyone!

No, not necessarily. OKW and SSR contracts can be found for around that price level.

I wouldn't recommend the VB or HHI contracts unless you intended to stay at those resorts on a regular basis. The MF's there are higher and you'd lose the option of booking your home resort at 11 months to to have a room at WDW and then trying to switch at 7 months.

If you are open to where you stay at WDW then you can find very good options in resale compared to buying direct.

 

[dzorn]

You may also want make sure it is not a stripped contract.

Denise in MI

 

[adminjedi]

I don't understand the OP's point either - what resort are we talking about with 200 points for $11K. Some seem to think it's VB or HHI, someone thinks it's SSR. There's quite a difference (to me) between considering the 2 off-site resorts with an on-site resort, no matter which one it is.

If you do the math, that is $55 per point. SSR isn't that low, probably VB.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If you do the math, that is $55 per point. SSR isn't that low, probably VB.

Actually, there are contracts that have passed for $55 for SSR. $60-65 is a bit more of the norm though.

 

[hellerjw]

VB does have one of the lowest resale costs right now, but its dues are the highest of any DVC resort (unless you are lucky enough to find a rare contract from an original owner with subsidized dues).

HHI is also in that low $50/pt range right now but its dues are more reasonable, within $0.70/pt of all but 3 resorts (BLT, VGC & SSR).

It really comes down to the golden rule of DVC - "Buy where you want to stay"

As a HHI owner I will put in my 2 cents .....

If you really want to stay often at one of the beach resorts and are comfortable getting something at one of the other WDW DVC resorts at the 7 month mark then they too deserve serious consideration, especially if you can save $5000-$6000 on a 200pt contract vs. some of the WDW resorts.

For example, if you save $5000 on a 200pt HHI contract (dues $5.57/pt) over a 200pt AKV contract (dues $4.95/pt) it would take decades for the higher HHI dues to catch up to the initial price difference between the 2 contracts. Do you really know what your vacation habits will be in 10 years, much less 30?

I chose AKV in this example because it falls right in the middle of the pack as far as dues costs go. I could have just as easily picked some of the older WDW resorts (VWL, BCV, etc) with a 2042 expiration date and the cost comparisons would be almost identical. My point is don't ignore the beach resorts simply because of higher dues especially if that is where you want to stay. There are those of us who love the DVC system but don't necessarily want to own at a WDW resort long-term. That's the beauty of the system, enough choice to suit everyone's tastes.

 

[adminjedi]

Actually, there are contracts that have passed for $55 for SSR. $60-65 is a bit more of the norm though.

I just took a peak at ROFR...I stand corrected!

 

[Sandisw]

If you are comfortable at owning at one of these resorts, then buying them via the resale is a great idea. You end up a DVC owner with points to use as every other DVC member.

Yes, different resorts have different yearly MF's so that has to be considered. If you buy in at $55/ppt instead of $110/ppt but MF's are $3.00 more, it takes about 16 years to at that savings up.

However, there are some resorts, like SSR or OKW, who are getting some of these lower prices who also have some of the lower MF's.

So, getting SSR at $60/ppt vs. BLT at $110/ppt, with only about a $1.00 difference in fees, it takes the entire life of the contracts to eat that up. While the BLT contracts last for an extra 6 years, I don't think someone should worry about something 40 years down the road when deciding which one to purchase.

I still believe that people should buy where they are comfortable. While many have great luck at the 7 month mark getting lots of different reservations (we did), there is just no way to predict how things will be in the future. IMO, the worst thing to do is buy a resort that would leave you with disappointment if that is where you ended up having to stay, no matter the savings.

 

[3girlsfun]

When I made this posting, there was a resale contract for HHI, 200 points, and the price was great. It seems like to me it would take a long time for the main. fee to catch up. I don't know, I just keep thinking, it is a bit risky...

 

[dianeschlicht]

When I made this posting, there was a resale contract for HHI, 200 points, and the price was great. It seems like to me it would take a long time for the main. fee to catch up. I don't know, I just keep thinking, it is a bit risky...

So are you at all interested in staying at HHI? If not, then it certainly isn't a good choice to buy a contract that traditionally has higher dues unless you are plannign to usually use it at the 11 month booking window. If you plan to mostly use it at WDW, then you are best off looking for a cheap SSR or OKW resale. Those have lower maintenance fees and also lower points/stay costs. That way, if you can't switch to another resort at the 7 month booking window, at least you will be at WDW.