When first buying in....

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

We are taking a trip (renting points) in January to WDW and one of the things we plan to do is scope out the DVC resorts to see where we would like to call home (already stayed at OKW and loved it).

Unless other changes occur we will more than likely buy resale when able

How do you decide how many points you initially want to purchase?

We are saving cash so the more points we buy, the longer we wait of course.

Ideally, we would like to have enough points to stay in a one bedroom for when the kids are older.

But, right now (and next few years) they are young, and we have no problem staying in a studio

Do we buy enough points (say around 100) to allow us to stay studio one year, then maybe borrow to stay in a one bedroom the next and flip flop until we are able to add on more points?

Do we save for another year or two (YIKES- seems so far off) to buy enough points initially to let us stay in a 1 bedroom every year?

edited to add- We currently like to travel in the off-season. Fall/Winter works best for us- obviously this may change when the kids are quite older for school reasons.

So much to consider, so any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[sleepydog25]

I'm sure others will chime in, but for my money, I'd save and get enough points so that a 1BR is possible each year. The kids will grow soon enough, and you'll appreciate the extra room. I'd even go so far as to say you could consider saving enough so that a 2BR is possible, but that does involve waiting even longer. There are many issues to consider when buying into DVC, but you can scour the threads for all that information. I've limited my response specifically to the question at hand, studio vs 1BR, and I absolutely would choose going for the 1BR even if it meant waiting another year or two. Good luck!

 

[Sandisw]

I think it depends on whether or not you plan to continue to go to WDW until you "save" enough to buy all the points that you want.

If that is the case, then I would probably buy the number of points you can afford now and then go from there. For example, if you start with 100 points, you can always using borrowing to give you more while you continue to save for add ons in the future.

For example, you could end up borrowing another 25 points each year and would not "run out" for 4 years. Plus, you might end up finding a contract that has either banked points that would give you even extra to start.

We did this when we bought. We had a trip planned for the summer at the CR which was going to cost $2000 for the room. Instead of paying cash one more time, we took that and put it toward our purchase. It just made sense.

Good luck!

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I purchased 210 points from Disney since the "extra 10 points" didn't add but maybe $5 to the monthly mortgage we pay and would give us a few extra to maybe have an extra night. We do not have children so we stay in a studio and when our parents go they get a studio as well. You can also purchase up 24 points from Disney at $15 a point for a reservation---but only at 7 months. You cannot purchase those points for a reservation you make at 11 months. We did that for the trip we are making in May. I booked our Oct trip then decided after the first of the year to stay in May--so we purchased 9 extra points.

I would get what you can afford now and then add on as you can like Sandi said. That way you can be enjoying your purchase now or as soon as possible. We wanted instant gratification so purchased direct from Disney--that planned worked for us and we will finish using our "2008" points that came with our contract when we purchased in 2009. So the first year I could use 420, because Disney allowed me to bank the 2008 points. So that we another perk for our direct purchase. I wish you the best and now that you will have lots of great vacations....we are thrilled with our DVC.

 

[mdsd8700]

I would get what you can afford now and then add on as you can like Sandi said. That way you can be enjoying your purchase now or as soon as possible.

I agree with this. If you have saved some money and can afford a smaller contract now that is what I would go for. With the option to borrow and the one time use points at 7 months I think you can make it work.

Also I think you are fine to stay in a studio for the time being. Yes of course the 1 Bdrm and even the 2 Bdrm are incredibly nice but once you have started on that path going back is difficult. We only bought into DVC last June and our kids are teenagers so we have been staying in regular hotel rooms on most of our vacations, not just Disney ones. Only the last couple of years has it really been harder, it is definately nicer to have the extra room though!

Good Luck with your decision.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

Thank you all! We would more than likely not go on any more trips after the January one if we were to save up enough $ to pay for enough points to always get a 1 bedroom- meaning we would skip vacations for a good 2 years.

Though, we realistically could buy 100 points (Does that seem like a good starting point if we were planning on taking one weekly studio vacation a year for the time being?) by Feb 2012 if all goes well

When I think about how much money I spent on the last two trips I cringe now since I could have used that to pay a huge chunk of DVC. The memories were worth it, and they got me hooked on Disney (and DVC).

 

[mouseaider]

Though, we realistically could buy 100 points (Does that seem like a good starting point if we were planning on taking one weekly studio vacation a year for the time being?) by Feb 2012 if all goes well

That's what we did.

We knew we were going to be at WDW in January and we are planning an anniversary trip to Hawaii in 2012, so we just diverted the money from both of the trips and added a little more and bought 100 points to start us off.

But....... we came down with a severe case of addonitis during our January trip and the Doctor prescribed an add on contract to ease the pain, so we are waiting to see if our little 55 point add on is going to pass ROFR.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

what better way to spend money though, right? Cant wait!

Do you recommend doing a DVC tour via Disney, or just visiting the resorts on our own while there?

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

what better way to spend money though, right? Cant wait!

Do you recommend doing a DVC tour via Disney, or just visiting the resorts on our own while there?

 

[Kidanifan08]

If you plan to buy direct, there are some nice incentives right now, although there may be a minimum purchase requirement. You could always pay cash for the 100 points you have saved up for and finance the additional points you need for a 1-BR. DVC financing is a little steep at 10.75%, but it's tax deductible.

Look closely at the point chart at the resort you want for your home resort to make sure you have enough points for all of the times of year you might travel. Add about 5-10 points to the max you need to account for upward drift in the point chart (we did not do that, and now we are occasionally short about 4-5 points on occasion).

If you plan to buy resale, make sure you buy at a resort where you think you want to say most of the time. $10-15 per point savings now may not be worth it in the long run if you don't like where you are staying. BWV is a great location and relatively affordable on the resale market right now. We bought direct from DVC at Kidani, and love it. We have a pending resale contract for an additional 50 points, and we initially bought in October 2008!

 

[mdsd8700]

Though, we realistically could buy 100 points (Does that seem like a good starting point if we were planning on taking one weekly studio vacation a year for the time being?) by Feb 2012 if all goes well

If you will have the money and are comfortable with the purchase I do think that 100 points is a good place to start. As far as the DVC tour goes, we never took it. I think this board is a better place to get all the best and unbiased information, however others who have taken the tour may think it is worth your time. If you have not been to all of the resorts then I would definately recommend you visit each one. They are all unique and everybody chooses a home resort for different reasons. I beleive it is important to buy where you want to stay or at the very least will not be disappointed to stay there.

Good Luck!

 

[Figment2]

Fall Winter is not off season for DVC