Why are Poly fees higher than VGF?

[MountainMouse]

Any thoughts on why PVB maintenance costs are about 10% higher than VGF? Is it grounds maintenance or taxes (more land). Or is it just a better estimate and VGF will rise, for that matter BLT also.

 

[coastalhh]

The Bungalows that are the playground for non poly owners with tons of cheap points are why

 

[DVC Doctor]

I think it is all the fuel they are burning with the Tiki torches

 

[JWG]

It's likely the upkeep and maintenance of those individual bungalows sitting over water and multiple buildings vs. one building.

 

[dizfan]

The high points for the bungalows may well offset the maintenance fees.

I believe it's all speculation as to the PVB fees at this point. When they send out dues statements for 2016 dues, we will be able to accurately compare PVB dues to other resorts to know where the difference is coming from.

 

[coastalhh]

The high points for the bungalows may well offset the maintenance fees.

I believe it's all speculation as to the PVB fees at this point. When they send out dues statements for 2016 dues, we will be able to accurately compare PVB dues to other resorts to know where the difference is coming from.

??? The resort is open and people are already paying dues for 2015. 2015 was 6.02 per point.

 

[MountainMouse]

??? The resort is open and people are already paying dues for 2015. 2015 was 6.02 per point.

I was wondering whether those folks had to pay maintenance fees or if that was just DVCs quote for 2016. I would think of they did pay then they would have gotten a breakdown. I've never bought direct so I don't know.

 

[coastalhh]

I was wondering whether those folks had to pay maintenance fees or if that was just DVCs quote for 2016. I would think of they did pay then they would have gotten a breakdown. I've never bought direct so I don't know.

That's 2015 and they pay a prorated amount by how much is left for 2015 on their contract. 2016 dues increase will be somewhere above 6.02 because 6.02 was set for year 1. They usually go up around 3 to 6% (at least the last few years)

 

[MountainMouse]

That's 2015 and they pay a prorated amount by how much is left for 2015 on their contract. 2016 dues increase will be somewhere above 6.02 because 6.02 was set for year 1. They usually go up around 3 to 6% (at least the last few years)

Prorated to what, calendar year? I would think a direct buyer would get full 2015 points so no prorate on points received. Also, if they did pay did they get a breakdown of costs? Any Poly owners out there that can answer?

 

[tjkraz]

Many factors contribute to varying annual dues for each resort. The cost of shared amenities (lobby, pool, etc.) is shared between the timeshare and hotel so the portion each is paying varies from resort-to-resort. Materials costs are different for each property, which leads to a varying expected life for building exteriors and roofing. Resorts have different amenities (Community Hall, number of pools, other recreation and leisure equipment.) And point charts tend to vary from resort-to-resort.

There simply is not an easy way to connect the dots between any two properties.

 

[MountainMouse]

Many factors contribute to varying annual dues for each resort. The cost of shared amenities (lobby, pool, etc.) is shared between the timeshare and hotel so the portion each is paying varies from resort-to-resort. Materials costs are different for each property, which leads to a varying expected life for building exteriors and roofing. Resorts have different amenities (Community Hall, number of pools, other recreation and leisure equipment.) And point charts tend to vary from resort-to-resort.

There simply is not an easy way to connect the dots between any two properties.

Yea, I just look at the PVB and I look at VGF and while there are differences I don't see anything significant from a maintenance perspective. If you didn't tell me which one was more I wouldn't be able tell you with any confidence.

 

[gdrj]

Many factors contribute to varying annual dues for each resort. The cost of shared amenities (lobby, pool, etc.) is shared between the timeshare and hotel so the portion each is paying varies from resort-to-resort. Materials costs are different for each property, which leads to a varying expected life for building exteriors and roofing. Resorts have different amenities (Community Hall, number of pools, other recreation and leisure equipment.) And point charts tend to vary from resort-to-resort.

There simply is not an easy way to connect the dots between any two properties.

Agree with everything you are saying. I would think 1 building at GF vs. 3 buildings + 20 bungalows contributes. I am guessing that upkeep and maintenance of gardens in the DVC area is also a higher expense, as well as property tax due to physical size. Plus so many other factors that are not clear.

 

[tjkraz]

Yea, I just look at the PVB and I look at VGF and while there are differences I don't see anything significant from a maintenance perspective.

Sure but what do you or I know about maintenance of either building?

Which one needs to be painted more frequently?
Which has a roof that requires more maintenance / more frequent replacement?
Which has the bigger parking lot and what is DVC's share of the upkeep?
Which pool has more lifeguards?
Do the rooms at one or the other require more housekeeping time in order to clean?
Which resort has more staff members?
Which resort tends to have higher utility bills?
Which resort has the higher property tax assessment?
How does the balance of Standard View vs Lake View rooms vary between the two resorts?

Just a lot of little variances that add up.

If you look around your own neighborhood, chances are most of the homes are in a similar price range with similar square footage, similar features, similar landscaping, etc. But start talking to your neighbors and you'll quickly discover that the amount you pay for utilities, taxes and overall home maintenance varies. This really isn't much different.

 

[freediverdude]

I'm a Poly owner, and I did pay dues for 2015, so yes we're already paying dues. Although I don't remember seeing a breakdown anywhere in the paperwork, maybe I missed it because there were hundreds of pages, lol.

I think part of it may be due to the DVC at Poly being a larger part of the PVR resort proportionally than the VGF are to the GF. So we're probably paying a much bigger percentage of the whole resort upkeep than the VGF owners are. Another thing is we may be paying a big percent for the huge resort-wide refurb that is going on, replacing the quiet pool, the addition of Trader Sam's, replacing the fountain area in the lobby, the addition of the child play area in the pool area, etc.

 

[coastalhh]

Prorated to what, calendar year? I would think a direct buyer would get full 2015 points so no prorate on points received. Also, if they did pay did they get a breakdown of costs? Any Poly owners out there that can answer?

its prorated use year but they still get the points. DVCs own website has the points listed at 6.02 for 2015.

 

[sndral]

If I buy a brand new house I don't expect maintenance issues to arise for several years. If I buy an old house, even an 'updated' 'refurbished' old house I expect to have maintenance issues sooner. The VGF are all in a brand new purpose built building whereas the Poly studios were slotted into exsisting very old Poly buildings. I don't know if that has anything to do w/it - but I'm betting it does. Plus those overwater bungalows can't be cheap to maintain compared to land based villas. The one thing I hadn't thought about is why w/ the point creep the MF shouldn't be lower for both of these resorts compared to other less point expensive resorts, there's more points to spread the cost among, so theoretically it seems to me each point should have a lower per rata share of the cost.

 

[freediverdude]

The prorated amount of dues for 2015 was based on how many months I owned the points versus how many months Disney owned them, that's how they figure it. And they use the date that you sign the paperwork, not the later date that the deed is recorded or something of course.

 

[Dean]

Prorated to what, calendar year? I would think a direct buyer would get full 2015 points so no prorate on points received. Also, if they did pay did they get a breakdown of costs? Any Poly owners out there that can answer?

It's one of 3 dates that determine when dues start. The contract date if one has points from the get go, the UY if the points start with the UY or the points availability date if it's later than the UY. Then they are prorated for the remainder of the calendar year in question.

 

[tjkraz]

If I buy a brand new house I don't expect maintenance issues to arise for several years. If I buy an old house, even an 'updated' 'refurbished' old house I expect to have maintenance issues sooner. The VGF are all in a brand new purpose built building whereas the Poly studios were slotted into exsisting very old Poly buildings. I don't know if that has anything to do w/it - but I'm betting it does.

If budgeted correctly, it shouldn't. All owners pay monies into a capital reserves fund which are earmarked for long term refurbishments. Even VGF owners start paying funds on Day One for eventual parking lot repaving, in-room refurb, new roof, etc.

Poly rooms were basically torn down to the studs. Virtually everything inside is brand new so there isn't much reason to think that it would wear at a faster rate than VGF or any other.

The one thing I hadn't thought about is why w/ the point creep the MF shouldn't be lower for both of these resorts compared to other less point expensive resorts, there's more points to spread the cost among, so theoretically it seems to me each point should have a lower per rata share of the cost.

Again, the devil is in the details. If you're looking at something like utility costs which may impact every resort pretty much identically, the more point-expensive properties should see lesser impact on a per-point basis.

But things like property taxes are assessed uniquely for each property. Staffing levels are independently determined by resort management. All maintenance and upkeep costs can vary from one resort to the next. The split between DVC and the hotel component varies from resort-to-resort.

Consider how much Beach Club owners may pay for Stormalong Bay vs. Wilderness Lodge owners who share the cost of more modest swimming facilities.

 

[dizfan]

??? The resort is open and people are already paying dues for 2015. 2015 was 6.02 per point.

They did not provide a breakdown of the dues. For example, the dues information for BLT allowed owners to see taxes increased significantly one year. Another year, BLT dues increased significantly for the front desk when they started allowing people to checkin at BLT instead of the CR lobby.

Around early December we should see numbers and be able to compare them to other resorts.
As Tim points out, the data won't be apples to apples because each resort is unique. It will provide an idea of what costs extra per point at PVB.