Buying a resale vs new DVC

[noname70]

Are there any advantages of buying a resale vs new thru DVC?
We would be the type to change resorts every year and possible Vero etc so a certain "home resort" wouldn't matter much to us.
I guess what I'm saying is - is there a cost savings of buying used-so to speak?

 

[RickEff]

:wave: Hey, Neighbour! (I just live over the river in Welland, ON)

There can be significant cost savings buying resale. Be aware of a few things though.

To the price you need to add a closing cost of approximate $2 a point (that varies, but it's close for estimating)

You also have to look closely at the details of whether or not the points for the current use-year have been expended. Some even have the next year's points borrowed and used, which could mean it would be at least a year before you could even borrow points and start using your DVC points.

Additionally, you should also consider that all resorts' points except for Saratoga Springs resort will expire January 2042. Saratoga Springs' points expire January 2054.

One more you should look into before buying resale points are the annual dues per point. They can fluctuate considerably (I think 15% increase is the most it can go in one year) but currently they are:

Beach Club Villas - $4.26
Boardwalk Villas - $4.41
Hilton Head - $4.03
Old Key West - $3.86
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa - $3.82
Villas at Wilderness Lodge - $4.35
Vero Beach - $4.86

One final point - you can book vacations up to 11 months at your home resort and only 7 months in advance at a different DVC property - so again, choose your "Home" resort accordingly.

I'm sure others will have much to add that I missed.

 

[dflye]

One final point - you can book vacations up to 11 months at your home resort and only 7 months in advance at a different DVC property - so again, choose your "Home" resort accordingly.

For this very reason, a few years after our initial purchase at Old Key West, we added points at Vero Beach. We added enough points so that we can get a Beach Cottage at VB for 3 nights or so, and a Grand Villa at OKW for 4 nights (but only during the off-season and avoiding weekends, as the rates almost double between off-peak and peak, and are more than double from weekday to weekend)

One thing to be aware of, the "use-year" of each resale can be in a different month, so if you get points in two resorts, I'd strongly recommend keeping the use-years in synch, otherwise it becomes a real headache to keep track of banking/borrowing points.

Finally, I can say that if you are interested in renting one of the Grand Villas or Beach Cottages, it is almost impossible to get those during peak seasons without booking 11 months in advance to the day. So, if you desire a huge place during a peak season, you'll need to have points in that particular resort to have the best shot at getting the dates you want.

 

[noname70]

Is it difficult to get other DVC properties beyond the 7 month mark?

 

[dflye]

Is it difficult to get other DVC properties beyond the 7 month mark?

The only serious shortages I've ever heard of are for the larger rooms that are only available in relatively limited numbers, such as the 2 BR and 3 BR villas. Getting a 1 BR or studio shouldn't be a problem for any DVC resort at the 7 month window, unless you are attempting to book during an event that causes a property-wide booking surge, like the marathon in January.

Not sure if the 7 month versus 11 month window makes sense, but you can only book up to 11 months in advance for your "home" resort(s), and up to 7 months in advance for the other DVC properties.

Note that this window is to the exact day, so when booking a multi-day stay during an insanely hard to get time (say near Christmas, and you want a large room), you'll have to call up every morning when their reservation center opens and extend your stay one day at a time (or three days when calling on Monday)

From personal experience, you have to be pretty fast on the phone to get a grand villa at that time of the year.

Then again, your mileage may vary, as I've only booked rooms in 3 of the DVC resorts (and only one of those actually at WDW!)

 

[noname70]

Thanks again. What would be a reasonable price (per point) to pay for a resale?