I'm a big dummy. I've bee going to Disney with my family since my kids were toddlers; 32 trips since 1997. I've been staying offsite and even stayed onsite a few times. My wife and I have visited some resorts for dinner and have had the urge to get into the DVC the past few years...20 yrs too late. I could have been in a great situation if I acted back in the 90's.
We're looking at Copper Creek, and while in FL, we will take the tour. Points...do the prices fluctuate much ? Do yearly service fees inflate drastically ? Is it better to pay off upfront or finance ? What perks do you get as a DVC member ? We're from PA and we head down to FL in the off-season; early December.
Looking forward to your excellent feedback.
First I'll answer your specific questions, and then some general advice.
The points per room per night in a specific season at a specific resort do not change all that much - usually. This year there was a relativity significant reallocation between 1BR and Studios. But as was said before, the total number of points at a resort can not change. That number is fixed. If you are instead asking about the cost to buy a point, that number has gone up over the years. Time will tell what happens as we get closer to resort expiration dates, but for now, prices keep going up.
The dues will likely go up every year. Dues, by law, reflect the actual costs of running the resort, DVC does not make a profit off of them. Just like with maintaining your house, things keep getting more expensive. We will see what impact the recently announced wage increases has on dues.
In general, it is better off to pay things off than to finance. There are some cases where you have to look at opportunity cost. Such as would you be taking money out of a locked in high yield financial device to pay for DVC in full? But those are very specific cases that I suspect do not pertain here.
There are a bunch of perks - forget about them when making your decision. Perks are in no way, shape, or form, guaranteed. DVC can (and has) change them, or remove them entirely, at it's discretion. While they are nice to have, they should not be considered in your decision to buy.
Now, in general - DVC has recently enacted a number of changes to buying on the resale market. Do take a long hard look at resale. Even with the new constraints, the much lower price of a resale contract may be worth it to you.
You can also buy at any resort you want - even directly from DVC. If you push hard enough, DVC will get points for you and sell them to you. You may have to wait a few months. but it may be worth it to get the resort you want.
It has become harder recently (over the last year or so) to get rooms at the 7 month window. In December, you may only have the option of Copper Creek 11 months out. Think about where you want to buy into.
DVC saves you money over staying at deluxe resorts on cash. It is not going to save you money over staying at moderates, values, or off site. If you want to start staying in deluxe resorts and are looking at DVC as a way to do so, then that is all good. If you are thinking it is going to be cheaper than your offsite stays - nope.
Using DVC points for anything other than staying at DVC properties is a big waste of money. Don't let them try to sell you on RCI, or DCL, or ABD, or the Disney Collection. If you want to do those, you are better off renting out our points and using the cash to pay for them. Don't let the ability to use your points for those 'features' enter into your decision.