Most Economical Home Resort?

[AmandaIola]

I remember reading an article this past fall that listed CC as the most economical… do you think that is still the case now?

I am having such a hard time deciding on a home resort… they all have both positives and negatives.

 

[Sandisw]

If it is strictly math, then the article might help. But it does simply use life of contract and dues plus average price to determine.

IMO, the most economical is the one that you spend the least amount for that makes you happy when on property.

CCV is tough to book studios during mid September to mid January and especially during December. Not sure about the rest of the year.

If you are looking for studios and can’t get them, you’d need to go to a 1 bedroom which does change things.

For us, we have home resorts that work and make us happy. DVC is too expensive to buy somewhere that you won’t like or will be frustrating to own if you can’t switch to what you want at 7 months.

Here is the article.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2021/

 

[Marionnette]

I remember reading an article this past fall that listed CC as the most economical… do you think that is still the case now?

I am having such a hard time deciding on a home resort… they all have both positives and negatives.

BLT was once touted as the most economical choice here on the Disboards, both for its reasonable buy-in price and its dues. The length of the contract is another important factor. I think that CCV got high marks for its low points chart that is reflective of the 2042 resorts.

Lately, I've seen a lot of current owners remarking that VGF is a good choice for sleep around points (SAPs) when factoring in the incentives that are being offered. Non-owners can buy VGF starting 3/31 but the incentives will not be as good.

RIV has the longest contract life and good incentives but has pretty high dues. Over the long run, it's the dues that will cost you the most money. And there are resale restrictions on RIV that could result in difficulty booking there once it has sold out and the number of resale owners increases.

I would stay away from 2042 resorts, especially the beach resorts due to their short contract lives and, as in the case of VB and HHI, high dues. BCV and BWV are popular but overpriced given their contract length. OKW has a problem with some owners having contracts that expire in 2042 and others that expire in 2057. That's going to be a real mess.

AKV has decent time left on the contracts but the dues are high because of the animal care associated with it.

I actually purchased Poly a few years ago due to the contract length and the lower dues. I don't enjoy staying in studios and will probably never stay in a bungalow but they made for decent SAPs. Plus, Poly does really well on the rental market. However, the points chart isn't all that good and there are other resort studios that cost fewer points per night. If I were buying just one home resort, Poly would not have been a consideration for me.

That brings us to SSR. Decent number of years left on the contract, dues are reasonable and it has a wide variety of room types to suit every need. Close to DS but not close to anything else. A lot of people have purchased SSR for SAPs but if you aren't impressed with the resort, don't buy there. As competition heats up at 7 months due to more and more points being added to the DVC system, it's going to be very hard to get into the near-park resorts unless you are willing to do split stays, book 1BR villas and are flexible with your dates.

 

[AmandaIola]

BLT was once touted as the most economical choice here on the Disboards, both for its reasonable buy-in price and its dues. The length of the contract is another important factor. I think that CCV got high marks for its low points chart that is reflective of the 2042 resorts.

Lately, I've seen a lot of current owners remarking that VGF is a good choice for sleep around points (SAPs) when factoring in the incentives that are being offered. Non-owners can buy VGF starting 3/31 but the incentives will not be as good.

RIV has the longest contract life and good incentives but has pretty high dues. Over the long run, it's the dues that will cost you the most money. And there are resale restrictions on RIV that could result in difficulty booking there once it has sold out and the number of resale owners increases.

I would stay away from 2042 resorts, especially the beach resorts due to their short contract lives and, as in the case of VB and HHI, high dues. BCV and BWV are popular but overpriced given their contract length. OKW has a problem with some owners having contracts that expire in 2042 and others that expire in 2057. That's going to be a real mess.

AKV has decent time left on the contracts but the dues are high because of the animal care associated with it.

I actually purchased Poly a few years ago due to the contract length and the lower dues. I don't enjoy staying in studios and will probably never stay in a bungalow but they made for decent SAPs. Plus, Poly does really well on the rental market. However, the points chart isn't all that good and there are other resort studios that cost fewer points per night. If I were buying just one home resort, Poly would not have been a consideration for me.

That brings us to SSR. Decent number of years left on the contract, dues are reasonable and it has a wide variety of room types to suit every need. Close to DS but not close to anything else. A lot of people have purchased SSR for SAPs but if you aren't impressed with the resort, don't buy there. As competition heats up at 7 months due to more and more points being added to the DVC system, it's going to be very hard to get into the near-park resorts unless you are willing to do split stays, book 1BR villas and are flexible with your dates.

 

[bdphill22]

Only 3 things matter when picking a home resort.

1. Cost
This is initial purchase price plus total cost of dues over the length of the contract.

2. Length of the contract.
Slightly different than cost as it also takes into your desire to have it for shorter or longer.

3. Desire for 11-month window
Since all points are worth exactly the same at 7-months, the home resort only helps you if that 11-month advantage is (A) needed and (B) for rooms you desire. Most booking categories during most times of the year won't need 11-month advantage, including many that are considered desirable.

The DVC Resale Market Economical article does a great job of determining points 1. and 2. so it is simply your own need for point 3.

I've only ever bought at CCV contract to get rooms at Christmas. Every other accommodation I've wanted at many different resorts I've been able to get with my OKW and VB points.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

The board sponsor does a calculation a few time a year on their blog.
*Price per point/years left on contract + dues*

As others have said, it doesn’t take into account where you want to stay, rental desirability or likely resale value.
The top 4-5 are pretty close and trade spots on the list. Might be smart to pick on of those.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2021/

 

[NJ Goofy]

I think the number one thing to consider is where you want to stay. In my opinion, especially for a studio, the 11 month mark is a must. We own at BWV and SSR, and I wish all our points were at BWV. When we want to book a trip we either have to do a split stay or book a one bedroom for 2 people at BWV, which to me is a waste of points.

 

[AmandaIola]

BLT was once touted as the most economical choice here on the Disboards, both for its reasonable buy-in price and its dues. The length of the contract is another important factor. I think that CCV got high marks for its low points chart that is reflective of the 2042 resorts.

Lately, I've seen a lot of current owners remarking that VGF is a good choice for sleep around points (SAPs) when factoring in the incentives that are being offered. Non-owners can buy VGF starting 3/31 but the incentives will not be as good.

RIV has the longest contract life and good incentives but has pretty high dues. Over the long run, it's the dues that will cost you the most money. And there are resale restrictions on RIV that could result in difficulty booking there once it has sold out and the number of resale owners increases.

I would stay away from 2042 resorts, especially the beach resorts due to their short contract lives and, as in the case of VB and HHI, high dues. BCV and BWV are popular but overpriced given their contract length. OKW has a problem with some owners having contracts that expire in 2042 and others that expire in 2057. That's going to be a real mess.

AKV has decent time left on the contracts but the dues are high because of the animal care associated with it.

I actually purchased Poly a few years ago due to the contract length and the lower dues. I don't enjoy staying in studios and will probably never stay in a bungalow but they made for decent SAPs. Plus, Poly does really well on the rental market. However, the points chart isn't all that good and there are other resort studios that cost fewer points per night. If I were buying just one home resort, Poly would not have been a consideration for me.

That brings us to SSR. Decent number of years left on the contract, dues are reasonable and it has a wide variety of room types to suit every need. Close to DS but not close to anything else. A lot of people have purchased SSR for SAPs but if you aren't impressed with the resort, don't buy there. As competition heats up at 7 months due to more and more points being added to the DVC system, it's going to be very hard to get into the near-park resorts unless you are willing to do split stays, book 1BR villas and are flexible with your dates.

If it is strictly math, then the article might help. But it does simply use life of contract and dues plus average price to determine.

IMO, the most economical is the one that you spend the least amount for that makes you happy when on property.

CCV is tough to book studios during mid September to mid January and especially during December. Not sure about the rest of the year.

If you are looking for studios and can’t get them, you’d need to go to a 1 bedroom which does change things.

For us, we have home resorts that work and make us happy. DVC is too expensive to buy somewhere that you won’t like or will be frustrating to own if you can’t switch to what you want at 7 months.

Here is the article.

Thanks for all of the insight… I just feel like this is such a tough decision. We have four kids, so we would need a two bedroom or two studios if we were all traveling. However, my husband won’t be with us on all trips due to his work schedule. I am a teacher, so most of the time I am the one who is off with the kids. So in those times, we would need accommodations for 5.

 

[pianomanzano]

That brings us to SSR. Decent number of years left on the contract, dues are reasonable and it has a wide variety of room types to suit every need. Close to DS but not close to anything else. A lot of people have purchased SSR for SAPs but if you aren't impressed with the resort, don't buy there. As competition heats up at 7 months due to more and more points being added to the DVC system, it's going to be very hard to get into the near-park resorts unless you are willing to do split stays, book 1BR villas and are flexible with your dates.

This right here. We bought SSR because of how it’s touted as a great home resort for sleep around points, low fees and decent contract length. We love the rooms and pools at SSR and proximity to DS, but sometimes wish we had a resort that has an 11 month window. And that last parton what you can actually book at the 7 month window is spot on.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The board sponsor does a calculation a few time a year on their blog.
*Price per point/years left on contract + dues*

As others have said, it doesn’t take into account where you want to stay, rental desirability or likely resale value.
The top 4-5 are pretty close and trade spots on the list. Might be smart to pick on of those.

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2021/

I think this analysis (and most analyses) do a disservice to Old Key West (2057). Yes, dues per point are higher than Saratoga, but the points chart is much more favorable. You might only need 175 points at OKW to get the same number of nights as 200 points at Saratoga.

I think the number one thing to consider is where you want to stay. In my opinion, especially for a studio, the 11 month mark is a must. We own at BWV and SSR, and I wish all our points were at BWV. When we want to book a trip we either have to do a split stay or book a one bedroom for 2 people at BWV, which to me is a waste of points.

I'm not sure when you bought, but at current resale prices, it's very difficult to get much value out of a 2042 resort. If the only resort you're interested in is a 2042 expiration, it's likely that you'd be better off paying cash.

 

[RoseGold]

I'd be interested to see that article. I don't see how anything could hold up to SSR/OKW charts.

 

[bdphill22]

Point charts are completely irrelevant when determining the most economical resort with the intent to "sleep around."

Because the points that you buy on whichever "most economical" contract you choose are worth the exact same and can be used the exact same as any other points at the 7-month mark. So they all have the exact same access to the low point charts (and high point charts).

The point charts only matter if the intention is to buy a contract at a specific resort, intend to book at that specific resort within the 11-month (before 7-month) window, and actually do it.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I'd be interested to see that article. I don't see how anything could hold up to SSR/OKW charts.

It's been posted on here before. It's skewed because it uses ranking = resale cost/contract close dates. So of course resorts that are newer rank higher. (Although a couple like SSR that have low points cost and later end date do rank high too)

We get the most value out of our Hilton Head Points which we purchased resale for $57 at the beginning of COVID. We dont typically travel during highly coveted times so we make HH work wherever we want. Last two places were BCV/VGF in February the week before Presidents Day.

But HH points would suck for people who don't want to chase openings and piece together reservations. Or who travel during one of the high seasons.

So many factors at play. No one person cab provide the correct answer.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

SSR

 

[RoseGold]

The point charts only matter if the intention is to buy a contract at a specific resort, intend to book at that specific resort within the 11-month (before 7-month) window, and actually do it.

If your goal is economical, I have a hard time believing any math can beat the OKW chart (8 points a night) plus the mediocre value SAP OKW. Or the OKW 3BR for that matter. So, yea, priority can matter for economical. That's why the cheapest rooms book first.

 

[supersnoop]

So they all have the exact same access to the low point charts

But they don't. That really has to be part of the equation. In order to get Standard (i.e. low point) rooms at BLT or BWV, you have to own there. So, an individual's intent really has to be a part of the decision.

Buying SSR points to stay in Lake View rooms at BLT would have to be compared to buying (fewer) BLT points to stay in Standard View rooms, when your intent is "the most economical."

 

[bdphill22]

But they don't. That really has to be part of the equation. In order to get Standard (i.e. low point) rooms at BLT or BWV, you have to own there. So, an individual's intent really has to be a part of the decision.

Buying SSR points to stay in Lake View rooms at BLT would have to be compared to buying (fewer) BLT points to stay in Standard View rooms, when your intent is "the most economical."

At the 7-Month Mark...

Point charts are completely irrelevant when determining the most economical resort with the intent to "sleep around."

If the question was "what's the most economical way to stay at BLT or BWV standard rooms" then that specific resort's contract is the only one that matters, and same goes for any hard to book category you can find (Like AKV Value, CCV Studio, etc) and it's not really a question at all.

 

[hhisc16]

I remember reading an article this past fall that listed CC as the most economical… do you think that is still the case now?

I am having such a hard time deciding on a home resort… they all have both positives and negatives.

Buy where you want to stay. If you have no preference at 7 months, then you can get the most economical though.

 

[Great3]

Buy where you want to stay. If you have no preference at 7 months, then you can get the most economical though.

This!!! I am of the camp anywhere in DVC is good enough. I am happy just to be onsite, and enjoying the benefits that staying at a DVC resort onsite offers. So, the most economical resort wins out for me. But I travel during low seasons, not tied to a school schedule, never during the Holidays or spring/summer/fall break, etc.. and flexible on the dates. If nothing is available for a date I had in mind, I change dates. So, it makes sense for my family. But everybody needs to consider what's important for them and their family, where just buying the most economical resort doesn't always make sense.

Great3

 

[PsycProfPlum]

I've been very happy with multiple small contracts rather than one large one. I initially bought SSR as an economical option but quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to reliably stay at some of the places I really wanted to (VGF and BWV in particular) so I've since added on small contracts at these resorts. I've been happy with multiple small contracts instead of one big one as I get to stay where I want but also have some "cheap" sleep around points to try new places. I realize I payed more though with this approach. I'm pretty happy with any DVC, but some I like quite a lot more than others and I don't like the idea of having to stay at SSR due to a lack of availability elsewhere.

It's a tough thing when you first buy because it's very hard to buy where you want to stay if you haven't stayed in any DVC resorts. Sometimes I expected to love a resort then stayed there and didn't care for it and other times I expected not to love a resort but ended up loving it (e.g., Riviera).