New DVC Member - Perspective of a Direct Buyer

We didn't see very many Poly resale contracts back in June, and the ones we saw were about $150 p/p. It seems like there are more Poly resales available now then there were five months ago at a better price. We are going through resale now with a great contract for far below 150 p/p.

Resale contracts seem to be WAY up right now. I can't believe the sale prices right now versus even 6 months ago. Seems like all resorts are up 10-20 dollars per point. Demand must be very high right now. As far as the Poly goes, I would expect with time those prices will drop as more people decide to sell their contracts. There will be a lot of Poly contracts out there because it's a pretty big resort.
 
Also, if people financed through DVC, the interest rate is 10% which is ridiculous, those people will be looking to get out of their timeshare.
 
These comparisons to buying new and used cars, Toyota and Lexus are all wrong. This is buying a part lease in a timeshare unit, represented by points which by appertuance gives membership to DVC. Every contract is identical, governed by the master deed and exhibits. This is not real property, such as a car which suffers wear and tear. Everyone who owns has exactly the same thing.
The only difference is the developer DVD agrees to throw some non contractual marketing freebies at the direct purchaser to induce the direct purchaser.
A better anology is two cars, say a Tesla, exactly the same- one on a non branded car lot at 50% less than the same car up for sale with the manufacturer's dealer. If I buy from the dealer he will give me free insurance for a year, and free oil changes / services for three years as a promotion and lets me use the Tesla supercharger for free. The question is, are tgese freebies worth the 50% premium.
Own experience- bought SSR resale fully loaded at 75 a point, rented banked points bringing net to 62. From offer to booking first rental 5 weeks. No hassle at all. Bought enough points for a 1 bed, go quiet season so no issues booking 7 months anywhere. I'd never have bought in at Poly direct prices.
 
A better anology is two cars, say a Tesla, exactly the same- one on a non branded car lot at 50% less than the same car up for sale with the manufacturer's dealer. If I buy from the dealer he will give me free insurance for a year, and free oil changes / services for three years as a promotion and lets me use the Tesla supercharger for free. The question is, are tgese freebies worth the 50% premium.

Best analogy so far! :thumbsup2
 


A better anology is two cars, say a Tesla, exactly the same- one on a non branded car lot at 50% less than the same car up for sale with the manufacturer's dealer. If I buy from the dealer he will give me free insurance for a year, and free oil changes / services for three years as a promotion and lets me use the Tesla supercharger for free. The question is, are tgese freebies worth the 50% premium.
Own experience- bought SSR resale fully loaded at 75 a point, rented banked points bringing net to 62. From offer to booking first rental 5 weeks. No hassle at all. Bought enough points for a 1 bed, go quiet season so no issues booking 7 months anywhere. I'd never have bought in at Poly direct prices.

I agree that this is a strong analogy. It is worth mentioning that SSR points are not the exact same as Poly points, unlike one Tesla to another. It may be a more fair comparison to say that some Tesla's have slightly different options/battery life (Home resort 11 month booking advantage, which will become even more valuable once Riviera opens up). For some people, it makes no difference, but to others, it does. It still does not matter where you buy the car from, always go for the cheapest price on the model you are looking for, but some people need the "extra seating" or "advanced GPS", or whatever other comparison you would want to make.
 
I agree that this is a strong analogy. It is worth mentioning that SSR points are not the exact same as Poly points, unlike one Tesla to another. It may be a more fair comparison to say that some Tesla's have slightly different options/battery life (Home resort 11 month booking advantage, which will become even more valuable once Riviera opens up). For some people, it makes no difference, but to others, it does. It still does not matter where you buy the car from, always go for the cheapest price on the model you are looking for, but some people need the "extra seating" or "advanced GPS", or whatever other comparison you would want to make.

I think the Telsa analogy that was used is direct vs resale. Comparing buying at SSR vs Poly is a tricky analogy, for when you book at 11 months our they are two completely different things, but when you book at 7 months out they are exactly the same. I cannot possibly think of a car analogy that would match this.
 
Personally, I prefer buying new for places like Poly. New costs $175 pp while Poly resale is currently $140-$150ish, depending on contract size.

I would rather pay full pop and get my points instantly with the use year I want than futz around for 60 days trying to close a resale contract (ROFR etc). With new, I know that the contract isn't stripped, I can get the exact use year I want and the amount of points I desire and closing fees are much less. THIS is worth the premium in my opinion but I recognize this is not for everyone and certainly doesn't apply universally.
 


Personally, I prefer buying new for places like Poly. New costs $175 pp while Poly resale is currently $140-$150ish, depending on contract size.

I would rather pay full pop and get my points instantly with the use year I want than futz around for 60 days trying to close a resale contract (ROFR etc). With new, I know that the contract isn't stripped, I can get the exact use year I want and the amount of points I desire and closing fees are much less. THIS is worth the premium in my opinion but I recognize this is not for everyone and certainly doesn't apply universally.

To keep with the car analogies, this would be like paying $35.99 for the full service oil change that also includes a tire rotation and a topping off of fluids vs. a $27.99 regular oil change. Yes you are getting the same basic service, but also a little more, and most likely a more comfortable environment as well.

I also have to say that I agree with you. If your heart is set on a pricy resort like Poly, then it is probably worth the extra $30 a point to get exactly what you want. If you just want to get into DVC, then obviously resale elsewhere is the way to go.
 
I just purchased 275 combined CCV/Poly points direct and... [snip]...When all is said and done, I will likely have paid about $136-$138 per point for these contracts after considering the maintenance fees I will pay for the next two years. Time will tell but my guess is the price on these contracts on the resale market will be at least around that number in two years But most importantly, I got the resorts I wanted without any negotiating, waiting for ROFR, etc.,...

I'm a big proponent of resale but I pretty much agree with your thinking here. My question for you is, do you feel the same way about resorts like SSR, OKW, VB, and others that have a $50-75 delta between direct and resale? Or does that math change your thinking?
 
I'm a big proponent of resale but I pretty much agree with your thinking here. My question for you is, do you feel the same way about resorts like SSR, OKW, VB, and others that have a $50-75 delta between direct and resale? Or does that math change your thinking?
Good question ELMC. No, I don't feel the same way about those resorts. I also own at one of them (SSR) and if I was going to buy more SSR points, I would go for resale (the same is true for HHI where I also own.) I have purchased all of my points new and direct and today both HHI and SSR are selling on the resale market at or above what I paid. Aulani is not but the difference is small and at least I have the subsidized fees to balance it out. I do like having all of my contracts in the same use year and as someone above said, there is value in not having to search for a resale, make offers and counters and wait for ROFR as well as reduced closing costs.
 
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I think there are some resorts where UY plays a big role. BLT has nearly 40% of its points in Feb UY as opposed to 5% in Oct UY. We like to travel November - January. Feb is worst UY for me. If I want an Oct UY, I'm likely stuck buying direct unless I have a lot of time and patience or am willing to consider an Aug or Sep UY to increase my chances.
 
If you are not in a hurry to buy then resale is great. We spent the past 5 months looking for a Poly contract. We are currently in the ROFR stage, and our price was under 130 p/p. If a potential buyer is not in a hurry to buy, I would advise them to consider resale. I can see the advantage of direct as well. The wait between searching for a contract that was not stripped, UY, and now the buying process has been long.
 
I recognize that this is an old post. It was created in my son's 13yh birthday! But I never see it, no doubt bc of the celebrations. :)

I'm going to take out the names from quotes bc it's not my intention to point people out, but just comment on a few things said.

It wasn't a sales push at that point... I'd already signed the papers. It was just being friendly. I'm not saying that in and of itself is worth $1,500 (obviously it's not), but it's one of MANY factors why I wouldn't just knee-jerk cancel my direct and buy resale. Mileage is going to vary for everyone individually, but I'd feel pretty lousy dumping the contract and buying direct just to save some money.

Oh it was soooo still a sales push. She knew about the 10 days. She wanted to keep you happy. She wanted to keep that option going. The one you stated, in that you would FEEL lousy.

You analyzed etc etc and in the end it was an emotional purchase. And you stuck with it bc of pure emotions. You could have rescinded, researched, and called her back in x days and gotten the exact same deal. She would still have been your guide, even!

While I think it's helpful to give an unknowing buyer an idea of what they can save on resale purchases, the OP has shown that he clearly has that information now and after an weighted analysis with his own factors he has determined that he is happy with the choice. There is a difference between trying to help your friend find the right person and telling them you hate their girlfriend, IMO.

To my reading this months later, it's more like.... In this case your buddy had laid out the things he wants in a girlfriend. Like....She doesn't want kids, she is in a certain age range, she has a certain relationship with parents, loves heavy metal, etc etc etc. the. The next day he meets a woman who is already pregnant, is out of the age range, has a different parent relationship than he wanted to get involved with, despises heavy metal and loves Enya....and is now justifying how awesome she is and how good she'll be in his life. And you just want to remind him of that list when he's just met her and isn't involved yet.

And that's ok if that's who your buddy loves. But maybe he should be reminded that it's not what he set out for. Or maybe, like with the OP, he forgot to mention all the changes that happened in his mind overnight that would have been good to mention before the conversation got that far.


I will agree that it's their job to make you feel special and well taken care of. If receiving any less than that you should run screaming from a purchase that expensive

Like being led to believe that getting 2016 points for a December UY is something special and unique???

Now people may tell you it is super easy and doesn't take any time to buy resale, but you'd likely spend days analyzing which contracts are the ones you'd be targeting only to find them gone or not willing to come down from what seem like inflated numbers right now... or worse yet stripped of points for the next 2 years and then you can't even go on the vacation you're dreaming of.

Surely someone with that brain will develop a quick and easy way to figure out value and within a day of doing so will be able to tell at a resale glance if it meets those criteria. Easy to see stripped vs non, to come up with a value that works per point depending on stripped vs non, though he wouldn't have looked at stripped bc of 2018 trip plans, so that's simple, etc. I'd do that and I'm far more artsy and feelings-y than y'all.

Also, if people financed through DVC, the interest rate is 10% which is ridiculous, those people will be looking to get out of their timeshare.

Oof. Judgy. When we bought (bay lake in '09 just too late to be on the typo-challenged owner's plaque) and financed without having been to Orlando, financing through Disney was 15% lower interest rate than our ghastly USED car loan from chase. So Disney seemed awesome to us!! And it all helped us climb out of the hole. The car loans did, too, actually; dh had had an ex wife who put him in the "neutral credit" hole, then that loan and my efforts to pay it off faster helped, which made us more grown up with dvc (post purchase), etc etc.
 
I'm considering a direct poly purchase as well but have a few questions for the gurus on here. To elaborate on my situation, I'm already a member and know DVC inside and out. So I know what I'm getting into. All of my current contracts, 2 at AKV and one at BLT, were bought resale.

On my last trip to WDW in January of this year, I went to the Poly for the first time and absolutely love it. I've been wanting to own there ever since but don't believe in financing a luxury purchase.

Now I'm in a position to buy it outright and I'm considering 220 points (have not talked to any guides yet). With the current incentive for add-ons it would bring the pp cost to $160. I'm going to WDW in Dec and my plan is to buy it in person to take advantage of extra fasspasses and the $50 gift card I've heard about.

Here's where my questions come. Am I correct that if I buy in December, I'll pay a 12th of 2017 maintenance fees? My use year is June and I know I'll get full 2017 points. I also know that they use a "double points" sales tactic and I'm not really getting anything free. By my own reasoning though I feel if I'm getting 220 points that are basically free of maintenance fees which I'll rent for $15 it brings my pp cost to $145, which is pretty close to resale (not to mention I'd use a rewards credit card and get 2%). Is my reasoning correct or am I missing something?

Lastly, I know poly is fully declared and could sell out anytime. Should I wait until December or should I call and find a guide?
 
I'm considering a direct poly purchase as well but have a few questions for the gurus on here. To elaborate on my situation, I'm already a member and know DVC inside and out. So I know what I'm getting into. All of my current contracts, 2 at AKV and one at BLT, were bought resale.

On my last trip to WDW in January of this year, I went to the Poly for the first time and absolutely love it. I've been wanting to own there ever since but don't believe in financing a luxury purchase.

Now I'm in a position to buy it outright and I'm considering 220 points (have not talked to any guides yet). With the current incentive for add-ons it would bring the pp cost to $160. I'm going to WDW in Dec and my plan is to buy it in person to take advantage of extra fasspasses and the $50 gift card I've heard about.

Here's where my questions come. Am I correct that if I buy in December, I'll pay a 12th of 2017 maintenance fees? My use year is June and I know I'll get full 2017 points. I also know that they use a "double points" sales tactic and I'm not really getting anything free. By my own reasoning though I feel if I'm getting 220 points that are basically free of maintenance fees which I'll rent for $15 it brings my pp cost to $145, which is pretty close to resale (not to mention I'd use a rewards credit card and get 2%). Is my reasoning correct or am I missing something?

Lastly, I know poly is fully declared and could sell out anytime. Should I wait until December or should I call and find a guide?

In my mind, you can easily justify going direct in your situation. After the MF discount, you are essentially looking at $154/pt with easy and low closing, with your preferred IT, compared to about $150 a point with none of those benefits.
As for when to buy, it's up to you. Is it worth risking a $50 gift card and about $230 in fees savings to potentially see the resort either sell out or raise its asking price? If so, then wait, if not, then buy now.
 
As for when to buy, it's up to you. Is it worth risking a $50 gift card and about $230 in fees savings to potentially see the resort either sell out or raise its asking price? If so, then wait, if not, then buy now.

Good point. If I'm spending $35K what's an extra $280? Thanks for the insight that's why I posted here first.
 
I'm considering a direct poly purchase as well but have a few questions for the gurus on here. To elaborate on my situation, I'm already a member and know DVC inside and out. So I know what I'm getting into. All of my current contracts, 2 at AKV and one at BLT, were bought resale.

On my last trip to WDW in January of this year, I went to the Poly for the first time and absolutely love it. I've been wanting to own there ever since but don't believe in financing a luxury purchase.

Now I'm in a position to buy it outright and I'm considering 220 points (have not talked to any guides yet). With the current incentive for add-ons it would bring the pp cost to $160. I'm going to WDW in Dec and my plan is to buy it in person to take advantage of extra fasspasses and the $50 gift card I've heard about.

Here's where my questions come. Am I correct that if I buy in December, I'll pay a 12th of 2017 maintenance fees? My use year is June and I know I'll get full 2017 points. I also know that they use a "double points" sales tactic and I'm not really getting anything free. By my own reasoning though I feel if I'm getting 220 points that are basically free of maintenance fees which I'll rent for $15 it brings my pp cost to $145, which is pretty close to resale (not to mention I'd use a rewards credit card and get 2%). Is my reasoning correct or am I missing something?

Lastly, I know poly is fully declared and could sell out anytime. Should I wait until December or should I call and find a guide?

If you find a resale with all 2017 points and even some 2016 points though it makes the spread greater vs retail as your using the current points as a comparison to bring direct down to an equivalent $145/pt. And they are out there - I just don't know about June UY's though.

If you're going to use it only for PVB stays though you could consider 2 UY's. Not something I recommend to everyone but if used separately it isn't so bad. There are larger PVB contracts with 2017 points and seller paying 2017 dues available on the resale market now. Not exactly the 220 points but you might buy resale and supplement additional direct too if needed.
 
If you find a resale with all 2017 points and even some 2016 points though it makes the spread greater vs retail as your using the current points as a comparison to bring direct down to an equivalent $145/pt. And they are out there - I just don't know about June UY's though.

If you're going to use it only for PVB stays though you could consider 2 UY's. Not something I recommend to everyone but if used separately it isn't so bad. There are larger PVB contracts with 2017 points and seller paying 2017 dues available on the resale market now. Not exactly the 220 points but you might buy resale and supplement additional direct too if needed.

Good point. I just looked at the timeshare store's ad linked to this board and it showed a 220 point Poly June contract for $142 a point. No points until 2018, but renting at $14 a point for a year still puts you ahead if you pay asking price for that contract. It looks like that one is literally calling to PhatScott25
 
I'm considering a direct poly purchase as well but have a few questions for the gurus on here. To elaborate on my situation, I'm already a member and know DVC inside and out. So I know what I'm getting into. All of my current contracts, 2 at AKV and one at BLT, were bought resale.

On my last trip to WDW in January of this year, I went to the Poly for the first time and absolutely love it. I've been wanting to own there ever since but don't believe in financing a luxury purchase.

Now I'm in a position to buy it outright and I'm considering 220 points (have not talked to any guides yet). With the current incentive for add-ons it would bring the pp cost to $160. I'm going to WDW in Dec and my plan is to buy it in person to take advantage of extra fasspasses and the $50 gift card I've heard about.

Here's where my questions come. Am I correct that if I buy in December, I'll pay a 12th of 2017 maintenance fees? My use year is June and I know I'll get full 2017 points. I also know that they use a "double points" sales tactic and I'm not really getting anything free. By my own reasoning though I feel if I'm getting 220 points that are basically free of maintenance fees which I'll rent for $15 it brings my pp cost to $145, which is pretty close to resale (not to mention I'd use a rewards credit card and get 2%). Is my reasoning correct or am I missing something?

Lastly, I know poly is fully declared and could sell out anytime. Should I wait until December or should I call and find a guide?

You can easily rent Poly, BCV and BLT for $18 or $19 a point. It’s such a shame to buy expensive properties and rent them for the same amount as SSR
 
I would most certainly rent them for more than $15pp, I was just using $15 as a low ball value for the "free" points.

@Ben E N, thanks for pointing out that listing. I've been checking all the major resale brokers lately and must have missed that one or it must be new.
 

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