Advice appreciated - looking to buy resale at SSR

[Goldia]

I've read through lots of threads about buying DVC resale. I am looking at buying 150 points at SSR. I will set out some of my reasoning below and would really appreciate any advice or tips. Much of what I say is me explaining how I've got this far, please bear with me.

Funds available

We have approximately £15,000 'spare' holiday money that hasn't been used over the last couple of years. I would like to keep returning to WDW. Previously we have enjoyed the 'free' DDP as feeding a family of 4 can get expensive but we have no idea if this will ever return so staying on site has got more expensive for us (side note, you can almost guarantee that DDP will come back if I buy DVC). The holiday money could be used for buying DVC.

I am not thinking of this purchase as being an investment. I doubt we would want to rent out points or sell. I am thinking of this as a way to stay on site in deluxe resorts slightly more cheaply than booking at hotel prices.

DVC terms

I have tried to get my head around all the DVC lingo:
- expiry dates - when the contract will end,
- dues - $ per point paid annually,
- use years - when the points drop into the account,
- 11 and 7 month booking windows - home resort and all other resorts,
- banking and borrowing - saving this year's points to use next year and using next year's points this year,
- ROFR - right of first refusal, if we make an offer that is accepted by the seller Disney get the chance to buy back the contract.

I *think* I understand some of it. If I've made any mistakes in my layperson understanding as a non DVC owner please me me know.

How many points?

This depends on the type of accomodation and the time of year. I have looked at points charts. We travel in the English school summer holidays. I have 2 kids aged 17 and 14, realistically we will need either a studio or 1 bedroom that sleeps 5 as we have a boy and a girl. We've stayed in a studio at OKW for 2 weeks and it was lovely, but only has 2 double beds and the kids do not like sharing. We could get this for 92 points for 1 week. A one bedroom is going to be more points.

Of course, the number of points is limited by the funds we have. Therefore I think I am looking at 150 points as affordable and this could buy us a week on site every year or two weeks every other year if we opt for studios. If we want larger rooms then we will have to stay for less nights.

Which resort?

My favourite resort is Wilderness Lodge, so I looked at Copper Creek. These contracts expire in 2068 so have a long life. But, the price per point is more expensive at around $160 to $170 per point for the size of contract I am after. While I like the idea of Boardwalk or Beach Club to be able to walk to the parks these expire in 2042 at just 20 years left and not much cheaper per point at around $145 to $155 per point it doesn't seem worth it to me.

Thank you to those who shared the link for the DVC availability online tool, this has been invaluable as I've looked at what is available within 6 to 7 months for 3 or 4 night stays or longer. Apart from OKW and SSR most resorts don't have 7 nights, but they do seem to have 3 or 4 night stays. So, this led me on to thinking about buying at SSR as these expire in 2054 and are around $130 per point, which I could use at other resorts at 7 months. Plus the refurb of SSR looks stunning on the walk through vlogs I've seen, so if we ended up at SSR it would hardly be a hardship.

I've also had a look at the ROFR thread on the other board and this has been really useful to see historical costs of points at SSR (as it would seem we would be unlikely to lose money if we decided to sell), offers that have been made and the ones that pass ROFR.

Questions

Right, finally onto the decisions I need to make and questions I have. Some of these are practical questions as an international buyer and what the process is.

1. Do I need to think more carefully about use year? We travel in the school summer holidays. So I would like to be able to stay at wdw early to mid August. With just a small 150 point contract I cannot see us needing to bank points but should I give more consideration to the banking deadline. At some point I would like to be able to go at Christmas, this would require a heck of a lot of points, does the time of year you want to travel affect the use year?

2. My preferred resort to stay at would be Copper Creek. Should I be looking to buy there rather than SSR? Am I putting too much faith in the availability tool? I am not looking for 14 nights as 150 is not going to get me 14 nights, unless we go every other year and I bank/borrow. I am thinking 4 nights at wilderness lodge, 4 nights boardwalk or Beach Club. It looks like this is do-able, with the back up of being able to book OKW or the home resort relatively easily.

3. The process of sorting out the contract from the UK and being an overseas buyer is daunting. How do I even pay for this? I have the money in my bank, but do I need to set up an American bank account?

4. I understand this is a property purchase and so does this mean I need a UK or US solicitor?

Thank you if you made it this far. It has helped me to set out my thoughts. I would welcome your advice and tips, answers to the questions I already have or even answers to questions I haven't thought of yet.

[YorkshireT]

ANSWERS IN BOLD TYPE, APOLOGIES FOR GRAMMAR!

“I've read through lots of threads about buying DVC resale. I am looking at buying 150 points at SSR. I will set out some of my reasoning below and would really appreciate any advice or tips. Much of what I say is me explaining how I've got this far, please bear with me.

Funds available

We have approximately £15,000 'spare' holiday money that hasn't been used over the last couple of years. I would like to keep returning to WDW. Previously we have enjoyed the 'free' DDP as feeding a family of 4 can get expensive but we have no idea if this will ever return so staying on site has got more expensive for us (side note, you can almost guarantee that DDP will come back if I buy DVC). The holiday money could be used for buying DVC.

I am not thinking of this purchase as being an investment. I doubt we would want to rent out points or sell. I am thinking of this as a way to stay on site in deluxe resorts slightly more cheaply than booking at hotel prices.

- SENSIBLE. WHILST MANY OF US HAVE MADE A GOOD GAIN THUS FAR AND IT IS AN EXTREMELY EASY PRODUCT TO RENT OUT, ID HAVE MADE MORE WITH IT IN MY PENSION, BUT NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE SAVINGS ON THE HOTELS. ONLY BUY IF YOU WOULD STAY IN DELUXE ANYWAY.

DVC terms

I have tried to get my head around all the DVC lingo:
- expiry dates - when the contract will end,
- dues - $ per point paid annually,
- use years - when the points drop into the account,
- 11 and 7 month booking windows - home resort and all other resorts,
- banking and borrowing - saving this year's points to use next year and using next year's points this year,
- ROFR - right of first refusal, if we make an offer that is accepted by the seller Disney get the chance to buy back the contract.

I *think* I understand some of it. If I've made any mistakes in my layperson understanding as a non DVC owner please me me know.

- ALL CORRECT.

How many points?

This depends on the type of accomodation and the time of year. I have looked at points charts. We travel in the English school summer holidays. I have 2 kids aged 17 and 14, realistically we will need either a studio or 1 bedroom that sleeps 5 as we have a boy and a girl. We've stayed in a studio at OKW for 2 weeks and it was lovely, but only has 2 double beds and the kids do not like sharing. We could get this for 92 points for 1 week. A one bedroom is going to be more points.

Of course, the number of points is limited by the funds we have. Therefore I think I am looking at 150 points as affordable and this could buy us a week on site every year or two weeks every other year if we opt for studios. If we want larger rooms then we will have to stay for less nights.

- CORRECT, SUBJECT TO FUNDS YOU MAY ADD ON. WITH KIDS THAT AGE WE FIND 1 BEDS ALL THE BETTER AND WORTH THE EXTRA MOSTLY (TWICE THE DUES THOUGH TOO). BUY 10% -20% MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED, MAYBE 170-180. THEY CAN FIDDLE WITH THE CHARTS AND THE POINTS FOR WHEN YOU WANT TO GO COULD GO UP, ALTHOUGH SUPPOSEDLY OVERALL POINTS ARE MEANT TO STAY THE SAME PER ANNUM.

Which resort?

My favourite resort is Wilderness Lodge, so I looked at Copper Creek. These contracts expire in 2068 so have a long life. But, the price per point is more expensive at around $160 to $170 per point for the size of contract I am after. While I like the idea of Boardwalk or Beach Club to be able to walk to the parks these expire in 2042 at just 20 years left and not much cheaper per point at around $145 to $155 per point it doesn't seem worth it to me.

Thank you to those who shared the link for the DVC availability online tool, this has been invaluable as I've looked at what is available within 6 to 7 months for 3 or 4 night stays or longer. Apart from OKW and SSR most resorts don't have 7 nights, but they do seem to have 3 or 4 night stays. So, this led me on to thinking about buying at SSR as these expire in 2054 and are around $130 per point, which I could use at other resorts at 7 months. Plus the refurb of SSR looks stunning on the walk through vlogs I've seen, so if we ended up at SSR it would hardly be a hardship.

I've also had a look at the ROFR thread on the other board and this has been really useful to see historical costs of points at SSR (as it would seem we would be unlikely to lose money if we decided to sell), offers that have been made and the ones that pass ROFR.

SSR IS CONSISTENTLY BEST VALUE. I LOVE CRESCENT LAKE BUT WOULDN’T BUY FOR EXPIRY. I WOULD BUY COPPER CREEK OR BLT IF NOT SSR.
1 BEDS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER AVAILABILITY AT 7 MONTHS- USUALLY I STAY WHERE I WANT. BEING ON THE SYSTEM AT EXACTLY 1pm 7 MONTHS OUT ALSO MAKES A DIFFERENCE. SEE SKIER PETE’S AVAILABILITY CHARTS ON THE OTHER BOARD, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY PESSIMISTIC AS HE DIDNT CHECK JUST AS THE WINDOW OPENED, BUT PRETTY ACCURATE.

Questions

Right, finally onto the decisions I need to make and questions I have. Some of these are practical questions as an international buyer and what the process is.

1. Do I need to think more carefully about use year? We travel in the school summer holidays. So I would like to be able to stay at wdw early to mid August. With just a small 150 point contract I cannot see us needing to bank points but should I give more consideration to the banking deadline. At some point I would like to be able to go at Christmas, this would require a heck of a lot of points, does the time of year you want to travel affect the use year?

I WOULDNT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT USE YEAR PERSONALLY. YOU MAY CHANGE WHEN YOU GO ETC. GO FOR THE BEST CONTRACT FOR THE FIRST ONE, IMPORTANT THAT POINTS ‘COME ON’ IN TIME FOR YOUR FIRST VISIT.

2. My preferred resort to stay at would be Copper Creek. Should I be looking to buy there rather than SSR? Am I putting too much faith in the availability tool? I am not looking for 14 nights as 150 is not going to get me 14 nights, unless we go every other year and I bank/borrow. I am thinking 4 nights at wilderness lodge, 4 nights boardwalk or Beach Club. It looks like this is do-able, with the back up of being able to book OKW or the home resort relatively easily.

COPPER CREEEK AT CERTAIN TIMES IN STUDIOS HAS AN ISSUE WITH AVAILABILITY EVEN AT 11 MONTHS, IF YOU WANT A STUDIO THERE, DEFINITELY BUY THERE.

I TOOK THE DECISION TO BUY TWICE THE POINTS FOR 1 BEDS AT SSR, TO GIVE ME MUCH MORE CHOICE AT 7 MONTHS.

3. The process of sorting out the contract from the UK and being an overseas buyer is daunting. How do I even pay for this? I have the money in my bank, but do I need to set up an American bank account?

PAY DEPOSIT ON CREDIT CARD. FINAL TRANSFER XE OR SIMILAR.

4. I understand this is a property purchase and so does this mean I need a UK or US solicitor?

NO ITS REALLY SIMPLE. SIGN A SIMPLE CONTRACT, PAY DEPOSIT CREDIT CARD, AWAIT ROFR AND CLEARANCE, PAY BALANCE ON XE, WAIT FOR IT TO BE LODGED WITH FLORIDA COMPTROLLER, WAIT FOR DISNEY TO SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT, START BOOKING.

Thank you if you made it this far. It has helped me to set out my thoughts. I would welcome your advice and tips, answers to the questions I already have or even answers to questions I haven't thought of yet.[/QUOTE]

[Buggles94]

Hi Abby
Very exciting to see you starting on the journey to become a DVC owner! It's a path we have never regretted although obviously over the past few years we have started to wonder if we will ever get "home" again!
We have bought both direct and resale. It sounds like you have done tonnes of research so know your numbers etc... We have had to bank and borrow to get the points we need some years (we like one beds if possible as 2 older teenage children!) but as long as you like to plan ahead (which you seem to!) then hopefully you will be able to stay in the resorts you want to. We have purchased using DVC Resale Market and The Timeshare Store in the past and it was a relatively simple process... Waiting for ROFR was the worst part and Disney did exercise their right on one of the contracts
I would suggest buying where you are willing to stay... I have struggled with availability for next February half term and Christmas... However, there is usually some availability and just be willing to waitlist etc...
Happy to chat through any questions. I am so happy with our purchase and can't wait to get "home"
Good luck with it all
ps be warned - once you start purchasing it is slightly addictive

[caj]

I can only answer part of this ... use years matter for when you want to use your 7 or 11 month windows - if you are tied to it. So if you buy an oct use year, for example, but intend to travel August, IF for any reason your holiday doesn't go ahead you haven't got much wriggle room to replan or rent points. Your oct use year could make it harder to get the elusive Christmas points at premium resorts at 7 months out as others will have booked in Jan for home resort and May/June for other resorts.

You can add 25 points to your booking from Disney if you a a few short. Or rent a few extra often.

Hopefully we will never get covid times again, but you may want to consider what happens IF your children want to go to somewhere else? Shock horror. Will you go just the two of you? (I was dvc with my ex, and I got to the point I'd been 'enough' . Had a break and went back with DH ... Still love the place, but would also like to go to other places too!). If you don't go you still have dues to pay.

Re purchase, I think we did it all online / post to buy. To transfer points just to ex we needed a specific person to witness it, so had to hunt one out. We never had an American bank account.

Stripped contracts are ones where they have had a blow out holiday and borrowed next year's points already. So you'd be liable for dues with no points to show for it! Just watch those!

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

ANSWERS IN BOLD TYPE, APOLOGIES FOR GRAMMAR!

“I've read through lots of threads about buying DVC resale. I am looking at buying 150 points at SSR. I will set out some of my reasoning below and would really appreciate any advice or tips. Much of what I say is me explaining how I've got this far, please bear with me.

Funds available

We have approximately £15,000 'spare' holiday money that hasn't been used over the last couple of years. I would like to keep returning to WDW. Previously we have enjoyed the 'free' DDP as feeding a family of 4 can get expensive but we have no idea if this will ever return so staying on site has got more expensive for us (side note, you can almost guarantee that DDP will come back if I buy DVC). The holiday money could be used for buying DVC.

I am not thinking of this purchase as being an investment. I doubt we would want to rent out points or sell. I am thinking of this as a way to stay on site in deluxe resorts slightly more cheaply than booking at hotel prices.

- SENSIBLE. WHILST MANY OF US HAVE MADE A GOOD GAIN THUS FAR AND IT IS AN EXTREMELY EASY PRODUCT TO RENT OUT, ID HAVE MADE MORE WITH IT IN MY PENSION, BUT NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE SAVINGS ON THE HOTELS. ONLY BUY IF YOU WOULD STAY IN DELUXE ANYWAY.

DVC terms

I have tried to get my head around all the DVC lingo:
- expiry dates - when the contract will end,
- dues - $ per point paid annually,
- use years - when the points drop into the account,
- 11 and 7 month booking windows - home resort and all other resorts,
- banking and borrowing - saving this year's points to use next year and using next year's points this year,
- ROFR - right of first refusal, if we make an offer that is accepted by the seller Disney get the chance to buy back the contract.

I *think* I understand some of it. If I've made any mistakes in my layperson understanding as a non DVC owner please me me know.

- ALL CORRECT.

How many points?

This depends on the type of accomodation and the time of year. I have looked at points charts. We travel in the English school summer holidays. I have 2 kids aged 17 and 14, realistically we will need either a studio or 1 bedroom that sleeps 5 as we have a boy and a girl. We've stayed in a studio at OKW for 2 weeks and it was lovely, but only has 2 double beds and the kids do not like sharing. We could get this for 92 points for 1 week. A one bedroom is going to be more points.

Of course, the number of points is limited by the funds we have. Therefore I think I am looking at 150 points as affordable and this could buy us a week on site every year or two weeks every other year if we opt for studios. If we want larger rooms then we will have to stay for less nights.

- CORRECT, SUBJECT TO FUNDS YOU MAY ADD ON. WITH KIDS THAT AGE WE FIND 1 BEDS ALL THE BETTER AND WORTH THE EXTRA MOSTLY (TWICE THE DUES THOUGH TOO). BUY 10% -20% MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED, MAYBE 170-180. THEY CAN FIDDLE WITH THE CHARTS AND THE POINTS FOR WHEN YOU WANT TO GO COULD GO UP, ALTHOUGH SUPPOSEDLY OVERALL POINTS ARE MEANT TO STAY THE SAME PER ANNUM.

Which resort?

My favourite resort is Wilderness Lodge, so I looked at Copper Creek. These contracts expire in 2068 so have a long life. But, the price per point is more expensive at around $160 to $170 per point for the size of contract I am after. While I like the idea of Boardwalk or Beach Club to be able to walk to the parks these expire in 2042 at just 20 years left and not much cheaper per point at around $145 to $155 per point it doesn't seem worth it to me.

Thank you to those who shared the link for the DVC availability online tool, this has been invaluable as I've looked at what is available within 6 to 7 months for 3 or 4 night stays or longer. Apart from OKW and SSR most resorts don't have 7 nights, but they do seem to have 3 or 4 night stays. So, this led me on to thinking about buying at SSR as these expire in 2054 and are around $130 per point, which I could use at other resorts at 7 months. Plus the refurb of SSR looks stunning on the walk through vlogs I've seen, so if we ended up at SSR it would hardly be a hardship.

I've also had a look at the ROFR thread on the other board and this has been really useful to see historical costs of points at SSR (as it would seem we would be unlikely to lose money if we decided to sell), offers that have been made and the ones that pass ROFR.

SSR IS CONSISTENTLY BEST VALUE. I LOVE CRESCENT LAKE BUT WOULDN’T BUY FOR EXPIRY. I WOULD BUY COPPER CREEK OR BLT IF NOT SSR.
1 BEDS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER AVAILABILITY AT 7 MONTHS- USUALLY I STAY WHERE I WANT. BEING ON THE SYSTEM AT EXACTLY 1pm 7 MONTHS OUT ALSO MAKES A DIFFERENCE. SEE SKIER PETE’S AVAILABILITY CHARTS ON THE OTHER BOARD, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY PESSIMISTIC AS HE DIDNT CHECK JUST AS THE WINDOW OPENED, BUT PRETTY ACCURATE.

Questions

Right, finally onto the decisions I need to make and questions I have. Some of these are practical questions as an international buyer and what the process is.

1. Do I need to think more carefully about use year? We travel in the school summer holidays. So I would like to be able to stay at wdw early to mid August. With just a small 150 point contract I cannot see us needing to bank points but should I give more consideration to the banking deadline. At some point I would like to be able to go at Christmas, this would require a heck of a lot of points, does the time of year you want to travel affect the use year?

I WOULDNT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT USE YEAR PERSONALLY. YOU MAY CHANGE WHEN YOU GO ETC. GO FOR THE BEST CONTRACT FOR THE FIRST ONE, IMPORTANT THAT POINTS ‘COME ON’ IN TIME FOR YOUR FIRST VISIT.

2. My preferred resort to stay at would be Copper Creek. Should I be looking to buy there rather than SSR? Am I putting too much faith in the availability tool? I am not looking for 14 nights as 150 is not going to get me 14 nights, unless we go every other year and I bank/borrow. I am thinking 4 nights at wilderness lodge, 4 nights boardwalk or Beach Club. It looks like this is do-able, with the back up of being able to book OKW or the home resort relatively easily.

COPPER CREEEK AT CERTAIN TIMES IN STUDIOS HAS AN ISSUE WITH AVAILABILITY EVEN AT 11 MONTHS, IF YOU WANT A STUDIO THERE, DEFINITELY BUY THERE.

I TOOK THE DECISION TO BUY TWICE THE POINTS FOR 1 BEDS AT SSR, TO GIVE ME MUCH MORE CHOICE AT 7 MONTHS.

3. The process of sorting out the contract from the UK and being an overseas buyer is daunting. How do I even pay for this? I have the money in my bank, but do I need to set up an American bank account?

PAY DEPOSIT ON CREDIT CARD. FINAL TRANSFER XE OR SIMILAR.

4. I understand this is a property purchase and so does this mean I need a UK or US solicitor?

NO ITS REALLY SIMPLE. SIGN A SIMPLE CONTRACT, PAY DEPOSIT CREDIT CARD, AWAIT ROFR AND CLEARANCE, PAY BALANCE ON XE, WAIT FOR IT TO BE LODGED WITH FLORIDA COMPTROLLER, WAIT FOR DISNEY TO SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT, START BOOKING.

Thank you if you made it this far. It has helped me to set out my thoughts. I would welcome your advice and tips, answers to the questions I already have or even answers to questions I haven't thought of yet.

See more...

Thank you for the confirmation and for all the advice.

I have a Halifax clarity card which I use for foreign transactions to avoid fees, so can use this for the deposit. No idea what XE is! But I will look into this. I'm assuming an online funds transfer thing? I deposit in sterling and can then make payments in dollars? Thank you I will look into this as this part of it is not clear in my head and is bothering me more than than actually parting with the money!

Re studio vs 1 bed...studios are less points so there is an opportunity for a longer stay. But all the 1 beds walkthroughs online look lovely. I have never been in a one bed so can only go by vlogs. We are not villa people and have spent 2 weeks all 4 in one hotel room with 1 toilet. But, as the kids get older this is more crampt and less appealing.

Can I reserve my home resort at 11 months out but then book at 7 months elsewhere if they have availability? It makes sense to me and I understand I would have to cancel the booking I already had in order to make a new one as I don't believe it is possible to just transfer them or amend to another resort.

Thanks again

[KarenG]

Nothing to add to the excellent advice already given (and you’ve clearly thought it through already) but try, if you can, to imagine years ahead that may not suit your current holiday booking style and wishes as your family context changes

We planned our purchase when our kids were quite young and we’ve found that many of the assumptions we made about how we would use our points have not been correct as they’ve got older (and us, too). That said it’s so flexible we’ve been able to easily offset our annual dues (and then some) by renting, so we haven’t lost anything.

We bought our first DVC contract at SSR in 2003, sold in 2006 but then bought again at BLT in 2009 (I think it was!). I wouldn’t sell again but the way we use our points has changed so much I don’t know if I would have bought the points I did (hope that makes sense). But you can only make a decision based on what you know at the time, it’s just that the future is worth considering.

[caj]

An additional thought ... you can leave points in your wills (not that I'm wishing anything bad to happen to you!).

[KarenG]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Thank you for the confirmation and for all the advice.

I have a Halifax clarity card which I use for foreign transactions to avoid fees, so can use this for the deposit. No idea what XE is! But I will look into this. I'm assuming an online funds transfer thing? I deposit in sterling and can then make payments in dollars? Thank you I will look into this as this part of it is not clear in my head and is bothering me more than than actually parting with the money!

Re studio vs 1 bed...studios are less points so there is an opportunity for a longer stay. But all the 1 beds walkthroughs online look lovely. I have never been in a one bed so can only go by vlogs. We are not villa people and have spent 2 weeks all 4 in one hotel room with 1 toilet. But, as the kids get older this is more crampt and less appealing.

Can I reserve my home resort at 11 months out but then book at 7 months elsewhere if they have availability? It makes sense to me and I understand I would have to cancel the booking I already had in order to make a new one as I don't believe it is possible to just transfer them or amend to another resort.

Thanks again

See more...

Yes, always reserve at 11 months to secure a room. Yes, you can amend at seven months subject to availability

XE is a money transfer service.

One beds are LOVELY but as you say it’s space vs cost! We eke our points out by not checking into DVC the day we arrive (usually quite late if coming from UK); going to the beach / elsewhere for a few nights etc.

The parks are less and less appealing to me every year - never thought I’d say that!

[YorkshireT]

Thank you for the confirmation and for all the advice.

I have a Halifax clarity card which I use for foreign transactions to avoid fees, so can use this for the deposit. No idea what XE is! But I will look into this. I'm assuming an online funds transfer thing? I deposit in sterling and can then make payments in dollars? Thank you I will look into this as this part of it is not clear in my head and is bothering me more than than actually parting with the money!

YES THERE’S A FEW SERVICES, PERSONALLY I FOUND THIS THE BEST, OTHERS MAY OFFER ALTERNATIVES, IT’S A BIG COMPANY SO SECURITY OF FUNDS IS IMPORTANT TO ME. NEVER HAD AN ISSUE AND GREAT RATE.

Re studio vs 1 bed...studios are less points so there is an opportunity for a longer stay. But all the 1 beds walkthroughs online look lovely. I have never been in a one bed so can only go by vlogs. We are not villa people and have spent 2 weeks all 4 in one hotel room with 1 toilet. But, as the kids get older this is more crampt and less appealing.

Can I reserve my home resort at 11 months out but then book at 7 months elsewhere if they have availability? It makes sense to me and I understand I would have to cancel the booking I already had in order to make a new one as I don't believe it is possible to just transfer them or amend to another resort.

YES YOU CAN AMEND A BOOKING SO YOU DO NOT RISK LOSING A CURRENT HOME RESORT BOOKING IF ANOTHER DISAPPEARS AS YOU BEGIN TO BOOK. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CANCEL. ITS A GOOD IDEA TO SPLIT LONG STAYS AT HOME RESORT INTO SMALLER STAYS WHEN FIRST BOOKING. SPLIT STAYS ARE A GREAT THING OF DVC. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I’M BOOKED AT XMAS FOR 8 NIGHTS. I BOOKED SSR IN 2 BLOCKS OF 4. THEN I CHANGED ONE TO BOARDWALK. IF ID DECIDED TO LEAVE ALL AS SSR OR COULDNT GET ANYWHERE ELSE, A CALL TO MEMBER SERVICES AND YOU CAN GET THEM JOINED UP.

Thanks again[/QUOTE]

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by Buggles94

Hi Abby
Very exciting to see you starting on the journey to become a DVC owner! It's a path we have never regretted although obviously over the past few years we have started to wonder if we will ever get "home" again!
We have bought both direct and resale. It sounds like you have done tonnes of research so know your numbers etc... We have had to bank and borrow to get the points we need some years (we like one beds if possible as 2 older teenage children!) but as long as you like to plan ahead (which you seem to!) then hopefully you will be able to stay in the resorts you want to. We have purchased using DVC Resale Market and The Timeshare Store in the past and it was a relatively simple process... Waiting for ROFR was the worst part and Disney did exercise their right on one of the contracts
I would suggest buying where you are willing to stay... I have struggled with availability for next February half term and Christmas... However, there is usually some availability and just be willing to waitlist etc...
Happy to chat through any questions. I am so happy with our purchase and can't wait to get "home"
Good luck with it all
ps be warned - once you start purchasing it is slightly addictive

See more...

Hey there

It's very much an emotional decision, albeit rationalised by lots of research to try and justify why it's a good decision. There are lots of other things the holiday fund could go towards...paying off some of our mortgage, buying a new car, house renovations, but none of those are as appealing.

We will be tied to the school holidays even when the kids are older and so being on the ball and booking at exactly the right time will be important. I've booked some of our wdw holidays at 15 months out before, booking in April when the offer was first released so booking in advance isn't a problem. But we won't be able to ever be spontaneous and decide to fly out in a month as we have a week off as I'm tied to the school holidays.

I think this is why I'm not bothered about buying direct as we would have to be very lucky to be able to benefit from the DVC owners parties they do for direct DVC owners. The likelihood of us being in WDW at that time is slim and the cost of buying resale far outweighs the benefits of direct.

Thanks for the advice and I hope you get to go back soon,

I hope we all do x