New to forum [considering DVC]

Thanks Rhonda.

blackjack said:

While it has been fun, I know I have to step it up financially to continue to travel to great resorts during peak times...

Any referrals for where to buy is reputable and also what should I expect to pay for a reasonable closing fee? I have seen some brokers charging 800. Is that right?

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My most recent 2015 purchase of DVC came from www.dvcstore.com (aka www.dvc-resales.com). They have (or at least had) a good selection of inventory and everything went reasonably quickly. The closing fee was $659 + ROFR fee of $20 + Estoppel fee of $50. As to your larger questions...

We have very much enjoyed owning DVC. But as others have said, buying DVC only makes sense if you are willing to commit to visiting Disney at least every other year and prefer staying on property. As to which resort you should buy it really comes down to how much you care when and where you will be staying. And since it sounds like you are planning for at least 12 years of only being able to go during school breaks it really comes down to where.

We first bought into the Beach Club in 2008 and I just added more points at BLT. For us being able to walk to EPCOT and (what was) MGM was most important. But then they built Bay Lake Tower which allowed you to walk to the Magic Kingdom for the first time. And while we usually could book into BLT at the 7 month mark it didn't always work and the only thing that we ever saw available was lake view 1BRs. Which was annoying since one of the major advantages of DVC to us has been the ability to choose different size rooms as the presence of grandparents and our supply of points fluctuate. And so I bought BLT last year and in fact just booked a MK view room for winter break 2017.

All of which is a really long way of saying that if you need to go during school breaks you should buy where you want to stay. Unless you really don't care about being at one of the MK, EPCOT, or AK resorts in which case you can buy the cheapest points available.

Lastly, one of the less well known benefits of DVC is how liquid the market is for buying and selling points. In the past I was able to buy some AKV points to make an 11 month reservation during Easter break. And the BLT contract I purchased came with some 2015 points I couldn't use and I was able to sell them easily. But mostly you'll just be enjoying using the points on vacations with your family...

We love DVC! owners for couple of years already. We just came back from SSR (our favorite Disney resort) and we had a great week! Best timeshare ever no hiding fees, no bad surprises. We bought it from the tutas family which are very well known in the DVD resale community.
https://www.resalesdvc.com/About-The-Tutas-Family/
:whoopie:

elleny76 said:

We love DVC! owners for couple of years already. We just came back from SSR (our favorite Disney resort) and we had a great week! Best timeshare ever no hiding fees, no bad surprises. We bought it from the tutas family which are very well known in the DVD resale community.
https://www.resalesdvc.com/About-The-Tutas-Family/
:whoopie:

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We love Saratoga, too. I like the decor/colors of the cabinets and granite. Also like that it sits on a golf course with plenty of walking paths and not a crowded feel.

And... the awesome short minutes walk to Disney Spring! you can not beat that!...Its totally a "Home" feeling! SSR the best!

Buy DVC to stay DVC. Buy at WDW if that is where you want to go most of the time. Buy Aulani if you mainly want to go to Hawaii. If you plan on most of the time going to DL/CA, you really need to buy Grand Californian Villas. That resort is very small (50 units - two grand villas, 48 two bedroom villas-either lockoff or dedicated). It is difficult to book at seven months out. Not impossible, but very difficult.

If you want to stay at WDW, buy one of the WDW resorts so you always can book your home resort at 11 months out. Then at seven months out you can see if something else is available.

Buy HH Island if you want to stay there in the summer most of the time. Buy Vero Beach if you mainly want to go there during the summer months or you want a three bedroom Beach Cottage.

Do not buy direct unless you can't find what you want resale. Just aboute everything is available resale now. When they start selling the new Villas at Wilderness Lodge units, you might want to consider them, but you can still buy the existing VWL resale.

Deb & Bill said:

Buy DVC to stay DVC. Buy at WDW if that is where you want to go most of the time. Buy Aulani if you mainly want to go to Hawaii. If you plan on most of the time going to DL/CA, you really need to buy Grand Californian Villas. That resort is very small (50 units - two grand villas, 48 two bedroom villas-either lockoff or dedicated). It is difficult to book at seven months out. Not impossible, but very difficult.

If you want to stay at WDW, buy one of the WDW resorts so you always can book your home resort at 11 months out. Then at seven months out you can see if something else is available.

Buy HH Island if you want to stay there in the summer most of the time. Buy Vero Beach if you mainly want to go there during the summer months or you want a three bedroom Beach Cottage.

Do not buy direct unless you can't find what you want resale. Just aboute everything is available resale now. When they start selling the new Villas at Wilderness Lodge units, you might want to consider them, but you can still buy the existing VWL resale.

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Excellent advice. I would love to stay in a Vero beach cottage one of these days.

Deb & Bill said:

Buy DVC to stay DVC. Buy at WDW if that is where you want to go most of the time. Buy Aulani if you mainly want to go to Hawaii. If you plan on most of the time going to DL/CA, you really need to buy Grand Californian Villas. That resort is very small (50 units - two grand villas, 48 two bedroom villas-either lockoff or dedicated). It is difficult to book at seven months out. Not impossible, but very difficult.

If you want to stay at WDW, buy one of the WDW resorts so you always can book your home resort at 11 months out. Then at seven months out you can see if something else is available.

Buy HH Island if you want to stay there in the summer most of the time. Buy Vero Beach if you mainly want to go there during the summer months or you want a three bedroom Beach Cottage.

Do not buy direct unless you can't find what you want resale. Just aboute everything is available resale now. When they start selling the new Villas at Wilderness Lodge units, you might want to consider them, but you can still buy the existing VWL resale.

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Fantastic advice.

Anyone know if all resale contracts at Villas at Wilderness Lodge are still on the old expiration date or not? Did/Will DVC offer a buy-up option to extend the expiration date? When will the new section expire?

For the OP, this may affect resale value/cost.

elleny76 said:

We love DVC! owners for couple of years already. We just came back from SSR (our favorite Disney resort) and we had a great week! Best timeshare ever no hiding fees, no bad surprises. We bought it from the tutas family which are very well known in the DVD resale community.
https://www.resalesdvc.com/About-The-Tutas-Family/
:whoopie:

Click to expand...

I bought 2 resales from them, good company to deal with!

Lisa P said:

Fantastic advice.

Anyone know if all resale contracts at Villas at Wilderness Lodge are still on the old expiration date or not? Did/Will DVC offer a buy-up option to extend the expiration date? When will the new section expire?

For the OP, this may affect resale value/cost.

Click to expand...

VWL has a 2042 expiration date, DVC probably will not extend the expiration date, at least not at this time. The new section will expire 50 years after the
opening date.

Lot's of excellent advice. Owners here since 2000. We absolutely love it. If you love and think you will go to WDW every year or every other year - great on-site timeshare with great flexibility and choices.

Good luck in your search!!