Thinking of buying into DVC?????

[KAT1811]

DH just said to me this morning that we should just bite the bullet (so to speak) this year and buy into DVC. I wanted to wait and do a resale because I wanted to wait until we could pay cash, no financing, but that seems like it could be a couple years out. We have 4 children and often travel with my parents in two week intervals so we will need a lot of points. But on the other hand the financing would be nice for the short run and hopefully we could just pay it off much quicker than we have to. Assuming paying additional funds is an option. I know right now they are selling into BLT and AKL. To be honest I am not a fan of either resort. We love OKW because of the quiet relaxed atmosphere and larger units.

I guess my question is if I buy into AKL or BLT do you think I can trade into OKW easily?

How about if I buy enough points for two weeks at OKW but with a home resort at AKL or BLT?

I think we'd like BLT once the children get a bit older but as of right now they are little (13, 5, 3, & 1) and OKW is just perfect, far enough away from the madness of the parks and quiet enough to feel like we are getting two vacations in one.

Any input is more than welcome. I am SO torn I just don't know what to do!!! Looking for help from the best of the best!

[Simba 1]

I can't answer your question about trading from BLT to OKW, as DH and I are just in process of purchasing 310 points (OKW) from the TimeShare Store.

I wanted to mention that if you like OKW, the resale market is running about $65 - $70 / point. That's a pretty significant savings over buying direct from Disney into AKL or BLT, especially is you are looking to purchase a lot of points. A disadvantage is the resale takes longer to close (~2 months based on our experience) and the length of contract is shorter at the older resorts. I did notice that financing options are available through the resale company, or perhaps your own bank (home equity loan, for example).

Hang in there! I agonized with the decision myself. Good luck!

[DizneyRox]

OKW is a pretty popular DVC resort, the bigger rooms and atmosphere I think are big draws, although we never stayed there.

I'm not sure I would pay a premium for BLT or ALK points and stay at OKW. I would probably just buy at OKW, since that's where you want to stay.

You can ask about OKW points directly from Disney, however you won't get them for nearly the cost of resale. If they don't have them, they can just grab them ROFR and offer you those points at a premium. Depends on the number of points you want and others wanting OKW.

[Pirate Granny]

I'm on the fence also...we have a Grand Villa booked at OKW in March...we rented points...hoping that may be the push that hubby needs...I was thinking about purchasing in three contracts and putting my name and each one of my daughters on the contracts...do you now if that's allowable. I would be purchasing up front (no loan) from the timeshare store.
:pirate:

[VWL Mom]

I'm on the fence also...we have a Grand Villa booked at OKW in March...we rented points...hoping that may be the push that hubby needs...I was thinking about purchasing in three contracts and putting my name and each one of my daughters on the contracts...do you now if that's allowable. I would be purchasing up front (no loan) from the timeshare store.
:pirate:

We bought direct from Disney and were allowed to split the total contract between my 2 sons (DH & I are on both). I seem to remember a minimum point requirement of 100 per contract.

[Disoriented]

Due to the size of OKW I think your chances of getting a room at 7 months will be fairly good. Whenever we have checked on availability with short notice OKW has always been one of the options.

Now having said that, if you buy OKW directly from Disney I believe your contract would be good until 2057 as opposed to 2042 for the vast majority of the contracts available on the re-sale market. I believe the price through Disney is a little more than the other sold out resorts but less than BLT.

Also I would not buy one large contract, but two or three smaller ones. These would be much easier to sell in the future if you had to, or if you arrived at a point were you didn't need as many points i.e empty nesters etc. You could also buy them over a period of time as you could afford them saving money on financing.

[KAT1811]

You could also buy them over a period of time as you could afford them saving money on financing.

This is the new plan. I'm thinking we will buy up at least 100 point lots here and there until we get the desired 450+ point lot we are looking for.

We are going to check with DVC in Disney when we arrive this year about purchasing from a "sold out" resort, OKW. We'll see where the chips fall. I think we will most likely purchase a bunch of contracts from one of the resale sites online in smaller increments. Unless Disney comes up with a deal we are interested in.

[Hammer]

Don't rule out getting an OKW contract with a 2057 expiration date via resale. They do have some of those contracts for sale. If you fill out a request form with the Timeshare Store, you can specify that you want an OKW contract with a 2057 expiration date.

I know you mention talking to a few timeshare resellers, but may I suggest going with the Timeshare Store (http://dvc-resales.com), which is an Intercot sponsor? I have had nothing but great service from them when I bought my DVC resale and now when I am investigating purchasing a small add-on.