Another DVC Question - WLV Through Disney?

[KylesMom]

We were discussing DVC ownership at length this weekend, and an intriguing question came up with regard to purchasing points at WLV.

Does Disney directly deal with resales, or would you strictly go through a broker for the points? For example, if we were to go to the DVC Preview Center here in Chicago, would they be able to find us 150 points on the resale market, or would they only be able to offer resorts which currently are open for sale such as AKV or BLT?

We understand that a broker would be the cheaper per point option, and are wondering if taking our time at the preview center would be worth it, or if in the end they wouldn't be able to help us since we're pretty set on where we want to buy - which is WLV. Thoughts?

[DizneyRox]

I'm not sure about the preview center, however I can't imagine they are any different than WDW DVC agents.

ANY resort is available through Disney directly. They will push their current offerings, however if you are set on Wilderness Lodge, they can also see money walking out of the door.

I suspect Disney is currently holding lot of unwanted inventory. We just went through a pretty tough economic shift. People lost houses, etc, so I have to believe that a fair amount of DVC ownership interests went through forclosure as well. It is my belief that this is the reason for Disney offering current members the abililty to purchase one time use points and billed it as a perk.

Holding your ground will get you what you want from Disney, however, the point costs are pretty far out of whack compared to resale. I don't bleeive the same offers (free vacations, no closing costs or whatever) apply to the older resorts in many cases as well.

I still think you'll be better off resale, but it's worth getting an official word from Disney.

[laprana]

I agree with DisneyRox. You can get contracts for sold out resorts through Disney, as long as they have the inventory. But, you will probably get a better price by purchasing from an outside resale company. I found on another site that the current price per point for VWL when purchasing from Disney is $102 with a minimum purchase of 160 points for new members. A quick glance at the Timeshare Store's listing shows contracts available for as low as $64 per point. That's quite a savings!

[TheDuckRocks]

We have purchased Old Key West and Hilton Head Island points in the last 2 years. The reasons we went with Disney were:
1) Direct financing with Disney when Timeshare Store was not offering a finance opition in any form.
2) Cost per point on both properties was quite a bit lower than the current BLT, SSR or AKLV Disney selling prices.
3) We were given a full year of extra points as a sales incentive.
4) All closing costs were paid for by Disney.
5) We were able to complete the whole transaction over the phone and through the mail in a matter of a few days, when through an outside seller we would have had to wait for Disney first refusal.
6) Within hours we had a DVC membership number and were able to book our first trip to our new Home.

[KylesMom]

In essence, you've all brought something to the table on the discussion we're having.

1) It will be cheaper to buy points through a reseller.
2) If we don't pay cash up front, we'll need to figure out financing options through either our bank or a reseller such as The Timeshare Store. This includes minimum amounts & loan length commitments.
3) Disney was offering several specials, such as bonus points, free financing for 6 months on Disney Visa card (plus earned reward $s) which we would not be able to take advantage of if we went through a reseller.
4) We really need to do the number crunch, but I can't see where it would pay to spend the extra several thousand to go through Disney, unless we can't find a resale available on the secondary market. I definitely want to double check on this one, though!

Thanks for all your help. Everything is starting to make sense!