How long did it take you to find the right resale contract?

[ljcrochet]

We got very lucky when we decided to add on to HHI. We need a June use year, DH email one of the dvc brokers to get more information. They emailed him back with some HHI listings. I think from the time we decided to add on, till we had the points in our account was less than 2 months (and that was with us slowing it down a bit)

[dvcterry]

Originally Posted by kristenrice

I never found mine...

...but I needed a very specific one...

...so I bought direct. and I didn't have to be stalking my computer all day, waiting for the "perfect" contract to pop up.

this sounds like me, and the points were loaded in minutes.

but maybe someday that resale one will come along

[princessaloha]

About a month. It was a sweet deal but not perfect so it didn't matter to me if we got it or not. Which of course meant we got it. It actually turned out to be more perfect than we had first realized so now we're very happy that it's ours.

I call all things Disney the "hurry up and wait" game. Don't get me started on the bus system. Be patient and you'll find something. Good Luck!

[ssawka]

Originally Posted by joelp

I'd be careful about focusing on a single point total for what you think will be your only use for the next umpteen years ...

I would think more in terms of a range of possible vacation options (resorts, room types, times of year, trip frequency, etc.)

I was originally looking for a 75 point AKV contract with a target for our first trip "home" in November 2013, and ended up recently purchasing a 100 point loaded AKV contract - so we'll be going to WDW in about a month (not part of the "original plan") for a long weekend and then the "planned" week in Nov 2013 - but staying in 1 BR villas instead of studios (maybe not the smartest move on my part - the DW is gonna be spoiled!!

After that, the plan is to head to Aulani in 2015 ...(which would have been difficult to do with only 75 points per year without bypassing WDW for way too many years ...!)

So only have 75 points per year would have limited our options ...

Normally I would agree with you, but we already have 275 BLT points. We are thinking of an add-on specifically for HHI and I know we would only go there in the summer. So, assuming I buy a few "buffer" points for any possible re-allocations, I think we will be safe. 40 points is way too many "buffer" points. I don't want to have to pay MFs on the extra points.

[luckyman_apd]

Originally Posted by Meggysmum

I wanted a March UY BLT contract of less than 140 points and I was lucky to find a 125pt contract as soon as I started looking. Have kept my eyes open since and think I was extremely lucky to find it so quickly!

We were looking for a June UY with 100 points at BLT. There were a bunch of 100 pt available and they were selling quick. A 125 pt contract came along with a June UY so we jumped on it. We flexed by buying 25 points extra but after consideration, I think we will be happier having the extra points

Took less than a month. Don't settle for something you don't want, but if you are waiting for something rare and uncommon be prepared to wait a while, or change what you are looking for.

[333disneymom]

I think it really depends on how many points you want. If you are looking for 100 points or less, they go much faster and for a higher price. For us, we originally wanted 50 points, but realized these contracts often went for asking price. So, we upped that to 100 points at BCV, which is a difficult contract to find, and usually sell fast and get close to what they are asking. After running some numbers, we realized we could get 150 points at SSR for around the same price as a 100 point BCV. This would allow us to get enough points where we don't think we will have to add one in a year on two, like we would have with a 50 or 100 point contract. We put in about 10 bids, before we got the one we wanted. Often, we missed a property by minutes, as someone else's bid was just accepted. Some sellers only wanted asking. One property we bid asking, and the seller decided not to sell. Another time, we had a bid accepted, only to find out the owner no longer owned the property. Finally, we got our great contract, with a good use year for us, at a good price. In all, it took 2 months to get a contract that worked for us. We just received closing documents yesterday, 3 weeks after we passed ROFR. So, hopefully, we'll have our new points in a month or so.

[Irishmom23]

I had been waiting patiently over the past year for the right BCV add on. (I own at SSS but want BCV for Food and Wine and the marathon) Only wanted 100 points or less. Was too slow to respond the first few offers and when I went on a wait list my use year didn't come up or my offer was rejected. I needed the points by December of this year for a big family trip and started getting a little worried. Finally purchased 75 points direct yesterday, already the points are loaded into my account and I banked them this morning. Yes, it cost more but now I have peace of mind and my search that has been going on for almost a year has ended

[K9pal]

Yep, those small contracts seem to be snatched up very quickly. We were looking for 50 points with a Feb use year, and it took about 2 months to get what we wanted. We didn't want to spend more than $70/point, so that limited us somewhat. We ended up with SSR, which is what our original contract is, so that's perfect for us. Just closed this week!!

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

I did a little point research and determined we could live in the 170-190 pt range very nicely for now.(1st contract) Just missed on first offer but another came by quickly and since it was OKW made skightly better offer than what I was seeing out there. My guess is I'll be searching some day for that 100 point add-on also.

[maburke]

Originally Posted by joelp

I'd be careful about focusing on a single point total for what you think will be your only use for the next umpteen years ...

I would think more in terms of a range of possible vacation options (resorts, room types, times of year, trip frequency, etc.)
...
So only have 75 points per year would have limited our options ...

I agree, and would also think about the opposite scenario. ssawka, if you bought 100 points instead of 110, you'd save all the money of the resale over direct, and you'd pay even less in MFs. If you really used exactly 110 every year, you'd have to borrow, but it would be ten years before you would be totally out of points and have to skip a year. Then you could start over. If you bought a contract that was loaded with a year of banked points, it would be twenty years before you have to skip!

[ssawka]

Originally Posted by maburke

I agree, and would also think about the opposite scenario. ssawka, if you bought 100 points instead of 110, you'd save all the money of the resale over direct, and you'd pay even less in MFs. If you really used exactly 110 every year, you'd have to borrow, but it would be ten years before you would be totally out of points and have to skip a year. Then you could start over. If you bought a contract that was loaded with a year of banked points, it would be twenty years before you have to skip!

maburke, you bring up a very good point! If I could find a 100 point contract. The problem is that HHI contracts are few and far between and most are 150 points. I guess no one was breaking up contracts when HHI was originally sold.

ETA: Actually if I was lucky enough to find a 70 point contract with all 2012 points it would work out perfectly and I would not have left over points in 2032 when the contract expires.

[mikron]

We looked for packages that banked points that wern't counted in the purchase price. Rented them and helped for the package. takes a lot of looking but there are some deals out there.

[jocin3]

Our first resale contract last year for 150 points took me about a month to find (that was after reading on the DVC boards for almost 9 months researching DVC & which home resort we wanted, etc)

Fast forward to a few months ago when we finally decided to add on between 100-150 points with the same August UY at Boardwalk. Finally snagged one last week and we are now awaiting ROFR (and keeping our fingers crossed we passed).