Buying a small contract direct/resale question!

[amee]

We have been OKW(June UY/225) owners for 20+ years. We are considering buying a small contract(maybe 60?), either BLT of GF for an every other year early December 4 or 5 day trip, now that our kids are grown, we can do that trip on our own, and only need a studio. I would love the experts advice on a couple of questions.

1.) Are closing costs, etc the same whether you buy direct or from a reseller?
2.) Is there any advantage to getting the same UY, if we buy a resale? I think we can choose any UY if we buy direct?
3.) It looks like the PP cost on a lot of resales for BLT is around $150. It looks to be about $235 direct. Am i missing anything on direct cost?
4.) I have been reading through posts all day and just trying to double check myself and get some expert advice.

Thank you!

 

[kanerf]

Since you already appear to have blue card status you would be much better off going resale. The problem is finding a small contract. They usually sell quickly. If you are not concerned about the UY it should be easier to find one. Signup with all the resellers to get daily emails about their available contracts. Some will let you specify UY, size and location.

 

[amee]

Thank you for your help! If we are staying on non-direct points, does anything change for us, since we have the Blue Card as a result of a previous contract we own?

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Thank you for your help! If we are staying on non-direct points, does anything change for us, since we have the Blue Card as a result of a previous contract we own?

You can't stay at Riv and potential future resorts on resale points.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

1) Closing costs have gotten to be similar between direct and resale so it's mostly a non-consideration now.
2) The advantage of the same UY is that you can use the points together seamlessly at 7 months and also just have one membership with multiple contracts under it and one banking deadline. If you plan to use the new contract completely on it's own it's certainly workable to have 2 UY's but it's not quite as easy as 1 UY. DVC will only sell a new UY to a current owner if they meet the minimum to establish a new membership. I think that might now be 100 pts for BLT and VGF but am not certain. If you want a different UY and are buying a smaller contract it's possible to do that resale but might be too small to qualify for a new UY direct.
3) DVC increases the prices of "sold out" resorts - they really want to encourage purchase of the resorts that are in active sales.

There's now 2 distinctions in DVC. One is on the membership and whether you have a qualified membership or not. As an owner of 20 years you already own a qualified membership and will continue to be that way as long as you keep the OKW contract. This gives you access to discounts and member events.
The other qualification is on the contract points themselves. A new to you resale contract will be non-qualified which applies to where you can use the points. It will be able to be used at any of the original 14 resorts but not Riviera. Direct can be used at the original 14 resorts plus Riviera. Of course your existing OKW points can be used at Riviera so you already have that option with those points.

 

[Sandisw]

Honestly, if the purpose is to have them for December trips, and you know you want them for BLT or VGF, I don’t see any benefit for direct other than speed and having them to get Dec 2021 booked as soon as window opens in the next few weeks.

If you buy direct, depending on your UY, you will get 2020 UY points and dues will only be from 2021 on..assuming you buy January 1st. Of course, those are possible resale too,

The only other possible reason for direct would be small contracts which don’t come along as often so it could take time.

Given you are thinking 60 points, it’d be a few thousand extra going direct....may or may not be worth it if you are in no rush.

If it were me, I’d buy direct, and same UY, unless a different UY works better for December trips.

 

[Ginamarie]

1.) Are closing costs, etc the same whether you buy direct or from a reseller?

I have seen Disney assume closing costs sometimes, but usually on larger contracts. Otherwise you're looking at the same costs either way.

2.) Is there any advantage to getting the same UY, if we buy a resale? I think we can choose any UY if we buy direct?

Yes, the same use year will allow you to have the points in the same account. They're still two different contracts, but if you want to use points from the contracts together, you don't have to worry about transferring points between accounts or anything. It won't help you with the use window- your OKW points will only be able to book OKW at 11 months and your BLT will only be able to book BLT at 11 months.
Disney will make sure you keep the same use year if you buy direct.

3.) It looks like the PP cost on a lot of resales for BLT is around $150. It looks to be about $235 direct. Am i missing anything on direct cost?

You have this right. That being said, small contracts on the resale market are usually priced higher. So you may be looking at a price in the $150-160 range rather than $145-150. It's still a savings for sure. It just may take some time to find the use year and contract size that you want.

4.) I have been reading through posts all day and just trying to double check myself and get some expert advice.

This group is a great resource for that!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We just added direct 25 VGF. We have probably 20 direct contracts and as soon as I saw the FED EX truck today, I just knew we forgot to initial something. Sure enough, that’s what it was.