What are the advantages of being a DVC Member and buying through the Resale Market?

Members will join Disney Vacation Club (DVC) for many reasons. Members enjoy a vacation home experience and can receive the benefits of staying on property (i.e., Extra Magic hours, complimentary parking, etc.).

However, a key reason many will join is because of the Economic Benefit. DVC offers incredible value on the portfolio of DVC resorts often 50% less than rental rates.

Click on the video below for a look at the economics of a DVC resort stay.

Often Members will break-even on their DVC purchase within 5-7 trips. And typically, when buying resale that break-even may be even sooner as the purchase price can be significantly less.

Other key economic benefits include the following:

  • Members do not pay resort sales tax, which can provide a savings over renters who must pay the prevailing state and local hotel tax. In Orange County Florida where Walt Disney World is located the current hotel tax is 12.5%.
  • Members pay no currency exchange on their points. Points used in foreign countries through Interval International exchange are not subject to change in currencies.
  • Members enjoy a legacy factor as the membership may be passed on to the next generation of family so they can enjoy the same savings.

So Membership makes great Sense for the comforts and the savings but Why Buy Resale?

DVC Resale Market can often save you thousands of dollars on the purchase price by becoming a DVC Member through resale.  We encourage Members and potential new Members to compare for themselves as the savings can be tremendous. Below is a table comparing the current prices per point of purchasing DVC through resale and direct.

Resort Resale
(Based on
November ’22 Sales)
Direct*
(Disney Vacation Development)
Difference Per Point
(Direct – Resale)
Percentage Savings with Resale
Animal Kingdom $135 $210 $75 36%
Aulani $119 $217 $98 45%
Bay Lake Tower $173 $275 $102 37%
Beach Club $159 $275 $116 42%
Boardwalk $144 $240 $96 40%
Boulder Ridge $124 $215 $91 42%
Copper Creek $158 $250 $92 37%
Grand Californian $259 $320 $61 19%
Grand Floridian $161 $217 $56 26%
Hilton Head $105 $165 $60 36%
Old Key West $111 $205 $94 46%
Old Key West – Ext $116 $205 $89 43%
Polynesian $160 $250 $90 36%
Riviera Resort $140 $217 $77 35%
Saratoga Springs $124 $205 $81 40%
Vero Beach $76 $150 $74 49%

 

As a Member through a resale purchase you can enjoy all of the DVC resort properties including Home Resort Priority at the resort you choose to own at. As a resale purchaser you can also enjoy exchanges through Interval International.

Since March 21, 2011 Disney has had restrictions on using points from resale purchases for Disney Cruises, Disney Hotels that are not DVC villas, and Adventures by Disney. Fair to note that Disney Vacation Club denotes these options as “incidental benefits” of Membership and reserves the right to discontinue them at any time regardless of how the membership is purchased.

Importantly, the exchange rate for points outside of the Disney Vacation Club Resorts does not carry the same value.  A great example is with the Disney Cruises.  The example below will show that a guest may actually pay more for a Disney Cruise using points than just paying cash.  And for this very reason the savings of purchasing resale outweigh the restrictions for many guests.

Click on the video below to see an example of the economics of using DVC points for a Disney Cruise.

Further,  if your only DVC purchase is a resale contract purchased after April 4, 2016, you will not receive certain incidental benefits (also known as Membership Extras) such as Member discounts on dining, shopping, Member-exclusive events, and certain special Member offers.  Please refer to our blog discussing these incidental benefits for more detail. Effective January 19, 2019, only Members who purchase directly from Disney will be able to use their Vacation Points at the 14 existing Disney Vacation Club Resorts or future Resorts—such as Disney’s Riviera. Resale contracts purchased for the existing 14 Disney Vacation Club Resorts will only be able to exchange Points into those 14 Resorts (DVC Resorts Opened Prior to 2019, commonly known as the Classic 14 DVC Resorts).  For more details, please see, New DVC Resale Restrictions and Who is Most Impacted.

For additional questions regarding the economics of buying DVC and buying DVC Resale please call the friendly, professional experts at 1 (844) DVC-PROS where we can “Welcome you Home for Less”.

Will I receive the same treatment as DVC Members who purchase direct through Disney?

You will receive the same great service, have access to member services, have a Disney Vacation Club Sales Guide and have access to all the DVC Resorts and all of the World Collection Resorts (Interval International). The only difference is that with the points you buy on the resale market is that they cannot be used for Disney Cruises, Disney Hotels that are not DVC villas, and Adventures by Disney. Fair to note that Disney Vacation Club denotes these options as “incidental benefits” of Membership and reserves the right to discontinue them at any time regardless of how the membership is purchased. Importantly, members often elect to not use their points for these collections as they do not provide the same value they do for resorts.

For a better understanding of the best economic use of DVC points please visit our section Economics: Direct vs. Resale.

Further,  if your only DVC purchase is a resale contract purchased after April 4, 2016, you will not receive certain incidental benefits (also known as Membership Extras) such as Member discounts on dining, shopping, Member-exclusive events, and certain special Member offers.  Please refer to our blog discussing these incidental benefits for more detail.

How many DVC points should I buy?

This will depend on a few factors such as how often you vacation, the length of those vacations, the size room you will need and of course your budget. With buying DVC on the resale market your family may be able to get more points because the costs are typically much less than buying directly through the developer.

At the DVC Resale Market we have over 185 years of combined experience working directly for Disney with assisting new members in determining the right point amount. We encourage you to call our friendly and professional team in determining how many points may be right for your family.

What are the room types at the DVC Resorts?

Studio:

The studio is typically 20-30% larger than a standard hotel room and includes a private patio. Also included is a wet bar with an under-counter refrigerator, microwave and a coffee maker. Each unit has a small patio with two chairs and a small table. The studio unit sleeps a total of four to five people.

One-Bedroom Vacation Home:

The one-bedroom unit has a master suite, a living room, a kitchen, and a private patio. The master suite has a king-size bed, a master bath with a whirlpool tub and separate shower, and an entertainment center. The living room has a queen-size sleeper sofa and entertainment center. The kitchen is fully equipped with a range, stove, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, coffee maker, and microwave oven. There is also a laundry closet with a washer and a dryer. The one-bedroom unit sleeps four to five people.

Two-Bedroom Vacation Home:

The two-bedroom unit consists of a one-bedroom unit and a connecting studio or it may be a dedicated two-bedroom unit consisting of a one-bedroom unit and a second bedroom with two queen sized beds, a table with chairs, a television set, a private balcony or patio, and a full bathroom. The two-bedroom unit sleeps a total of eight to ten people.

Three-Bedroom Grand Villa:

The three-bedroom unit is the largest and typically most luxurious vacation home at Vacation Club resorts. Each unit has three bedrooms and three baths and anywhere from 2,100 to 2,800 square feet. The master bedroom suite has a king-size bed, a master bath with a whirlpool tub and separate shower, and an entertainment center. The living room has a cathedral ceiling, queen-size sleeper sofa, and a television. The kitchen is fully equipped with a range, stove, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, coffee maker, and microwave oven. There is also a laundry closet or room with a washer and a dryer. The Grand Villa can sleep up to a total of twelve people.

Note: There are slight variations in unit configurations from resort to resort.

What is Home Resort Priority and is it important?

Home Resort Priority is an 11 month maximum booking window you get with the resort you purchase your points into, commonly referred to as your DVC Home Resort. If the DVC resort is not your home resort the maximum booking window is 7 months. You can have multiple Home Resorts if you purchase into multiple DVC properties.  As a Member you will have Home Resort priority with the amount of points you own at each particular resort. Which DVC property is your home resort does not affect your booking window for any World Collection (Interval International) resorts.

The more flexible you are with which resort you are staying at and when you stay lessons the importance for which resort is your home resort. However, the more of a preference you have for a particular resort and time of year may put a significant importance on which resort is your home resort. Some resorts do book up faster than others based on several factors such as size, location and overall popularity. Call the associates at the DVC Resale Market for advice as they have helped thousands of guests for Disney over the years navigate through this process.

What are the current dues per resort and history of increases?

 

Resort  2024 Annual Dues 2023 Annual Dues Growth 2023 to 2024 Inception to Date CAGR*
Animal Kingdom $9.08 $8.81 3.09% 4.1%
Aulani** $9.76 $9.14 6.78% 3.9%
Bay Lake Tower $7.59 $7.43 2.22% 5.2%
Beach Club $8.63 $8.17 5.63% 3.8%
Boardwalk $8.67 $8.53 1.64% 3.1%
Boulder Ridge $8.68 $8.51 1.97% 4.1%
Copper Creek $8.09 $7.92 2.19% 1.3%
Grand Californian $8.55 $8.04 6.39% 5.4%
Grand Floridian $7.57 $7.33 3.28% 3.1%
Hilton Head $11.31 $10.73 5.44% 6.9%
Old Key West $9.87 $9.36 5.45% 4.5%
Polynesian $8.23 $7.95 3.56% 3.7%
Riviera Resort $8.85 $8.50 4.07% 0.8%
Saratoga Springs $8.14 $7.86 3.52% 3.9%
Vero Beach*** $13.86 $12.85 7.88% 5.0%

*Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is the year over year growth rate of the dues over a multiple-year period
**Aulani Contracts that originated pre-July 6th, 2011 have dues in 2024 of $7.34/pt.
***Vero Contracts that originated pre-January 1st, 1996 have dues in 2024 of $10.89/pt.

 

What are the Deed Expiration Dates for the DVC Resorts?
Resort Deed Expiration
Animal Kingdom 2057
Aulani 2062
Bay Lake Tower 2060
Beach Club 2042
Boardwalk 2042
Grand Californian 2060
Grand Floridian 2064
Hilton Head 2042
Old Key West 2042 or 2057
Polynesian 2066
Riviera Resort 2070
Saratoga Springs 2054
Vero Beach 2042
WL: Boulder Ridge 2042
WL: Copper Creek 2068
* All Deeds Expire on Jan. 31st of respected year
What does “USE YEAR” mean?

It is the date that the DVC points will be placed into the membership each year. There are 8 different Use Years (Feb.,Mar.,Apr.,Jun.,Aug.,Sep.,Oct.,Dec.) and the points are always deposited the 1st day of the Use Year month. Banking deadlines are 8 months after the Use Year date.  For more details on Use Year, please see: What is a DVC “Use Year” and Does it Matter?

What is banking and borrowing?

As a Member you can use up to 3 years of points for one vacation by banking from the prior year and borrowing from the upcoming year. There is no cost to bank or borrow points. Each year you have 8 months from the date you get the points (the Use Year) date to decide to bank the points. The banking deadlines for each Use Year are in the table below:

Use Year Last Day to Bank Points
February September 30
March October 31
April November 30
June January 31
August March 31
September April 30
October May 31
December July 31
When can I make my first DVC reservation?

Once the sale has closed, it takes approximately 3 weeks for Disney to set up your new membership.  Once the new membership is set up by Disney, they will mail you a letter that will contain your Membership number. With the Member number you can call and make reservations through Member Services, and Disney does ask that you wait for that Member number to be received before contacting them.   Please note, Disney will not provide a Member number over the phone.

How long does is take the DVC contract to close?

Approximately 60-90 days. This is typically the time frame because after we receive both Buyer’s and Seller’s signed contract, everything goes to Disney Vacation Club for Right of First Refusal or commonly abbreviated as ROFR. Disney has 30 days to review the contract and decide whether to exercise their right or not.

Once approved, Disney sends an estoppel to the title company and the title company then can prepare final documents. After the final documents have been executed and returned (along with the monies due from the Buyer), the contract closes and Disney is notified of the transfer of title.

After the contract is closed Disney then makes the final transfer of membership, which takes approximately 3 weeks.  Once the new membership is set up by Disney, they will mail you a letter in the mail with your Membership number.

When will I receive my DVC Member number?

Your DVC Member number should arrive from Disney Vacation Club approximately 3 weeks after your contract has been closed and recorded in county records.  Once you have received your letter in the mail with your Member number you can contact Disney Vacation Club member services to begin making reservations.

Can DVC Members have multiple Use Years?

Yes, if you have the same use year for all of your packages, you will have one ID card for all of them. If you have more than one use year, you will receive an ID card for each one. You can use the points from different Use Years together, but they must be transferred first.

Do I have to buy a minimum of 150 points?

When buying a resale contract you can buy any number of points starting as low as 25 points as that is the minimum number of points on any contract.

What will the closing costs be?

Typical closing costs average between $600 and $1,200 based on the purchase price and if you are financing. Our associates can give you a more exact amount based on which contract you are looking to purchase.

Are prices for resale contracts negotiable?

Some sellers are negotiable and some are firm at their asking price. We’ll always be willing to present an offer for you. The associates at The DVC Resale Market will also advise you if the offer your presenting risks not passing Disney’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR) so you may make an informed decision about the price you would like our team to present.

What is the Right of First Refusal (ROFR)?

Right of First Refusal is the option Disney Vacation Club has to purchase any resale package after a sales price has been agreed upon and a contract has been executed. Each contract must be forwarded to DVC for review. DVC typically takes up to 30 days to review the contract (can be longer based on DVC’s volume to review). At their discretion, Disney may step in and purchase the property themselves at the terms agreed upon by the Seller and original Buyer. DVC then becomes the Buyer, and the purchase is complete. Once DVC is the buyer there is not an opportunity to come back with a better offer in hopes of still purchasing the contract.

Is financing available for DVC resale contracts?

Yes! Monera Financial offers the ability to finance with or without credit checks, and they finance for all DVC properties.  Please click here for additional DVC Resale financing information.

Do I have to come to Florida for the closing?

No, almost all closings for DVC resale are done using e-mail, fax and/or FedEx.

Is my DVC resale purchase protected?

For closing on any of the Florida properties we recommend using Magic Vacation Title.   For closing on any Grand Californian or Aulani contract we recommend using First American Title. For Hilton Head contracts we recommend using Mason Title. All companies are highly experienced in DVC closings and have procedures in place to work along side Disney in verifying everything about a sale is correct and up to date.