DVC: Why own when you can rent?

aristocatz

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
We had our first experience with renting DVC points last year. It was a very easy and positive experience and we saved so much money!

We've gone back and forth about owning DVC. We have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. We are big WDW fans, but we typically only go once every 1-2 years, because that's what we can afford. I love the WDW deluxe resorts. On one hand, it seems like a great investment for a family. On the other hand though, from what I've read it would be an extra monthly payment to our lives and there are additional yearly maintenance fees.

We were so happily surprised by our renting experience and it was so much cheaper than paying WDW to stay in a resort....we couldn't believe it was legal! We just booked our next WDW vacation for next year and we are renting points through David's. Staying at BLT for $16 per point. Pretty easy & quick to book.
Just wondering why people decide to own DVC as opposed to just renting points?
 
I agree. I’m looking at renting 9 nights at beach club aug 2019. 2800$. O could even stay at port Orleans for that. And I’m assuming the annual dues for beach club is probably 1000 a year? Renting seems way to go to me too if we go every other year
 


I guess part of it might be expectations that prices and rental costs will continue to escalate. I haven’t recently done the calculations concerning renting versus buying though.
 
Some are more comfortable being able to control their reservation. If it’s your reservation, you know you won’t be scrambling for a room if it’s been canceled. It’s rare but it does happen.
 
The price of renting points keeps going up too.
I rent from 2different people for $10. This was before it became so popular.
I thought $13 was really high, but $17, probably is still a bargain, since rack rate is expensive.
 


Availability is a big part of it, too. Whenever I’ve looked into renting points, even far out, usually only Saratoga Springs or Old Key West are available and I’m not interested in staying at those resorts. I’d much rather own at Beach Club and be able to book there 11 months out.
 
We go often.....3-4 times a year. WDW for 2 weeks at a time and DLR for 5 nights.I
Like being in control.
We never had an extra monthly payment. We paid ours to start with.
 
We just went from renting to purchasing because:
1) Our per point per year cost should work out considerably lower than renting
2) Rental prices will continue to rise .. buying fixes your cost (well minus maintenance but I chalk that up to inflation)
3) Control over our reservation (and less risk)
 
Less risk, less cost, and we can stay where we want. Some resorts have waiting lists for rentals, I think.
 
If renting works for you, great. If others find value in owning--great for them, too. As I see it, it's a win-win--those who buy can sometimes rent to those who prefer to rent. Personally, I'd probably do neither--we like to rent an offsite house when we go to Orlando. That's the choice that works for us. But, I've owned DVC, and stayed DVC, and I can see the appeal of it.
 
So, do most people who own DVC go multiple times per year?
We do. Three to five times a year. We basically use dvc like a cottage house.

I like that I can go online and book what I want, for when I want—be it last minute or way in advance. Renting doesn’t always come together. The broker may not have members willing to rent out points. There is always a shortage of points to rent. Owning allows me to bypass all that uncertainty and aggravation.
 
We do. Three to five times a year. We basically use dvc like a cottage house.

I like that I can go online and book what I want, for when I want—be it last minute or way in advance. Renting doesn’t always come together. The broker may not have members willing to rent out points. There is always a shortage of points to rent. Owning allows me to bypass all that uncertainty and aggravation.
Last minute??? Seven months is getting difficult unless you want OKW, SSR, or AKL. We have owned for 10+ years and in the past couple of years the ability to book last minute has almost disappeared.
 
Last minute??? Seven months is getting difficult unless you want OKW, SSR, or AKL. We have owned for 10+ years and in the past couple of years the ability to book last minute has almost disappeared.
We’ve been lucky, I suppose, but I’ve had luck with anything from a couple of months to a few weeks notice. The last minute trips tend to be OKW, but I’ve had luck with the Poly and BWV too.

Edited to add: we generally don’t stay in Studios, save for the one experience at the Poly. One bedrooms are our villa of choice. May have something to do with ease of availability.
 
I bought when my kids were around the same age as yours now, mine are now 24 and 20. I love it now more than when they were little, I can take a few days off and go during the week. I can let the kids go with their friends. For HS grad, I let them take their friends, don't think I would consider paying $$ for those trips if I didn't have DVC. In my divorce settlement, that's the only thing ex and I agreed that we didn't want to sell or split up, we alternate annual dues and usage.
 
I bought my points for about $3 per point for 25 years - we bought beach club, boardwalk and wilderness lodge years ago on the resale market. Resale price of $75 per point for 25 years left on the contracts when we purchased.

Add in the $6 per point maintenance fee, and my points cost $9 per year.

To rent, it is $16 per point.

Also, if I don’t want to use the points myself, I rent them out for $14 per point and make money.

If I use the points, my family can stay in a 2 bedroom for the price of a moderate, poking directly with Disney.

Owning is a win, win for us.

And, if I want to sell, I will make a ton of money. Some of My contracts are selling for way more than I paid for them! And I will get the cost of the original contract back, so I will get all the points for just the yearly maintenance fees!
 

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