Stripped Contracts the norm?

[miTnosnhoJ]

I am seriously regretting that I originally bought in with an every other year VGF setup, after doing that for a few years, and am considering adding a lot more (300-500+) to go more often. Unfortunately there is no wait list for direct, so i was scoping out resale and the inventory seems pretty poor, in particular if I try to match my UY - Oct. It looks like everything has most of the points emptied, many even including partial inventories for 2018. So it looks like if I would need to buy lots of contracts up over time, and wait a few years before I can really take advantage of them. Is that pretty common? Or is it more typical to wait for contracts which have more points available.

My guide mentioned that he could try to individually monitor for points, even though there isn't a wait list, but he said it would require extraordinary patience.

I am also considering getting a second home resort, but like the certainty of 11 month at a home resort we already love.

Thanks!

The Timeshare Store is offering Oct VGF points today in their email.

 

[frabjous]

Just thought I would post an update to this thread. I decided at the time to hold off and instead waited on the spur of the moment trip (was week before last) to AKV on cash using the DVC cash discount. Wife and I were also interested in AKV so it was a good opportunity to experience it, and I thought I might squeeze in time for a tour at poly and elsewhere. It turns out Poly Bungalows weren't available to tour (guide warned me in advance about no model, but thought I might be able to catch one between checkin-checkout time), so just walked around the resort there instead. We did end up really liking AKV, but we still preferred the VGF, and since AKV is easily available at 7 months out, we decided extending in our existing UY was the way to go. I got back and coincidentally 3 fully loaded 100pt VGF contracts in Oct popped up (2 of them even had full points banked from 2016). Scooped them up and turned out they were from the same seller so only one transaction to execute and cheaper closing fees. Its been off to ROFR since Monday.

 

[sndral]

Good luck w/ ROFR & closing. Looks like it took a little over 6 months for the listing/s in the use year you wanted to hit the market.

 

[kboo]

Congratulations! I did see those October UY when I was looking too. We are in ROFR for a VGF contract as well. Good luck!

 

[frabjous]

Good luck w/ ROFR & closing. Looks like it took a little over 6 months for the listing/s in the use year you wanted to hit the market.

Yeah there wasn't much in Oct all this time. Although to be fair there was that one contract in may that @miTnosnhoJ reported, and I sat on it for a day thinking about whether to move forward (was still considering other resorts) and then it was gone. That (like the advice earlier) taught me that you really have to move fast on these low volume market high value contracts. It makes sense though that they might start popping up more in the next few months once dues have to be looked at.

 

[frabjous]

Congratulations! I did see those October UY when I was looking too. We are in ROFR for a VGF contract as well. Good luck!

Thanks! Good luck on yours as well. Hopefully they don't slow down processing these over the holidays!

 

[kboo]

Yeah there wasn't much in Oct all this time. Although to be fair there was that one contract in may that @miTnosnhoJ reported, and I sat on it for a day thinking about whether to move forward (was still considering other resorts) and then it was gone. That (like the advice earlier) taught me that you really have to move fast on these low volume market high value contracts. It makes sense though that they might start popping up more in the next few months once dues have to be looked at.

That may be, but I watched for a while and to find the "perfect" UY and # of points - they were few and far between for VGF. When things are priced right, they seem to move quickly. I'm not sure what happened with mine, as it had been on the market for about 6 weeks, and then I found out that the seller was a lender that had foreclosed on the contract. So most likely seller didn't want another buyer with financing.

 

[mustinjourney]

Congratulations! I did see those October UY when I was looking too. We are in ROFR for a VGF contract as well. Good luck!

I thought you guys were looking to get an Epcot resort?

 

[kboo]

I thought you guys were looking to get an Epcot resort?

Ha! Well, yes, that was the original plan... Shortened version of the saga: made a few offers on BCV and BWV contracts, they were always going at full price or I was too slow (sometimes by minutes). In one of my updates to DH, when I was telling him that 7mo availability outside of fall frenzy seemed pretty good for 1BR at either BWV and BCV, the conversation turned to longer end date contracts and where would we like to be over the holidays.

And I'm a firm believer in real estate karma - be ready to act quickly, but the "right" property for you will be yours. So right around then I found the "perfect" VGF contract that was only $10 more per point than BCV and $20 more per point than BWV. We had a contract hours after I made the first call, which was like our BLT contract and unlike all the offers for EP resorts that were too late or "too low."

Saga is here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...or-a-2nd-dvc-contract-update-post-35.3648856/

And anyway, maybe Riviera will be "awesome."

 

[mustinjourney]

Ha! Well, yes, that was the original plan... Shortened version of the saga: made a few offers on BCV and BWV contracts, they were always going at full price or I was too slow (sometimes by minutes). In one of my updates to DH, when I was telling him that 7mo availability outside of fall frenzy seemed pretty good for 1BR at either BWV and BCV, the conversation turned to longer end date contracts and where would we like to be over the holidays.

And I'm a firm believer in real estate karma - be ready to act quickly, but the "right" property for you will be yours. So right around then I found the "perfect" VGF contract that was only $10 more per point than BCV and $20 more per point than BWV. We had a contract hours after I made the first call, which was like our BLT contract and unlike all the offers for EP resorts that were too late or "too low."

Saga is here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...or-a-2nd-dvc-contract-update-post-35.3648856/

And anyway, maybe Riviera will be "awesome."

Well -- as a fellow VGF owner, I say you made the right choice! I love VGF so much. Just did a split stay starting at BWV for 4 nights and then moved to VGF for 4 nights, and the whole time I was at BWV I could not wait to get "home." I also own a small contract at BCV and love it there too. I love just hanging out at the VGF lobby during the late afternoons and early evenings.

 

[iheartglaciers]

And I'm a firm believer in real estate karma - be ready to act quickly, but the "right" property for you will be yours.

This sort of happened to us with our BWV contract (although with picking up a random BCV contract along the way haha)! After a couple months of going back and forth on contract size and which EP resort we should buy, when we finally decided for sure, a perfect UY contact came along just a week later, priced a little lower than the other listings at the time! Based on contracts I'd seen on the market in the last few months, I thought we were just going to have to accept a second choice UY (which wouldn't have been the biggest deal--Dec UY works for most of our trips). I hadn't seen that many other ~150pt Oct UY BWV contracts. We could've held out for a better deal with year end coming, but it's just what we wanted

 

[kboo]

I thought you guys were looking to get an Epcot resort?

Also realized I have a ton of Starwood points, and we can do split stays at the Swan or Dolphin if we want to stay at Epcot. (Also, the Dolphin doesn't cost more points on weekends, so it totally makes sense to spend a weekend there on SPG points)

 

[mustinjourney]

Also realized I have a ton of Starwood points, and we can do split stays at the Swan or Dolphin if we want to stay at Epcot. (Also, the Dolphin doesn't cost more points on weekends, so it totally makes sense to spend a weekend there on SPG points)

Keep in mind there is no magical express service to/from swalphin.

 

[kboo]

Keep in mind there is no magical express service to/from swalphin.

Yep - even factoring in the cost of a car service, we saved some money I think. And I guess in the future that’s just an option if a) there’s no 7mo availability or BCV/BWV or b) more likely - we want to stretch our points.

 

[Spartan86]

It is important to get on their daily mailing lists, because some properties sell so fast, they don't hit the wea site

I subscribe to at least 3 email lists, yet I’m not sure any of them are “daily”. Do some of the brokers have separate email lists for daily versus “updated” or “newly listed” email lists?

 

[Popouri DVC]

Well -- as a fellow VGF owner, I say you made the right choice! I love VGF so much. Just did a split stay starting at BWV for 4 nights and then moved to VGF for 4 nights, and the whole time I was at BWV I could not wait to get "home." I also own a small contract at BCV and love it there too. I love just hanging out at the VGF lobby during the late afternoons and early evenings.

Or anytime at all really:

We recently returned from our Christmastime trip where we basically couch-surfed at the resorts to people-watch whilst taking in the Christmas decorations. The Grand Floridian serves the Perfectly Princess Tea at about 9:30 a.m. It’s fun to hang out in the lobby there after a leisurely breakfast at the café and watch Princess Aurora lead all the little princesses in a Royal Promenade all around the beautifully decorated spaces. The couches there are top-notch! Then it’s off to bed for a nap!

 

[kboo]

I subscribe to at least 3 email lists, yet I’m not sure any of them are “daily”. Do some of the brokers have separate email lists for daily versus “updated” or “newly listed” email lists?

I don't think anyone has a daily email. When we bought in March, I saw a new listing on the TSS email on a Sunday AM; called Monday AM and we were in contract a few hours later. That particular contract never made it to the site, even as a "sale pending".

Now, I think there are too many inquiries, and the big brokers update their sites daily. After I was too late calling at 9:15 am for the 3d time, Bonnie @ Fidelity told me that they update their site at midnight every night (weeknight, I assume) so after midnight Eastern is the time to look for new contracts on their site. If there's something specific you want, you may want to check all the sites frequently and be ready to make an offer on the site if their phones aren't open, and then follow up by phone in the AM.

Or anytime at all really:

We recently returned from our Christmastime trip where we basically couch-surfed at the resorts to people-watch whilst taking in the Christmas decorations. The Grand Floridian serves the Perfectly Princess Tea at about 9:30 a.m. It’s fun to hang out in the lobby there after a leisurely breakfast at the café and watch Princess Aurora lead all the little princesses in a Royal Promenade all around the beautifully decorated spaces. The couches there are top-notch! Then it’s off to bed for a nap!

When we are staying at the GF (I always call it "The Gluten Free" when I see this), we always end up having a more relaxed and leisurely vacation. Our 6yo says WDW is the only place where she "likes" to nap. because napping --> staying up late for fireworks and evening fun. But where we used to go back into the parks after nap, now we will go to the pool or have dinner at one of the MK resorts as often as we go to a park. And it's so nice to be able to watch fireworks from the resort. The Princess promenade around 3pm is also a fun event. They dance with Cinderella and Prince Charming. But you may be napping then...

 

[mustinjourney]

We just did this promenade a few weeks ago. For anyone that is interested, it started at about 3:40 at Citricos. Not sure which days they offer it, so make sure to talk to one of the CMs there to verify which days.

 

[kboo]

We just did this promenade a few weeks ago. For anyone that is interested, it started at about 3:40 at Citricos. Not sure which days they offer it, so make sure to talk to one of the CMs there to verify which days.

We did it last year. ODD loved it. I have a feeling by 2019 I'll have 2 princesses in the parade.

 

[Spartan86]

I don't think anyone has a daily email.

Thanks!