Is it a Good Time to Buy Resale DVC?

If you get home from a Disney trip and start pricing out your next one, you’re in the right place here on the DVC Resale Experts blog. So many people just can’t get enough of the magic and the Disney timeshare, Disney Vacation Club, can present an excellent value on Deluxe Disney Resort Hotel stays. Buying a resale DVC contract, one that is being sold by a Member instead of Disney Vacation Club directly, can save you thousands more when compared to buying direct. We like to revisit this topic, is it a good time to buy resale DVC, from time to time, especially when there are notable changes to think about. 

We’re writing this and considering if it’s a good time to buy resale DVC as of early 2023. It’s a unique point in time to talk about anything Disney related. Some points below are timeless and some are very timely. With many contracts on the market these days, it might be the right time to make the move to become a Member or add on points. This post originally appeared in 2022. Topics below have been updated or added for the current times.

Is it a Good Time to Buy Resale DVC?

A Buyer’s Market Provides Options and Softens Sellers

As of early 2023, it is a buyer’s market but not in the way you may think. When it’s a buyer’s market, there are more sellers than buyers. This often creates an exciting amount of inventory to choose from. We’ve been in buyer’s market conditions at least since at least late summer. While many more contracts are up for sale, prices have not plunged but, instead, have mostly stayed consistent. Though the DVC resale market prices may not be as reactive as other market prices, it’s still a good time to buy. Knowing that prices don’t drastically drop is a good thing. If the current conditions, or those of the last few years, didn’t send resale DVC prices surprisingly low, I don’t know what would. Though prices are stable, buyer’s market conditions do give you more of an opportunity to negotiate with sellers. 

More contracts on the DVC resale market means more options. It may be easier to find the contract you’ve been looking for. With more contracts to choose from, you have more options including different point values and use years.

Relaxed Right of First Refusal Buybacks

Another high point of a buyer’s market is that if Disney Vacation Club decides to exercise their Right of First Refusal and buy your contract back, the broader selection will continue to work out in your favor. The Right of First Refusal is part of every Disney Vacation Club contract sale. Basically once you’ve agreed upon a price with the seller and are moving forward with the sale, Disney has the first chance to purchase that contract back instead. 

In the last ninety days, DVC Resale Experts has submitted 107 contracts for the Right of First Refusal process. Of those 107 contracts, only 9 were bought back by Disney. That means 98 buyers were able to secure their contracts. This is an excellent ratio compared to other times. That’s about 8% of contracts getting bought back. Compare that to the last 12 months when the buyback rate was about 32%. Quite the difference!

As of late 2022 and early 2023, DVC ROFR buybacks have been very low. In fact, lower than we’ve seen. In conditions like these, it’s much more likely you’ll have a successful buying experience. If Disney does choose to buy your contract back, the Experts will be happy to help you find the next right contract. That’s much easier to do with so many contracts up for sale.

Positive Changes at Disney May Be Your Tipping Point

Since the 2020 closure, things have been very interesting for The Walt Disney Company. Nearly three years later, the parks haven’t exactly bounced back. However, that could be due to the leadership that was making the calls at the time. Fans of Disney have been vocal about their disappointments in recent changes, less than magical climbing prices and Walt Disney World Resort being far from fully recovered. So is it a good time to buy resale DVC? In a turn of events, it seems so! The head of The Walt Disney Company was fired in November and we’ve already seen positive change for Mickey and the gang.

If you’ve been considering buying a contract but haven’t liked how things have been going at Disney, let’s talk. Bob Iger is back in the Chief Executive Officer position of The Walt Disney Company. This news alone had some Members who were selling their contracts decide to hold off. No leader is perfect and while some question his leadership choices, he’s definitely a step in the right direction. Shortly after his return, Bob Iger began restructuring. He made it clear he too was displeased with how things were going, publicly and privately, and vowed to make moves. In January of 2023, things started to get interesting as many announcements were made about Disney Parks, Walt Disney World especially.

One of the most surprising announcements was that overnight parking for resort guests was once again complimentary, effective immediately. This doesn’t directly affect DVC Members as they get free parking but it does say a lot about Disney trying to do the right thing. It’s not common at all for Disney to make something free again. Usually the opposite is true. Head of Disney Parks, Josh D’Amaro recently talked about how he listens to fans and wants to make changes when appropriate. He even discussed looking for places to add value. This is a night and day change compared to the temperature of the last few years at Disney. If you’ve been wanting to become a DVC Member but waiting for improvements at Disney, these recent developments could be your tipping point.

The Best Time to Buy DVC Resale Is…

The best time to buy DVC resale is when you know you’re ready to become a Member. The reason being, money you would have spent on your next trip can be put toward your new Disney Vacation Club Membership instead of just paying for renting a hotel room one time. If you’re paying cash to rent Deluxe Disney Resort Hotel rooms, it’s likely you’re paying thousands for a weeklong stay. With the price of resale DVC contracts being so much lower than buying direct from Disney in many cases, you might be able to purchase a small contract with what you planned to spend on a hotel this year alone. Or, perhaps your hotel budget for this year pays a down payment on a bigger resale Disney Vacation Club contract.

In January of 2023, the year opened with a 100 point contract at the Polynesian for $154 per point. That’s $15,400 for that resale contract. This is a bit lower per point than other contracts listed at the time but a great illustration of what’s possible in this market. This particular home resort has a deed that expires in 2066. That means you could enjoy this Membership for more than 40 years. Remember there are annual dues to consider. At this resort, dues per point are $7.95 per point right now so a Member pays $795 per year on a 100 point contract. 

Let’s compare that to some vacation prices for a weeklong, late summer trip in mid August of 2023. For Deluxe resorts, there isn’t anything below $442 and that average price per night does not include taxes. That low price is at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The next lowest price is about $449 per night plus tax at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Many Deluxe resorts are in the $500 range like Disney’s BoardWalk Inn at around $552 per night plus tax and Disney’s Beach Club Resort at $530 per night plus tax. Then some monorail loop resorts top the price tier with Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at around $736 per night plus tax and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort at around $639 per night plus tax. Imagine what applying your annual hotel costs toward a resale DVC Membership could do.

DVC Resale Prices Make Sense For Repeat Visitors

Take a look at prices so you can see for yourself how much farther your money can go with DVC. If you’re already going every year or every other year anyway, it’s absolutely worth doing the math. Disney Vacation Club does have annual dues to put into the equation. They tend to go up every year or so but nominally. Your DVC points are paid for at today’s prices so as hotel room rental prices and DVC points go up over time, you remain unaffected. If you’re not sure if you want to become a Member or not, you can always book a DVC rental to experience the rooms and see how it feels.

DVC Resale Experts Make Magic

DVC Resale Experts is licensed real estate broker with a team that specializes in resale DVC. Our Experts are now independent, licensed real estate agents but were once also Disney Vacation Club Guides. You can expect pixie dusted service and helpful insight throughout the process whether you want to buy or sell DVC points. Take a look at DVC resale listings to see current pricing and availability and dream of the possibilities.