Purchasing Resale DVC Points: Your Complete Guide
Purchasing resale DVC points typically saves families $20,000 to $40,000 compared to direct retail prices. After helping hundreds of families through this process, we've found that most discover the resale market offers the same core vacation benefits at a fraction of Disney's direct pricing. This guide walks you through each step of acquiring Disney Vacation Club membership through the secondary market.
Why Purchase Resale DVC Points?
The numbers speak for themselves. While Disney sells direct points at $205 to $310 per point depending on the resort, resale contracts typically range from $90 to $180 per point. For a 150-point contract at Bay Lake Tower, you might pay $275 per point direct ($41,250) versus $140 per point resale ($21,000). That's over $20,000 in savings for identical accommodation benefits.
These savings can fund years of park tickets, dining experiences, or simply remain in your vacation budget for other destinations. Many families find that resale makes DVC membership financially accessible when direct pricing would stretch their budget too thin.
What You Receive with Resale Points
Resale DVC points provide the fundamental membership benefit you're purchasing the membership for: booking deluxe Disney resort accommodations. Your points function identically to direct purchase points for making reservations at any DVC resort. You get the same 11-month home resort priority window and 7-month booking window for other DVC properties.
Point management features work the same regardless of how you acquired your membership. You can bank unused points to the following use year, borrow points from next year's allocation, and transfer points between family members. The vacation experience at DVC resorts remains identical whether you purchased direct or resale.
Understanding Resale Restrictions
Disney has implemented restrictions on resale purchases that affect supplementary benefits beyond core resort booking. Resale owners have limited access to Member Getaways (discounted non-DVC Disney accommodations), certain merchandise and dining discounts, and Disney Collection properties outside the DVC system.
In our experience, most families find that substantial cost savings outweigh these restrictions. The restrictions don't affect your ability to book any DVC resort, transfer points, or access the core membership benefits that drive most vacation planning decisions.
Step 1: Determining Your Point Needs
Before browsing contracts, calculate how many points your family needs annually. Start by reviewing DVC points charts to understand how many points different room types require during various seasons. A studio at Beach Club costs 12 points weeknights in Value season but 25 points during Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary season.
Consider your vacation patterns over the next 2-3 years. Do you prefer one longer stay or multiple shorter trips? Studios or larger villas? Peak times like Christmas week or Value seasons? Your purchasing decision should reflect your actual vacation habits, not aspirational plans that may never materialize.
We recommend starting with your calculated annual need rather than purchasing extra points "just in case." You can always add more points later through additional contracts, but you can't easily reduce an oversized contract.
Step 2: Selecting Your Home Resort
Your home resort determines where you get 11-month booking priority, so choose somewhere you want to stay regularly. If you love the monorail convenience, consider Bay Lake Tower or Polynesian Villas. Beach lovers might prefer Beach Club or BoardWalk. Families wanting larger villas often choose Saratoga Springs or Old Key West.
Home resort choice also affects resale pricing. Popular resorts like Riviera and Grand Californian command premium resale prices, while older resorts like Saratoga Springs and Old Key West offer better value per point. Balance your resort preferences with your budget constraints.
Step 3: Working with a Resale Broker
Licensed DVC resale brokers facilitate transactions between individual buyers and sellers. We maintain current inventory listings across all DVC resorts and can help you understand market pricing, contract terms, and current availability. Our commission comes from the seller, not the buyer.
At DVC Sales, we charge a 6.9% commission compared to the 9.5% industry average, which often translates to lower prices for buyers. We also charge buyers a $500 administrative fee to cover transaction processing, title work coordination, and closing support.
Step 4: Evaluating Available Contracts
Each contract listing includes key details: home resort, total points, use year (when your points are allocated annually), expiration year, and current point status. Pay attention to whether the current year's points are included, banked from the previous year, or already used.
Use year affects when you receive your annual allocation. December use years get points in the slowest booking period, while April and June use years align with spring break and summer vacation planning. Consider how use year timing fits your vacation schedule.
Compare asking prices against our recent sales data to assess whether contracts are priced competitively. Desirable contracts at popular resorts move quickly, so be prepared to act when you find something that matches your criteria.
Step 5: Making Your Offer
Once you identify a contract that fits your needs, we'll help you submit an offer to the seller. Your offer includes the proposed purchase price, any specific terms or conditions, and earnest money deposit amount. Sellers may accept, counter-offer, or decline based on their timeline and price expectations.
When both parties reach agreement, you'll sign the purchase contract and submit earnest money (typically $500 to $1,000). This deposit is held in escrow and applied toward your purchase price at closing.
Step 6: Right of First Refusal (ROFR)
After your contract is fully executed, it goes to Disney for Right of First Refusal review. Disney has 30 days to decide whether to purchase the contract at your agreed price. If Disney exercises ROFR, they purchase the contract and you receive your earnest money back. If Disney waives ROFR, your transaction proceeds to closing.
Currently, Disney exercises ROFR on roughly 10-15% of resale contracts, typically those priced significantly below market value. Most fairly priced contracts pass ROFR without issues. The ROFR process protects Disney's direct sales while allowing a healthy resale market to operate.
Step 7: Closing and Membership Activation
Once your contract passes ROFR, the title company begins closing preparations. They order estoppel certificates from Disney (confirming account status), prepare deed transfer documents, and coordinate final fund collection. You'll receive closing statements showing all costs and credits before the closing date.
At closing, you provide the remaining purchase funds, the deed is recorded with the county, and ownership transfers to your name. Disney then registers you as the new owner and activates your member account. The entire process from accepted offer to activated membership typically takes 60-90 days.
Understanding Your Ongoing Costs
Beyond your purchase price, DVC ownership includes annual dues that cover resort maintenance, housekeeping, utilities, and Disney management fees. Dues currently range from about $7 per point at older resorts like Old Key West to over $10 per point at newer properties like Riviera Resort.
For a 150-point contract, expect annual dues between $1,050 and $1,500 depending on your home resort. Dues increase annually with inflation and resort improvements, so factor this ongoing cost into your vacation budgeting. These fees apply regardless of whether you use your points each year.
Making the Most of Your Membership
DVC points are subject to availability, particularly during peak seasons like Christmas week, Easter, and summer months. Popular resorts and room types can book quickly at 11 months out, so successful members plan their vacations well in advance.
Flexibility in your vacation dates and resort choices maximizes your membership value. If you can travel during Value or Regular seasons instead of Peak periods, your points stretch further. Similarly, staying at different DVC resorts adds variety to your Disney experiences.
The resale DVC market provides an excellent opportunity to access Disney's deluxe resort system at significant savings. Most families find that the core accommodation benefits justify accepting some restrictions on supplementary perks. With proper planning and realistic expectations, resale DVC membership can provide decades of memorable Disney vacations at a fraction of retail pricing.
