How to Buy DVC Resale Points
Buying DVC resale is one of the best values in Disney travel — you get the same deluxe villa accommodations as a direct buyer, at a fraction of the cost. I sold DVC direct for Disney for 13 years, and I can tell you honestly: the product is the same. The savings are real. The process just works a little differently on the resale side, and knowing what to expect makes the whole thing smooth.
Inside a Copper Creek Villa — modern luxury with a cabin-style feel
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Step 1 Know What You’re Buying |
A DVC resale contract is a deeded real estate interest in a specific resort. That deed comes with an annual point allotment that refreshes every year until the deed expires. You’re not buying a week, a room type, or a fixed date. You’re buying points — flexible currency you use to book stays based on room size, season, and resort. The bigger the room and the more popular the time of year, the more points it costs.
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Step 2 Choose the Right Home Resort |
Your home resort is the resort tied to your deed. It matters for two reasons: it determines how long your membership lasts (each resort has its own expiration date, ranging from 2042 to 2070+), and it gives you booking priority. Home resort owners can book their resort up to 11 months in advance. Everyone else has to wait until the 7-month window. For resorts that book out fast — like Polynesian, Grand Floridian, or Bay Lake Tower — that four-month head start is significant.
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Step 3 Pick the Right Contract Size and Use Year |
Contract size is how many points come with the deed each year. Most families find 100 to 200 points covers them well for a week in a studio or one-bedroom villa. Your use year is the month your points are issued — think of it as your DVC anniversary. It matters for banking and borrowing strategy. February, June, August, and December are the most common and most flexible use years in our buyer pool.
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Step 4 Make an Offer and Go Through ROFR |
Once you find a contract you like, we put together an offer. If the seller accepts, the contract goes to Disney for Right of First Refusal review — Disney has up to 30 days to decide whether to buy it back at your agreed price or waive and let you proceed. The vast majority of contracts are waived. After that, escrow handles closing documents, the deed gets recorded, and the points transfer to your new membership account.
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Step 5 Understand the Resale Restrictions |
Contracts purchased resale after January 2019 for the 14 legacy resorts can book all 14 of those resorts. Contracts at Riviera Resort and Villas at Disneyland Hotel have different rules — resale buyers at those properties can only use points at that specific resort. This affects both value and flexibility, and it’s something I walk every buyer through before they commit.
Total time from accepted offer to closed contract is typically 60 to 90 days. I handle the whole process — offer, negotiation, ROFR submission, estoppel, and closing coordination. You just tell me what you’re looking for and I find it.