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How to Buy DVC Resale: A Step-by-Step Guide
Buying DVC resale is the smartest way to get into Disney Vacation Club — you pay 30–60% less than buying direct from Disney and get nearly all the same benefits. But the process is nothing like buying a normal vacation package. There are brokers, contracts, Disney's right of first refusal, title companies, and closing timelines to navigate. Here's exactly how it works, start to finish.
Step 1: Decide What You’re Buying
Before you talk to a single broker, lock in your answers to these four questions. They determine everything else:
Which resort?
Your “home resort” is the resort tied to your contract. It determines where you can book 11 months in advance — a major advantage at high-demand resorts. The standard advice: buy where you most want to stay, not where you think the deal is best.
See our home resort advantage guide for a full breakdown of which resorts matter most. Compare costs on the DVC calculator before committing.
How many points?
Points are the currency you spend to book rooms. A typical 7-night stay in a studio at a moderate-demand resort costs roughly 100–180 points in value season. Add more nights, bigger rooms, or peak dates and that number climbs fast.
Most first-time buyers purchase 100–200 points. That covers 1–2 trips per year in a studio or covers a single annual trip in a one-bedroom. The DVC calculator lets you model cost per night at different point levels.
Which use year?
Your use year is the month when your annual point allotment resets. It affects banking deadlines and how flexible your points are. See our DVC use year guide to choose the right one for your travel patterns.
Resale or direct?
Resale means buying an existing contract from a current owner. Direct means buying new from Disney at full retail price. Resale buyers save 30–60% but lose a few Disney-loyalty perks (Blue Card status, access to Riviera and newer resorts for some contracts). For most buyers the savings outweigh the perks. Our resale vs. direct guide lays out every trade-off.
Step 2: Find a Resale Broker
DVC resale transactions go through licensed real estate brokers who specialize in DVC. They list contracts from sellers, facilitate offers, and manage the paperwork. There are a handful of reputable firms:
| Broker | Known For |
|---|---|
| DVC Resale Market | Largest inventory, easy search filters |
| Fidelity Resales | Good for smaller contracts under 100 points |
| The DVC Shop | Strong customer service, active online community |
| DVC By Resale | Competitive pricing, often has niche inventory |
Check listings at multiple brokers — the same resort at the same point count can vary by $10–20 per point across platforms depending on seller motivation. Don't limit yourself to one site.
- Points available this use year— “Loaded” contracts include current points; “stripped” ones may have no points until next year
- Banked points — Points rolled over from a previous year add immediate value
- Use year month — Match it to your travel timing
- Contract expiration — Longer is better; avoid resorts expiring before 2042
Step 3: Make an Offer
Once you find a contract you like, you submit an offer through the broker. The offer is a purchase and sale agreement that specifies:
- Purchase price per point (or total price)
- Which party pays closing costs (usually split — buyer pays title/escrow, seller pays broker commission)
- Points being transferred (current year, banked, borrowed)
- Use year and contract details
The seller accepts, counters, or rejects. Negotiation is normal — especially for larger contracts or listings that have been sitting for a while. Reference current market prices before bidding; see our 2026 DVC resale price guide for resort-by-resort benchmarks.
Step 4: Disney’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR)
After seller acceptance, your broker submits the contract to Disney. Disney then has 30 days to review it and decide whether to exercise their Right of First Refusal — meaning Disney steps in and buys the contract at your agreed price instead of you.
If Disney exercises ROFR, your deposit is returned and you start over. If Disney waives ROFR (the far more common outcome), you proceed to closing.
Disney's ROFR activity varies by resort and price point. Deals priced significantly below recent sold comps attract Disney's attention. See our full ROFR guide for which resorts are highest-risk and how to bid to minimize it.
| Phase | Typical Timeline | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| ROFR review | 0–30 days | Disney reviews and waives (or takes) the contract |
| Estoppel + title | 2–4 weeks | Title company orders estoppel from Disney, clears liens |
| Closing docs | 1–2 weeks | Both parties sign deed transfer and closing paperwork |
| Disney transfer | 3–7 days | Disney records the membership transfer in their system |
| Total | 60–110 days | Average from accepted offer to booking access |
Step 5: Closing
Once ROFR is waived, a title company takes over. They:
- Request an estoppel letter from Disney confirming the contract details (points, dues balance, no liens)
- Prepare the deed and transfer documents
- Collect your closing funds (typically $800–$1,500 for a standard resale contract)
- Get signatures from both buyer and seller
- Record the deed with the county and submit the transfer to Disney
Closing costs on a resale contract typically run $800–$1,500, paid by the buyer. This covers title insurance, estoppel, escrow, and recording fees. Factor this into your total cost when comparing contracts — a contract listed $5/pt cheaper but with higher closing costs may not be the better deal.
Step 6: Disney Transfers Your Membership
After the deed is recorded, the title company submits the transfer paperwork to Disney. Disney then updates their internal membership system. This step takes 3–7 business days, but can occasionally run longer during peak periods.
You'll receive a welcome email from Disney Vacation Club with your new member number and login instructions for the DVC member website. You can start making reservations immediately.
Physical membership materials (cards, welcome kit) typically arrive by mail 2–4 weeks later, but they're not required to book.
What Resale Buyers Don’t Get
Resale saves you a significant amount of money, but a handful of perks are reserved for direct buyers only:
| Perk | Resale | Direct |
|---|---|---|
| Book any DVC resort at 7 months | ✓ | ✓ |
| Home resort 11-month booking window | ✓ | ✓ |
| Banking & borrowing points | ✓ | ✓ |
| Blue Card (Membership Extras discount program) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Book Riviera, Disneyland Hotel DVC, future resorts | ✗(post-2019 contracts) | ✓ |
| Access to Concierge Collection (RCI exchange) | ✗ | ✓ |
For most buyers, the Blue Card discount programs don't offset the 30–60% price premium of buying direct. The Riviera restriction only matters if you want to stay at Riviera — and even then, direct purchase at Riviera is an option.
The most important restriction: resale buyers of post-2019 contracts cannot book Riviera, Disneyland Hotel DVC Tower, or any future DVC resort at the 7-month window. This list will grow. If resort variety across the full system matters to you, this is worth weighing carefully. See our resale vs. direct guide for a full analysis of each restriction.
Total Cost Breakdown
Here's what a typical resale purchase looks like financially. Example: 150 points at Saratoga Springs at ~$95/point:
Compare that to buying 150 direct points at Saratoga Springs (approximately $215/pt): $32,250 upfront. The resale buyer saves over $17,000 on the exact same contract — same resort, same dues, same booking access at the 7-month window.
Use the DVC calculator to run these numbers for any resort with your specific point count. It accounts for annual dues growth, break-even against renting points, and true cost per night.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying too few points. The most common regret in DVC ownership. Model your realistic travel plans — including peak dates and room type preferences — before deciding on a point count. Buying additional points later costs more per point than starting with the right amount.
- Ignoring the use year.If your use year doesn't match your travel timing, you'll constantly be banking or borrowing. A March use year works well for families that travel in fall and spring; a September use year suits summer-focused families better.
- Buying a stripped contract for the “deal.” A stripped contract has no current-year or banked points. You might wait 12+ months before you can book anything. Factor that dead time into your per-point cost before chasing low list prices.
- Forgetting annual dues in the math. Dues grow roughly 3–5% per year and never go away. A low purchase price at a high-dues resort can cost more over time than paying more upfront at a low-dues resort. Always calculate total 10-year and lifetime cost, not just purchase price.
- Buying based on ROFR fear.Some buyers rush to overbid just to avoid ROFR. There's no reason to pay above market — just bid at or slightly below market value and most contracts will pass.
Is DVC Resale Right for You?
DVC resale makes the most financial sense if:
- You visit Disney 4+ nights per year and expect to keep doing so for at least 10–15 years
- You'd otherwise pay cash for Disney Deluxe resort rooms
- You want a specific resort experience (home resort advantage at a high-demand location)
- You have the capital to buy outright — or can afford the financing cost without it derailing the math
DVC doesn't make sense if you're flexible about timing and resort, travel less than 4 nights per year to Disney, or could rent DVC points on the secondary market for less per night than ownership costs. See our buying vs. renting points comparison and the full 2026 DVC worth it analysis before you decide.
When you're ready to run the numbers on a specific resort, the DVC calculator gives you cost per night, break-even year, and dues projection for any contract size.