posted by orlandovacationhome on May 25

Overseas travel to the United States and Florida is an important component of the Orlando vacation home rental market. The United States States Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) recently released two companion documents concerning retrospective inbound travel to the United States along with projections for travel out to 2013. A complete link for tourism travel stats to Florida and Orlando is linked here:

According to the OTTI, Florida had a 20.7% market share for all international tourists to the United States. This represents about 5.2 million total travelers. Florida ranks #3 just behind New York and California. Moreover, Florida narrowed the total international visitor gap with California and now only lags California by 50,000 international visitors annually. Of all US cities, Orlando ranks #5 just behind New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami (in that order) for international travel. Of note is the fact that Miami and Orlando combined represent about 95% of all international traffic to Florida with a total volume of approximately 5 million annual global vacationers.

The OTTI also made some forecasts for international visitor volume to the US for 2009 and beyond:

• OTTI forecasts international travel volume to decline 6% and 11% for 2009
• Europe is projected to decline 9% in 2009, but to resume increases out to 2013
• Asia is forecasted to drop 5% in 2009, but rise 21% out to 2013
• South America is projected to decline 4% in 2009, and improve by the largest percentage amount out to 2013
• As we have blogged about in the past, Brazil is projected to rise significantly longer term and is forecasted to move into the 7^th spot for international tourism to the United States.

As we have indicated before, Orlando area vacation rentals represent a significant value for overseas vacation travelers to the United States and to Florida. Most homes have such luxurious amenities as pools, self catering kitchens, community facililities and other great options and most are located near Disney. This website is dedicated to blogging about reliable consumer information that helps sort out all the various communities, resorts and subdivisions for various factors including quality, location, and amenities.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Jan 27

SeaWorld ® in Orlando plans to open Manta Ray ® in Summer 2009

The next big attraction ride coming to Orlando Florida sounds amazing. SeaWorld ® plans to open a combination roller coaster and 3,000 sea animal aquarium. For those who love roller coasters, this appears to have the markings of a sophisticated yet thrilling ride boasting heights of 140 ft and speeds of up to 56 MPH +/- with 4 inversions and 3,359 ft. of track.

For those who are a little shy of rollercoasters, the attraction will also offer a wall of windows to view the over 300 Manta Rays in the huge aquarium. If you drive past the NE section of the park, you can see the ride under construction.

It is believed the ride will give a sensation of floating like a manta ray. The SeaWorld Manta ride is being designed by the same company that designed their hugely popular Kraken ® ride.

For our vacation homers, the closest vacation home community to SeaWorld ® is Vista Cay which can be viewed in our directory adjacent to this post.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Dec 29

Bike Week in Daytona Beach Florida this year is February 27^th to March 8^th 2009.

Bike week is now a global phenomenon attracting over 500,000 bikers. Due to the limited number of Daytona hotels, renting a room in the area can be an expensive affair. Many bikers visiting the Daytona area will stay at least in part in the Orlando area as the hotels tend to be more affordable.

For those bikers particular about their bikes, renting an Orlando vacation home may make perfect sense, as these homes typically offer full garages to overnight your prized possessions.

Other advantages of vacation home rentals include your own private pool, fully equipped kitchens and most homes have between three and seven bedrooms making them economically viable accommodations when visiting with friends.

While staying Orlando, you can also visit many of the area theme parks as well as Orlando Harley Davidson.

See you in Daytona….

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Nov 15

Cheap Orlando Vacation Homes

Expect the Orlando vacation home rental rates to drop further for the following reasons:

1. Many current owners are now cash strapped and are willing to rent their homes for less
2. As the recession sets in, less people are visiting driving demand down to rent these homes for their Orlando vacation. Please see our POST on this topic.
3. There are large amounts of these vacation villas entering foreclosure and are being picked up for a fraction of their original price, thus the new owners can rent them out more affordably.

Many of these expansive villas can now be rented at a lesser price than most cramped hotel rooms.

Don’t be afraid to shop around for vacation villas in Orlando, and feel free to ask a lot of questions. Remember, all vacation villas and vacation home management companies are not created equal, so do your homework.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Nov 11

SNAD: Significantly Not As Described.

Yes, there is a term for it! You rent an Orlando vacation home or condo that looks great in the photos, but when you get there, the subdivision is less than desired and the house is dirty and has stained carpets.

This is a major problem. The community reviews contained on this blog should give you a leg up on making sure your vacation home meets your expectations including our video reviews of most vacation rental communities.

Your Orlando vacation home management company should be able to provide you with a detailed standardized score of your specific vacation home or condo before you book it. Further, they should warranty the cleanliness of the Orlando vacation home and that the property was inspected the morning of your check-in. You can then pair up this home specific information to the vacation home community reviews we post regularly.

Without this information this can be a difficult process, as some vacation home companies have a vested interest in you booking the homes they manage over someone else’s. As we describe on another blog, absentee homeowners who do not employ a management company may not be in town to inspect the property before it’s occupied by the next guest.

In Orlando, some of the vacation home communities are less than desirable, and some of the homes are just plain poor. If you know where to look, some of the Orlando vacation home community subdivisions are amazing and the homes are wonderful. Please consult our vacation home reviews contained on this site as a reference when booking your Orlando vacation.

Some sites try to provide you information on the homes, but they have vested interests by the owners and managers, as described above. This vacation home blog will continue to provide you with information that will help you make the right choice for your Orlando villa.

Booking with a well managed and professional vacation home management company is key. Ask them what type of quality assurance practices they have in place to assure your vacation home rental is the pinnacle of quality. A well managed vacation home management company will not hesitate to tell you.

The best way to learn is to ask questions. Got a question on a vacation home or a community subdivision? Email us. We respond for free.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 31

We think good Vacation Home Management includes, but is not limited to:

1. All rental mark ups are fully disclosed to owners
2. All repair costs are fully disclosed in detail
3. Accounts can be accessed on line at anytime to see all bookings, fees and revenues
4. Any conflicts of interest are always fully disclosed by the managing entity
5. The cost of property maintenance is clearly broken down
6. The ability to opt out of the management agreement at any time
7. Quality assurance scores and complete inspection photos are disclosed monthly
8. Quarterly contacts to go over the scores by the manager
9. Realistic estimates formulated on the level and type of rental income the home can generate
10. Enabling owners to escrow for capital (major repairs) in an account the owner controls

Please see our other blog posts for additional tips and suggestions for choosing a vacation home management company.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 12

Renting an Orlando Vacation Home Rental in the Foreclosure Crisis – 10 Tips

Orlando vacation home foreclosure

Renting an Orlando Vacation Home - In Foreclosure?

1. Try and book the home rental as close to your travel date as possible.
2. Ask if the home you are reserving is behind on its mortgage
3. Ask how many homes in the subdivision have been abandoned
4. Ask what percentage of the development you are staying in contains vacant lots
5. Ask if the community facilities have been completed
6. Ask what percentage of homes in the community have overgrown lawns
7. Pay by credit card only
8. Use a reputable rental management company. If a home they manage is repossessed, they have others.
9. If booking direct from an owner, you must be able to verify the rental home will not be repossessed by the bank by the time your stay comes around.
10. If in doubt, keep asking questions. There are hundreds of management companies handling rental homes – so pick a good one!

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