posted by orlandovacationhome on Jan 4

Bubbalou’s Bodacious Barbecue, Orlando FL

5818 Conroy Rd
Orlando, FL 32835

(407) 295-1212

Rating: Best BBQ Barbecue Restaurant in Central Florida

We have tried pretty much every BBQ joint in Central Florida. We did like Smokey Bones, but since it was closed down it has pretty much left Bubbalou’s on its own in terms of better BBQ in Central Florida.

Fast and efficient service the concept is locally owned and operated with only a handful of stores around central Florida.

The store we listed above is closer to Universal Studios as there are currently none around the Walt Disney World or Kissimmee area in which many of the vacation homes we write about cater to. Call them at the above phone number if you want to find out the closest location to you.

Great ribs, giant onion rings and fast at the counter service. This is a no frills restaurant that relies on wait for it – good food to keep it busy. Great garlic bread and we love their sweet sauce. If you have room, order one of the little pecan pies.

We have had discussions with local BBQ aficionados if Bubbalou’s really is the best BBQ in town, once in while an obscure restaurant will be thrown out there, but consistently Bubbalou’s is the best. Many major corporations (some with thier own catering operations) use Bubbalou’s just for their BBQ product for catering certain events.

Rib dinner with soda will run you about $14 a person. View on our map link below.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Dec 6

If the most recent data is to be believed, hotel revenues in Orlando are dropping at possible catastrophic rates, and this could be an indicator of what some may have already felt in the metro Orlando vacation home industry.

Data for Orlando vacation home occupancy and rate is difficult to collect, as the industry is very fragmented. However, as market indicators, we are inclined to consider hotel data trends to help as a mirror to the vacation home industry.

Recently SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH, a provider of hotel industry data, reported that revenue per available room tumbled 13.2 percent nationally during the week Nov. 9-15, 2008 compared to a year earlier. Revenue per available room, or RevPar as it is termed, is a key gauge of a hotel’s revenue performance.

At the local level, metro Orlando has begun to see the largest drops in both rate and occupancy across the board for the hotel industry since 2001. For the week ending November 15^th, 2008 hotel Rev PAR dropped by a whopping 27.3 % according to the ORLANDO CVB records .

So what are the ramifications for the Orlando vacation home market? Hotel data now tells us that a short term combination of rate and occupancy are in a state of significant decline. Not a surprise given the current economic environment, but the level and rate of the decline is much more devastating than what is being reported on some media outlets. It remains to be seen if these short term indicators become longer term trends for the Orlando market and can provide some basis for an Orlando tourism forecast.

Possible ramifications in the vacation home industry could include:

1.     Rev PAH (Revenue per available home), is going to most likely drop significantly, as occupancies decline and some owners and home managers alike, quickly drop their rental rates.

2.     This could impact vacation home prices due to the fact that vacation homes would have a lessened ability to generate income, which would logically be reflected in the underlying home sales prices.

3.     Like any business, those homeowners that are best positioned to “hunker down” will be the ones that survive. Such factors could include: limited levels of debt, high rental occupancies, good locations and marketing strategies, excellent maintenance, and the overall experience of a good vacation home management company.

The good news for families, and even some event type groups seeking economic alternatives to hotel rooms, is that they may now logically consider the benefit of vacation homes. This helps the vacation home option become more mainstream. Please see our other posts detailing the economic viability of renting Orlando vacation homes and the value they provide to consumers. In addition, the best run vacation home management companies will most likely survive and the services they provide will become more essential.

In conclusion, there is no sugar coating the data. The drop in both rate and occupancy appears to have come so quickly and deeply that major media, and even many in the tourism industry, do not yet recognize. Expect possible systemic failures in Orlando’s tourism industry if these trends continue. Unfortunately, no one can preidict the future including us.

As always, our blog tries to inform you objectively, so subscribe.  Check the ORLANDO CVB data here.

posted by orlandovacationhome on Nov 20

Let’s be clear, no one can predict the future. If we could, we wouldn’t be writing a blog. This post is  just an opinion. DISCLAIMER. As with any economic opinion, take it with a grain of salt. The authors of this blog are not professionals and do not give out professional advice.

The Orlando vacation home market has been hit hard, especially for many buyers who purchased vacation homes around the years 2005-2006. Prices have dropped in some vacation home subdivisions over 30% from their peak 2 to 3 years ago. For the metro Orlando area as whole, prices appear to have dropped. Click HERE STATISTICS(1).

There are arguments that prices will continue to DROP(2):

Vacation homes are much harder to finance than primary homes, and in the current market even primary homes are now hard to finance (2A).

Foreclosures are piling up. As people struggle with their primary home mortgage, they may give up their second homes.(2B)

There are large inventories (2C).

A few vacation home subdivisions struggle with upkeep of resident exterior areas. Vacation home managment struggles to keep this under aesthetic control for vacationers.(2D)

Banks will begin to compete against each other to sell foreclosed homes, and this could negatively effect vacation home pricing (2E)

Tourists are cutting back big time on Orlando (2F).  Thus, the demand for vacation rentals is also dropping. This means that owners have less income to pay the current mortgage which increases the risk of foreclosure.

In a depressed economy, the last thing people often want to do is buy a vacation home, but the first thing they may want to do is sell if they own one (2G).

Homeowners unable to refinance their vacation homes (they may owe more than the home is now worth) might let the home foreclose if they are unable to modify the loan terms (2G1)

When the world is facing an economic crisis (2I), discretionary items such as vacation homes are no longer in demand. If the USA enters a severe recession, the demand for some vacation home products could dry up.

There are arguments that prices will STABILIZE(3):

It would appear that the rate of price decline in some subdivisions is SLOWING(4) down, but prices are still dropping.

Some subdivisions are making the transition from primarily a short term rental market to subdivisions that cater to full-time owner occupiers as the prices drop, and the vacation homes become affordable relative to regular homes.

The government is reacting on a massive scale to solve the problem(4A).

There are some SIGNS(5) that the number of home sales has been increasing.

In conclusion, vacation homes in the Orlando and Kissimmee area face a unique set of circumstances that has allowed for significant price drops from their peak prices over the last 2 to 3 years. Forecasting the future with absolute certainty is an impossibility.

Subscribe to our blog for in depth graphical analysis and forecasts scheduled to be released next month. Click here to subscribe.

As always, please consider the people writing this post/bog to be unprofessional and incompetent at all times. Due to your own due diligence at all times.

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.

posted by orlandovacationhome on Nov 11

If you are visiting Orlando Florida and looking for a vacation villa rental, there is great news. There is a huge oversupply of Orlando luxury vacation homes for rent. This means deals to be had abound for your Orlando vacation.

 For about the price of a mid-market hotel room, you can rent a fully equipped vacation villa home with your own private pool and do as much self-catering in a full kitchen as you like.  This would certainly help you cut down on your dining and entertainment bills..

Thousands of homes were built over the last ten years, and now many owners need to rent them. On any single night in Orlando, many of these homes sit empty.

Occupancies Dropping

In Orlando, the hotel industry will be the first to tell you their occupancies plunged in September 2008 over 2007, with room revenues dropping by as much 20-25%.

Many Owners Need to Rent

Many vacation homeowners are now feeling the pinch of the housing crisis, and many of the speculators who bought now need to generate additional income to the pay the mortgage.

What does this mean to you, the renter?

1. Shop around. There are thousands of Orlando villas and hundreds of vacation home rental management companies. Make sure you rent a good home, get a great deal and stay in a great location for your Orlando vacation.
2. Always pay by credit card.
   

   Orlando Vacation Homes - Great Deals for Renters!

posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 25

With a fragmented industry with lots of players and no strong “branded” presence, the consumer for vacation homes is left to make some decisions with little or no information regarding the maintenance and cleanliness of the home they will eventually be staying in. Quality assurance in the mind of the consumer will be the ultmate differentiator after staying in the home or referrring

Orlando Vacation Home Management Quality Assurance

How Clean is your Vacation Home

others to frequent that management company again. Along those lines, and before booking any vacation home, one should make sure that the management company has a program in place to proactively manage maintenance and cleanliness of each vacation home.

A quality program for housekeeping may include training methods, graded inspections and employee recognition to deliver a home that is clean and well maintained for each inbound guest. All three elements and others are part of an overall strategy to compete with the cleanest hotels, and to deliver a pleasurable experience.

From a maintenance perspective, regular and thorough inspections of the entire home are an important part of the process. Too many companies use the guests as their de facto QA team, which should not be the case, and is

All Vacation Homes Should be Quality Inspected

certainly not what you paid for. Performing needed maintenance and preventive maintenance at appropriate intervals before the guest arrives keep the home and its collective infrastructure operating effectively to the benefit of the occupants.

Before you book your vacation home, make sure the management company has a quality program in place as evidenced by testimonials, referrals or a program mentioned on their website. Although this might seem a given as a consumer, it is surprising to see the number of companies that don’t see the guest experience as part of their “brand”. Why? They put their time and efforts into other areas of the business or they purposely cut corners to reduce expenses. Make sure you never book with a company in the latter group.

posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 5

Good Vacation Home Management

So you own a vacation home? Join about 40,000 other owners in the Orlando, Kissimmee, Disney, Clermont or Davenport area.

What Homeowners should demand from their management company:

1. The option to opt out of the management contract at any time if you are not happy with the company.
2. The ability to rent out your home at least 65% of the year.
3. A quarterly quality assurance and inspection report with photos and scores for all aspects of your home from the AC system to pool.
4. Assurance that home repairs are completed at cost, and that a detailed report is provided of work completed
5. All capital projects are bid out in writing to at least three bidders for items such as roof repair, ac replacement, pool resurfacing etc.
6. Minor repairs are billed at a rate no higher than $35 an hour.
7. You can login-in to your account 24 hours a day to view all bookings, maintenance and account details.
8. They are licensed and insured, and can provide all documentation
9. They provide resumes of their key staff
10. They respond quickly and professionally to your requests and answer their phones by the third ring 24/7

posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 1

Looking for a few simple, quick ways to promote sustainability and conservation with your vacation home? Here are some simple ways you can reduce the carbon footptint of your vacation home:

• Consider a green values statement for guests at check-in. Simple tips such as running the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher only as needed go a long way in conserving water and energy during the year.
  

  environmental orlando florida vacation homes

• Caulk and seal around windows and door frames of your home.
• Make sure water heaters and hot water pipes are insulated properly.
• Make sure heating/cooling and condenser coils are cleaned regularly.
• It is advisable to paint in lighter palette colors for bath and living areas.
• Refrigeration coils should be cleaned regularly and door seals checked often.
• Make sure you reinforce the need for temperature setbacks when the vacation home is not occupied with your housekeeping team.
• The housekeeping team should also close draperies during periods when the home is not occupied.
• A schedule for changing HVAC filters should be maintained.
• Be sure and adhere to a regular PM program for pool heaters to prevent scaling.
• Make sure the pool skimmer and pump strainer baskets are cleaned regularly.
• Also verify that the pool filter is serviced as recommended.

Although there are many additional ways to promote conservation, these simple ways will have a large cumulative impact on your home energy usage.