posted by orlandovacationhome on Jun 2

Vacation homes and rental homes in Fl are an important part of travel to Florida.

In a landmark 2008  study commissioned by the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau, research indicates that vacation home owners and guests spend over $384 million in one county (Osceola) alone.

Vacation home rentals continue to be a more accepted means of accomodations and gain market share, but the industry has no formal organizational means of tracking economic impact statewide.

There are three major vacation homes markets in FL. These markets include Orlando, Miami and Destin/Panama City. There are also two secondary markets for rental homes in FL including Tampa/Clearwater and Jacksonville. It is difficult to extrapolate the total number of vacation home visitors statewide, but based on the report mentioned above, Osceola County drew 1.2 million visitors staying in vacation homes alone.

Although awareness of vacation homes for travel to Florida is on the rise, more consumer and economic data and information is needed. Holiday rentals in Orlando are a great way to enjoy the area.

Vacation Rentals in FL

This website focuses specifically on the Orlando vacation homes market to disseminate that needed consumer information. Over 80 resort communities have been independently rated and profiled which should give consumers a greater sense of trust for what they are booking. These vacation reviews are viewable on the main page of this website. The reviews section includes such premium resort communities as Emerald Island Resort and Windsor Hills Resort. Orlando FL is a great destination for theme parks, golf, restaurants and other attractions.

Rental Homes in FL

 <a href=”http://www.data-recovery-software.net”>File Recovery</a>

<a href=”http://www.travelcatalog.net”>Travel Catalog & Directory</a>

Tweet This Post

posted by orlandovacationhome on May 17

In this post, we list the top vacation home picks for vacation rental home communities in the Davenport, Florida area.

For our purposes, “vacation homes” are defined as detached dwelling structures with multiple bedrooms and are similar, if not synonymous, to single family residential homes. A complete explanation of the various vacation rental options are contained on a prior posting.

The top vacation home picks in Davenport, Florida based on evaluator reviews are (in alphabetical order):

Solana Resort   

Tuscan Hills Vacation Homes 

Watersong Resort 

West Haven (multiple communities)

Click on any of the links above to get a detailed review score, map and video tour of each of these communities.

As we state in our disclaimer, community ratings are objective opinion evaluations. There are additional and notable vacation communities in Davenport, but based on our criteria, these were the best overall.

Each of the Davenport vacation home communities above received a “Good” or “Premium” quality review from our evaluators.

Davenport Vacation Homes

Tweet This Post

posted by orlandovacationhome on Apr 26

Windsor Hills Photos

When visiting the Walt Disney World Resort ® in the Orlando, Florida area, Windsor Hills Resort is reviewed and rated as the best overall family friendly vacation home community of the 80+ vacation home rental communities we review.

Windsor Hills Images

Windsor Hills vacation homes, located in Kissimmee, Florida,  typically have a good overall appeal, are close to Disney, gated and guarded and have some great resort oriented community facilities (most notably the pool). Enjoy our Windsor Hills pictures and Windsor Hills images below.

We have enclosed some additional photos of Windsor Hills villas in this post. To see the interactive map and video tour, visit Windsor Hills Resort.

Windsor Hills Photos

Windsor Hills Pool

Tweet This Post

posted by orlandovacationhome on Apr 1

Orlando Vacation Homes Go Mainstream – A Force to be Reckoned With?

Hotels in Orlando have gone into shock. In February 2009, hotel revenues were reportedly down dramatically (1).

Orlando vacation homes, although affected by the economic downturn, have some very powerful factors now in their favor.

1. Of the 200 +/- hotels in Orlando, there are as few as 400+/- full time sales managers at the property level promoting their product.
2. With 30,000 +/- vacation homes in the Orlando market, each owner becomes their properties’ best sales manager. You could argue there is an army of 30,000+/- part time sales managers/owners promoting Orlando vacation homes all over the globe on a daily basis.
3. Tour operators are now selling Orlando vacation home product with as much fervor as they do hotels. Such premium accommodations as Emerald Island Resort and Windsor Hills Resort are well know for their quality amenities.
4. In Orlando, there are hundreds of vacation home management companies aggressively promoting vacation home rentals for owners. The databases of management companies also include thousands of satisfied consumers who refer potential renters.
5. Orlando vacation home rentals have become very competitive in rate, and can often offer a better value proposition than a traditional hotel. Hence, their popularity with travelers.
6. Once the domain of Europeans, the domestic American consumer is becoming very educated on vacation homes and the benefits they offer including the ease with which the homes can be booked.

Orlando vacation home marketing has become organically powerful and has so much “hidden” muscle that a significant gain in market share against the hotel industry looks inevitable. The Orlando vacation home idustry segment is  now a force to be reckoned with.

Orlando Vacation Homes

Tweet This Post

posted by orlandovacationhome on Mar 24

In this post, we take a moment to discuss some of the vacation options we see in the Orlando area vacation home marketplace. There are a lot of new vacation homes in Orlando to choose from.

Many of the new vacation home rental developments in Orlando are becoming much more like full service resorts rather than traditional vacation home communities. These include common area amenities such as spacious clubhouses, large pools, retail shops, game rooms, concierge services and more.

If You Need A Private Pool - Ask

However, some developments do not include individual pools, and the home density (i.e. apartment, condo or townhome style buildings) is typically much higher than traditional single family homes. In other words, although one may get more common area amenities, the trade-off can occasionally be a loss of privacy. You may have to walk to the pool rather than having one attached to your vacation rental or possibly put up with some noisy guests next door.

The great thing about the Orlando market is the variety of choice you do have available depending upon which product you wish to stay in. In some cases, there are vacation homes that combine premium luxury resort type elements in their design and service delivery along with fully functional single family pool homes. These tend to receive the highest overall ratings reviews on our website, as it is geared primarily to the typical family/group on vacation in the Orlando area. 

The key as a consumer is to know what you are booking and what your expectations are during the vacation planning phase. In all cases, and as we stress on our main page, vacation rentals are still superior in value to hotels. This site also gives you the opportunity to view video of most new vacation homes in Orlando.

Consult our website for information on newer vacation resort developments such as Compass Bay, Bella Toscana, Aviana Resort and Watersong. Many are profiled on the website now (Crestwynd Bay, Bella Vida Resort, Encantada Resort and The Shire at West Haven).

Orlando Vacation Homes

Tweet This Post

posted by orlandovacationhome on Jan 13

Villas at Seven Dwarfs Lane Vacation Homes – Orlando Kissimmee

Villas at Seven Dwarfs Lane is located a little further away (approximately 7.5 miles) from the Walt Disney World ® property than some communities, but is still within a short drive of restaurant and shops.

The Villas at Seven Dwarfs provides for a great resort type community in a clean, well maintained and pleasant setting.

Review the location on our interactive map below. Also review the video of the Villas at Seven Dwarfs Lane below.

View Larger Map

Tweet This Post

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.

Tweet This Post

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!

Tweet This Post

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.

Tweet This Post

posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 29

Buying A Vacation Home in Orlando – Kissimmee

At a dinner party in our home town of Frome, England, we recently met a couple who told us they just bought a vacation home in Orlando, Florida.

As we go to Orlando all the time and our mum owns two vacation homes, we had a lot in common. Our new friends told us where they bought the home, so we looked it up on the Internet. When we visited Kissimmee the following week, we met with our management company and started talking about the home. The owners told us they paid $220K cash for the house. Our property manager said the same model was selling for less than $160K (bank owned).

In America, there are various real estate professionals that can help you. To ensure you are getting the best deal possible, directly hire your own independent professional advisors. Your cost for this type of advice will be several hundred dollars for an appraiser as an example. 

Hiring a professional to do some market research could have saved our friends almost $60,000. Don’t make the same mistake!

So if you are looking to buy a vacation home in the Orlando, Kissimmee, Clermont or Davenport area, do your homework and directly hire a team of independent professionals these might include CPAs, Appraisers and Attorneys. As always we just express an opinion and don’t offer professional advice. Please reference our disclaimer.

Tweet This Post