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 12

When booking an Orlando vacation home rental via the internet, part of your decision will include selection a quality vacation home management company. There are plenty of Orlando vacaction managment companies to choose from in the Central Florida area.

1. Professionally run with 24/7 customer service
2. A professional easy to navigate web site to select your Orlando villa
3. The vacation homes have a quality assurance program in place to maintain top notch vacation home standards (Please see our blog post on this topic).
4. The Orlando vacaction villa management company has their own service trucks and maintenance staff and are always on call.
5. Location of the vacation home.The home should be in a completed and well maintained vacation home community subdivision. No vacant lots and overgrown lawns in the area. Please consult our site often for updated vacation home community reviews and ratings.
6. Great vacation villa community facilities (i.e. pool, clubhouse, community activities)
7. Internet access or WiFi in the Orlando area villa
8. Crystal clear pool/spa
9. Fully furnished includes items like blenders and other amenities in the kitchen – not just the basics
10. A game room for the kids

Ultimately, you will decide what’s important to you and your family’s Orlando vacation experience. Always try and book the homes with the best location (as close as possible to the parks if that’s where you want to be). Ask the management comany a lot of questions and consult our independent vacation home community ratings. The best run companies are always happy to answer all your questions.

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 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.

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.

posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 28

Foreclosures Devastate Orlando Vacation Home Market.

The level of foreclosures in the Orlando vacation home market are now at devastating levels. As many of these vacation homes in the area are second homes and many were bought by speculators, the prices in many communities have dropped significantly. It would seem that many owners have simply walked away due in part that the rents from such homes are not enough to cover larger mortages. Some of the communities hardest hit are those that saw the greatest appreciation. 

Vacation Home Foreclosures Soar in Central Florida

Unlike regular homes, vacation homes have few, if any, permanent resident owners that help stabilize the area or neighborhood.

Currently, some banks will no longer lend on vacation homes. This is further holding demand down and pushing up supply. The number of homes for sale has grown, but relatively few people have been buying.

As we have indicated in our blog, this creates potential rental opportunities at great pricing for savvy consumers.

The data above is based on research for a typical Kissimmee vacation home subdivision over the last 5 years showing the actual average price per heated square foot for the same two month period. 2008 shows values plummeting 41% from the same period a year earlier.

Orlando Florida Vacation Home Foreclosures

So what will happen to the Orlando vacation home market in the future? No one knows, and it is pure opinion and speculation at best. If we knew, we would be sitting on an island in Tahiti sipping a beer rather than worrying about the general state of the market. Having said that, our best guess is that home values will continue to come in line relative to the net rental revenues they generate to cover the monthly mortgage. Once that comes back in line, we’ll then most likely see prices stabilize.

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!