posted by orlandovacationhome on May 30

To provide our website visitors with the highest quality user experience, we are now adding Disney World vacation rental video clips in high definition. We’ll gradually add these to the site as our evaluators are able to film the individual resort communities. The video podcasts are meant to capture a snippet of what to expect from each community.

We now have over 80 Disney World vacation home communities profiled on our website. In addition to the videos, we have maps, news and tips for your Orlando vacation.

Our evaluators provide you with an independent rating along with basic information for each resort. Each Disney World vacation rental community is reviewed on our main page for your convenience.

We hope you find these consumer profiles to be valuable in selecting your Disney World vacation home accommodations. The on-site community reviews are conducted by independent evaluators who focus on quality and a variety of factors.

As an example, see our video review of Emerald Island vacation home community in Orlando - Kissimmee below.

<a href=”http://www.onlytravels.com/”>OnlyTravels

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posted by orlandovacationhome on May 6

An article entitled “5 Vacation Rental Spots for Summer Savings” in the May 6th digital edition of Smart Money magazine makes some interesting statements regarding summer price discounts for Orlando area vacation rentals. Although press attention is welcome, some of the percentages tossed around (”…as much as 60% less”) do create unrealistic expectations for consumers.

Moreover, from our same sources, higher quality vacation rentals have held their pricing a little firmer than the lower rated vacation home inventory out there. In our opinion, this is mainly due to the fact that lower quality vacation communities have less of a referral base to work from.

The highest rated communities have a strong consumer following that keeps demand relatively more constant, and pricing more stable. That of course is good and bad for the consumer. Second, homes managed by a reputable high quality management company also tend to firm up pricing due to the same reason - a quality track record with past guests who actively refer friends and associates.

Our website seeks to provide a solution for the prospective vacation rental consumer to provide better quality review and ratings information for area vacation rentals.

You’ll now find over 70+ resort communities rated, profiled and with short videos of common areas to empower you to make the best decision based on your needs.

This type of independent rating can be paired up with advertised rates to help you find the best summer deals for Orlando vacation rentals.

In almost all cases, vacation homes are a much better overall value proposition than area hotels. Good luck!

Orlando Summer Vacation Home Rentals

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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 house 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.

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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.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Nov 12

1. Call the Orlando vacation home management company directly- This will give you a feel of the type of customer service the company offers. Are the individuals that answer the phone courteous, professional and knowledgeable? Are you treated like a number or does the staff really try to make suggestions based on your Orlando vacation villa rental needs?
2. Homeowners are not always the best source for directly booking an Orlando vacation villa rental - This often is the cheapest route in terms of rental rate, but if something goes wrong, an owner may not be in town to help you. So if renting by owner, do your homework. If they do not have staff personnel to respond quickly and often the quality assurance of your stay could be in question.(see other related blog posting on this topic).
3. Better Business Bureau Linkage - Look for the BBB sign on the Orlando vacation home management company’s website. You should be able to click on the logo and see the company’s history with vacation home consumer comments. Without this important feature, the vacation villa management company may not be fully disclosing its operational history.
4. Other Affiliations - Look for the vacation home management company to be well established and be members of various other professional organizations in their area. Often these affiliations are clearly shown on their web site. 

Again, there are lots of vacation home management companies in the Orlando area. If you do a little shopping of Orlando vacation home reviews and ratings on this blog, you will greatly increase your odds of having a great Orlando vacation home rental experience with no surprises. Chances are that your overall Orlando vacation will be positive as well.

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Nov 8

The third quarter earnings report for Disney was not pretty. In many investors’ eyes, it raised more questions than answers. Chief Mouse Executive Bob Iger reported that the first half of 2009 looks to be just shy of 10% under last year’s booking pace. He also alarmed analysts by stating that his predictive view of the attendance market is “limited”.

Disney responded by rolling out a new “buy 4 days/nights, get 3 free” promotion. This is strong evidence of the weakness coming into 2009, and the theme park market will need to perform some heavy discounting in the new year to stay on par with last year.

Disney Earnings Impact Orlando Vacation Villa Homes

Presumably area hotels must do the same to bring in their market share of tourist dollars. Vacation home rates will almost assuredly follow suit because staying in a home is an upgrade from the regular hotel stay, and that consumers may not be in the financial mood to take advantage of that upgraded experience. The dollar has also appreciated making foreign exchange rates less attractive for international travelers. Although air travel pricing has been sluggish to drop, gasoline pricing has been cooperative for the consumer lately. We suspect that regional drive-to traffic may need to replace lost international traffic in 2009 if Orlando vacation home rentals are to keep pace with last year’s figures. In that light, vacation home marketers must do a better job of highlighting the advantages of a vacation home over a hotel stay and then delivering on that Orlando vacation promise.

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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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