If you are planning to stay in a vacation home next time you visit Orlando, we've some tips to help you on your way! We've made a start with some main points that we often advise our guests to consider, but we will also update it with any great suggestions that are added by WDWMagic Forum members!
Which Resorts & Locations?
Much talk is made of finding the best location, but our honest advice is that just about every home that is marketed as 'near to the parks' will actually be 'near to the Disney parks'.
By all means head to google maps, and use the directions tool to check the distance from the home's resort to say Walt Disney World and you will see an accurate driving time.
Please bear in mind that midday around the Christmas holidays can put a good chunk of time on your journey!
If the owner or agent does not provide the home's address until you book, that can be normal, so ask for the address of a nearby shop, restaurant or business that you can use for trip planning purposes.
Most, if not all of the vacation homes in Orlando are located to the South of Disney in a triangular area around US27, the 192 and Interstate 4.
Our personal advice is to focus on your family's 'wish list' for a perfect home, and choose the right resort for you based upon that.
Finding A Deal
This is the one everyone looks for, and some simple and very effective advice is available, but the key to this part of your vacation planning is research!
Try and spend a week per $1000 of spend and you won't go wrong!
Most importantly of all, don't drive the deal of a lifetime, only to compromize your vacation by finding a poor home at a great price. If a home does not look right for your family in the pictures, it probably won't be. Sticking to a budget is crucial, but if your research shows your budget was too low, have a rethink.
Discount Tips
Making Payments
Always pay at least some portion of your vacation home by credit card to obtain the best protection from your card provider. Never send the full amount by wire or check unless you are absolutely certain that the company is reputable.
Always ensure that you have travel insurance cover taken out that covers your booking from the time you make it!
Always ask for confirmations of payments and print and take with you on vacation along with your booking confirmation.
Who To Book With?
Some homes can be booked directly through the main listing sites such as Homeaway/VRBO/Flipkey etc. and protection can be built in.
Homeowners tend to offer a very personal touch, and if you are confident that they are good, reputable and reliable to communicate with, are often a good option for good deals. Check their feedback on the sites that you found their home on and always make sure that they actually own the property!
You can search for the home's address in their county's property tax website; ie; Osceola County. If the name of the owner for the property does not match, make sure you know why!
Agents and property managers offer some advantages if there's a problem. They have a reputation to protect and also have access to more homes, should anything go wrong with your original property during your stay.
Check the obvious signs of a good reputation such as Facebook etc. If they only have 10 likes, be concerned!
Looking After The Home (and your deposit!)
If you have paid a security deposit, you will want it back, and if you have provided a card pre-authorization, you will be hoping that it won't need to be charged.
Our advice about ensuring you and the owner have a great experience;
Bad Feedback & Comments About The Home
In an age of easy communication we can read feedback about homes on various sites and forums.
Not all bad feedback is genuine or fair, and not all good feedback is genuine! Read the various comments about the home or the agent's homes and take a balanced view yourselves.
Look particularity for the way that the owner responds to negative comments. If they are apologetic and understanding, explaining the background to the problem, without making feeble excuses, that might be the sign of a very honest business!
Do You Have More Tips & Advice That We Can Add?
Please post any comments below, and let us know what you think we can do to improve this post and we will update it regularly with the best tips and advice!
Which Resorts & Locations?
Much talk is made of finding the best location, but our honest advice is that just about every home that is marketed as 'near to the parks' will actually be 'near to the Disney parks'.
By all means head to google maps, and use the directions tool to check the distance from the home's resort to say Walt Disney World and you will see an accurate driving time.
Please bear in mind that midday around the Christmas holidays can put a good chunk of time on your journey!
If the owner or agent does not provide the home's address until you book, that can be normal, so ask for the address of a nearby shop, restaurant or business that you can use for trip planning purposes.
Most, if not all of the vacation homes in Orlando are located to the South of Disney in a triangular area around US27, the 192 and Interstate 4.
Our personal advice is to focus on your family's 'wish list' for a perfect home, and choose the right resort for you based upon that.
Finding A Deal
This is the one everyone looks for, and some simple and very effective advice is available, but the key to this part of your vacation planning is research!
Try and spend a week per $1000 of spend and you won't go wrong!
Most importantly of all, don't drive the deal of a lifetime, only to compromize your vacation by finding a poor home at a great price. If a home does not look right for your family in the pictures, it probably won't be. Sticking to a budget is crucial, but if your research shows your budget was too low, have a rethink.
Discount Tips
- Always ask for a deal, there's no harm!
- Always be polite when negotiating
- Don't make up false deals on other homes (agents can tell!)
- Keep the offer you are making realistic, 25% off isn't usually realistic!
- Ask the agent if they have any similar homes at a lower rate
- September, early December and January are great times for deals
- Busy periods are almost impossible to get deals unless you are arriving in just a few weeks
- If have done your research and see the right home and price, don't delay! Homes can book in minutes!
- If the price can't be reduced, ask what extras can be thrown in
- Never close the door on an agent or owner, you might never find a better home!
- Card fees are illegal in Florida, but, owners and agents are allowed to build extra into the cost of the home to cover it. Ask if they can reduce the rate if you pay a large portion of the cost by wire/ACH/Check
Making Payments
Always pay at least some portion of your vacation home by credit card to obtain the best protection from your card provider. Never send the full amount by wire or check unless you are absolutely certain that the company is reputable.
Always ensure that you have travel insurance cover taken out that covers your booking from the time you make it!
Always ask for confirmations of payments and print and take with you on vacation along with your booking confirmation.
Who To Book With?
Some homes can be booked directly through the main listing sites such as Homeaway/VRBO/Flipkey etc. and protection can be built in.
Homeowners tend to offer a very personal touch, and if you are confident that they are good, reputable and reliable to communicate with, are often a good option for good deals. Check their feedback on the sites that you found their home on and always make sure that they actually own the property!
You can search for the home's address in their county's property tax website; ie; Osceola County. If the name of the owner for the property does not match, make sure you know why!
Agents and property managers offer some advantages if there's a problem. They have a reputation to protect and also have access to more homes, should anything go wrong with your original property during your stay.
Check the obvious signs of a good reputation such as Facebook etc. If they only have 10 likes, be concerned!
Looking After The Home (and your deposit!)
If you have paid a security deposit, you will want it back, and if you have provided a card pre-authorization, you will be hoping that it won't need to be charged.
Our advice about ensuring you and the owner have a great experience;
- Always give the home a 'reasonable inspection' at some 'reasonable point' after you arrive. Within 24 hours is probably reasonable. Mark down any defects you note and let the owner or agent know right away. Also, let them know of any that you think are priorities that need correcting. The owner of agent will be grateful for you help and won't blame you for problems that you bring to their attention.
- If you do damage anything during your stay, let the owner or agent know right away. Most understand that accidents happen and will be expecting some mishaps during the course of a year. If you give them chance to fix it before the next guest arrives, they stand more chance of being lenient towards you re costs. If you leave it until they do the departure clean, the next guest will have a major problem and the owner or agent will not be pleased.
- Always remember that a vacation home is just like your own home. WiFi can sometimes stop working, a refrigerator break down and the TV can be confusing to use for some guests. Always allow for that, and bear in mind that the owner can probably get an annoying fault fixed in 3 days, that might take a week back home!
Bad Feedback & Comments About The Home
In an age of easy communication we can read feedback about homes on various sites and forums.
Not all bad feedback is genuine or fair, and not all good feedback is genuine! Read the various comments about the home or the agent's homes and take a balanced view yourselves.
Look particularity for the way that the owner responds to negative comments. If they are apologetic and understanding, explaining the background to the problem, without making feeble excuses, that might be the sign of a very honest business!
Do You Have More Tips & Advice That We Can Add?
Please post any comments below, and let us know what you think we can do to improve this post and we will update it regularly with the best tips and advice!
