Too good to be true?

[irishdancemomma]

I am planning a trip for my family (a total of 12 ppl). I decided a house is probably the bet way to go and have been on the lookout for something affordable. Well, this morning I was browsing Homeaway and found a 4 bed 3.5 bath house in Regal Palms resort for $30 a night in July. This seems insanely cheap to me. I would book in a heartbeat, but I am afraid of being scammed. Is thee something in place that keeps these owners from lying about their property? I mean, if I book it there will be a 4 bed house for me when I get there right? Or is it just a leap of faith to book through these sites?

 

[supersnoop]

"Subject to $85 Clean Fee, and $11.95/day per unit Resort Amenity Fee."

 

[Gr8t Fan]

That seems incredibly low, even with the clean(ing) fee and the amenity fee, especially for July. I'd be wary of that one. How much are other listing for the same resort in July?

 

[Tissa]

Anything listing too cheap is doing it for a reason(that would scare me) I'd pass on that one. Plus it is in Davenport which google maps put at about 17 miles to property. Time is money, unless you aren't in a hurry to get to the parks. Try looking in the Indian Creek subdivision. Close to the parks and the houses usually run around $900-1100 a week.

 

[irishdancemomma]

I did see the cleaning and resort fees, but even with those added in it comes out to less than $400 for 7 nights. It has all 5 star reviews, but it still feels weird, as much as I would like for it to be true. I guess my questions are, are the owbers and houses screened in any way by homeaway or could anyone get on, say they have a property, take your money, and leave you hanging? Also, can anyone write reviews or only verified guests of that specific house?

 

[irishdancemomma]

I do not have a problem with a 20-30 min drive. It would be the difference between taking my siblings and not taking them.

 

[Buttercup7and10]

I would be very wary. This could ruin your whole vacation.

 

[powellrj]

We stayed at Bahama Bay a few years ago in Davenport at a really cheap price because of construction, but even that wasn't as cheap as $30 a night! Davenport isn't that far or a bad drive, so that wouldn't keep me from renting it, its the lack of pictures that would make me think twice. I have never rented someplace that didn't have its own pictures. They are just using stock Regal Palms pictures with no pictures of an actual unit. We have rented from homeaway before and would again, but I would pass on this one.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Yes, too good to be true. It's possible that the owner has stopped making payments on the property and is about to lose it. They could be trying to make any amount of money they can before they lose possession of the place. You could very well arrive and not have a place to stay. Look for a place that is priced comparably to similar units. You should be able to see pictures of the actual place you will be renting. There should also be an email address and a phone number for the owner or management company.

 

[tcherjen]

I would look at pictures too. My first time ever booking a hotel was done site unseen. It had a picture of the lake, not the hotel. Big mistake when we arrived. YUCK!!! We rebooked somewhere else.

 

[Sunshine25]

We own on Regal Palms and also advertise on VRBO.
I would be very wary of booking that home. Keep in mind, each unit is individually owned, and some owners take better care of their property than others. I think $30/night says a lot about what type of accommodation you would be staying in.

You could email/call the owner first, ask them questions, specifically - is the home in your listing, the home I would be staying in?

Overall, Homeaway/VRBO is generally a safe site to book from. Here is a useful link:
http://www.vrbo.com/info/about-us/protect-yourself

Good luck!

 

[Luvchefmic]

OP sometimes you just have to go with your gut feeling. Your thread title says it all I would stay far away from this one. Someone up thread mentioned Indian Creek area. Very nice & close. I went through VRBO and stayed in that area many times before moving to FL.

Well disregard just noticed your other thread started 4/2 and apparently you found a place...have a great trip !