Can anyone recommend where to buy a villa?

[heatherbelle]

Hi

Can anyone help. Looking to buy a villa, anyone know of where the best place is to buy or recommend some trusted sites/relocators. Also looking for an Area where you can rent them out, as it will be a second home

 

[martina857]

Hi,

Try www.floridahomesandtravel.com they have been in business years, when we looked (did not buy) they gave me all kinds of advise with a very friendly smile, they have a friend who is a well respected realtor to.

Good luck
M

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

This is a good company
http://www.stylesestates.com/
and Art Heiter is a great realtor.
He will take you through the ins and outs of buying a home.
You have to look at the location, a lot of the newer estates are getting a way from WDW and have a long drive, which is making some people who rent not happy.
Also you have to make sure the estate is zoned for rental.
The choices are
1) new home, normally off plan, but with a gaurentee on the property plus fully furnished, but more expiensive
2) a pre owned home, older and may need some maintenance but cheaper and nearer possibly to the attractions.
3) If you want it as a rental home, you have to think what size and facilities does a renter want, not what do I like in a house, you can have a rental home and then in the future sell it for a 0place you truly wnat as your second home
How many bedrooms? what quality of furnishings? what extras which can up the rental price? Pool or communial pool?
what mortgage? how much deposit do you have? (minimum for a US mortgage is 20% of the price)
If you are going to rent, which is the best maintenance company for looking after it for you (cleaning, sheets changing, grass cutting, pool cleaning etc...) (We use Resortquest)

Art will go through all of this with you and show you some properties, remember all realtors have access through the MLA to all properties for sale.

 

[heatherbelle]

Thank you.

On with the research.

 

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As well as reading advice on here, I would also advise you buy a magazine called "A Place in the Sun, Everything America", which is a bi-monthly magazine that has some very good articles on doing exactly what you want to do.

 

[JANNYANS]

I would advise joining the forum attached to
http://www.orlandovillas.com/

it is run by owners and there is a secton you can join that is especially for people looking to buy.
You will find a wealth of information there from those who have done it and those were going to do it and the decided against when they were in possesion of the facts.
One thing you should be aware of is that Polk and Osceola have raised their impact fees on new biuild homes which is basically a tax on homes yet to be built and in Polk this has added almost $16k to the price of a home where as it was $2k or there abouts.

 

[jezebella]

I am a title agent (who you would close with) in the orlando area. If you need a good mortgage broker with foreign national experience, feel free to send me a pm. Good luck and happy house hunting!

 

[LondonMom]

Mt parents own a place on the HIGHGROVE community. To me its the perfect location because its virtually at the end of the 192 but its so quiet and peaceful. They got their villa offplan I think through orlando homes. You can view their villa here www.ourfloridahome.supanet.com
Happy house hunting, its so exciting!
Jo x