Disney area condos (to buy not rent)

[Michael623]

Eventually I would like to be a snowbird and spend the winter months in the Disney area. I'm looking for a townhome primarily. I understand Windermere is nice but expensive. I've looked at Davenport and while I like the area ok all of the townhomes had lockoff units so they had a very timeshareish vibe. I also checked out a couple of places in St Cloud that had the opposite thing going on, the homes were very nice but the area seemed so-so at best. My latest searchings have me looking at Lake Buenaventura (34743 zip code) and Plant City. I know plant city is about halfway between the gulf and Disney and that they have a huge strawberry festival but that is about it. I know even less about Buenaventura. All I know is that you take Boggy Creek south from the airport and keep going past 417 for a couple of miles. If anything knows anything about either of these areas please let me know. I'll also take suggestions to post this on another board if you think I'll get better results.

 

[tom66]

Have you considered the townhouses of Paradise Palms ?

We are looking at it - hope to go there in November to take a closer look.

http://www.livesouth.com/florida/paradise-palms-resort/
http://lennarholidayhomes.com/ParadisePalms/

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Why not Windsor Hills in Kissimmee? Also I believe Emerald Isle section has townhomes too. This area is very popular on the dis for rentals.
hth
ETA: Vista Cay is new too. near the convention ctr.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

We are not owners, but have been renters at Emerald Island. The townhouse section is very nice and the community pool and club house are great. So close to Disney. That community does not get mail delivery as far as I know, so you would have to get a post office box. It seems it is set up for vacation rentals not full timers. When we were there last winter we noticed many places for sale so it may be a good time for a buyer. Grammy

 

[KayR]

It depends what you want to do with the townhome when you are not using it.

If you are looking to rent it out for vacationers, then you should look at areas either close to Disney or to another major draw, such as on the beach. Make sure it is zoned for STR (short term rental) as not all areas are!!! Remember location, location, location!

If renting out for vacationers is not in your plans, what are you going to do with it? If you are just going to hold it for your own use, then you can practically get one anywhere where you want it to be. If you plan to rent it long term (6 months or more) then I would recommend working out who would be your target market and making sure that you are in an area that that type of person would want to live. For example if there is a teaching hospital that has a lot of need for staff accommodation, you should look at townhomes close to the hotel (easy commute distance).

Another thing to bear in mind, homes that are not in STR zoned areas tend to be much cheaper than those that are zoned for STR. Renting out STR takes a lot of effort to do it properly - on the whole, you cannot rely on getting an STR property, turning it over to an MC and covering your costs.

Hope that helps,

--Kay

 

[jdvm]

There are a lot of condos and town homes for sale in Celebration.

John

 

[Michael623]

I don't plan to use it for STR and therefor don't really want a place that is primarily STR. That is why Davenport (island Club West etc) didn't really strike me as a place to investigate further. I'm looking for something quieter, more residential

 

[KayR]

I don't know the non-disney areas of Kissimmee/Orlando that well, perhaps someone with local knowledge can step in.

I know Celebration has townhomes and is a nice community. But it is pricey and you can only rent long term (if you plan to rent at all).

I would look at perhaps somewhere in Orlando itself (not Kissimmee/Buena Vista/Disney areas) - maybe close to a university / hospital or similar in case I wanted to rent it out long term until I could use it myself. Another nice area is Winter Park - not sure if there are townhomes there, but perhaps worth looking at.

If I was looking as a snowbird, I would also consider a smaller home in a more rural neighborhood - perhaps near one of the national parks / forests etc. It would be more of a drive to the parks, but as a resident/snowbird, I wouldn't have a big problem with that. I would personally avoid coastal areas - too much risk and high insurance premiums!

Good luck with your search!

-Kay