Florida Vacation Homes

[SandraC]

Hi ~ my friend is interested in renting a vacation home in Florida ~ any advise and testomonies! Thanks, S

 

[Aubrey]

We rented a large home from FamiliesFirst. Great price, very comfortable. Moderately convenient location. VERY inconvenient to pick up and drop off key at distant management office !!! Paid extra for pool heating and had to kick up quite a fuss to have the pool at a usable temperature. Since then we use the condo/villa type rentals where the check in is onsite.

 

[TDM516]

http://www.magicmouse-villas.com/

I will be able to let you know more about it when we return on May 31, but it looks great and the prices are very reasonable. The people who own it have been very professional and sweet in their dealings with us. It's in Windsor Palms, so it's a good location. Good luck!

 

[JºoºhnG]

Hi Sandra

We have rented homes 3 different times. This past March Break we rented through a Private Owner who also has a Management Company for those that may not be to keen about renting it directly from the Owner.

We have always had good luck renting homes and find it a good way to go. Especially by saving on meals and having your own pool to relax in.

If you would like the name of the fellow we rented off this past March PM or e-mail me. Also if you would like any further information let me know.

Have a Disney Day!

 

[JANNYANS]

There should be no problems renting directly with an owner -in fact most peole think it is better as you can get a lot more information about your homes and have the personal contact that people like.Most owners have a management company otherwise it is almost impossible to maintain your home as the majority live away from Florida.
It certainly is a more relaxing vacation especially if you have a larger group as you do not need to squash your family into a hotel suite and generally speaking homes offer great value for money.

If you need any any further info PM me .

 

[FLeisure]

Remember to follow the golden rules when booking a vacation home no matter who you rent from, MC or Owner, and you'll be fine :

1. Is the home licensed by DBPR ?
2. In cases where you book direct with the owner, is there a local MC who can help in case of a problem ?
3. Is the MC a member of Central Florida Property Managers Association ?
4. Is the MC a member of Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau , etc ?
5. How far is the house from the attraction parks and does this suit you ?
6. Can you see pictures and/or video of the house on the internet ?
7. Who is the money payable to and what happens in case of a problem ?

If you follow these simple rules, you will be ensured of a great time - wherever and with whoever you stay.

 

[UKDEB]

Originally posted by Aubrey
VERY inconvenient to pick up and drop off key at distant management office !!!

A pet peeve of mine, Aubrey.

We normally rent direct from the owner, but this time we've gone through an MC which comes highly recommended.

SandraC - PM me if you'd like some specific info.

 

[JANNYANS]

All you need to do is ask your owner where you get the keys from .A lot of owners like me have a lock box at the front door-no long distance travels to get the key.

 

[FLeisure]

A lot of MC's also have lockboxes so that you can collect the key at the property...providing you have pre-paid !!

 

[Lakul]

Or some owners have a keypad. You just tap in the number and let yourselves in.

 

[DrCool]

My parents, sister, and her kids stayed at a rental house in Feb. and said they will never stay at a hotel again when they go to Orlnado. They rented through http://www.vacation-homes-near-disney-world.com and said they were great to work with. The homes were clean, fairly new, and looked great.

 

[Mr D]

My family rented a home from Families First in dec. 2001 for two weeks, absolutely wonderful, no hassles, large modern home, codelock front door, pool heat just right.

This upcoming january 2004 we are renting from a private owner at Florida Dream Villas I heard favorable comments from several renters so I decided to book with them, they also have a discussion board.

 

[lynniepooh]

We rented from floridadreamhomes.com They have great homes in wonderful locations and the prices are great also. I would do it again with no hesitations!

 

[Ridge]

Although there are literally hundreds of mom and pop vacation managers only 10 % are part of a professional and self regulating body that keeps the consumers interests in mind.

The Central Florida Property Managers Association :
http://www.cfpma.com/

They also have a new Reservations website

http://www.floridacentralvacations.com

Do yourself a favor and stay with well established companies.

 

[FLeisure]

Well said Ridge...absolutely agree with you.

 

[Eugenius20]

Some friends of mine just went a few weeks ago and they rented from a guy named Fred Hallam. I think his website is http://www.floridarentals.com . They liked it a lot. I think he's actually a private owner with 9 homes or so.

 

[FLeisure]

Having reviewed that web site I would draw everyone's attention to the golden rules when renting a home. I see no mention of any affiliation to any trade body and the fact he states "I am not a management company" greatly concerns me.

Hopefully everything is OK and all the homes are properly licensed and that this business is run properly.

 

[martina857]

OH boy do you drive me mad!!!!!!
Why do you keep harping on about helping people and making sure they have a great vacation!!!!! You are here simply because you are advertising your business, go away for goodness sake and don't come back, leave us all alone and free from your constant soliciting. A few years ago my friend rented a home through a cfpma company, it went bust!! Left her high and dry and hundreds of other vacationers too.
Moderators do something about this guy before he ruins these fantastic boards.

 

[FLeisure]

Oh look the wicked witch is back....the veteran of 35 posts is mad again ! If you care to look you'll find that it was actually Ridge who mentioned CFPMA.

Now, onto more pressing matters.....could you please name this company who went bust ? In my 4 years of membership with CFPMA I cannot recall one member company going bust....I'm open to be enlightened.

 

[SimonV]

Guys, please keep things civil and on topic. And Martina, please don't go making wild, unsubstantiated allegations. It's very tiresome. There are people here who have been posting for some time and the info they provide is extremely useful, by and large.