house rentals and forclosures

[tinkerbell423]

I am looking for a house rental for Febuary and I keep running into warnings on web sites that people are getting to their rental to find it is in forclosure or bankowned and they can't stay there. I am nervous about renting now. Is there a way to ensure I am getting a house that is being kept up and will be available when I get there. Has anyone run into this problem?

What reliable rental agency can you reccomend?

 

[lyv4him]

We have used Premier Vacation Homes twice and considering staying at the All Star Vacation Homes in 2011.

 

[TrustedTraveler]

Has this really happened or is it just a scare tactic from some competitor? Does anyone have verifiable facts?

 

[JANNYANS]

If you are thinking of renting direct from an owner-once you have found your ideal home you can check the court official records of the county the home is in and thay will tell you if there are any court proceedings gong on against the owner.You could ask if the owner has a mortgage on the property and if they Haven't then the chances of going into foreclosure are slim.
If you would like help checking anything out just ask

 

[CapeMayMommy]

I think the warning is real.

I was curious last week about buying a home close to Disney and potential costs. I WAS SHOCKED. There are , without exaggeration, THOUSANDS of short sales and forclosures in Celebration, Orlando and Kissimmee. Every information line I called, I was called back by an agent within seconds. It's really bad out there.

Apparently,recent numerous seasons of deep Disney hotel discounts and the economic recession has hit central Florida like a freight train.

 

[KayR]

Jannyanns has some great advice for renting by owner.

There are foreclosures in Florida, but they are not all rental properties and Florida is not really any worse than California for foreclosures. I would personally be wary of homes that are renting cheap - you know the old addage "It seems to good to be true". The cost to properly run and maintain a vacation home is not cheap. Follow Jannyanns advice and check out any homes you are interested in, ask questions of the owner, pay by credit card for extra security.

If you want to go through a management company, Allstar are one of the better ones, but their rates reflect that.

--Kay

 

[7165red]

Go over to www.orlamdovillas.com and click on to forums. You can post your question there. Many owner read the post and will be able to help you. I have been renting for several yrs. and deal directly with the owner.

 

[sympatico]

A couple of owners have already helped on this thread.

 

[4forMe]

Another reliable management company is www.floridasunvacationhomes.com.

 

[Brownie54]

Go over to www.orlamdovillas.com and click on to forums. You can post your question there. Many owner read the post and will be able to help you. I have been renting for several yrs. and deal directly with the owner.

I think you mean www.orlandovillas.com

 

[sjanus]

Most have had positive experience renting from owners. I still love to rent from owners, just do your homework ahead of time and be cautious. Even management companies rent homes of private owners and often do not know whether or not the owner is financially solid.

Some of these already mentioned and good ideas: Payment by credit card, checking out the tax records, checking the real estate records to see if the property is for sale, talking with the owner personally, look at how quickly and effectively the owner communcates, see how their availability calendar looks, ask lots of questions, look at reviews! There are still lots of great owners out there with wonderful properties. Renting through VRBO or Home Away offers some extra protections to renters as well. Some owners also offer you contracts from their management companies and payment through their management companies so you have that extra protection, too. Last year when I rented a condo at the beach, I rented through the owner but received a contract from the management company and paid through the management company, so had same protections.

Sandy

 

[Frothy]

I think the problem is very real and it's one of the reasons we have always used a management company. If anything ever went wrong, we know they have other homes available. So far we haven't had any problems and we love the house we stay in.