Hi again.
To narrow down to 5-6 choices, I will recommend 3 communities that we spent 3 months in over the years. I would feel comfortable recommending either of these communities. To try to save lots of hours, go to vrbo.com and one other like
www.villas2000.com and search each community for 3-4-5 bedroom homes with open dates the months you want. This would mean an hour of time looking at each of these 3 communities finding 2-3 homes and sending out 6-8 inquirees. I do not have specific homes for you, sorry.
Sunset Lakes...very nice gated community close to Disney but "out in country." We love it there and have been there now for 4 years.
Hampton Lakes...out on 27 south of 192...Very well maintained. Lots of 4-5 bedroom homes. IMHO it does not matter how many bedrooms when an owner needs to get it rented. It is just two of you and no weekly cleaning costs. We have rented 3-4-5 bedroom homes all for about the same price. We rented here for one year and left not because of the home but because we liked location of Sunset Lakes.
Sunridge Woods. South of Disney off Old Lake Wilson road. Very small quiet area with beautiful lake. Would rent here in a second if we needed a new place.
Final thoughts...January is definitely the slowest month of the 3 winter months at Disney. Feb picks up pretty good and March gets pretty busy.
EVERY owner wants the most $$$ for their home. I know because we owned a home in Emerald Island until we sold in 2007. The smart owner will grab a chance at sure thing, especially in January or February.
So if you try now and get a "no", keep the link and check back in September. If still open, send a nice note saying "We noticed your property is still available and our offer is still on the table if you would like to consider us for xxxx amount of time.
IMHO, I would include in my intro note, "our budget for xxx month is $2000 to include all utilities and pool heat." For each extra month I would drop to $1800 for two months and $1700 for 3 months. I believe these are very fair prices for 3-4-5 bedroom home with just the two of you, no pets, no kids, and no cleaning. When it comes to getting a home rented, 3-4-5 bedroom does not really matter when it is just the two of you and the unit is empty.
Final thought...do not get discouraged...there are literally thousands of homes looking for rentors and you will be able to get a good deal. There is a fine line between trusting the owner and driving yourself nuts worrying about getting shafted. You will have to trust the owner. Get to know them a little via email if they make you an offer. Maybe even call and talk with them. For a week, trust is easier than for a month to 3 months...for both the owner and the renter!! Remember, they are trusting their home to you for a long period of time and they probably live thousands of miles away.
Here is map of all the communities to give you and idea of proximity to Disney.
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/villa-map.php
Good Luck...Ted
