kilee said:
Now I am gonna contradict a previous posting here, I don't think you need to limit your search area. We have stayed in Emerald Island, which is literally just 2-3 minutes to Disney property. We have also stayed in Hampton Lakes, which is in Davenport. Davenport is a solid 15-20 minute drive depending on the traffic lights. It's pretty much a straight drive though. The reason I'm for looking all around is because the house we rented in Davenport was twice the size of the EI one, twice the amenities, and was almost 40% less for a week. We didn't mind the drive, and maybe it's because we drive 45+ min plus each way to work that 15 minutes seemed like nothing. Either way, I'd research all your options.
People that are further away charge less because they have to. Location and being close is a very big factor for many people, and naturally the prices are slightly higher, it's the old "you get what you pay for" scenario.
I don't completely agree that being further away is a good thing. Reason being, at crowded times of the year, I have heard horror stories about how crowded the roads around Disney and the area can get. At Thanksgiving I was told by our MC that it would take 20 minutes just to get 2 blocks down US-192...and we heard of guests staying in properties further away where a typical 15-20 minute drive could take well over an hour.
My advice to potential rentors though would echo many of the other statements made here. Get a sense of comfort with the owners and the place before you book! Are the people responsive to you? Are there lots of current pictures of the place online? (I mean the unit...not the complex / etc....if you go to someone's website / ad and the pictures are all of the resort, the resort pool, etc, I would not book there...looks like they have something to hide..doesn't it?). I think personally having been a rentor for many many years in Florida and other destinations, and now an owner, one critical factor people don't know about or overlook as potential rentors, perhaps THE most important factor, is the Management Company (MC).
If you have a problem during your stay (and yes, although we work very hard to anticipate and prevent them, they do occur!), what's important is how it's going to be handled. We have had guests stay with us who rented from a large local MC (who I will not name here but email me if you have concerns about a particular place...at least within Windsor Hills Resort where we are owners now), who had a broken shower door while staying elsewhere in the resort. The glass shattered all over the bathroom, and they were told to clean it up (themselves!!) and the company would take a look at it. They never heard back from the MC during their visit, and called the MC 5 days later, and were then told to turn in any receipts for any expenses they incurred and the MC would reimburse them!! This same company wouldn't return our realtor's phone calls for days to turn over the keys they held after a closing, to give the new owner the keys to their new home!!
There was another example on these boards just recently of a woman who had a problem with a MC (you can search for a thread called "help I have a problem")...and see what can go wrong.
Since most owners don't live nearby, we count heavily on our MCs to take care of our guests and our properties. I am not trying to scare anyone off by any means, most people have a wonderful vacation experience renting directly from the owners!! But, just like the real world...I guess I would say that some are better than others, and it's very difficult for a guest to know this up front. We've been lucky, we have had very good experiences as a guest and as owners!
So...how do you figure this out? Call..email..communicate with the owners...get a sense of responsiveness and attentiveness. If you don't get this sense of comfort now...responsiveness...what's going to happen when you have a problem down the road? Find out who their MC is (most people don't bother to do this or even realize that it matters)... ask others for their experiences with this MC...good or bad. Find out about a recent problem...and ask how it was handled. If someone tells you there's never been a problem for instance.... I would say that's a big red flag..they're lying. It doesn't have to be something huge...just that things do come up...even little things....and it's what they do to fix them that counts!! Example: one of the batteries went dead in the smoke detector in the place we rented last year...it was beeping around midnight keeping us up. I called the MC to mention it (and apologized for calling at midnight)...but they were very gracious and came right out! (I didn't have a ladder, no way I could reach the ceiling safely). Not a situation anyone could have prevented, but it was handled quite well!
Another suggestion...many...actually most of the homeowner's use a calendar from rentors.org. This site also has online guestbooks. Some owners will implement the guestbook feature..some won't. I would suggest that you look for places that do use this feature...and take a minute to read the reviews. The guestbook service is setup so that owner's have to leave both positive and negative comments in their guestbook...fyi...if someone leaves a negative comment then you have the opportunity to comment on it...but the only way to "purge" a negative comment is to erase your entire guestbook and start over!! So...if you see an empty guestbook..1 of 2 things...either they don't use this feature or it's been erased.. I would ask. You could also ask if it's ok to contact any prior guests or references....it's always better to get an independent 3rd party opinion or reference from someone else who's been there!! If there's nothing to "hide" then no one should have any issues with any of this, right!?
Another suggestion...call or go online to the local BBB (Better Business Bureau) and find out if there are any complaints against the owner or the MC. We suggested to the lady on these boards who had a serious issue with her vacation rental that she lodge a formal complaint with them. They of course get involved in the process then and determine if there are grounds for said complaints / etc., but you can bet if there's a long history of complaints against a particular MC...you don't want to stay there!! By the way...property owners have been known to lodge complaints against MCs themselves when they or their guests receive less than stellar treatment!!
Please don't take the issues I've listed TOO seriously..most people who go this route have a great time and get a wonderful vacation home at an incredible price compared to staying at traditional resorts, unfortunately, the ones we hear about the most are the few problem visits!! Everyone will complain when they have problems, very few people unfortunately are quick to compliment people or go on forums and write glowing reviews when it goes well! (Hint hint hint people!!)
Just thought I'd share my perspective and experiences, both as being a rentor for many vacations, and now as an owner, I've learned more about this market and things to look out for. Hopefully my learned experiences will help you all make better decisions and choices, and prevent people from making mistakes, hope this is helpful information!
