Ok...told owner we wanted to rent their house....now what????

[theparsons]

Ok, I took the plunge....we found a house we liked and the owner offered a fabulous price...we're renting for a month and by shaving one day off of our stay we wedged ourselves into their calendar (we'll stay with Grandma in Tampa or fly home earlier, haven't got airlines worked out yet anyway). That might be why they gave us such a deal, not sure.

ANyway....so now what all do I have to do, what should I be expecting the owner to do, etc?

How do I do the owner search online? (The community is Sandy Ridge, not sure what country that is, if someone knows please say, otherwise I'll just google).

She uses a management company, so should I be calling them and asking any questions. I can't imagine that asking them if the property is well maintained or there have been complaints, etc will do any good....lol. I worked for a mgmt company of office buildings for a few months...we were never allowed to tell proposed tenants anything even slightly negative...under threat of being fired (which is why I didn't work there anymore). Does knowing the name of the mgmt company matter.....are there some that are so bad you'd advise against renting a house from an owner that uses them? Or are they all kinda the same and you just muddle through (sorry I truly have little respect for the mgmt cos that I've had to deal with....almight dollar rules their every move...this is the part I like least about this whole idea of renting vs. hotel).

What should I be looking for as far as documentation from her? Obviously, I'll want a contract that spells out the terms....but what are the little things that should be in there?

I have a zillion other questions forming in my head, but I'll stop now and just ask you homeowners, and those who have rented, to send me some advice, please!

Thanks!
Jan

 

[tednvon]

If you "took the plunge" that must mean you sent a deposit and it is a done deal...

Congrats...now take a nice big deep breath.......

and email the owner, tell them this is a first for you, and ask "what happens next?"
Either you will get a contract via email or snail mail. It will have some standard stuff in it, but most of it is just "fine print" that is in any contract you sign, even for a hotel or motel, you just don't know the fine print is there.

the big thing with rentals homes that differs from hotels is the cancellation policy and prepaying months ahead. Because refilling cancelled homes is tough to do, make sure you understand the policy if you cancel and have paid in full a month or two ahead.

Maybe I am different than most, but now you really need to go on trust and your gut that you made a good decision, and like we said, hundreds of people rent these homes from owners every day and 99% of the time all goes well, kind of like flying....nothing is perfect, but you just trust the plane will not drop out of the sky!!!

Sandy Ridge is a very nice place with very new homes...chances of "dump" are very very slim, especially if they have a fair amount of other rentals...

The owner should help with all the questions...you are the guest and they are your host...so ask away......
Just remember they are not a big faceless congomlerate hotel chain, they are the owners who have often put blood, sweat, and tears into a dream home for them. They are not professionals, but folks like you and I, so keep that in mind as you pose questions....


All the best, you will have a great time...Ted

 

[sympatico]

Sandy Ridge is in Davenport, Polk County so you can use this site to do a tax record search: http://polkpa.org/CamaDisplay.aspx
Put in their name and it should come up with the property.
Basically once you've decided on the home you should get rental documents and send a deposit. Just make sure it says what's included for the total price: taxes, pool heat, make sure the dates are right etc. Ask any questions you can think of. Then just wait until the deadline for the rest of the rent money.
I don't usually contact the management company before I go. I do search the tax records and maybe ask on the boards if anyone has stayed there etc but other than that you just trust that everything will go well.
Right now I'm waiting for the codes for our rental home for Nov 1st. This is the worst waiting of all. We've done this many times but there's still that little bit of doubt as to whether this whole thing will work out. Good luck !

 

[theparsons]

If you "took the plunge" that must mean you sent a deposit and it is a done deal...

Congrats...now take a nice big deep breath.......

and email the owner, tell them this is a first for you, and ask "what happens next?"
Either you will get a contract via email or snail mail. It will have some standard stuff in it, but most of it is just "fine print" that is in any contract you sign, even for a hotel or motel, you just don't know the fine print is there.

the big thing with rentals homes that differs from hotels is the cancellation policy and prepaying months ahead. Because refilling cancelled homes is tough to do, make sure you understand the policy if you cancel and have paid in full a month or two ahead.

Maybe I am different than most, but now you really need to go on trust and your gut that you made a good decision, and like we said, hundreds of people rent these homes from owners every day and 99% of the time all goes well, kind of like flying....nothing is perfect, but you just trust the plane will not drop out of the sky!!!

Sandy Ridge is a very nice place with very new homes...chances of "dump" are very very slim, especially if they have a fair amount of other rentals...

The owner should help with all the questions...you are the guest and they are your host...so ask away......
Just remember they are not a big faceless congomlerate hotel chain, they are the owners who have often put blood, sweat, and tears into a dream home for them. They are not professionals, but folks like you and I, so keep that in mind as you pose questions....


All the best, you will have a great time...Ted

Well, I took the plunge and told them we wanted to rent their house for our trip....for me that's a huge step....I've been hemming and hawing and nervously asking questions of other owners for months now....something about this house, pictures, her nice reply...ok, and the great price, just struck a cord, or I got to the point where I know I better do SOMETHING.....but you hit it on the head....I sent her an email saying "we want to rent your house, what's the next step"....and I was honest with her that I'd never done this and was nervous about the "sight unseen" part of sending a stranger $2k. Haven't heard back, but it took her a day to respond before so I imagine she isn't on the computer all day like me, lol.

Yes, it appears this is a very new home...she said it was built in January 2006 so when we arrive it will only be two years old....even a well rented home shouldn't be too bad in that short a time!

I know in my gut that I shouldn't be worried....I've read what seems like thousands of people talk about how wonderful their stays have been...but of course my brain reads the handful of "what a dump"...."ants everywhere"....and the scariest of all, "we got there and it was unliveable" and those are the ones that stick in my mind. I think I'll make a point of avoiding those negative posts for the next 3 months, lol.

We made our reservations today for Homeschool Days....what a lovely coincidence that it occurs the first week we arrive! I've had ADRs for many things since July...probably should button down a few more plans to be sure we got all that are popular so no disappointments, but the great thing about going for a month, if we can't get in this week, there is always next week right?

Hmmmm, so now I guess I can start to worrying about getting a good price for airfare....Southwest only seems to be Dinging though mid December, so I guess that'll be another month or more before I can do anything about it.

I also found a rental mini-van for $800 for a whole month, so I booked that...no credit card needed so if I find a better deal.....

Some days I want to plan more...other days I'm weary of all the planning, lol. I'm working on our countdown wall that we'll start in November.

Thanks Grandpa Ted for all the handholding you do with us nervous nellies....it is much appreciated. If you can't be Mickey or Goofy, maybe you should ask them to hire you as a goodwill ambassador.....I'll give you a reference!

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Can you tell me what and when homeschool days are. We are going in Feb o8 and dgks are comin for a week with dd and dsil. They are homeschoolers so we would love info on that. Thanks Grammy

 

[theparsons]

Can you tell me what and when homeschool days are. We are going in Feb o8 and dgks are comin for a week with dd and dsil. They are homeschoolers so we would love info on that. Thanks Grammy

Homeschooling Days are January 14 and 15, sorry!

Just in case someone else reading is interested:

http://www.disneyhomeschooldays.com
I found the pages rather confusing...so here's a thread where I posted the information I received, hopefully it's a little more explanatory:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=21425504#post21425504

 

[tednvon]

Since you are going to be there a month (do you feel the envy of many folks on this board) you have time to get to know the area, find all the switches and stuff in the house and really pace yourself. You will become an "expert" on Sandy Ridge and the whole area.

If you rent for a month, you should get a good price break and sounds like you did!


Congrats again...

Ted

 

[theparsons]

I received an email back from the owner of the house I wanted saying that while I was deciding someone else rented part of my time. WAHHHHHH....

It didn't occur to me that others would be looking at the same property, lol....DUH ME. I only took 2 days to decide....but now I know I better jump on the next one I find. Sigh....it was a great looking home and an awesome price.


Back to square one.

 

[mareed]

I received an email back from the owner of the house I wanted saying that while I was deciding someone else rented part of my time. WAHHHHHH....

It didn't occur to me that others would be looking at the same property, lol....DUH ME. I only took 2 days to decide....but now I know I better jump on the next one I find. Sigh....it was a great looking home and an awesome price.


Back to square one.

That's too bad. Did you have a 2nd best one that you were already looking at? I've found that once we say "we want to book", most owners put a hold on your dates while you get payment deposit worked out. But until you say you want to make the reservation, they consider the dates open, and will allow someone else to book for the same dates if they speak up first. I can completely understand from the owner's perspective that this is the way it must be, but I know it must be disappointing for you! Good luck with your search!

 

[isla bonita]

Enjoy the process it just wasn't ment to be.

I bet there will be an even better vacation home out there for you.

Good luck finding it.