I am having a difficult time choosing the area to search for a rental home for October of this year. We will be spending more than half of our time at Universal and I wanted to find something somewhere between there and Disney but I'm going crazy trying to figure out which area would be best. I originally looked at Lakeside but there are so few homes to choose from I'm running into a dead end. Can anyone direct me to an area that fits my criteria? (Or something close!!). Thanks in advance for your help.
Rental Home Confusion
- Thread starter FUNROVER
- Start date
Funrover,
You really are going to struggle in finding anywhere between Disney and Universal. Most rental homes are situated in Osceola County which welcomes vacation homes as opposed to Orange County which really doesn't.
Both attraction parks are in Orange County but Disney is right on the border of Osceola with Wide World of Sports actually inside Osceola.
My advice would be to go with a home that is on Poinciana Blvd -Indian Point, Eagle Pointe or Cumbrian Lakes, Creekside (just off US 192) or Lake Berkley - all communities to the East of Disney. All of these areas offer good access to SR 535 and then to I4 which should get you to Universal within 20 minutes. The actual closest community will be Indian Wells but these homes are a lot older now.
Alternatively you could go with the communities in and around Formosa but the journey time to Universal will be a little longer. The communities to the West are Formosa Gardens, Rolling Hills, Indian Creek, the infamour Windsor Palms
(standing joke around this forum 
) , Emerald Island and Sunset Lakes.
For Disney access then the west side is a little closer but in all these cases we're talking of a few minutes here or there.
You really are going to struggle in finding anywhere between Disney and Universal. Most rental homes are situated in Osceola County which welcomes vacation homes as opposed to Orange County which really doesn't.
Both attraction parks are in Orange County but Disney is right on the border of Osceola with Wide World of Sports actually inside Osceola.
My advice would be to go with a home that is on Poinciana Blvd -Indian Point, Eagle Pointe or Cumbrian Lakes, Creekside (just off US 192) or Lake Berkley - all communities to the East of Disney. All of these areas offer good access to SR 535 and then to I4 which should get you to Universal within 20 minutes. The actual closest community will be Indian Wells but these homes are a lot older now.
Alternatively you could go with the communities in and around Formosa but the journey time to Universal will be a little longer. The communities to the West are Formosa Gardens, Rolling Hills, Indian Creek, the infamour Windsor Palms
(standing joke around this forum ) , Emerald Island and Sunset Lakes. For Disney access then the west side is a little closer but in all these cases we're talking of a few minutes here or there.
NomadFamily
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Life's Good in Orlando!
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2003
- Messages
- 85
Okay...what gives with Windsor Palms. I see the reference to "standing joke" and it makes me nervous. I am leaning towards going there next month. Please, if you need to PM me, please do. I don't need any surprises
Steff
Steff
It's not nice to tease the newbies, Fleisure! And FUNROVER, I hope you get it all sorted out soon. I think there are more timeshare-type resorts closer to universal, but a home is nicer.
FLeisure, what do you think of the Windsor Palms homes vs those in the same area? I didn't get a chance to tour much on our last visit.
The WP homes seemed small & close together -- is that pretty standard? I do like that west of Disney area in general.
And FUNROVER, I hope you get it all sorted out soon. I think there are more timeshare-type resorts closer to universal, but a home is nicer.FLeisure, what do you think of the Windsor Palms homes vs those in the same area? I didn't get a chance to tour much on our last visit.
The WP homes seemed small & close together -- is that pretty standard? I do like that west of Disney area in general.Gillian,
The homes on Windsor Palms are similar to all homes being built these days. The days of large lots are behind us I'm afraid and the norm. these days, are homes with 10 feet of space between them. Whilst this doesn't sound a lot, you can put a nice bush fence between the homes and this gives a lot of privacy if done correctly.
Personally, I always look for homes that have something different about them. I only invest my own money if the home has good resale possibilities and generally I advise my homeowners/clients to think on the same line when they are buying.
Sometimes the homes cost a little more to start with but because they aren't on top of one another, as so many are, they are much easier to rent and much easier to sell when that day dawns.
Windsor Palms was built by Pulte and I personally have great reservations about owning a home in a community which has a large number of townhomes/condos. I now understand why Windsor Palms is loved by the folks who stay there but owning a home there is a different proposition.
I did actually sell a home there 3 years ago but the guy who was buying pulled out because we found him a better resale home in the area. At the moment it is a great time to buy but only if you buy right. There are some great communities in the immediate area and I would advise anyone thinking of buying to seriously ask themselves why ?
Owning a house here is not as simple as most folks think and it is a certainty that the home won't break even for a good while...if ever. My concerns on Windsor Palms revolve around the high HOA fee which adds over $200 a month to the normal bills of which you can expect $ 1600 - $ 1800 if an overseas investor and even more if a USA owner who has a low deposit on the mortage. Simply put, you'd be hard pressed to get 35 -40 weeks bookings to cover your costs. It is possible of course but a lot of hard work is needed and you should go into it expecting to lose a little money every year.
Pulte are a decent builder amongst a crowd of also rans and I can honestly say that most builders are much of a muchness. The way I judge a builder is on the way they react to problems and their aftersales service. For me, that leaves Greater Homes and Beazer Homes way out in front of the others. Pulte , I would rank above average but only just.
Overall, Windsor Palms is a good community and really was the first of its type to offer the features that guests and owners now get. Just remember the homeowners are paying bigtime for those benefits and when I see some of the rates I see banded about here, it makes me wonder how they can do it.
Since WP was built Park Square Homes have got involved in the same market. Lake Berkley, Emerald Island and now Terra Verde are all mixing townhomes/condos and normal homes. PSH are in my opinion, one of the worst builders in the area and their quality of home, lack of service and poor warranty program's make them one to avoid. Lake Berkley for example, has over 45 resales currently on the community and this I find to be extraordinarily high. When the time comes for owners to sell their homes on WP, I do wonder what return they will get based on this experience.
The west of Disney is really THE area for vacation rentals but those folks who know the area well do tend to go for the East side of town because they are just a bit closer to everything else other than Disney. If you are here for just Disney then the west is a great area. For me, I've lived both sides, there's very little difference in either side. The homes are pretty much the same, unless you are in the know and the driving distances really aren't any different.
Disclaimer....cos I know I'm going to get my ears bent by someone.....the above is just MY OPINION !!!
The homes on Windsor Palms are similar to all homes being built these days. The days of large lots are behind us I'm afraid and the norm. these days, are homes with 10 feet of space between them. Whilst this doesn't sound a lot, you can put a nice bush fence between the homes and this gives a lot of privacy if done correctly.
Personally, I always look for homes that have something different about them. I only invest my own money if the home has good resale possibilities and generally I advise my homeowners/clients to think on the same line when they are buying.
Sometimes the homes cost a little more to start with but because they aren't on top of one another, as so many are, they are much easier to rent and much easier to sell when that day dawns.
Windsor Palms was built by Pulte and I personally have great reservations about owning a home in a community which has a large number of townhomes/condos. I now understand why Windsor Palms is loved by the folks who stay there but owning a home there is a different proposition.
I did actually sell a home there 3 years ago but the guy who was buying pulled out because we found him a better resale home in the area. At the moment it is a great time to buy but only if you buy right. There are some great communities in the immediate area and I would advise anyone thinking of buying to seriously ask themselves why ?
Owning a house here is not as simple as most folks think and it is a certainty that the home won't break even for a good while...if ever. My concerns on Windsor Palms revolve around the high HOA fee which adds over $200 a month to the normal bills of which you can expect $ 1600 - $ 1800 if an overseas investor and even more if a USA owner who has a low deposit on the mortage. Simply put, you'd be hard pressed to get 35 -40 weeks bookings to cover your costs. It is possible of course but a lot of hard work is needed and you should go into it expecting to lose a little money every year.
Pulte are a decent builder amongst a crowd of also rans and I can honestly say that most builders are much of a muchness. The way I judge a builder is on the way they react to problems and their aftersales service. For me, that leaves Greater Homes and Beazer Homes way out in front of the others. Pulte , I would rank above average but only just.
Overall, Windsor Palms is a good community and really was the first of its type to offer the features that guests and owners now get. Just remember the homeowners are paying bigtime for those benefits and when I see some of the rates I see banded about here, it makes me wonder how they can do it.
Since WP was built Park Square Homes have got involved in the same market. Lake Berkley, Emerald Island and now Terra Verde are all mixing townhomes/condos and normal homes. PSH are in my opinion, one of the worst builders in the area and their quality of home, lack of service and poor warranty program's make them one to avoid. Lake Berkley for example, has over 45 resales currently on the community and this I find to be extraordinarily high. When the time comes for owners to sell their homes on WP, I do wonder what return they will get based on this experience.
The west of Disney is really THE area for vacation rentals but those folks who know the area well do tend to go for the East side of town because they are just a bit closer to everything else other than Disney. If you are here for just Disney then the west is a great area. For me, I've lived both sides, there's very little difference in either side. The homes are pretty much the same, unless you are in the know
and the driving distances really aren't any different. Disclaimer....cos I know I'm going to get my ears bent by someone
.....the above is just MY OPINION !!!
Last month I booked a 3 bedroom home (villa) with a heated pool, P/C with internet access and taxes included for about $100 a night for 4 weeks next january from Orlando Villas They also have a good discussion forum so you can actually talk to the owners.
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