What do you think of the rental homes

[isla bonita]

We have just purchased a 6 bedroom 5 bathroom rental home in Emerald Island. Could those of you who have stayed in one let me know what you could not live without. What I should have for my guests and any little tid bit you might have in making my guests feel right at home. I am very new with this tyoe of vacationing. We stayed in one once and loved it so much. I would not have ever of known how enjoyable a vaca can be if my mom had not rented one for the whole family and brought us all down. The kids all played with their cousins and we had built in baby sitters for each other. What a wonderful vacation we shared. Thank you for helping out with my new home.
Best regards
Deborah

 

[Lisa AF]

Wow, your own vacation home, how fun

The last home we stayed in had so many homey touches
beach towels
both foam and feather pillows
pool toys
thermometer


The one thing we desperately needed and didn't have was a hurricane kit (flashlights, battery powered radio, candles, batteries) and a phone that would work without electricity (they were all cordless). This wouldn't be nessecary often, but we were left in the dark and out of touch.

 

[teachingmykids]

We just got back from Windsor, the kids rooms were packed with videos and Nintendo games. They were really impressed with that. It was a simple, kind "extra". What I LOVED, was the owner provided dish liquid and washing powder. I hate having to buy a big box of the stuff for just one week. That was a little inexpensive touch that I noticed right away.

Let us know your details when you get up and running.

 

[Snoopymom]

Congratulations!!!

Loved renting a villa and having a

pool/door alarm

travel guides, maps and coupon books available. We got many free appetizers at the local restaurants with these.

takeout/pizza menus and phone numbers

outdoor fireplace/grill

shaded table and chairs by the pool

candles - lights went out for quite awhile and we were so grateful for the many candles that were placed everywhere!

blender, plastic cups and wine glasses

spices

video games for a separate tv in the bedroom that had twins beds - set up perfectly for kids

hangers

a shrub trimmed into a Mickey next to the front door, lol!

a vaccum cleaner, I'm a neat freak even on vacation, ugh!

having the house clean and COOL when we walked in after the long drive as I was the one who planned the trip for us and our extended family...I didn't want anyone to be disappointed and that was such a happy relief!

a picture on the wall of the owners and their family at WDW. It was nice seeing who our hosts were, and I think it might remind people to have respect for the home.



Hated having

a sour smelling highchair, but I think that was provided by the rental company...had a hard time figuring out where the smell was coming from, lol!
That was our only complaint! not bad.


Hope this helps a little!

 

[tednvon]

Hi Deborah,

these are excellent responses. This is a great idea to post the question here.

We purchased and then sold a 7 bedroom 6 bath in Emerald Island. We successfully rented it out for 18 months after opening the home in May of 2003. Much has changed since then. At that time ours was one of seven 7 bedroom homes in the whole area and there were a few more 6 bedroom. Since then the number of 6 and 7 bedroom homes is into the hundreds. I will give you a few tips here, but feel free to email via a personal message on this site if you have more questions.

The tips from the folks who posted above are excellent.

First of all, your management company is critical. They can make or break your home. Choose them carefully.

In the market now, things like a game room, HDTV, lots of video games, and a gas heater for the whirlpool are almost a necessity with the savvy people who are renting from owners on sites like www.vrbo.com.

We felt that all King beds, no queens, for the adults and all twins with maybe a bunk for the kids was a positive.
TV in all bedrooms is a must.
We had lots of Nintendo games but they tended to disappear.

We had a guest book with our picture on it so people could identify with us....they left great notes but I agree they took better care of the house with our picture there!

Pool toys are cheap and also disappear.

Have the air on when they arrive...

Things that did not help and were a pain...
a computer,
a BBQ grill..we got rid of it and had rental sent in if needed.
Security System is nice, but people will struggle with it.

Website looks OK..you definately need a picture of the home on the front page. Also, folks in Florida tell me people want to know it is 8 minutes not 4 miles to Disney...

Here is our web page...we still help rent it out with the new owner....It got a lot of hits and good response initially. We still get a nice flow of responses...

http://www.7bedroomorlando.com






Good Luck, let us know if we can help

Ted and Yvonne

 

[RobinMarie]

A well written, easy to read manual on how you'd like your guests to handle problems, who to call and how to close the house. It really makes a difference to me if the tone is somewhat warm and not dictating. Having phone numbers listed is great too.

As a parent I'd love emergency phone numbers listed - hospital, nearest walk in clinic, dentist who handles emergencies, stuff like that. Few will use it but many will appreciate knowing its there.

I love having dish detergent/clothes detergent to get me started. Maybe a welcome pack to get folks started?

A good light on the front porch with few bushes in front for people to hide behind. I'm always wary about feeling like a target while on vacation.

A silly thing: we have rented several homes over the years and when I look at pics on the internet to decide which home to rent I steer clear from glass tables. I cringe with glass tables and sharp corners on furniture when there will be little ones traveling with us.

I love the homes with themed bedrooms - a lovely touch and takes away any blues I might have because we are not staying on property at WDW.

I love when owners include personal touches such as: recommendations for take out or area eateries, not to be missed attractions.

I know when we have traveled we have had a few days where seniors were too pooped out to go another day and we left them home. It's one of the reasons we rent homes, because leaving someone all day in a hotel room seems cruel. Maybe some actitivies for the older folks to do besides television? Crossword books, puzzles, readers digest?

How about a bookcase where you welcome a book swap? I am forever leaving books behind when I vacation.

HTH

 

[waltmick]

The last time we rented a house, the owners supplied a set of walkie talkies. These were really handy for our group to keep in touch at the parks.
Bob

Good luck with your new home.

 

[kaylajr]

We just got back from renting a home and all the above things
are correct

a few things our owner had that made it extra helpful were

a small book with area info like where to shop where to find pizz and chinese food
area emergancy numbers

also she had a sewing kit in the laundry room and that came in very handy

vacation homes are the ONLY way we will vacation now

Good Luck with yours

 

[disneysteve]

Take out menus are a must.

One suggestion that I've heard from others - invest in a real crib, not one of those portable fold-up ones. They are not that good and aren't enough for an older kid. There are places to rent them, but its a hassle and expensive. Your guests will appreciate it.

I would disagree on the spices suggestion, though. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd be afraid to use an open package. Who knows what a prior guest could have done. I don't think you should provide anything edible that isn't sealed.

 

[teachingmykids]

I agree w/Steve about food items. I won't even use the salt/pepper.