When you stay off site - condo or house?

[Skjhjb]

Just doing some research, mulling over some possibilities.

When you stay off site, do you prefer to stay in a condo setting? Or would you prefer a house with it's own pool?

ETA - The reason I haven't added timeshare as an option, is that the possibility we are mulling over is the purchase of a vacation home that we can rent out all year long. More of an investment (with the bonus of a holiday home for ourselves) plan than a "next trip" plan!

So timeshare isn't something we want to purchase - we're looking at stand alone homes and the condo/resort style.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We prefer a condo at a timeshare resort. We've stayed in a townhouse at WH with our own splash pool, several different condos at WH and several timeshare condos. We far prefer the timeshare condos because we get more of a resort feel at the timeshare properties and feel that they offer more amenities.

 

[ParkHopperFan]

We prefer a home with a private pool, spa and game room. There is more space, everyone has their own bathroom and the pool is just steps from the bathrooms and kitchen. No need to pack up your things and trek back to the room for lunch, potty break or a nap. You're already there!

 

[kathy884]

My favorite is renting a condo from a timeshare owner. These properties have more of a resort feel than private houses IMHO, and I really like that. // If you have a really big group and don't want to split up, that's when I consider a house.

 

[ldadar]

We also love the timeshares.

 

[Tissa]

We prefer to rent a house with a pool. There are only 4 of us but I still get a 5 bedroom/4 bath house. We like to spread out.

 

[nugov2]

We prefer a home with a private pool, spa and game room. There is more space, everyone has their own bathroom and the pool is just steps from the bathrooms and kitchen. No need to pack up your things and trek back to the room for lunch, potty break or a nap. You're already there!

This is our sentiment too!! We are a family of 5(but we sometimes bring my parents with) and always get a 5 or 6bdrm house. I can't be on vacation anywhere for more than a couple of days and sleep in accommodations that aren't as nice or nicer than my home. We also love the when the kids are asleep DH and I can enjoy a cocktail in the hot tub

 

[HopperFan]

We stay hotels or condos (timeshare resorts). I love the thought of the space and private pool of a house but I have no desire to rent one. Why? Kids are all adults but we still love to go to Orlando together. When we go to Orlando we are usually on the go and space is not a make or break - if I want to cook a condo has a kitchen. I don't know how to explain but we are there to vacation together, hang out and be together. In a house I visualize everyone going to their room to nap, get on iPads and be alone .... we can do that at home. In a condo, while there is still the occasional nap or break for the most part we hang in the living space together during that short time we are there. We don't hang out in our lodging - we are on the go. Condo gives us space, kitchen, pool and laundry - and close proximity to all.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We're villa/timeshare folks. We prefer the resort vibe to the "at home" feeling (lol, I don't want to feel like I'm at home....I'm on vacation! ), and we enjoy having a huge selection of amenities at hand (tennis, basketball, volleyball, shuffleboard, farmers market, mini golf, surrey bikes, dive-in movies, etc). We love the scheduled activities that are offered, everything from tie dye t-shirts and bingo to pool parties and karaoke. We love having multiple pools with different features, and a full slate of things to do even if we don't feel like leaving the resort.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I would add timeshare to the list. You can rent either a condo type unit or a rental home from an individual owner. But places like Vistana or Wyndham Bonnet Creek are timeshare units...so sort of like condos but they are all managed by the timeshare. I like timeshares because you know that there is a standard for the furnishings, quality of furnishings and cleanliness. More of a crapshoot when you rent from a private owner in my experience.

 

[kathy884]

I would add timeshare to the list. You can rent either a condo type unit or a rental home from an individual owner. But places like Vistana or Wyndham Bonnet Creek are timeshare units...so sort of like condos but they are all managed by the timeshare. I like timeshares because you know that there is a standard for the furnishings, quality of furnishings and cleanliness. More of a crapshoot when you rent from a private owner in my experience.

I agree with this! In general even after scouring pictures and reading VRBO reviews (way harder to get the volume of reviews you get with timeshare condos for VRBO too) I've been much more satisfied with timeshare condo rentals than the VRBO home and condo rentals I've done. The timeshares have more consistent furnishings that were more upscale than VRBO rentals (just my personal experience of course) / less quirky -- better design decisions -- more generic and appealing to me -- more frequent renovations. Typically too the timeshares have more upscale pool, tennis court amenities than the more residential community. And we really like this and are willing to pay a little more to get this, especially when prices seem so reasonable for these and easily fit in my vacation budget. I usually find my timeshare rentals from timeshare owners on TUG2.net classified ads section and redweek.com. // We don't want the princess bedroom or the Mickey bedroom bunk beds for our college aged kids, nieces, nephews etc. either or another adult couple we are traveling with. The more generic tasteful furnishings in the timeshare condos work well with anyone usually. // I've just personally in general been much more satisfied with timeshare rentals than I have been with VRBO rentals I have done. I've done maybe five VRBO rentals and about 16 timeshare condo rentals for vacations to date (Orlando and elsewhere).

 

[Skjhjb]

I would add timeshare to the list. You can rent either a condo type unit or a rental home from an individual owner. But places like Vistana or Wyndham Bonnet Creek are timeshare units...so sort of like condos but they are all managed by the timeshare. I like timeshares because you know that there is a standard for the furnishings, quality of furnishings and cleanliness. More of a crapshoot when you rent from a private owner in my experience.

The reason I haven't, is that the possibility we are mulling over is the purchase of a vacation home that we can rent out all year long. More of an investment (with the bonus of a holiday home for ourselves) plan than a "next trip" plan!

So timeshare isn't something we want to purchase - we're looking at stand alone homes and the condo/resort style.

 

[HockeyIsLife]

So let me preface this with....
We prefer to stay on site now. It works way better for us. We live in Massachusetts, so driving is out (we did do it once, it wasnt terrible, it was nice to have our own car there, but it is a long trip and not financially so much of a benefit when we have access to inexpensive flights and frequent flier miles)

So, that being said, we did rent a beautiful home three times, the same home. It was large, in a community, and had its own pool, washer and dryer, game room and grill. There was a full kitchen, it is close to major stores and supermarkets. It was nice to have video games and things to unwind. And we spent less money on tickets to parks, because we only did one park a day and took a break every two days. We explored more of the Orlando area, found the Orlando Science Center, which is awesome, and participates in the member reciprocity program from our local Museum of Science. The other thing I loved was getting to the park early, leaving mid day and going home for a swim and lunch at the house, and then returning for the evening to catch fireworks.

The down side to the house, as opposed to a hotel, is that you are stuck coming on a Saturday to Saturday usually, unless the management or owner is flexible (ours was only flexible when it was a trip that was "last minute" and the house wasn't booked).

The pool was great, the kids loved jumping in at the end of a hot day, and getting up early and jumping in before we ate. It let me be lazy, I could drink some tea on the deck while the kids swam. And the house backed up to conservation land, so the birds were really cool.

Good Luck! Its a way more relaxed vacation, so you will enjoy it!

 

[Lewisc]

Orlando is overbuilt. People can frequently rent a timeshare/house/condo for less then maintenance costs (including taxes, dues, maintenance fees etc)

You're missing the right answer, from the viewpoint of many DIS.

Whichever gives met the right price. Right price means the owner might not even be able to cover out of pocket costs.

You want to use the house part of the year and rent it out part. The best rental rates will be during peak times; Christmas, Presidents week etc.

If you really want to buy look for the deal. Foreclosure. Near foreclosure. Something that needs work, but work you can easily do.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Orlando is overbuilt. People can frequently rent a timeshare/house/condo for less then maintenance costs (including taxes, dues, maintenance fees etc)

You're missing the right answer, from the viewpoint of many DIS.

Whichever gives me the right price. Right price means the owner might not even be able to cover out of pocket costs.

You want to use the house part of the year and rent it out part. The best rental rates will be during peak times; Christmas, Presidents week etc.

If you really want to buy look for the deal. Foreclosure. Near foreclosure. Something that needs work, but work you can easily do.

I agree 100%. There are so many different choices in Orlando, that it boils down to getting the best price in a resort environment for us.

 

[7165red]

We always rent a villa because we like the pvt. pool and extra room.

 

[North of Mouse]

Just doing some research, mulling over some possibilities.

When you stay off site, do you prefer to stay in a condo setting? Or would you prefer a house with it's own pool?

ETA - The reason I haven't added timeshare as an option, is that the possibility we are mulling over is the purchase of a vacation home that we can rent out all year long. More of an investment (with the bonus of a holiday home for ourselves) plan than a "next trip" plan!

So timeshare isn't something we want to purchase - we're looking at stand alone homes and the condo/resort style.

Don't know where you live, but trying to rent/do up keep on a home that you are not local to can be very hard and nerve wracking (we had friends that tried it, sold it). Also taxes and insurance can sure take a large 'bite' of your income. If you aren't local, you almost have to have someone you can trust to manage/do maintenance on the place - another big expense.

As a pp said, the holidays are your best rental times, so if you want those for yourselves, that would be another drawback! The best of luck in your endeavor though!

 

[DanInMN]

We rent condos or townhomes, some are timeshare rentals (like WBC). We have not tries houses yet, as the pools look tiny.

Previous posts are correct, Orlando near Disney is way overbuilt. Owners must be losing a LOT of money after expenses. Taxes, insurance, utilities, association fees, cleaning fees, maintenance, repairs, management fees... we often rent for what must be less than their cost (3 bedroom at WBC last September for $500 for a week!) The rental rates are so low because owners are desperate to get someone in there, because a little revenue is a lot more than none.

We will likely buy a retirement house in the Orlando area sometime in the next few years. But it won't be an income property.