Recommendations on best STR communities near Disney World

[Jared Romaine]

Hi all. I have seen some conversations in this forum around STR rentals in the WDW vicinity but not for my specific question.

We are looking to purchase our first STR property within the next 6-12 months and our large extended family loves to vacation near the parks in Orlando.

We are likely looking for a single family home around 5-7 bedrooms with a private pool, nice clubhouse, larger resort style pool/water park and close proximity to the parks.  

We plan to be vacationing in January and thought we could book a stay in one of the recommended communities to see what it’s like (we typically stay in a Disney resort).   

The ask:  based on our criteria, which communities near Disney would you recommend?   Which would you avoid?   Thanks!

[Ryan Moyer]

The only real outlier amongst all the communities is Reunion, which is higher end and less ROI friendly. If you want it primarily to use for yourself and want to make a little money on the side then it might be worth considering because it's the nicest neighborhood with the nicest homes. But if you want it primarily with cash flow as your number one goal then it's probably not a good idea both because the homes are more expensive there (and while they'll rent for a little bit more, not enough to make up for the higher acquisition price) and because your guests don't get access to the resort amenities unless you use their preferred PM (bad idea, your best returns will come from either self managing or finding a smaller boutique PM that takes a smaller cut).

Outside of that, there are a bunch of neighborhoods that are basically the same.  Champions Gate, Solara, Storey Lake, Solterra, Windsor at Westside, etc.  I stressed over which of those neighborhoods to buy in and, in the end, now that I have mine in Champions Gate and manage a few others in other resorts, I've realized it doesn't really matter.  If you want, you can visit the area and pick your personal favorite.  Short of that you can expand your search to all of them which will give you the best chance of finding the best deal since you'll have more inventory to choose from.

So long and short of it, based on your goals you need to decide on Reunion vs. all the rest.  If you choose 'all the rest', I don't think it really matters much which one unless you have a personal preference.  They're all essentially the same thing.

ETA: Oops I forgot to mention the other outlier.  The original Windsor Hills, which is older homes, a lessor resort area, but much closer to Disney than the rest.  This would be a good option if you're looking to buy a place to do value add via major renovations on and really modernize.  A fixer upper option, of sorts, moreso than the normal theming any of them will require.