Investing in STR in the Orlando area

[Shannon Currin]

I'm looking to purchase a STR in the Orlando area. I have just started looking, so I appreciate any advice. I'm currently looking at Reunion and Encore, but I'm open to other suggestions. We would like to use it for our family some, but it primarily needs to make sense as a STR. Is a certain number of bedrooms easier to rent? Square footage? It appears that the more modern homes with a nice game room and theme rooms do better as rentals? TIA

[Ryan Moyer]

Reunion/Encore is the nicest neighborhood of the resort rental communities, so if using it yourself is a high priority then it may make sense.

If your primary goal is as an investment, I think the other resort neighborhoods (Champions Gate, Windsor Hills, Windsor at Westside, Solara, Solterra, etc) make more sense.  You pay a premium in home cost in Reunion and that doesn't necessarily come back in rental revenue to the same capacity.  More importantly, your guests can't use the clubhouse/amenities unless you let one of their preferred property managers manage for you.  Ideally, you'll self manage.  Outside of that, you definitely don't want to be stuck with a neighborhood assigned manager that can charge higher rates and do a lessor job because competition is regulated out.

Outside of that, you have the right idea.  Theming/gameroom/theaters is priority #1.  More modern homes help, but the themes/gamerooms will trump that.

My personal take on Disney is simple.  If you just want to put up a nice home with nice furniture on airbnb/vrbo you're going to be competing with 40,000 nice homes so the only thing you can compete on is price.  If you're willing to put in the money up front for theming to really stand out then there is a lot of money to be made here.  You can see my Orlando property in my profile.