All Forum Posts by: Shawn McCormick

 Yes, I would suggest a single family over a townhome. A couple of the main reasons being that virtually no townhomes in vacation communities have garages and that is a space you can and should use to your advantage to place gaming tables, turn into a mini movie theater or just make highest and best use of it. Another would be that most townhomes all have bedrooms upstairs and with them so close together, it is hard to theme them properly. A single-family will have a garage and almost always bedrooms up and down and you can theme them. Single family will also have full size pool and hot tub, most townhomes just have a splash pool. Townhomes are just harder to stand out as the floorplans are pretty much all the same and its harder to differentiate them from each other. 

@Jose Moya You have a lot to unpack with your questions and they are all good and easy to answer. I think it best to get to know you and help give you a 30,000 foot answer to start and then dial in to how to get you in the right direction. There are plenty of forum posts about this specific area and recommendations on what you should do. As @Michael Baum mentioned, this is my back yard and have helped many others in your exact situation. 

I'll send you a message and we can connect to get started!

@Anthony Tonsoline Not sure if you meant to say that 'amenities aren't important' or not, but I'll assume you meant 'are'. You would be correct that they are vital to helping you to stand out. The larger communities like Championsgate, Windsor, Storey Lake and several others do well very much in part to the amenities that the community offers.Those, along with doing things to set your property apart from all of the competition will help your home get into the algorithms and get noticed. 

You certainly can find what 4 beds under $500, but it may be further away, less or basic amenities and the home may be older which means outlaying more in cap-ex down the road. I would be inclined to have you save a little more and wait for a property in one of the top tier communities. I just went under contract on a nice 5 bed in Windsor Palms for $550, so they are out there. 

Best of luck to you!

Michael, I am so sorry for your experience dealing with a PM that did not have your best interest at heart. I'm glad to hear that instead of giving up, you took your investment to heart and made things happen. I hope your site has a positive impact on others with similar experiences and the PM's that get listed on your site take their industry and responsibility to the homeowners seriously so we all win.

Bravo!

I don't believe so, just more options and these will not be competition for the overall individual STR owners. The theme parks are still growing and adding more rides, parks etc so this is just another way to diversify the type of offerings when visiting Orlando.

 Yes, most charge $25 dollars a day. Some do actually view this as 'nickel and diming' their guests, and others look at it as an add on that others are getting paid for, so they do too. Many homes will charge for the use of a grill, they are locked up and only give you the combo if you rent it for $10/day. This would be similar to beach homes renting bikes, lawn chairs etc.

@Steph Prince There are many opinions about any market, you have to see what your risk tolerance is and have faith that you pick qualified partners to help you in the purchase. Having an agent that knows the right community, a PM that can give accurate pro formas and keep your property in tip top shape, help you get great reviews and solid bookings. 

Orlando has all types of properties from condo-tels, condos, timeshares, townhomes and single family from 3 -14 bedrooms and all classes of communities from just basic to World class 5 star resorts with multiple golf courses and simply amazing amenities (lazy rivers, flo-riders, movie theaters, restaurants, arcades and so much more). So finding your desired demographic while staying within your budget can help narrow the communities you should be looking at. Many don't agree with having an HOA, but in Orlando, that is vital to your success in order to get your guests all of those amenities in a guard gated community.

The area is still growing, new STR projects are still being built and the future is even bigger than most know..check this out. (like this one..https://evermoreresort.com/) so lots of room to grow and be profitable.

Best of luck to you!

Many of my clients that have STR in Orlando and they all have pools. Most are charging a nightly rate or by the entire stay if more than 7 days, more of a flat rate. Most have app controlled heaters and only turn it on if requested/paid for. Pools are an absolute must here and typically will be warm enough, but most guest pay extra to have the heat anyway...they are on vacation and want to be spoiled.

 You can use the 'find an agent' feature at the top of the page. If you search for related posts to short term rentals in Orlando, you will also find several agents that are active in this area.

@Sridhar Manthena If you still need someone, Tim Davis with All County Metro Property Management. He has over 500 doors and is fantastic. Tell him I sent you!