Pros and Cons of Living Full Time in an Orlando Short Term Vacation Rental Neighborhood

I was recently consulting with a homebuyer who asked me a very good question that I think many people often don’t consider when buying a home in the Davenport and Kissimmee areas.  She asked, “What’s it like living in a primarily short term rental neighborhood?”. That is such a great question for so many reasons.  I’m going to list some of the pros and cons that I think every home buyer needs to consider before buying their primary home in a popular vacation home rental community.

Kissimmee and Davenport Vacation Home Neighborhood Pros:

• The chances are very high that your neighbors won’t be around to bug you much
• The community amenities such as the pool and tennis courts are usually kept up very nicely and often offer more amenities than non-STR communities
• The surrounding homes are usually kept up in good condition because of the management companies managing them
• Usually there are many nearby activities within short driving distance and you’re close to all the attractions.

Kissimmee and Davenport Vacation Home Neighborhood Cons:

• Because your neighbors are so transient it’s hard to make friends and develop any type of friendly relationship, that’s especially tough for children who depend on neighborhood friends
• The neighborhood community pool is usually more crowded than at a non STR community as are the other amenities
• You will usually have alot of extra traffic coming in and out of your vacation home neighborhood like management company vans, concierge type companies, taxi’s etc.
• Local grocery stores tend to get very crowded and during certain times of the year you will notice alot more traffic than the others.
• There tends to be a higher rate of crime due to many of the homes sitting vacant for so long

Though these factors listed above are important to consider it should not hold too much weight on your decision.  There are many people living among communities that are shared with short term rentals and they are very happy. If you love the home and you can live with the possible downfalls of sharing it with property management companies and tourists than don’t let all the nay sayers get you down.  Enjoy the fact that you got a good deal and focus on the positives.