Awkward Family Photos- Disney World

A compilation of some of the most awkward family photos ever taken at Disney World. Got some good ones? Send them on in!

This is what happens when you ride “It’s a Small World” too many times. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where’s Waldo’s wife and kids?

 

 

That awkward moment where you realize Rupunzel just might be staring at your butt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View hundreds of not so awkward vacation homes for sale near Disney

Because some people are way too cool for Disney. . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She tried to tell you nicely that she wanted Cinderella but nobody would listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hope to earn the opportunity of helping you achieve your Orlando investment property goals this year in 2012. For a free, no obligation investment property consultation with our Director of Sales- Lisa Arcia,  please contact us directly at 866-422-6191 and if you have enjoyed this article please consider subscribing to our blog and stay updated on future information.

Photos Courtesy of: AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, blog.teacollection.com, thatawkwarddisneymoment.tumblr.com

 

What You Need To Know About Buying a Booked Vacation Home in Orlando

Guest post by Stephen Walker, owner of Signature Villas Orlando

There are always advantages and disadvantages to buying an Orlando vacation rental home that is already under management with bookings in place, which we refer to as “turnkey”. Being in the business I get a first hand insight to what really goes on with booked properties and I want to share with you some of the most important things you should know before you buy one.

New vacation home owners don’t usually buy homes that don’t have a rental history though they should and the ones that do usually end up staying with the current property management because they are so lost in the buying process that they take the easy option. They figure, “Let’s stay and see how it goes”.  In today’s market a lot of the owners who are selling are doing so because they can’t afford their home and there are very few that have made a large profit for numerous reasons.  A couple of these reasons are that  a high percentage bought at a ridiculous price during the boom and have enormous mortgages. Then there are the owners who bought one and just left it up to the management companies to fill and took no active involvement at all.

Scratching Your Vacation Home Niche 

So what does all this have to do with changing management companies when you buy a turnkey property, you may be asking.  If the management company is reputable, they should have a complete history of the home that they can readily provide to you before you purchase so you can get an idea of the type of numbers the home was brining in. It’s just the same as asking another management company to do a rent comparison of an equivalent home in the same area. That’s exactly how realtors price homes. Be careful as it is very easy for the property manager  to put in what I like to call “ghost bookings”. What are ghost bookings? Well, they are false bookings that are made by the management company to entice the new owner to stay. This is a very dangerous game to play but there are many that do it, including a couple of large property management companies who shall remain unnamed.

Another common myth that new owners also believe is that keeping the old management company will be cheaper, but they’re often dead wrong! You’ve bought your first new vacation home and spent i.e. $300,000 on it and now want to save money? It’s one of the worst decisions I see new owners make.  The answer to the problem is so simple and so easy that you will kick yourself. . .  Ask your Realtor! Yes, it’s that easy (assuming your working with the right Realtor). Why is it that easy ? BECAUSE YOU MUST TRUST THEM OR YOU WOULDN’T HAVE SPENT $300,000.00 ON THEIR RECOMMENDATION!

How To Ditch Your Bad Florida Realtor 

If a realtor works for a property management company then they are obligated to their own company. But if you ask that same realtor who else they recommend I guarantee all they will say is ‘”We don’t really recommend other companies blah blah blah”.  So they’re not the best realtors to ask and you probably shouldn’t be working with a Realtor who is also working for a management company! There are some realtors that will give you four or five management companies and this alone is great but why that many?? Lack of faith maybe? Diversity?  Who knows. . .  So which realtor will direct you to the best management company? I would say the one who only recommends a couple that they are not working for. Why is that you may say? A truly honest management company will really only take on homes that they know they can book. I myself try to stick with certain areas and styles of homes like Windsor Hills and Reunion. Some others may deal with town homes and condos better, I myself turn down nearly all town homes and condos as I struggle to book them. So a Realtor who directs you to one good manager has a lot of confidence in that company (assuming it’s not because they are accepting an under the table kick back) and knows what their specialty is.To be honest, it’s in your Realtor’s best interest because they really don’t want you harping in their ear every month about how you’re not making money or how all the bookings that were there have canceled (GHOSTS).

Search Hundreds of Orlando Vacation Homes for Sale 

We hope you enjoyed this guest post by Stephen Walker, a local Orlando vacation home property manager. To learn more about Stephen and the services he provides please visit his website at www.SignatureVillasOrlando.com. 

We hope to earn the opportunity of helping you achieve your investment property goals this year in 2012. For a free, no obligation investment property consultation with our Director of Sales- Lisa Arcia,  please contact us directly at 866-422-6191 and if you have enjoyed this article please consider subscribing to our blog and stay updated on future information.

The Orlando Vacation Home Real Estate Trends of 2011- What To Expect in 2012

So 2012 is finally here to greet us all with some cold weather but that’s okay because the sun is still shining here in Orlando. If you’re like me, you’ve probably mapped out quite a few goals for the 2012 year that you’d like to try and accomplish if the world doesn’t end this December <joking>. . . I’m sure for many of you, owning a vacation home is probably somewhere on that list. Lets take a look at some of the 2011 trends we noticed and help use them to guide our investment plans for 2012.

Trend #1: Lots of Cash Flowing into Florida
In 2011 we noticed many foreign investors starting to move their money into US bank accounts and many domestic investors liquidating their non-performing assets and gearing up to move their money into Florida real estate. According to Jani Lowdell at Centerstate Bank in Davenport, of those foreign nationals who opened a US bank account last year, all purchased a vacation home within 90 days. Those who did jump into the market in 2011 got amazing deals but many held out in hopes the prices would drop in 2012. There have been so many rumors flying around that banks were going to release a ton of inventory and flood the market this year with homes causing prices to drop again.

What To Expect in 2012
I’m not an economist however, based on my hyper local knowledge of THIS real estate niche in Orlando (vacation rentals) I’m about 98% sure that prices are not going to drop at all in 2012, unless there is some terrible natural disaster which nobody can predict, except of course the Mayans (I couldn’t resist that one). Despite rumors, most professionals do not believe the banks are going to allow another real estate collapse by flooding the market with all of their inventory at once. We might see maybe a 5% increase in inventory this year but that’s not enough to cause prices to drop. Especially when the demand for vacation homes has never been higher.

Search Kissimmee Vacation Home Foreclosures

Trend #2: Tourists Staying in Vacation Homes vs. Hotels Has Increased
The amount of people traveling to Orlando this year was up about 20% according to Stephen Walker, owner of Signature Villas Orlando. A vacation rental management company in Kissimmee. He said they had their best year yet and they were so busy they needed to find more homes to accommodate all of the people wanting to book their homes. The really sweet part about that- they had more direct retail bookings this year than any other year.

What to Expect in 2012
Expect the tourism industry to continue to boom, mostly driven by countries like Brazil who are currently experience a booming economy and seem to have taken a specific liking to the Orlando area. Also expect to see more families that would normally be staying in a hotel start staying in a vacation home due to the growing awareness. We haven’t been able to nail down any specific reason for the rise in vacation home awareness in 2011 however due to the viral power of Facebook and the internet we only expect it to double in 2012. If you haven’t yet jumped in on vacation rental investment, 2012 might be your year to supply the growing demand.

Tips for Orlando Vacation Home Renting 

Trend #3: Tenanted and Turkey Properties Were a Hot Number This Year
Tenanted properties were always a hot seller for long term rental investors because they offer immediate income and very little, if any, hassle. The same for booked short term rentals. Many investors were willing to pay a premium this year to not have to deal with all of this hassle versus having to start from scratch, renovate, secure a tenant and place into management. At the end of the day, when you add up what your saving on a vacant property you usually end up the same as if you would have paid a bit extra for tenanted because of the vacancy time and renovation costs.

What to Expect In 2012
Expect an increase of tenanted properties hitting the market. Even the banks are starting to recognize the value in selling a tenanted property that they are letting tenants stay in the homes in hopes to attract an investor looking for immediate rental income. Also watch as the rental demand increases tremendously on long term rental properties causing rents to rise and making landlords very happy they own a rental property. You’ll notice more turnkey properties popping on the market in the vacation rental world also. They offer so much value to the investor who doesn’t have the time or want to deal with all the hassle of getting it up and running themselves.

Most Profitable Turnkey Vacation Home Community in Kissimmee

We hope to earn the opportunity of helping you achieve your investment property goals this year in 2012. For a free, no obligation investment property consultation with our Director of Sales- Lisa Arcia,  please contact us directly at 866-422-6191 and if you have enjoyed this article please consider subscribing to our blog and stay updated on future information.