Vacation Home of the Week- Sunshine Villa Orlando

We’ve gone through dozens of applications and viewed numerous homes to bring you some of the best vacation homes and owners that Orlando has to offer. We’re proud to compile this list of unique vacation homes and outside-the-box thinking owners. We think each of these homes deserves to be recognized and certainly should be at the top of your list for those of you traveling to Orlando. Check out this week’s Vacation Home of the Week!!

 

Sunshine Villa Orlando

Location: Davenport, FL
Neighborhood: Westridge
Owner Booking Weeks: 48+ (WOW!)
Management Booking Weeks: 0
Website: www.SunshineVillaOrlando.com

Why Owners Chose This Home: “We chose this home because it has great structure – 4 roomy bedrooms, formal living room and dining rooms, plus an open concept kitchen, breakfast nook & family room.  Lots of windows that face the extra large southwest facing pool and lanai.  The biggest pool and lanai that we found on our house hunting trip! We chose Westridge Community on HWY 27 because it is centrally located – close to shopping, restaurants, golf courses, and major highways providing a quick trip to almost any attraction – especially Disney at only 10-15 minutes away.”
What Makes This Home Unique: “Our home is unique because we care, we provide personal service and always put our guests first.  We have refurbished and decorated the villa personally with all the upgrades and extra touches that each one of our guests takes notice of and appreciates.  We have an extra large southwest facing pool / spa and lanai.  The villa’s private and newly fenced lot provides privacy while enjoying the pool and lanai with views of greenery and plam trees.  The villa hosts a fully stocked kitchen with all new appliances, blender, cappaccino machine, pizza pan, and more … The games room is ready for action with a pool table, ping pong, darts, billards table, foos ball, darts, and a large chalk board wall !!  Provided is a Disney DVD library, board games, books, and playing cards.”

Marketing Strategies: “A host of marekting tactics and strategies enrich the bookings at our villa.  We like to tap into niche markets, use popular advertising websites like Homeaway and VRBO and by making the guest feel welcomed.”

The Pink Flamingo’s Review: First of all, anyone who can pull in 48+ weeks per year without a property manager deserves a standing ovation in my book! That alone is quite impressive. It doesn’t surprise me though, when I first met Lisa she had a vision of what she wanted her vacation home to be. She didn’t just want a rental house that she could put people in and generate income from, that seemed like more of a bonus to her. She wanted a home that she could pour her style, emotions and talents into and that she certainly did!

Sunshine Villa Orlando feels like a home not a house, it’s not your typical vacation rental that people get herded in and out of like a bunch of cattle.  You can tell this home is different from the minute you walk in. It’s the home of people who care about the type of experience their guests are going to have while staying here. One of the best features of the home (and believe me there are many) is the huge over sized pool in back. It’s one of those pools that makes you just want to jump in and lounge on a giant pink raft while sipping a mai tai. I also love the hot tub, it’s big and very inviting as well. What I also really liked was that there is a cabana bath leading out to the pool from the third bathroom which is probably one of the most convenient things a person could ever ask for!! The house will not let you down, it’s just not possible. I’ve seen so many vacation homes and this one has it all. That’s a fact!

Lets talk a little bit about the owners, Mark and Lisa, they purchased the home in 2010 and have completely renovated it. I know Lisa poured her heart and soul into this home to make it what it is. She was dedicated from day one to make Sunshine Villa Orlando a reflection of who she is and in my opinion, if I had to choose just one word for her and her home it would be quality. She’s a quality person who goes out of her way to make sure other people are taken care of. You can see by the guest reviews that I’m not the only person who thinks this!! I love that she incorporates niche marketing into her booking strategies and that she really leverages her website and Facebook page as well for marketing. She always updates her Facebook page when she is at the villa or leaves updates when she is running specials. Be sure to connect with Sunshine Villa Orlando on Facebook also!!

I highly recommend this vacation home to anyone looking to rent a nice property in the Davenport area. I think you’ll really like the community amenities and more importantly the home itself!

Westridge Vacation Homes For Sale

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5 Reasons Why Your Offers Keep Getting Rejected on an Orlando Investment Property

Perhaps you know this situation all too well, you’ve been trying to acquire an investment in the Orlando area for quite some time now and you’ve placed offer after offer after offer but still nothing. You start to question your Realtor and/or perhaps even yourself. You’re a cash buyer, who wouldn’t want to take an offer from a cash buyer, right? Wrong. Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons why your offer’s are getting rejected on not just bank owned properties but other hot ticket properties.

Search Thousands of Investment Properties in the Disney Areas

The Market Is Stronger Than You Think
Maybe it’s you? . . . One of the biggest reasons I see investors losing out on fantastic houses everyday is because of their perception of the market. The have listened to too many friends or family members talking about how depressed the Florida real estate market is that they have formed this idea that they are going to fly down and have the prime selection at hundreds of houses that banks and residents are just desperate to unload.

Reality Check- This may have been true back in 2007 and 2008 but it’s now 2011 and the investment property market in Orlando (vacation homes and income properties) are the hottest commodity to the foreign group and just like you, they are also all cash buyers many of which are educated on what the market is really like. So when you place low ball cash offers on these properties your offer is sent in with about a dozen other cash offer by investors who are NOT lowballing.

Private Listings Not Available on MLS- Davenport Resort Townhouses from $103,000

Your Offers Are Weak. . . but Why?
Your offers are too weak and so is your investment strategy. If your goal is to actually secure a property sometime this year than you really need to evaluate your reasons as to why you keep lowballing on properties that are already undervalued. If you keep low-balling and missing out on amazing deals the only one who loses if you. The seller is going to get their asking price, if not more, and you’re not going to get a property. If you are low-balling because you can’t afford to pay full price in the budget you are looking in than you need to look at properties in a lower budget that you can afford to place full price, or higher, offers on and still be in your comfort zone.

Reality Check- If you now know that, on almost any given property that is in decent shape and in a decent location, you’ll be going up against at least a dozen other offers than you need to pony up your highest and best offer up front. If you’re trying to play the back and fourth game you missed the boat on that. You only get one shot to buy these homes in a multiple offer situation (which is usually always the case) so don’t fart around trying to play games. If you want to get something thousands under market value than you should consider buying directly from the courthouse. . . but remember you save money on the sale price but you inherit all the liens. Do your homework first.

Read Also: 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Kissimmee Condo

Your Realtor is Not Presenting Your Offers
This is not a conspiracy theory, it really happens and it could be happening to you. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the market there are some Realtors who just don’t want to deal with the hassle of submitting your offer because they don’t think it will get accepted, you didn’t offer what they suggested, there was too much paperwork on the back end, they really want to buy it for themselves etc etc, . Not only is this unethical but it’s downright nasty and against the Realtor code of ethics. It’s so important in this market to be working with a Realtor you trust because it’s a cut throat market out there and Florida is full of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Reality Check- If you suspect your Realtor isn’t submitting your offers you may have to do some legwork to find out but there is a way that you can find out for sure. You will need to track down the listing agent of the property and call to find out if your offer has truly been submitted. They will be able to verify for you if an offer was submitted matching your info. If you don’t want to have to take it that far, you can ask your agent for some type of email confirmation from the bank or listing agent that the offer was received. In all honesty, if you have to second guess your Realtor this much and go through this much effort to confirm suspicions than you probably aren’t working with the right agent to begin with.

Read Also: Six Signs You May Be Ready For An Orlando Vacation Rental Home Investment

Your Terms Are Not Attractive To The Sellers!
So maybe you are putting in full price, or over, cash offers and your Realtor is presenting them but you still keep getting outbid. It’s possible that the rest of the terms in your contract are just not attractive! Terms are things such as closings dates, inspection periods, seller concessions, home sale contingencies etc. All of these factors play a role in making your offer stronger or weaker. Cash is king but so is a quick closing, short inspection time frame and no requests for contributions from the seller.

Reality Check- From one investor to another, put your self in the sellers shoes every time you go to submit an offer. Pretend you have five contracts sitting in front of you and they are all 5 thousand over asking price. One can close in two weeks with a 5 day inspection time frame and the rest are 30-40 day closings with a 15 day inspection period. You know which one you would take. . . banks and sellers are no different. When buying from a bank, you are just a number to them. Your offer will get submitted into an automated system with dozens of others and the asset manager will select the highest and best and reject the others. It’s nothing personal so don’t ever take it personal if your offer gets rejected.

You Don’t Have All the Facts
This happens quite often and it’s usually not your fault. You’ve found a great house and you get so anxious to bid on it that you call your Realtor in a frenzy to get a contract typed up right away for full price. Your Realtor assumes you know the value of what you’re bidding on and gets it over to you. Lets stop right there; If you’re bidding on a house that is listed for 10% under what every other home in the neighborhood sold for, you need to know this because the home will sell for 10% more than the asking price!! The only way to know this is to make sure your review the comparable sales for the past six months in the community before settling on your offer price. Full price isn’t always full value and properties (unless they are trashed) are not selling under market value.

Reality Check- When reviewing comps and deciding what to offer, don’t offer the lowest amount of all the comps. You have no idea why that home sold for so much less, it could have been trashed, have mold, chinese drywall, who knows! Good properties in this market will sell for the highest market value and sellers (banks especially) are educated on what that value is. It’s not worth losing out on good deals because you’re too busy trying to be cheap. Cheap investors never win in the end because they miss the boat and end up buying high, when it’s too late. Listen to the advice of your Realtor, it’s their job to do everything possible to help your offers get accepted and pushed through. If you don’t listen to their advice than you have only one person to blame when you miss out on a great property.

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Scratching Your Florida Vacation Home Niche: Week One

I was just chatting with one of my past clients via email yesterday about how she is doing with her Davenport vacation rental home since she closed. I was so happy to hear about how well she is doing. In her email she mentioned, “We have been over 100% on projected rental weeks and bottom line dollars for quite a while now. It’s paying down it’s own mortgage”. That’s so exciting for any Orlando vacation home owner to be able to say that. I had no doubt she would as she’s a very ambitious woman!! (Check out her awesome vacation home HERE)

She brought up the topic of trying to find a niche for her vacation rental when discussing about how she wants to take things to the next level and I thought it would make such a great topic to share with other prospective and current Orlando vacation homeowners. In the next four weeks I will be writing a series of blog posts on how you can carve out a niche for your Florida vacation rental to help keep you booked solid throughout the year.

Why Niche, Why Now?

In today’s market there is so much competition with owner’s undercutting one another that it’s almost essential to have a reason for vacation renters to choose your unit over someone else’s. Go look on VRBO and Homeaway, what do you see? I see hundreds of vacation home owner’s all running the same ad over and over again with the same boring headlines and photos trying to target anybody and everybody.

Creating a niche for your Florida rental property shouldn’t be something that you do on the side it should be the core focus of your marketing plan! A niche marketing plan does three very important things for your Florida vacation rental home:

1. It Builds Value: There is not enough that can be said about creating value when you are trying to market, sell or even rent a property. You need to create value and give prospective renter’s a darn good reason why they should spend the money to rent your property over the next guy’s. I’m not just talking lots of pictures of your glorious games room but something bigger than that. Something that hits their emotional triggers. If zeroed in on a small group of people, lets just say golfers for examples sake, and you really marketed your property to hit their emotional triggers than chances are you will get their booking every time over Mrs. Plain Jane’s home up the street who has little more to say than how great her pool is.

Next Week: Establishing Your Niche! Subscribe Today To Have These Posts Delivered Directly To Your Inbox!!

2. It Sets Your Home Apart: In today’s market everyone has a pool, a games room, Plasma TV’s and many even have themed bedrooms. Why is your home special? Well, if you had a niche your home would be extremely special to a small focus group of people because it offers everything they could ever want in a vacation home. It would literally be their home away from home and once that group of people stays at your place why would they ever stay anywhere else? And guess what, people talk. Especially people who are part of a group, a team or share the same hobby. I’m going with the golfer example again here, if your property is set up to cater specifically to golfers and golfers are the main group of people that stay at your home well now you have the perfect setting for your home to go viral, and I’m not talking Influenza (for those of you not familiar with the term viral, it refers to the fast spreading of news both online and off). Golfers are some of the chattiest people I know (and believe me I know!). They love to tell their buddies about their family, vacations and business while on the course. Just think about how many people your golfer guests are going to tell about your vacation home that was the only place they ever rented that catered to them. They had they best golfing trip in years and their friends back home will hear about it!

Next Week: Establishing Your Niche! Subscribe Today To Have These Posts Delivered Directly To Your Inbox!!

3. It Establishes Credibility: Credibility is everything in business. Without that you’re nothing more than a hole in the wall with a fancy sign out front. People need to believe your home is the only home they would go and stay at when they come to Orlando. If people don’t, you will be nothing more than that guy in the ad below or above you and you’ll book randomly just like everyone else. You need to establish your home as the ultimate choice for your target group. Once you have established this and found your niche just work it!! Put everything you have into your target group and don’t worry about the rest. I am speaking from experience, I own a marketing company where I am retained by small companies to market for them. My company only services specific types of businesses such as doctors and attorneys. If I tried to focus on everyone I would be losing out. When you focus on trying to market effectively to a smaller group of people you will attract less people but less will be more because you will have a higher conversion rate and more repeat and referral business. That means less uninterested inquiries and phone calls that go nowhere. LESS IS MORE in marketing!!

Next Week: Establishing Your Niche! Subscribe Today To Have These Posts Delivered Directly To Your Inbox!!

Top Five Most Common Complaints From Kissimmee Vacation Home Renters That Could Cost You Money

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the reservations managers recently at Global Resort Homes and had a nice chat with her about the most commonly complained about items when renters get to their vacation rental home. Many owners lose bookings due to these factors and it costs them money.

Complaint #1. Pool Heat Not Working
This is the number one complaint by guests staying at Orlando vacation rental homes.  The pool heat issues seems to happen quite frequently and it upsets many guests as they were looking forward to jumping in that warm pool after their long flight to Orlando.  They will asked to be credited money back for the pool heat and in many cases if the issue cannot be resolved quickly they will want to switch houses.

Watch Video- Orlando Property Tip: Pool

Complaint #2. No Pool Cover (To Trap Heat)
This is one of those things that many owners don’t really think about but the guests certainly do.  They complain about the pool not having a cover to trap the pool heat and surprisingly it’s a common complaint. I know many owners don’t have a pool cover for their pool as they find it unnecessary because the pool is locate din a screened enclosure but if the money is in the budget it may be worth investing in one.

Watch Video- Orlando Property Tip: Hidden Fees

Complaint #3. Carpets are Stained
The simplest things in life are sometimes the most overlooked things.  If your carpets are stained and dirty your guests will request to be switched to another property almost immediately.  One of the biggest reasons that people rent a vacation home in Orlando is because they don’t like nasty hotels.  The last thing they want to do is walk into a nasty house.  Keep your carpets clean and as free of stains as possible. Ask your management company to have your carpets steam cleaned at least once per year. I recommend every six months if you have a busy property.

Watch Video- Orlando Property Tip: Furnishing

Complaint #4. Ugly Furnishings
For the love of all things vacation homes. . . DON’T GO CHEAP ON YOUR FURNISHINGS! The less you invest the less you get in return.  There are so many other properties in Orlando that owners have put in extra time and effort into the furnishings, this is your competition.  You property may still rent with cheap, ugly floral couches but you certainly won’t be getting the high rent on the street and what you will be attracting is discount renters.  If your goal is to make money at this whole vacation home thing than invest in your investment!

Watch Video- Orlando Property Tip: Gamesroom

Complaint #5. Too Far From Clubhouse
This can be a big deal for some communities. If you’re all the way back at the end of the neighborhood and you don’t supply any type of bikes at your rental property than people are going to get tire very quickly of walking back and fourth to the clubhouse, especially in the middle of summer when it’s blazing hot.  If you found a property and it’s an amazing deal but at the back of the neighborhood, don’t sweat it just supply your property with some bikes.  I personally am a big fan of Radio Flyer wagons!

Did you find this information useful? If so, consider subscribing and get our Free Report: Top 20 Most Critical and Frequently Asked Questions About Buying and Owning an Orlando Vacation Rental Home

Largest Modern Day Palace in Orlando Goes Up For Sale

The largest modern day family home in not just Orlando but all of America goes up for sale this week. This extravagant mansion, currently under construction in the Reserve at Lake Butler Sound in Winderemere, FL;  is fit for a king and is actually modeled after the royal palace of Louis XVI. If you know anything about Windermere, FL you know that it’s not only home to the famed golf legend Tiger Woods but many other well known athletes and celebrities such as Shaquille O’Neil and is one of the golf capitols of America.

View All Properties For Sale in the Reserve at Lake Butler Sound Here

What type of price tag can you expect to roll out for a Windermere mansion the size of approximately 40 average single family homes? $100,000.00 is the listing price of this Butler Chain of Lakes beauty. So what exactly does your $100,000.00  buy you beside a Windermere address, celebrity neighbors and some fancy architecture? Here are some of the features you can expect in this unique Windermere gem:

Windermere Second Homes For Sale

The property is located on a 10+ acre peninsula with 12,000 square feet of shoreline on the famed Lake Butler chain of lakes. The property has 13 Bedrooms and 23 Bathrooms, Three Pools, a 20 Car Garage, 60×120 Grand Hall, 47 ft high Stained Glass Dome, a 6,000 sq ft. Master Bedroom, Fitness Center, Multiple Spas, Children and Adults Theaters, Arcade, Bowling and Two Tennis Courts, a Boathouse, 1 Story Gatehouse with Apartment, a Baseball Field, 10 Satellite Kitchens, Two Story Wine Cellar, Rock Grotto with Three Separate Spas behind an 80 Ft. Waterfall, Indoor Roller Rink, a Japanese Steakhouse Island that seats 12, a His and Her Office with a 12 ft. two sided Aquarium and the list goes on! So how’s that for a Windermere, FL vacation home?

Orlando Mansion Foreclosures For Sale

If you would like to know more about this property or other properties for sale in the South West Orlando area you can contact us today or begin searching Orlando homes here.  For a free, private consultation on owning a second home in the Orlando area you can contact us here.  We’re happy to answer all of your vacation and second home questions!

Celebration Homeowners Go All Out For Halloween!

As I was driving through the town of Celebration today I saw two houses that made me hit the brakes, pull out my phone and start snapping some photos.  These two homes, directly next door to each other on Celebration Blvd, were so incredibly decked out that they could give Disney’s Haunted Mansion a run for their money. It at first appeared that the neighbors were one upping each other but as I got closer it appeared they actually teamed up on this project!  Take a look at these photos (they were taken on my iphone so not the best quality) and remember, don’t be greedy with your thoughts, comment below! My favorite. . . the aliens disguised as Halloween decorations!

Top 20 Most Critical and Frequently Asked Questions About Buying and Owning an Orlando Vacation Home

View Celebration Home For Sale That Would Be Great To Decorate For The Holidays

Who Wants a Vacation At The Reunion Resort in Orlando for Free with 20 of Your Closest Friends?

Looks like Nature’s Own has partnered with Reunion Resort in Orlando and will be giving one lucky family a pretty sweet family vacation.  Check out what the lucky grand prize winner wins:

Reunion Bank Owned Property List

1. Round trip airfare for up to twenty (20) people from the major commercial airport nearest the winner’s home to Orlando, Florida

2.  Three (3) Night housing accommodations (at multiple homes as necessary) for up to twenty (20) people (hotel taxes included)

3. One (1) family round of golf (“Event”) for twenty (20) people on one of the three signature courses designed by legends Palmer, Watson and Nicklaus based on course availability

4. Unlimited bicycle rental use for the families stay

5. A family cookout catered by resort for up to twenty (20) with menu to be discussed with winner based on provided menu options from Reunion Resort’s catering team.

Condo Foreclosures in the Reunion Resort

Oh yea and 10 First prize winners get a year’s supply of bread. . . make sure you ask for the kind with no high fructose corn syrup!

So what are you waiting for, go to the website and register today and while you’re here be sure to pop in and see The Pink Flamingo.

Schedule a Free Vacation Home Buyer Consultation

The Ultimate Celebration, FL Phone Numbers Bible

The Pink Flamingo has compiled a list of some of the most important phone numbers you will need when living or staying in Celebration, FL.  We hope this list of Celebration, FL phone numbers is helpful to you.  It may be a bright idea to bookmark this page or print this list out and put it somewhere safe. We also have links to help you find your perfect piece of Celebration real estate.

Celebration, Florida Homes For Sale

Celebration, Florida Condo Foreclosures

Celebration, Florida Townhouses For Sale

911 Emergency 911
CCDD (Cel Community Dev District) 407-566-1635
CDD (Complaints Field Service) 407-566-2108
CDD Severn Trent (Water) 407-566-4132
Celebration (K 8 School) 407-566-2300
Celebration Academy 407-566-2223
Celebration Aquatics 407-566-1698
Celebration Cheerleading/Baton 407-361-7656
Celebration Foundation 407-566-1234
Celebration Golf 407-566-4653
Celebration Gymnastics 407-566-0733
Celebration Health 407-764-4000
Celebration High School 321-939-6600
Celebration Little League 321-939-2582
Celebration Sanitation Services 321-939-1805
Celebration Tennis 407-808-3121
Celebration Town Hall 407-566-1200
Celebration Town Hall (After Hrs Emergency) 866-621-4337
Chamber of Commerce (Elaine Baggett) 407-847-3174×233
Children’s World 407-566-2445
Clerk of the Courts 407-343-3500
Comcast (Cable & Internet) 407-566-2100
Community Computer (Help Desk) 407-566-2428
Dish Network (Satellite TV) 800-333-3474
ECDD (Enterprise Comm Dev District) 407-566-1635
Fire Dept (Admin Office) 407-343-7000
Fire Dept (Non Emergency) 407-566-2027
Florida Highway Patrol (Non Injury Accidents) 407-737-2200
Florida Hospital (Celebration Health) 407-764-4000
Kindermusik 321-624-3715
Lynx (Bus Transportation) 407-841-5969
Mitech Systems (Security) 407-566-1411
Montessori School 407-566-1561
Orlando Sentinel (Newspaper Delivery) 407-420-5353
Parks & Recreation 407-566-1698
Poison Control 800-222-1222
Post Office (Kissimmee) 800-275-8777
Progress Energy (Electric) 407-629-1010
Property Appraiser 407-343-3700
Smart City (Phone & Internet) 407-828-6700
Stetson University 321-939-7600
Supervisor of Elections 407-343-3900
Tax Collector 407-343-4000
The Celebration Company 407-566-4020