Florida lets a dream is a villa that can hold up to 8 people. It has a child’s bedroom which has 3 beds, 1 single and one bunk bed. It is extremely comfortable and has a TV and on the wall and a wardrobe in the corner. It is a very spacious closet that comes with coat-hangers. The room has plenty of space for children to play and drawers to store your cloths.

There are two other bedrooms and one of those is the master bedroom that also has a walk in bathroom which contains

A shower/bath, a toilet and another walk in closet. The bedroom, by the pool, has a large set of drawers with a mirror on top is next to the huge TV on the wall. The bed is very comfy and has a bath towel on ready for your visit. There is also a cupboard which is a bit bigger than the others.

The dining room is a lovely relaxing area and has a lot of beautiful flowers whilst eating a delicious American dinner. The kitchen is right next to the dining area. The kitchen contains a cooker, an oven, a microwave and a dishwasher. There is obviously the things a kitchen would normally have. The fridge has a water machine so you can get a delicious drink in the hot weather.

The living room is very luxurious as the settees are so relaxing and there is a massive TV for your family to watch. There are broachers that we have left for you to read there and coupons which you can use to get cheaper meals.

In the garage there is a pool table for you to enjoy and a football table for the little ones to play. There are also 3 closets. One holds the important things like the brush and vacuum cleaner. The one in the middle is the owner’s cupboard which we forbid you to touch as it as our private things in. and the last one just contains the boiler and the stuff for the beach which you may use.

And finally the pool which is the biggest part of the house as it is not just a pool it is also a pool area which is a place for the whole family to sit and talk. So your kids could be in the pool and you could be relaxing but watching at the same time. You must supervise your children whilst in the pool as if any thing was too happen it would be your fault. And you have a view of fields that go far back.

We found Walmart (www.walmart.com ) excellent for all kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and tableware items, and also baby items.  Local stores to US192 are:

Walmart Super Center                    Walmart Super Centre

4444 West Vine                             3250 Vineland Road

Kissimme, FL 3474                        Kissimmee, FL34746

Tel (407) 397 7000                        Tel (407) 397 1125

(near marker #15)                          (near marker #9)

Target (www.target.com ) stores were also useful for kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and baby items.  Local stores to US192 are:

Target                                         Supertarget

3003 W Vine St                           4795 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy

Kissimmee, FL34741                  Kissimmee, FL34746

Tel (407) 846 6611                     Tel (407) 594 0029

For outdoor furniture, the difficulty was matching the existing furniture.  Palm Casual have a showroom full of patio furniture (including sling style), and cushions, etc.  By looking at their website (www.patiofurnitureinc.com ), we were able to match up our cushion fabric prior to our visit.  They are located at:

Palm Casual
11701 S. Orange Blossom Trail
South Orlando, FL32837

Tel (407) 438 2330

(Not far from the Florida Mall)

For furniture, we found Furnitureland USA (www.furnitureland.org ), who have a large showroom full sitting room, dining room and bedroom furniture, and often next day delivery is available.  They are located at:

Furnitureland USA
2345 Orange Blossom Trail
Kissimmee, FL34744

Tel (407) 847 8518

For sports equipment for the games room, we visited the Sports Authority (www.sportsauthority.com ), and found everything from billiard cues to table hockey.  They are located at:

Sports Authority
The Loop
3214 N John Young Parkway
Kissimmee, FL33741

Tel (407) 846 6844

For bedding we visited Sears (www.sears.com ) at The Florida Mall (www.simon.com ) – they have an end of range aisle which is always worth a look at to get a bargain.

The Florida Mall
8001 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32809

Tel (407) 851 6255

Many items in our villa had a palm tree theme, and we found everything from table linens to doormats in the FloridaMarketplace range at Bealls (www.beallsflorida.com ).  They are located at:

Bealls
4081 W Vine Street
Osceola Square Mall
Kissimmee, FL34741

Tel  (407) 847 4301

(near marker #15)

We are still searching for a window valance company…….

Most of the helpful tips apply to most villas, has most owners like to try and add a little extra to help out, with your holiday, we know and understand that it is expensive when you have children.

In our kitchen units next to the cooker you will find different kind of beakers example would be a beaker from “Blizzard Beach Park” – to buy in the park these are around $12.00 once you have brought one you can refill your cup all day long “free” IF YOU take the ones in the villa you can “BUY A BAR CODE” for the cup. And it will only cost around $6.00 and still fill them up all day long …..Half the price!!! Allowing you, extra dollars to spend elsewhere.

In most of the parks you can also buy a meal deal ticket each, around $20.00/$30.00 buy it in the morning and eat all day long……make it good Value for money.

If you buy things out of the parks (hats, tops, teddies ect) ask if your day ticket gives you a discount…(10%)

When you start packing remember there no need to pack any towels at all, there are plenty of towels in our villa for the bathrooms, some children’s picture beach towels to use around the pool or to take to the beach, I’ve also left out a couple of picnic box’s for you to use and kept in the freezer are the ice Blocks to keep your picnic cool, in the garage you will also find a couple of beach chairs to take.

In most of the villas nowadays including ours, the garage normally holds children’s activity games such as pool or snooker, air hockey. These do come in handy for the wet days in Florida or the days that the parents really do need a rest day.. Also again including our, a lot of the villas will have WIFI or internet access.

We very often drive to St Cloud which is an easy run on the 192 and you get to experience a much laid back way of life. During our last visit we came across a free local paper that I think is worth its weight in gold. It’s called “Orange Peel Gazette” and it advertises itself as “The hottest little paper in town”.

It has a mind field of information in it plus articles, adverts and quiz’s.  Local handy men are cheaper to hire and as a property owner, invaluable for finding local business that are just a phone call away and who actually turn up to give you a quote.

We were looking through and found this brilliant Seafood restaurant, called “One Eyed Grouper”.

It’s on Canoe Creek Road, behind Winn-Dixie Plaza and is open 7 days a week. You can get, oysters, grouper, clams, crab, and even gator bites, they also do burghers and ribs for the kids if they do not want to be adventuress enough to tackle the gator bites. (I love them)

They also do an “All you can eat” Fish and fries at $9.95 before 6pm. Mondays special is dinner for two at only $11.99. Very good value for money and you will definitely need a siesta around the pool after trying the all you can eat.

This little paper gives you everything from local barbers, locksmiths and where to get your BBQ apron embroidered.

One I liked the best was an article about  what to do if you are ice fishing and your car breaks through the ice in water more than  fifty feet deep. “Remember to exhale slowly as you descend to avoid bursting your lungs. Also to watch out for “Walleye” and if possible, note their approximate depth and what they are feeding on”!!

Last thing you would be able to do when your freezing cold, wet, and fighting for breath is to watch for Walleye!

Pick a paper up the next time you drive through St Cloud, you will be fascinated by it.

Jackie Wakelin

I am lucky that I can spend 5 weeks out in Florida with my sister and my 2 boys, my husband will come over for almost 3 weeks but unfortunately due to work he can not come out for longer which is a shame.

We will do the normal Florida home-owners visit, work at the villa touching up the paintwork, replacing bedding and any other items that are warn out or tired.

Then the fun begins.

We will spend a few days at Universal Studio’s and Island of Adventure a favourite for all the family. Although I don’t like roller coasters I come in very handy when the rest of the family go on a ride and leave me with the bag, sunglasses and hats The Florida Pack mule I call myself, I don’t mind as I love to see them enjoy themselves and I do have fun and go on rides that I like.

Well last year whilst at Universal Studio’s my husband said that he wanted to see “The Blue Man Group” but unfortunately we ran out of time so we said perhaps next year.

Well earlier this year I looked for tickets and there were only on sale until May so I initially thought that they were finishing in May, but yes you’ve guessed they have of course added more dates during the year. However, I told my husband a little white lie and told him that they finished in May he was devastated. This enabled me to surprise him as I have since booked seats for us all the weekend before he leaves, which is just a week before our wedding anniversary and only my sister and I know. Only last week my husband said, “I can’t believe The Blue Man Group has stopped.” Hope he enjoys the surprise.

Then not to be out done a couple of weeks ago my sister decided to book us all a day at Discovery Cove as this year maybe the last time we are all out together as my eldest son starts work in September and will only get 2 weeks holiday during  August and this looks like it will be after his father returns back to work. Yet again we have kept this quiet.

My sister and I have made cards inviting them to Discovery Cove just 2 days after my Husband arrives and we can’t wait to see the boys faces when they open them, they won’t believe it as we said we would not return until the dollar got back to 2 to the pound.

Before my wife and I became Florida villa owners, we spent many months investigating if and where we should buy an investment property. Should the villa have a pool and / or spa, should it be close to Disney World, how many bedrooms and bathrooms should it have ?  How will I obtain a mortgage and what type of mortgage is best ?  These are just a small sample of the many questions that you will need answered before taking that final step of buying your dream Florida villa.

Florida is extremely well known for its large and beautifully designed properties, year round sunshine, many attractions, exquisite beaches and inexpensive lifestyle. We wanted a holiday home that we could enjoy with our family and also rent out to help cover the cost of the mortgage.

After many months of trawling the internet, speaking to various property companies and existing Florida villa owners we were ready to purchase our very own Disney World rental home.  We needed to select a good development area, choose our own plot and decide on the style of the property to be built.  We eventually decided on a single storey home in Kissimmee.  Once it was completed, it was everything we dreamed it would be.

You have already taken the first step toward purchasing your home by reading this article.  Though buying a property in Florida is relatively uncomplicated we still hear many stories of people who have had problems in one way or another.

Please don’t forget that the experience of buying your Florida villa should be pleasurable and exciting.  From visiting the various developments, choosing the plot and house that is right for you to finally making the purchase.

Location, location, location

The next step to buying your home requires some ground work to be done by yourself prior to arriving in Florida.  Firstly decide where you want to buy. Do you want the villa to be close to Orlando’s many theme and water park attractions or do you prefer to be near the beaches? If you prefer the beaches, do you prefer the Gulf Coast or the Atlantic Coast. 

Whichever you decide, as with all investment properties location is very important. Once you have decided on your location, you must decide the type of property, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, pool, etc. Do you want to be on a small development or larger resort development, do you want a gated or non gated community.

And last but not least what is your budget.

Do You Need To Rent Your Property ?

This is a very important question as it will determine where you can buy. Only certain communities in Orlando are zoned for STR (Short Term Rental).  Please do not accept any verbal guarantees from salespeople regarding STR without checking in the covenants and restrictions of the developer.

One of the most important decisions you will make is choosing the development which suits your needs best. Remember not all developments allow short term rental and if you intend to rent your property this is the single most important item you must consider.

Remember the developers’ agent is acting on behalf of the builder, and is bound by law to obtain the best possible deal for the builder, not for you. Some builders and management companies offer guaranteed rental programs. These include a minimum income for an agreed period (usually 12 months) or alternatively, a minimum number of weeks booked for the year. What you are not told however is what the income will be for those weeks or what the agent will rent your property out for (for example, you may receive £350 per week but the agent is renting it out for £450 per week).

We strongly advise that if you decide not to secure rentals for the property yourself, then you thoroughly investigate any proposals presented to you from Management Companies / Letting Agents.

Our advice is that if you have the time, you market the villa yourself.  This allows you to maximise your income and makes it easier to reach that magical break even point of income versus expenditure. If we are being honest this can be quite time consuming but well worth the effort when the bookings start to come in. If you go down this route you will have to consider the costs involved in marketing your villa.

Costs could include newspaper / magazine advertising, creating your own website, listing your villa on other websites and other incidentals like business cards, flyers etc. 

Inspection Trips

We would highly recommend you look at the possibility of an inspection trip.  This can be purely for the purpose of choosing your dream home or can be combined with a holiday / vacation.

While there are benefits to both scenarios if you have limited time available and are there, purely with the inspection of properties in mind, then you are more focussed on the job in hand. However, we would recommend an absolute minimum of 4 days for an inspection visit. You will need to meet up with the Realtor to view several villas and communities, spend a few sleepless nights deciding on which property to purchase, sign contracts with the builders, pay the deposit, choose the colour of the house etc.  Decide on the shape and size of the pool and type of pool tiles, open a bank account and look at some of the furniture packages that are available. A very hectic but rewarding few days.

Alternatively If you can spare more time, it will give you extra opportunities to view a few more developments over a longer period, then take a few days to contemplate and narrow your choice down to a couple of villas before finally viewing your favourites again.

You will also have more time to investigate the local area and amenities such as shops, restaurants, banks and supermarkets to satisfy yourself the area has what you and your guests will be happy with.

Its now time to make your final decision. Should you buy a new home or a resale.

Should you decide to have your dream home newly built, you will then sign a contract with your chosen builder, leave your deposit and if you haven’t already done so open a bank account and arrange a mortgage quotation.

If you decide to purchase a resale home, then under Florida law, all that is required for a legally binding sales contract is a signed written agreement plus good faith deposit. It is therefore possible to ‘Exchange Contracts’ straight away with a Seller and virtually eliminate any possibility of your chosen property being sold elsewhere. Most written Sales contracts are conditional and you will have ample time to arrange financing, survey the property and approve legal work. If your loan is denied or the house does not pass inspection, you may withdraw without penalty. There can be any number of conditions in the contract but essentially all elements of the sale should be in writing to avoid dispute.

We would highly recommend that you use the services of a state registered realtor whether you are buying new or resale. In the U.K. we use estate agents who are normally employed by the house owner to find a buyer for their property. They then work with both the buyer and seller to agree a deal that is suitable to both. The downfall of this system is that the estate agent may withhold information about the buyer or seller which may be beneficial to the other despite the seller paying their fee. In Florida the realtor you choose can only work on your behalf and is legally bound to act in your best interest disclosing information such as - is the property worth the asking price - are there similar properties available at a better price - are there any known future developments that may affect the value of the property.

Mortgages

Many British citizens who buy a holiday home in Florida, are unsure whether to arrange a US or UK mortgage.

Most US mortgages enable you to lock into a fixed rate mortgage for up to 30 years.  In our opinion, this is the best way forward as you will always know what your monthly mortgage outgoings will be – there will not be any interest rate increases.  The only drawback is that exchange rate fluctuations will affect how many dollars you get to the £ when you transfer money over to your US bank account.  However, if you keep an eye on the rates and transfer money at the correct time, these fluctuations will not have a significant effect on your expenditure.

A UK mortgage can be arranged through several companies dealing with homes in Florida and usually offer variable rate mortgages closely linked to our own bank base rate – usually around 1.5% above base rate.  They do offer a fixed rate but usually for a maximum of 3 years.  The issue with this type of mortgage is that your repayments are always subject to interest rate increases.  Remember that if your mortgage payments increase, you cannot increase your weekly rental prices.  The upside is that your repayments are not subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

Management

Once you have purchased your Florida vacation villa, whether you intend to use it for your own personal use, or for short term rental purposes, you will most definitely need to employ the services of a reputable management company to look after your investment. In this section our aim is to advise you on the do’s and don’ts of management in Florida.

Which Type Of Management Company Should I Choose ?

The simple answer to the question above is really down to individual circumstances. In Orlando there are literally hundreds of management companies offering their services to villa owners. They vary from the very large companies with hundreds of homes on their books to the small husband and wife teams with just a few homes. Our advice, is that you look into which type of Management Company suits your personal needs and aspirations for your villa, speak to at least 3 companies and make you final decision from there.  If possible obtain recommendations from current villa owners who deal with the proposed Management Company.

What Should I Expect From My Management Company ?

Lawn maintenance, villa cleaning and inspection, pool maintenance, villa maintenance, pest control and perhaps bill payment facility

Dealing With Licencing Issues

All Florida vacation villa owners who intend to rent their villa for short term rental purposes must be properly licensed with Department of Regulation, divisions of hotels and restaurants and a Florida state agency. Before the licence is issued the property will be inspected by a Florida state agency, this will cost in the region of $150 for a single family home.

Taxes

In addition to the property taxes that every homeowner has to pay, an additional tax based on the gross rents received must be collected for any rentals of 180 days or less. This is made up of 5 or 6% Tourist Development or Resort Tax plus 6 to 7% State of Florida Sales Tax.

Therefore, a total of around 11% to 13% of gross rentals received is to be paid in State and County Taxes.  Normally these taxes are charged on top of the rents and paid by the tenants - much the same as would take place with a hotel or motel. 

However, for our homes, we include the taxes within the price we quote so that the potential guest does not receive any nasty surprises when the final rental cost is calculated.

Taxes that are collected from rental income must be submitted to the appropriate agencies on a monthly basis by the 20th of the following month, in compliance with the law. In other words, rental income received in August must be paid by the 20th of September.  By paying these taxes, you are assured that you are properly registered for State and County Tax.  It is the responsibility of the owner to declare the rental income achieved on Owner Bookings and to pay the relevant tourist tax. If your Management Company has made bookings on your behalf and taken the rental income, then it is their responsibility to ensure all taxes are paid to the relevant authorities.  However, you need to check this happens as any default on payment is YOUR responsibility.  For this reason, my wife and I pay all taxes for our properties – once again enabling us to keep strict control of our finances.

We stayed in a hotel room which had no fridge and had to keep his milk in an ice bucket we were constantly topping up; we put him to bed at 7pm and sat in the dark and silence until we thought he was asleep and it was safe to put the TV on (with subtitles, because we couldn’t risk any volume), and we worried ourselves sick about how we were to find healthy child-friendly meals for him while having to eat out every single meal.

What saved our sanity was discovering the huge benefits of renting (and more recently owning) our very own villa.

The standard of villas for rent in Orlando, Florida is truly outstanding. The villas at Cumbrian Lakes are all equipped to a higher standard than our own home. The kitchens include every appliance you could need, meaning as parents we can shop at the local supermarkets and prepare and store exactly the meals that we know our toddler will eat. Villas range from three bedrooms to six (or even more) so no matter how large your family, the children can go off to a comfortable bed at their usual time, leaving you to enjoy a really relaxed evening, watching a movie, savouring an al fresco barbecue or even lapping up a soak in the spa.

In addition, the vast majority of villas have their own private pools, with child guards and child-proof alarms on the external doors, meaning you have the perfect on-site activity for all the family to enjoy. Many villas include a games room, which is ideal for older children, as well as a collection of DVDs, books and board games.

Cumbrian Lakes has its own children’s play area, three lakes which are home to baby alligators, turtles and numerous sea birds, and nature walks and bike tracks – all within a secure gated community.

There are people out there who probably balk at the idea of a holiday where you do your own cooking and washing up, but having discovered the freedom, flexibility and the standard of accommodation this style of holiday affords, we will never go back to hotels – not even after the kids leave home!

Make sure that the cost you are being quoted is the all inclusive price.  This may seem like an obvious question, but you would be very surprised how many people do not ask this question.  They are then left with a very sour taste in their mouths when they are suddenly confronted with additional costs.  Some people still do not read the small print and go ahead and sign almost anything.  All good tour operators and private homeowners will make the total cost very clear, but if you are unsure, it is always best to ask.  Honest homeowners will not mind you asking at all.  Ensure that VAT/ USA Tax included.

Are all sheets and towels provided or do we need to bring our own ?  It is always best to check, as some rentals expect you to bring these items. The majority of Disney World rental homes do include bed linen and towels but there may be the odd one or two that do not include these items.  It is also worth checking on hairdryers etc. as well.

How do I get to the villa or condo ?  If you’re visiting Florida for the very first time and you are not used to driving on the right hand side of the road, having to find your way to your Disney rental house can be very stressful.  It is therefore vital that the home owner provides you will very accurate instructions in finding the villa.  This is especially true if you are travelling at night.  There is nothing worse than getting lost after a long flight.  If you do have any questions, always contact the owner.  They will always be please to help.

How do we collect the keys?  This is a very important question.  Having just travelled across the Atlantic, the last thing you may want is to travel to a rental company location to collect the keys.  Sometimes the office may be closed and you will need to make phone calls.  Or, the collection point could be a long way from your villa which will involve another long drive.  This is very tiring after a long flight.  The easiest way is to have a Disney World rental home with a lock box at the house with a keycode.  Really easy, turn up at the villa and let your self in.

What time is Check-in and Check-out?  Most Florida private rental villas adhere to hotel rules, which is normally check out at 11am, with check in at 2pm.  This gives the home owners Management Company time to clean the villa.  However, if nobody is following you into the villa, most owners will let you check out late to help you with late take-off flights.

Can I bring my pet ?  This is almost always clear from the start, but if you don’t see any specific preferences, you should always ask.

Do you allow smoking in the villa ?  Once again, this is almost always clear from the start, but always ask.  Most owners do not allow smoking inside the villa but most allow it outside in the pool area.

How close are you to Disney World and the other attractions ?  This may once again seem like a logical question but some Florida private rental homes are located a long way from the parks.  Most are usually within 15 to 20 minutes drive and that is fine.  However, some may be well over 40 minutes drive which may not be to your liking.

Will the home that I book be the actual home that I will stay in?  You should always check this with the people you are considering renting from.  Many commercial sites show pictures of beautiful Disney World villas but actually allocate your actual home on arrival in Florida.  In effect this means that you do not know where you are staying until you arrive.  

What happens if something goes wrong while I’m at the villa? – Do not panic!  Before you leave home, make sure that the home owner provides you with a local phone number(s) that you can contact if there should be any problems.  Ask them if there is a call out charge for unsociable hours.  Some Management Companies can charge up to $100 for a call out in the late evening.