Team Donovan Blog - Real Estate Information

4 Ways You Can Put Your Home Loan in Jeopardy

So you’ve decided to buy a second home in Orlando. Congratulations! If you plan to finance your holiday home purchase, you should be careful about what you do between the time your loan is approved, and you actually close on the purchase. 

Lenders have been known to rescind a loan offer shortly before the scheduled closing if the buyer makes one of the following missteps: 

1. Making a big purchase – Buying property is a big enough transaction. Don’t spoil the chances of your loan going through by purchasing any other items such as a new car or furniture for that vacation home. A big purchase (especially one you plan to finance!) can change a buyer’s debt-to-income ratio. That ratio is what the lender used to approve the home loan. Save those…

Why Now is the Perfect Time to Sell a Home Near Disney

More and more tourists who come to Orlando to visit the theme parks and other attractions are skipping hotels and buying or renting vacation homes. If you live near Disney World or Universal, and are thinking about selling your home, this may be the perfect time to make your move. 

New research from the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management shows buyers are willing to pay an average of $269,000 for a vacation home in the attractions area. That’s because the Kissimmee/Osceola County area provides buyers with value, a desired lifestyle and safety. 

Dr. Robertico Croes, a professor at Rosen College, expects this summer to be especially appealing thanks to the Orlando-area’s hot economy, and the opening of “Pandora…

Orlando Community Reports - May 2017

The May Team Donovan community reports have now been updated and are available from the following link:

                                                                                Community Reports

Why a Vacation Home is Better than Staying in a Hotel

If you plan to spend frequent holidays in Central Florida with your family, you should consider investing in a second home, rather than stay in a hotel. Vacation homes in Orlando offer many of the same amenities you’ll find in a hotel, as well as some other big advantages. Here are a few reasons why it doesn’t pay to stay in a hotel, year after year. 

Not enough space – Fitting a large family into one hotel room is no easy feat. There’s the problem of where everyone will sleep. Siblings will probably have to share a bed, which is often a recipe for disaster even among children that normally get along well together. Plus, you’ll have to take turns sharing the bathroom, which can be another huge hassle. You can always rent another hotel room, but that…

How an HOA Can Benefit Your Property Investment

Many home buyers hear the term HOA (Homeowners Association) and cringe. That's because the media has often portrayed HOAs as the "bad guy" because of their fees and efforts to "police" the neighborhood. But when you buy a home in an Orlando neighborhood that is covered by an HOA, your property could actually benefit in several ways. Here are a few reasons why. 

What is an HOA? 

A homeowners association is a private group formed by a community’s real estate developer to manage and keep the peace in the neighborhood. The members of the HOA live in the community, so they have a vested interest in maintaining a high quality of life for the homeowners and its tenants. 

An HOA collects monthly or annual fees from the homeowners to cover services and…

How Traveler Reviews can Help Screen Guests for Vacation Rentals

Screening potential rental guests for your Orlando vacation home is a must in order to minimize the chances that someone will damage your property. If you list your home on one of the popular vacation rental websites like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO, traveler reviews can help with the screening process. 

What to Look for in a Traveler Review 

A traveler review allows you to assess your potential guest based on other experienced owners’ information. When someone expresses interest in your Orlando home, you can view that person’s profile on the website and see their star rating. 

If you see that a potential guest has a number of 5-star reviews across the board, you can feel good about accepting their reservation without having to conduct a lengthy…

How to Screen Guests for Your Vacation Rental Property

Many people from Canada and the U.K. enjoy their Orlando vacations so much they buy a home here to rent out to holiday travelers when they’re away. Short-term rentals are a popular way for you to generate some additional income, and provide a return on your investment. 

Renting your home doesn’t come without risk. There is always the possibility that a guest may damage and/or steal your belongings. Guests may also disturb the other neighbors by making too much noise, blocking driveways, etc. 

The best insurance policy against this type of loss is to properly screen your rental guests. 

Guest Screening by Vacation Websites 

Many vacation websites, like Airbnb, HomeAway or VRBO do some screening before they allow users to access their rental…

Orlando Community Reports - April 2017

The April Team Donovan community reports have now been updated and are available from the following link:

                                                                                Community Reports

How to Write a Headline that Attracts Rental Guests

Have you decided to list your Orlando home in one of the vacation rental websites like HomeAway, FlipKey or VRBO.com? Renting out your vacation home is a great way to generate income when you’re not using your property. 

There are several factors that contribute to a great rental listing, starting with an attention-grabbing headline. In fact, the headline is the single most important text in your entire listing, since it appears at the top of your advertisement. Your headline also appears in the property summary that displays in the rental website’ s index and search results. 

In order to attract rental guests to your vacation home, your property headline must contain a few well-chosen words, up to 12 words in many cases. 

Compare these…

How to Cut Vacation Rental Cancellations in Half

Many people who decide to buy vacation homes in Orlando rent them out to holiday visitors when they’re not using them. But one of the drawbacks of owning a vacation rental is the constant need to find new guests. Since turnover is high, and holiday stays are short-term, it’s not unheard of to end up with an empty property, even if your home is located next to Disney. 

One of the most frustrating and costly issues vacation owners have to deal with is cancellations. Here are a few ways you can cut your rental cancellations in half. 

Know Your Market – It’s good practice to check out your competition in the rental market from time to time. Find out what they charge during low season and high season, and what type of amenities they offer their guests.