Team Donovan Blog - condos

Why Buy a Vacation Home in Davenport

Where you buy your home is just as important as its design, features, and cost. But home buyers often overlook the chance to get a higher return on their investment when choosing a location. 

Vacation rental homes are growing in popularity thanks to rental services like Airbnb and HomeAway, which have made traveling more affordable than hotels stays for families and large groups. 

A growing real estate market gives buyers an opportunity to secure the perfect location that draws more renters (and higher rates) than other rental properties. 

Davenport vacation homes give residents and guests a convenient location surrounded by the Central Florida attractions that continue to fuel tourism and lead to greater revenue from your vacation home. 

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How to Get Big Vacation Rental Returns With Simple DIY Hacks

Your Kissimmee vacation rental home is an investment that can lead to big returns. But you need to keep your home updated and equipped with the amenities that renters expect if you want to achieve long-term success.

Thankfully, there are some simple do-it-yourself (DIY) improvements you can make that won’t eat into your vacation rental profits. 

The following hacks will keep your property looking great while giving renters plenty of reasons to return to your vacation home. 

Start With the Details 

It’s easy to overlook the small details when maintaining your vacation rental home. But your home’s interior and exterior make a big difference in its appeal to your guests. 

Paying attention to things like paint, crown molding, fixtures, and…

Windsor Hills Starts Multi-Million Dollar Pool Enhancement Project

Windsor Hills, a 5-star Orlando vacation home resort community, is adding dueling slides and a new children’s interactive water feature. The multi-million dollar pool enhancement project is designed to help the Kissimmee resort stay competitive with other communities in the area.

The pool enhancement project is focused on the north section of the pool deck and should be completed by the end of January, 2018. Windsor Hills will attempt to keep pool closures to a minimum during construction. Updated information on the project will be available in the Welcome Center.

The project includes the following enhancements:

1. The existing hot tub will be removed and replaced with a children’s interactive water feature.

2. A new spa/hot tub will…

Team Donovan Records $250 Million in Orlando Vacation Home Sales

Team Donovan crossed a major milestone recently in our real estate business. We have passed $250 million in sales of properties in the Orlando FL area. Our first closing was in October, 2005, and since that time we have specialized in the sale of homes in the theme park/resort area of Polk, Osceola and Lake Counties. 

Most of the homes sold during the last 12 years have been furnished vacation homes, condos or townhomes. We work with clients from around the globe, especially from the UK. 

Florida has long been a popular choice for British holiday visitors searching for a break during the dreary winter. Attractive exchange rates, low air fares, and the lure of the area theme parks, have made the Orlando area in particular a popular holiday…

Why UK Investors Should Buy a Vacation Home in Davenport

British investors who want to buy homes in Florida typically favor Orlando because visitors come here from around the globe to enjoy world-class theme parks, sports, music and convention venues.  Tourist appeal, as well as recent builder constraint and job growth, even prompted Forbes magazine to rate Orlando the nation’s 3rd best city to buy housing in 2017.

Most UK investors purchase properties in areas like Kissimmee and Celebration, since these communities are so close to Disney World. But some savvy buyers have discovered that they can find better deals on homes in nearby Davenport.   

This charming community offers British buyers just what they’re looking for: fun in the sun, and rental returns at a great price in a location that’s not too far…

How to Buy Your Dream Golf Course Vacation Home

Have you dreamed of owning a vacation home right on a golf course? Orlando is the perfect location since it has dozens of golf communities to choose from, idyllic weather and the added bonus of being the theme park capital of the world! 

Owning a golf course vacation home can be a smart investment whether you’re a social golfer or PGA pro. Country club communities offer all of the amenities of a high end golf club right outside your back door. Plus, many golf course homes are located near Disney World, making them attractive short-term rental properties too. 

Which Golf Course Community is Right for Me? 

Choosing the right golf course community to purchase a vacation home can be a challenge, especially if you don’t live in the area. You may…

Community Profile: Windsor Palms Resort

When it comes to resort-style living in Orlando, Windsor Palms Resort is one of the finest in the area. This 24-hour guard-gated community, formerly known as the Wyndham Palms Resort, is located just minutes from Walt Disney World in delightful Kissimmee, Florida. 

Windsor Palms offers a variety of beautiful vacation homes for sale including comfortable 2 and 3 bedroom condos, 3 bedroom townhomes, and luxurious 4, 5 or 6 bedroom pool homes. Home buyers will appreciate the exceptional features in these homes, such as a large master suite, fully equipped kitchen with breakfast area and dining room, one or two living areas, and a washer/dryer. Many homes are fully furnished and include a game room with activities like billiards, table tennis and air…

ChampionsGate Vacation Home Owners to Get New Dining Options

ChampionsGate, the resort community located a few minutes southwest of Walt Disney World, is adding new restaurants to serve its residents and visitors. The new eateries will be adjacent to a new apartment complex currently under construction. The Gate will house 308 luxury apartments in five buildings, and is slated to open by the end of this year.

Two buildings in front of the Gate will house 24,000 square feet of retail space. New restaurant tenants for the buildings include Urban Hibachi, a high-end Indian fusion eatery called Blue Ginger Indian Grille, Tijuana Flats, Menchi’s Frozen Yogurt, and Ostaria Italian Restaurant. New retail tenants include Salon 720, Lee Nails and specialty pet supply retailer, Woof Gang Bakery. The restaurants and…

Where Can I Find Vacation Rental Properties to buy in Orlando?

Are you looking for a vacation property in Orlando to buy so you can generate rental income? If so, one of the best areas to consider is next to Walt Disney World.  Many of the communities located near Disney permit short-term rentals. And since most people who come to Orlando on vacation do so to visit the theme parks, you’ll likely have little trouble attracting holiday visitors to your property.

The city of Orlando has a variety of housing options available to home buyers, such as single-family homes, condos, townhomes and condo/hotels. But short-term rentals are only allowed in condos and townhomes. If you’re interested in a single-family home, you’d be better off looking for a property in the neighboring cities of Kissimmee, Haines City or…

Why Should Vacation Home Buyers Care about REOs?

Are you in the market for an Orlando vacation home? If so, you may have come across a listing on a real estate website like Team Donovan’s that says the home is a bank owned / REO property. REO stands for Real Estate Owned, which means the home has been foreclosed upon and repossessed by the lender (which is typically a bank).

Foreclosure processes vary by state, but the end result is the same. After a bank forecloses on a property, they place the home into their inventory of real estate owned. At this point, federal agencies such as Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or HUD (Housing of Urban Development), may have to settle with the bank if there was some type of guaranteed loan involved. It doesn’t matter whether these agencies or the bank own the property,…