- rental properties

5 Mistakes Vacation Rental Owners Make and How to Avoid Them

Posted by Team Donovan on March 29th, 2017

Buying a home in Orlando to use as a vacation rental is a smart idea, especially if you eventually plan to retire here or use the property as a second home.  Vacation rentals can generate income for you, especially if you buy a property in a desirable area, such as near Disney World. 

However, if you’ve never rented out a real estate property before, you could wind up making some costly mistakes. Here are a few of the more common pitfalls to avoid so your vacation home can be a profitable investment for you. 

1. Setting Unrealistic Rental Rates – Since the Orlando area is competitive when it comes to vacation rentals, it’s important to know your numbers. That means researching rates of competing rentals in the area and determining the occupancy…

Orlando Ranks #2 in U.S. for Rental Real Estate Investors

Posted by Team Donovan on February 15th, 2017

Investors interested in vacation rental properties should find plenty of opportunities in Orlando this year. HomeUnion ranked The City Beautiful #2 in the nation for single-family rental investment opportunities in 2017, after Atlanta. 

The online real estate investment management firm ranked 31 metro areas based on several factors including yields, rental demand, investment home prices and capital markets conditions.

HomeUnion’s report noted the Orlando market has the second-highest projected employment growth of all Florida metro areas, thanks to demand for technology and tourism-related jobs. 

Orlando’s robust economy is creating demand for housing, which has placed upward pressure on median sales prices for investment homes and…

How Currency Exchange Rates Affect Home Sales

Posted by Team Donovan on December 9th, 2015

If you’re in the market for a second home in the Orlando area, this is a good time to look at vacation properties. Over the last few years, buyers from Canada, Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe purchased second homes to use for vacations and as rental properties. Now, many of them are selling those homes and condos, and they're willing to negotiate with buyers to make a deal. 

Many people who buy an investment home in Florida do so for a number of reasons. Some buy a second home to use as a destination for family vacations, some buy a home to provide additional income as a rental property, and others buy strictly as an investment, since real estate generally increases in value.

Non U.S. residents who buy a property in Florida are, in effect,…