What to Do before Buying a Vacation Home in Orlando

Are you a Canadian who visits Disney World every year and dreams of retiring to sunny Central Florida? If so, you may want to buy a vacation home or condo in Orlando now that you can rent out until you’re ready to make your permanent move to the States.

Once you’ve made that decision, it’s time to do some research and determine how much money you’re willing to spend on a property.

Here are a few things to do before buying an Orlando vacation home:

1. Determine how much home you can afford to buy. Factor in the cost of the house itself, as well as insurance, taxes, and maintenance costs, which include repairing and replacing appliances.

If you plan to rent out the property before occupying it full-time, you’ll need to decide whether you want to hire your own property management company or buy a property that offers on-site management. For a fee, they'll find renters and handle some of the details, such as handing over the keys and hiring cleaning people.

2. During your next visit to Orlando, schedule extra time to visit two or three communities that you think might work for you. It would even be worth your while to book a stay at some of these locations in advance, so you can experience what life would be like living there. Renting will also give you an opportunity to see for yourself just how appealing the property would be to your future renters. There is a wide variety of housing choices available in Central Florida - including single family homes, condos, town homes and luxury villas with 5, 6 or 7 bedrooms.

3. Decide what amenities mean the most to you. If golf is your passion, you might consider buying a property at the Reunion Resort or ChampionsGate, since they feature premier golf courses right on-site. However, you can also find charming vacation homes in communities that are near public golf courses.

If you plan to continue visiting Disney World on a regular basis, then you should consider purchasing a vacation home that’s only a short distance from the park to make it more convenient. The great thing about buying homes in this area is that you’ll also have plenty of places nearby to shop and dine.

4. Contact a real estate agent in the area who can keep you up to date on properties in your price range. It’s important to deal with a real estate firm that has experience with absentee owners, such as Team Donovan. We specialize in the sale of properties for use as a second home, and focus our attention on the communities around Disney World, including Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista and Celebration.

We also have a mix of European and American-born agents who excel at working with clients from around the world. Our clients appreciate that we keep them informed regularly and handle their transactions with ease.

For more information, contact Team Donovan today at 407-705-2616. We look forward to helping you find your dream vacation home in Orlando.

Posted by Team Donovan on March 1st, 2017

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