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Orlando is one of Florida’s most popular tourist destinations, beloved by people from all around the world. Orlando is best known for its Disney World, but it has much more to offer than that. If you like millions of others like Orlando, then why not consider investing in a vacation home there? Property prices are rising across America. If you buy a house in Orlando now, not only will it serve as a great family home, but also a fantastic way of making money in the future. A property in Orlando is guaranteed to increase in value exponentially. 
This article will tell you a few tips for finding the perfect Orlando vacation home:
MLS Sites
MLS stands for ‘multiple listing service.’ It is a tool that is commonly used by estate agents to find their client’s houses, though it can also be used by private individuals. One of America’s largest MLS organizations, Stellar, includes information on pending, withdrawn, canceled, leased, and sold properties, in addition, to temporarily off-market and open house properties. They also specialize in the Florida area. You can receive Stellar Orlando listing alerts by Showcase IDX, an IDX plugin for WordPress. MLS sites can be tricky to master but are a very useful asset, so definitely give them consideration when you are conducting your property search.
Hiring Agents
If you don’t want to use professional property search tools, then you can go the traditional route which is to hire an agent. If you are going to hire an agent to find a property for you, then you need to make sure that you specify all of the things that you want your holiday home to have. This is so that you don’t waste their time – and they don’t waste yours. If they don’t know what you want, they will waste their time sending you listings. Time is money, after all. Make sure that you research any agent extensively before you work with them, so that you can be sure they are qualified, professional, and experienced. Agents can be very costly to work with, so you need to make sure that you are getting the most for your money.
Private Listings
Private listings are your only other option after estate agents and MLS websites and apps. It can be extremely difficult to find private listings, though they are there. If you intend upon using private listing websites, then bear in mind that you will need to hire your own conveyancer. Estate agents usually do this for their clients, when they are working for them. Additionally, you will be chiefly responsible for any negotiations. The agent will not act on your behalf. Negotiations are usually an agent’s strong suit and one of the main advantages of hiring them. Finding private listings can be very difficult because in today’s world most people prefer to sell their houses through estate agencies.
Leasing
Leasing is also an option. If you want to get a holiday home, but don’t want to have to buy it then you can lease it seasonally. There are lots of homeowners that allow people to lease their properties on a seasonal basis, although it is a lot more expensive to lease seasonally than it is to lease long-term. If you want to move to Orlando, then it might be worth considering this. You could lease your home property out. Otherwise, you will have to pay seasonal rates, which can be very high depending upon the season that you want to stay on the property. There are lots of advantages to leasing a property, but then again, lots of things can go wrong.
Sold Prices
If you want to buy a holiday home in Orlando, then you need to check out selling prices in the neighborhood that you want to move to. This is so that you don’t end up overpaying. If you see listings that are charging too much, then you will be able to show the property’s owner’s previous listings in the area and their sale prices. This should be enough for you to be able to negotiate the price down. Local selling prices are very important pieces of information, that your agent should be able to tell you about through their own research and by using specially designed software. Additionally, looking at a neighborhood’s sold prices will make it easier for you to determine how much you are going to have to pay for your new property.
Neighbourhood Research
In addition to researching house prices in the area, you also need to research the neighborhood that you are considering buying property in. While Orlando is a beautiful place to live, there are dangerous neighborhoods. The best way to research a neighborhood is to bring up a Florida crime map, then focus on Orlando and see how many crimes are committed there annually. These kinds of websites give you great insight into a neighborhood’s safety, telling you what the most common crimes committed are, as well as the crime per person statistics.
Environmental Hazards
Florida’s known for its alligators, snakes, and spiders. If you are squeamish and can’t stomach the idea of an alligator making its way into your swimming pool, then you need to find an area that’s far from any large bodies of water or rivers. The best way to avoid animals from getting into your property is to buy somewhere that’s in a gated residential community. These kinds of communities have 24/7 wardens and security, that identify and remove threatening animals before they have the opportunity to disturb residents. You also need to take weather into consideration, when buying your property. For example, if the property that you are buying is in an area that has a lot of trees, then the property could be at risk of being damaged during storms. Additionally, if there is a river nearby, during Florida’s rainy season the property could potentially flood. You need to take all of these things into consideration.
Local Construction
Another thing that’s always worth considering is whether or not any development or construction is taking place in the local area. If you are buying a holiday home, it is so that you have somewhere to relax during your children’s school vacation or your annual leave from work. If there is an ongoing development in the area, then your relaxation time in your holiday property could be disturbed. In addition to researching ongoing development, you should also research and try to find out if there is any planned development for the area. You should be able to get this information by approaching the local town council.
Negotiation
Once you have found a property that you are interested in, you need to negotiate. You should never accept the first price offered by an agent or private seller. The reason for this is that sellers always want to increase their profit by as much as possible, even if the amount borders on being unrealistic. Negotiation is something that your agent can do on your behalf, but if you are acting on your own then you will need to negotiate yourself. Learning to negotiate isn’t particularly difficult, although executing it can be. The best way to negotiate if you aren’t comfortable with doing it in person is to do so by email or letter.
Frequent Viewings
In addition to negotiating and conducting extensive research, you also need to attend the property at different times of the day. The reason for this is that viewing a property in the evening won’t give you the same idea of what it’s like to live there as visiting in the day would, and vice versa. Some neighborhoods are very quiet by night, but loud during the day. If you are looking for somewhere relaxing, then you need to have complete silence. In addition, viewing the property during the day and at night will give you an idea of how noisy your neighbors are (or aren’t).
Thorough Inspection
Thorough inspections are also necessary so that you can be sure that the property doesn’t have any structural issues. You will need to pay somebody to check the property out before buying it so that there are no issues. If there are issues or potential issues (such as a river nearby that floods the property during Florida’s rainy season), then you might be able to secure a discount on the property. If you can’t secure a discount, then you will at least know about these issues so that you can go and find somewhere else that’s free from problems.
Neighborhood Canvassing
Touching back upon neighborhood research briefly, it’s also important that you canvass the neighborhood prior to agreeing to buy the property. This is so that you can familiarise yourself with the neighbors and ascertain whether or not they are the kinds of people that you want to live next door to. You should also do a little research to determine whether or not there are any other holiday homes on your street. If you are buying property in a residential community, then you can do this by visiting the manager’s office. You can ask the manager about the other people that live on the street during the holiday seasons, to get an idea of their character.
Timeshare
Timesharing is when you pay a small fee for a property, then get to use it for a few months (or weeks) of the year, every year. The property is shared with other people. Timesharing a property is a great way to secure a holiday home each year, without having to pay a fortune. Timeshares are a one-off payment, then you have to pay additional fees for routine maintenance and cleaning. Otherwise, there aren’t really any costs associated with them. Timeshares are a very effective way of ensuring your family has a familiar place to visit each year, without spending a fortune.
Checklist
Finally, so that you can find the property that’s right for you, you need to draw up a checklist. Some of the things that you need to consider include:
Location
Location is everything when you are buying a property. Where do you want your property to be? If you want to be in Orlando’s downtown district, then you will be closer to the area’s amenities and amusement parks, including Disneyland. If you want to be in a more rural, gated community, then you will be further from these locations, but at the same time, you will be in a quieter more peaceful area that’s perfect for holidays.
Amenities
Amenities also deserve consideration, especially if you have a large family. While moving to a rural area for several months of the year seems idyllic in theory, in practice it could end up being a nightmare. It’s likely that your children and family will want to go out and enjoy themselves, visiting malls and eating out at restaurants. Make sure to research the area’s amenities, so that you can be sure there’s stuff for your family to do. You should also try to buy a house that’s close enough to get to central Orlando.
Security
Security is very important, especially if you are buying a holiday home that you will only be staying in for a few months of the year. For the rest of the year, your property will be unattended and could potentially be broken into. In addition to security, you also need to think about cleaning services. Leaving your home empty for most of the year will result in dust and dirt accumulating. The best way to ensure your home is both safe and clean is to buy property in a gated community, where there is communal security and cleaning services.
Size
Size is also important. If you are buying a holiday home for your family to visit, then it needs to be large enough for all of them – and guests. It’s not uncommon for children to want to bring their friends to their holiday houses. Make sure that the property you are buying has enough bedrooms and enough rooms to keep everyone occupied. If the house is just for you and your partner, then you don’t need to buy a very large house and can instead buy a holiday bungalow.
Orlando is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the United States, and for good reason. Orlando has everything, from five-star restaurants to world-famous theme parks. If you intend upon buying property there, then you need to carefully research beforehand, because the property market there is very competitive. The research will help you to ensure that you get the property that’s perfect for you. It will also help you to make the best decision financially.
