Welcome lynnholland

[fveAdmin]

lynnholland! Thank you for joining

[lynnholland]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are about to begin our search for a villa in Orlando. After many hours of research and checking out various web sites thought it was a good idea to join your forum. We have visited Florida several times and love the idea of owning our own villa but feel very nervous about taking the plunge. Will need a lot of guidance and hope you can all help. Will be posting many questions and look forward to any advice you can give us.

[Steve]

HI Lynn and welcome. You have come to the right place. Just ask away and i'm sure our owners will come up with all the answers you are looking for. :)

It is a big step and carries with it a steep learning curve but can also be very rewarding. How far have you got in your search?

[lynnholland]

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Hi Steve, thanks for the welcome. We have booked our flights and will be there end of October. We have also spoken to a management company, the one that looked after the villa we rented when we were there at Easter. She put us in contact with a realtor who has been sending me listings from the mls she feels suits our wish list.

Have spent hours looking at rental sites trying to establish which size of property rents out the best. Come to the conclusion there is no pattern at all. I think it must come down to the amount of time and effort you are prepared to put in. The questions I would like to ask, should they be posted in the relevant section of the forum?

[ellie]

Hi Lynn and welcome to the forum!

I would imagine that your questions would be more suitable for the villa owners area, so I guess Steve will tell you if it is possible to join that area.

As has already been said, it is a steep learning curve when buying a villa, but the best advice is not to believe what any realtor says! <:wink We have found the following to be very true - if you can afford to pay ALL your expenses for between 18 months and two years out of your own pocket then you should be safe to buy. If you are dependent on rentals in order to pay your expenses then think carefully. As for expenses, well I am sure you will get plenty of figures from people who really know - that is villa owners! <:winkThere are many more expenses than you would believe at first sight, and often this area is not fully explained by realtors.

Hope you enjoy being on this forum and that you find it useful. We look forward to being able to answer any of your questions in the future.:)

[garethdw]

welcome to the forum Lynn

[Steve]

Hi Lynn, you can post your questions in the Buying a home in Florida section if you like. http://forum.floridavillaselite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16

The best size villa is not really that important, it is as you say how much effort you put into it. I know owners of all sizes that do well and owners of all sizes that don't. I will say though, that 4 bedroom villas are the most prolific, so more competition but they are also the most enquired about as they are ideal for 2 families or a larger family.

In fact I will do as ellie has said and add you to the villa owners area Lynn. So you can post there in the general section.

[pbensur]

Hi Lynn - welcome!

[arkvilla]

<:welcome Hi Lynn and welcome

Sandra

[Debbie]

Hi Lynn
Welcome to the forum, we love Florida and bought our villa 5 years ago, you never stop learning I would say.
Welcome<:widegrin

[lizpaul]

Hi Lynn

Its just coming up to the end of our first year of owning our villa<:clap
Its been fun but hard work and I feel the next year will be just as hard but so rewarding when you read the comments from the guests:)
All I can say is go for it because if you dont do it now you never will<:smilethumbup

Oh and welcome<:welcome