How to Find the Perfect Vacation Rental

1. Define your Dream Vacation-Identify what is most important for your family in a Rental Vacation property before doing your research. What do you want to spend your vacation doing? What attractions are you planning to see? Is it important to be next to a variety of restaurants or will eating in your rental home suffice? If you are bringing infants or small children, you’ll need to write a list of the items that are necessary and nice to have. How many bedrooms will you need? Do you require internet access? These are just some of the things you’ll want to figure out before doing your homework.

2. Compare Prices- By comparing with similar sized rentals and amenities you will ensure you’re getting the best deal. Also, remember that a picture is worth a thousand words. While one home might be a couple hundred dollars cheaper, you’ll know exactly what you are getting with photos. Ask yourself if the savings is worth the loss of comfort, style, abundance of amenities and location, etc.

3. Get the Facts- Make sure you know the details of payment and pricing as well as the location. Also, find out what amenities and extras the home has. Are beach towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, dishes, pans, pots , a coffeemaker with coffee filters, shampoo, bodywash, etc., included? What restaurants does the owner recommend? Which nearby grocery store is best? Will you have to do any cleaning before you check out? Is there anyone you can call (such as a property manager) if problems or questions arise during your stay?

4. Truth in Testimonials- As with most things in life, whether it be shopping online or a restaurant experience, one of the most important times to get feedback, is when it pertains to your accommodations. Specifically when you rent a home (where you cannot simply check into a new room or house for that matter) you’ll want to hear positive comments from previous guests. Take it one step further-ask the home owner if you can contact a few previous guest(s). Often they will have that information on file and should not have a problem giving it to you.

5. Always Negotiate! In such economic times as these, it is important to keep every last dollar you can. The worst thing that the home owner can say is ‘no’. With many homes sitting for weeks without being occupied, it is in the best interest of the home owner to fill it up! If they agree to your price, you just got a sweet deal! If they aren’t willing to budge on price then you can try other homes, or book knowing you made a valiant effort. This is not necessarily common practice in Vacation Rentals but I firmly believe in negotiating whenever you can on everything.


Happy hunting and I hope your Vacation is dream come true!

5 Bed/ 5.5 Bath in Davenport is Complete!

Fit for a princess and Spiderman himself! Kids bedrooms are one of the main selling features of any vacation rental property. They are fun rooms to stay in and a draw for parents! Disney or themed bedrooms are always popular.

This relaxing Guest Suite is complete with doors leading to a private balcony with a view of the pool!

Living Rooms must be functional, comfortable and provide a lot of seating! In behind is the dining room and kitchen. (This photo only shows half of the room, there is a lot of seating for adults and children here. )

This first floor master suite follows the color palette of the other main floor rooms, adding glamour and sophistication for any couple to enjoy!

The upstairs Master Suite is equipped with a writing desk for those that insist on surfing the web or catching up on some work. It also has a large space suitable for a baby's crib. In addition it leads out to a cozy balcony with a view of the pool!

With the current economic conditions, many foreigners are seizing the opportunity to buy homes that are price reduced or are foreclosure homes. A number of these homes are being purchased as Vacation Rental Homes in the Disney areas like Davenport, Kissimmee, Orlando and Clermont.

One of my recent clients is from Denmark and happened to find me online. We worked together first meeting locally at his newly purchased home, then I managed the project from that point forward. After a few weeks, the home was completed in late December, perfect for his goal of having renters in 2009! Just in the past 3 weeks alone he has received countless inquiries and already has 3 bookings! He'll be the first guest though this month as he vacations with his family and enjoys the weather, the attractions and of course his newly decorated home.

Above, are a few photos of this 5 bedroom 5.5 bath home in Davenport, FL. There was a limited budget in place, but we were able to transform the 'already painted walls' and empty home into a cozy retreat for everyone. With large flatscreen TV's in every bedroom and the living room, a screened-in pool area and spa bathrooms in each Master Suite, visitors might not want to leave!

If you have a home ready to be decorated, contact us, we work within all budgets.

Also, email me directly if you are interested in staying in this particular home, the link is below...

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p225830

Disney Vacation Rental Home Staging is a Must!

With recent economic trends, there have been a record amount of foreclosure and price-reduced homes on the market. The hottest ticket at the moment, are homes in the Disney and surrounding Orlando area. What a great time to invest in rental vacation properties!

The Disney area is still flooding with tourists weekly and they have a lot of choice when it comes to accommodations. There are the traditional hotels/motels and resorts but the preference is for privacy and larger, more cozy housing that offer the comforts of home. These homes offer great amenities like private screened-in pools, barbeques, game rooms and flat screen TV’s in many if not all of the rooms! They also offer full kitchens so money can be saved by eating-in instead of pricey restaurants. Who wouldn’t want to stay?!

There are many homes to choose from in various areas such as Davenport, Kissimmee, Clermont and of course Orlando. These homes are minutes away from Disney theme parks and all the major attractions. The homes, while in high demand, also pose a lot of competition for you the vacation home owner. The best way to set your home apart is to stage it! Most people think of homes that are for sale when they think of staging. The truth is, in order to get the highest amount of interested renters in your home; your photos had better be top notch!

Many homes offer large bedrooms and screened-in pool areas, but they are not staged/decorated to entice the renter to choose their home vs. another, resulting in the potential renter to keep looking for what they deem to be the best value for their money. In order to get the highest amount of renters and referrals and positive comments, you’ll need to stage your home.

Who better to work with than a staging company! Specializing in creating mass design appeal and creating a warm, cozy feeling for all, you are guaranteed to get a home that stands out in a crowd. Valuable photos and 360 degree view shots from your beautifully decorated home will have renters booking much quicker and providing you with a home rented out week after week!


Some Disney rental owners believe that decorating their own home will save them money to make their investment worthwhile. This is generally not the case. Here’s why: If you live out of the area, out of state, or out of the country for that matter, finding all the necessary contents for the home will prove challenging. You’ll also have to factor in the money you’ll lose out on NOT having access to designer discounts, knowing the local area inside-and-out in terms of furniture and décor, not to mention the time spent on gas, toll roads and money lost on poorly selected paint color choices and the hired painting company as well. Hiring a stager ensures that your home will have a professional look, not mis-matched decor, dated drapery treatments, poor overall furniture arrangement/placement and lack of flow in the home.

Staging is all about creating a lifestyle, an ambience, one that your vacation renters cannot wait to get to! After all, they may have been planning for months if not years for this type of family vacation, they want to do it in style!

At Florida Home Staging & Redesign, Inc., this is all we do! We specialize in staging and making your home the most marketable based on the size, layout of rooms, overall style of the home and of course your budget. We work to provide you with a gorgeous home filled with suitable furniture, perfect accent pieces, chic accessories, but we don’t stop there. We fill your home up with all the necessities that one would need while in a vacation home. All of the dishware, flatware and kitchen items as well as cleaning supplies, towels, pool toys and much more! We think of the amenities that most often get forgotten about. We’ve serviced local, out of state, as well as rental home owners living outside of North America, proving to be trustworthy, professional, creative, punctual and customer-satisfaction oriented.

Wouldn’t you love to have a home that not only pays for itself but is a relaxing retreat for you as well? If comfortable bedding, divine master suites, spa bathrooms, playful game rooms, delicious eat-in kitchens and resort-style pool areas are your idea of a spectacular place to stay, then we’d be happy to work with you to decorate your dream vacation rental home.