View Full Version : Which "general inquiry"?
amylucinda
22-02-2005, 10:10
I've already sent one inquiry to orlandovillas.com. From reading the posts here, I understand now that there are other 'sister' sites.
Do they all provide known, checked-out individual owners? What is the difference?
If I inquired to one, do I need to do it for all three?
Thanks in advance!
Amy
huckleberry house
22-02-2005, 10:45
Hi Amy
There are two sister sites to orlandovillas.com and they are www.villasflorida.com and www.onlinefloridavillas.com they both operate the same way and only have verified private owners advertising on them. Each site contains different homes, as no home will appear on more than one of the three associated sites so yes if you want more choice then you should make a general enquiry on the other two as well.
Good luck, Lesley
amylucinda
22-02-2005, 11:02
Sigh.....I was afraid of that...IN A VERY GOOD WAY!
My friend and I spent the whole day today in amazement at all the responses we got from our posting this morning. I'm afraid we're gonna go into 'villoverload' if we get anymore emails. Honest to goodness, I didn't do a lick of work today! (Although admittedly I'm up at this hour because I have to do an overnight computer work project, so fair is fair!)
I did learn my lesson, though. I initially posted for a seven-day period, NOT my actual dates. We were trying to fit into the week format, and we have additional options available for extra days. Then we realized that some homes were available for additional days, so we ended up having to re-email folks and ask if they could accommodate us for all dates. Accckk!
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. This is all new to us. We've rented from AFVCLUB, the military condo overflow system, but never from private owners.
Amy
E. Cosgrove
22-02-2005, 11:35
If this is your first time renting from a private owner, then you won't be disappointed. The owners here look after there homes as carefully ( if not more so) than they do their homes here in the UK and lavish lots of love and attention on them.
LiesaAnna
22-02-2005, 11:41
so many fantastic villas to choose from!!
am sure this isnt any trouble for the owners they always seem more then happy to oblige!!!
hope you have fun!!!
Ray&Sarah
22-02-2005, 12:04
We are sure you won't be disappointed which ever villa you decide on from this site or indeed if you do enquire from the sister sites. Have fun choosing.[msnsmile2]
chrizzy100
22-02-2005, 17:35
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by amylucinda
Sigh.....I was afraid of that...IN A VERY GOOD WAY!
My friend and I spent the whole day today in amazement at all the responses we got from our posting this morning. I'm afraid we're gonna go into 'villoverload' if we get anymore emails. Honest to goodness, I didn't do a lick of work today! (Although admittedly I'm up at this hour because I have to do an overnight computer work project, so fair is fair!)
I did learn my lesson, though. I initially posted for a seven-day period, NOT my actual dates. We were trying to fit into the week format, and we have additional options available for extra days. Then we realized that some homes were available for additional days, so we ended up having to re-email folks and ask if they could accommodate us for all dates. Accckk!
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. This is all new to us. We've rented from AFVCLUB, the military condo overflow system, but never from private owners.
Amy
[/quote]
I know what you mean about overload....my friend tried all 3 sites and got so many e-mails he give up.......so I took over and got what looks like a great house for him and his family.....he is in it right now......and I've had no calls so far telling me I picked the wrong house.........you just know when the right place hits your e-mail.....have fun......[msnsmile2]
Have fun choosing your home - I know I enjoyed it tremendously when I first rented.with all the choice of homes here you will have a great vacation.[clap]
Lesley S
22-02-2005, 20:47
I am sure that you will pick a good home, when you eventually decide to book with someone. Hope you have a good holiday/vacation.
heathercobbett
23-02-2005, 16:28
Amy, make a wish list and then delete all those that dont come up with the goods. Then look at the sites and get that "feeling" that makes you go wow narrow it down to a couple and speak to the owner by phone.I have to book a lot of accommodation and this is a sure fire way to find someone you are comfortable with
Finally,dont take too long,as all the owners are finding this a bumper year for enquiries and if people dont come back fast,we have to disappoint them
I agree with Heather, enquire on all three sites and wait for the wow factor, it will come.
wrightbuxton
23-02-2005, 18:26
We always would go with a booking directly with the owner - when we didn't we ended up in a couple of villas that had seen better days.
The villas on these sites are all beautiful, just decide what you are looking for in your holiday home i.e. location, price, facilities
and don't hesitate to ask any questions, we all love to talk about our pet subject - Florida[msnsmile2]
heathercobbett
23-02-2005, 23:02
I think the reason for this,Wrightbuxton,is that OV villa owners are all pro-active and much more involved with their houses than the average owner.We do not buy and leave the rest to the management company,we care deeply about our villas and even more about our guests
On the owners section of the forum,there is a daily exchange of ideas and considering that we are supposed to be competing,everybody will help another owner
Thus,even newer owners get clued up fast and you the guest benefits and we also behefit from having a home in tip top condition
And of course we holiday ourselves in our own houses and OV owners want the places to be special for themselves as well
All you guys on the forum help as well with your invaluable feedback ,so spread the word among your friends and keep posting your views!
amylucinda
24-02-2005, 23:13
You are all right! This website is the greatest. We've been distilling all the information and responses over the last few days and are coming up for air.
We quickly learned that we needed to set a series of basic "funnels" (mainly location and # of bedrooms) and once we did that, we were able to build an increasingly refined list, mainly due to all the helpful owners and this forum.
As a first-timer, one of the things that surprised me was how much an impact the "quality of the presentation" made in our decision-making. I guess since there were so many initial opportunites, I had to set aside those that didn't provide as much info as others up front. In other words, if answers weren't easily found independently, I was more likely to move on to another prospect. That's not to say that they weren't fine choices (in fact, I'm sure I missed some great opportunities), but rather I had to use my time wisely, knowing full well that villas can disappear out from under you. I really appreciated those folks who had additional websites. That was very cool and helpful!
And it's interesting that most of the villas here are very well-represented. I looked at "another" villa owner rental site, and was very disappointed.
So, thanks to everyone here for their input, and I'm really looking forward to our first villa stay in April. Today the last vestige of my off-site hesitation disappeared when I realized that I will no longer have to rush to get to a bus stop at a certain time, stand in line and wait for a bus, and race 30 other folks to the door in hopes of getting a seat back to the hotel! Whoo hoo! I'm free!
Thanks for all your help!
Amy
P.S. I don't know how this is typically handled, but I'm planning on responding back to all who responded to our initial contact. Certainly those with whom we emailed back and forth deserve the courtesy of a response, once we're settled. Is it ok to let all the others know that we won't be needing their villas, or is that just unnecessary email for them to sort thru?
steph_goodrum
24-02-2005, 23:26
Amy
I think I speak for all owners when I say we are always pleased to receive a reply , even if it's a thanks but no thanks. I'm sure wherever you choose you will have a wonderful time, and as well as the no bus aspect, just think of the days when you want to stay home and don't have to traipse to , or fight round a communal pool for space, just step out the back door.:)