View Full Version : Can a villa be TOO cheap?
mkingdon
10-02-2004, 16:55
New member - first post!!!
I'm currently looking for a 3 bed villa close to WDW (I know you can't offer them here;)
I've been browsing the web for days and found hundreds of lovely villas.
Prices vary wildly for what look like the same thing.
For example I have 2 villas on Lindfields under consideration. They are 3 bed and both look great.
However, for 2 weeks one is asking £900 and the other £700 (mid August).
I can see no difference from the photos, so how could one be so much cheaper then the other.
Human nature being what it is, I am of course nervous of booking the cheaper one.
What advice can you give?
Many Thanks
Craig
huckleberry house
10-02-2004, 17:11
Hi Craig
Like most areas,location can have a large factor on house prices,the more an owner had to pay to purchase a home so the greater their mortgage will be and thus the rental.A lot of factors can effect this such as which way the pool faces (not citical in Summer but will still cost more to buy ) and what the home backs onto.A pool backing onto other homes or a main road may well cost less than one that backs a lake or conservation area,again all linked to purchase price.
Another factor can be the size of the home,as anywhere, there can be a great variety between the size of one 3 bed home and another and again,means the larger home will have cost more to buy.
In general you get what you pay for,it may be worth thinking about what the pictures dont show as well as what they do.
Lesley
mkingdon
10-02-2004, 17:12
Thanks Lesley,
and I've got to say your villa looks fantastic!!
Craig
Well Craig different owners have different ideas about their villas, but as Lesley said their may be a perfectly harmless reason for one being cheaper than the other. It may depend when an owner purchased as that could give different running costs.
What you can be sure is on this site all the villas have been verified, so you can pick whichever one you like the best!
chrizzy100
10-02-2004, 18:39
quote:Originally posted by mkingdon
New member - first post!!!
I'm currently looking for a 3 bed villa close to WDW (I know you can't offer them here;)
I've been browsing the web for days and found hundreds of lovely villas.
Prices vary wildly for what look like the same thing.
For example I have 2 villas on Lindfields under consideration. They are 3 bed and both look great.
However, for 2 weeks one is asking £900 and the other £700 (mid August).
I can see no difference from the photos, so how could one be so much cheaper then the other.
Human nature being what it is, I am of course nervous of booking the cheaper one.
What advice can you give?
Many Thanks
Craig
It could be you're looking at the showhouse pictures...if the houses are still being built......??
Maybe one has a lot more upgrades......!
SunLover
12-02-2004, 16:29
That could be true in some instances Chrizzy100, but as Lindfields is an established community with no building works, that seems unlikely.
Craig
check also what the price includes, some owners will include tax in their price others will be plus tax. Also pool heating, phone calls etc may or may not be included in the price.Games room and other extras like more tv's/ dvd players, games consoles etc also determine price.This is why its best to book direct with the owner, you can ask the owner as many questions as you like about the property and you will know exactly what you are getting for your money.Lindfields is well located, contact owners of both properties and find out more about each property:D
orlandobabe
14-02-2004, 02:24
As someone so rightly says Lindfields being a more established community the owner could have had the house from new, may not have a mortgage etc and all they are interested in is their running costs, bills, man co , lawn, pool etc.
You can of course ask the relevant questions to the owners-and maybe the dearer one does have more upgrades.
Too cheap can equal desperate can equal risky. No point if the villa has been sold /foreclosed before you get there. Anything really really cheap is a biy suss in my book.
It is strange that some villas look the same but vary in prices. If you look on some of the general sites for villa rental they mention stardard/executive/delux. The prices go up in price if they fall into the executive slot. Looking closly you find that you get more for your money in the executive one even though the villa may be smaller in size. Maybe they have TV's in every room, a playstation for kids, a spa as well as pool, a BBQ, upgraded mattresses, better community resort facilities etc. A villa in a gated community will cost more as the owners have to pay community charges to pay for the security man at the gate. I think you will find that nothing comes for free and you have to decide what you are prepared to pay to make your holiday suit you best. We booked a condo which looked great on the internet a number of year ago and were very disappointed when we arrived. It was so bad that despite us having paid in full for the week we went to find another place to rent via the Tourist Information Office. As another person says if you rent directly with the owner you can ask questions about exactly what the villa contains. Also you can log on to find details about separate communities to find one to suit your family. I wish that I had seen this site before I had booked the condo mentioned above.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by mkingdon
New member - first post!!!
I'm currently looking for a 3 bed villa close to WDW (I know you can't offer them here;)
I've been browsing the web for days and found hundreds of lovely villas.
Prices vary wildly for what look like the same thing.
For example I have 2 villas on Lindfields under consideration. They are 3 bed and both look great.
However, for 2 weeks one is asking £900 and the other £700 (mid August).
I can see no difference from the photos, so how could one be so much cheaper then the other.
Human nature being what it is, I am of course nervous of booking the cheaper one.
What advice can you give?
Many Thanks
Craig
[/quote]
Hi Craig,
Im a bit late to this thread but I have stayed on Lindfields for the last 5 years and I have to say some parts are nicer than others, also some have lake views some don't.
For August last year I was paying £600 per week, that did not include phone calls, but was inclusive of all taxes.
Im not going back this year as we are staying on Thousand Oaks for a change.
Hope this helps?
Julie R
I have to say Craig that £900 sounds an awful lot for a 3 bed in August! I guess it must be a super executive with lots of upgrades??
caroline
16-03-2004, 16:52
Diane - I think you may have mis-read Craigs post - I think he said £900 for 2 weeks which in my opinion is not expensive:)
Oh you're right Caroline - must put my reading specs on next time. Doh:( You're right - that's not expensive at all.
Hi Craig
It may be worth thinking about what the pictures don't show as well as what they do
A lot of villa owners spend a lots on upgrades and extra to make the villa more luxuries.
And location is a big one to consider.
The £900 villa is not over the top for 2 weeks in Aug.
Hi - it is difficult - as a villa owner, I know that it can be very frustrating for us when other owners undercut by such large amounts. At the end of the day, if you take £500 per week as an average charge for a Orlando/Kissimmee villa, you can't go far wrong. Villa owners that undercut devalue the property. When you think you would pay somewhere in the region of $2,000 for a 4 bed villa in Arizona - Florida is cheap! We include all baby equipment, X-Box and games, DVD and Video library for adults and children, board games and a great selection of kids toys ie ride-ons, lego etc. Some owners charge $35 a week for a highchair rental so you have to take all these things into consideration.
Enjoy your vacation - its a wonderful, magical place!
ujpest doza
01-04-2004, 22:08
It depends on the time of year etc, but the most i have ever paid for a Florida Villa has been £450 per week and that was for a brand new 2 storey property in Eagle Point.
The cheapest was £300 per week in Loma Vista from a property owner who surprisingly gave cheaper deals when there were fewer people staying (there were only 2 of us and it was early March 2002 after the september 11th fall out when bookings were slowish).
Obviously you get what you pay for and this villa was a bit further from the action and although a good standard was in need of a lick of paint.
Bear in mind that as there is so much to see and do, you will not be spending a great deal of time in the villa in any case.
We have paid £325 per week in May this year for a property in Windward Cay just off the 192 next to Medieval Times.
I personally do not think a Villa can be too cheap, it is just as other people have said connected to how much the owners mortgage and management fees are as to what they charge.
I also thought there was a grading system which had a pricing structure. I am sure that in properties i have stayed there is a certificate on the wall, usually near the front door, telling you that the property is properly registered as a rental property along with a some sort of Florida State pricing structure.
huckleberry house
01-04-2004, 23:34
Ujpest
I couldnt disagree with you more.
Lesley
I agree with Lesley. A villa that is too cheap might not be available when the time for your stay arrives as it might be in foreclosure by then[msnscared]
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
01-04-2004, 23:54
I'd agree with Lesley too. You get what you pay for at the end of the day.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by huckleberry house
Ujpest
I couldnt disagree with you more.
Lesley
[/quote]
Lesley I totally agree with you - you get what you pay for!
Julie R
Ray&Sarah
02-04-2004, 02:49
We rented a villa before we bought one and the nicer ones always cost more money, we didn't mind paying that bit extra to get exactly what we were after.[msnsmile]
huckleberry house
02-04-2004, 03:54
Music companies could sell cds for 50p and still make a profit,so why dont they ? Because they dont have to,and to sell them cheaper than the price people are prepared to pay is financial suicide.
Good villas dont have to offer cheap rates to gain bookings and outgoings have little to do with selling it cheaper,if its cheaper its because it HAS to be not because it could be.
Lesley
chrizzy100
02-04-2004, 04:32
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by huckleberry house
Music companies could sell cds for 50p and still make a profit,so why dont they ? Because they dont have to,and to sell them cheaper than the price people are prepared to pay is financial suicide.
Good villas dont have to offer cheap rates to gain bookings and outgoings have little to do with selling it cheaper,if its cheaper its because it HAS to be not because it could be.
Lesley
[/quote]
Your outgoings must make a difference......so many people are now getting bigger loans....hoping the rental costs will cover them.....so I would of thought that you'd could get a very nice villa at a lower cost not because its no good..but because the people are passing on their savings.......and that you may get villa at a higher cost not because its better but because the owners need to cover more costs..I think.....
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by huckleberry house
Music companies could sell cds for 50p and still make a profit,so why dont they ? Because they dont have to,and to sell them cheaper than the price people are prepared to pay is financial suicide.
Good villas dont have to offer cheap rates to gain bookings and outgoings have little to do with selling it cheaper,if its cheaper its because it HAS to be not because it could be.
Lesley
[/quote]
I'll be renting out our villa soon and will be charging what the going rate is (if I can find out what that is) but I must admit if I didn't have a mortgage I'd go cheaper. I think that guests would ralise they had a bargain and return, or at least reccomend it
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
04-04-2004, 02:48
We've only once ever given a discount in our 3 bed (when we were new owners) and the guests were the only ones we have ever had any trouble from.
We learnt our lesson very quickly from that and have never given any discounts since - we provide excellent value accomodation at a very fair price and cannot see any reason to de-value it.
Once you have been renting out for a while you do get to know that if you charge very cheap rates you do tend to attract the wrong kind of guest and will have more problems than if you rent out at market rate or above.
Quite a lot of owners tell us that when they have reluctantly put their prices up, their enquiry rates actually go up which tends to lend strength to the argument that if you are too cheap people wonder where the catch is but if you charge a fair rate they will respect your house and become very good returning guests [msnsmile].
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by benfilo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by huckleberry house
Music companies could sell cds for 50p and still make a profit,so why dont they ? Because they dont have to,and to sell them cheaper than the price people are prepared to pay is financial suicide.
Good villas dont have to offer cheap rates to gain bookings and outgoings have little to do with selling it cheaper,if its cheaper its because it HAS to be not because it could be.
Lesley
[/quote]
I'll be renting out our villa soon and will be charging what the going rate is (if I can find out what that is) but I must admit if I didn't have a mortgage I'd go cheaper. I think that guests would ralise they had a bargain and return, or at least reccomend it
[/quote]
Ray&Sarah
04-04-2004, 03:27
The only deal we have agreed to so far is one with a local golf course owner, he got a good deal for three weeks and we get our villa advertised at his golf course and he recommends it to his members. We've yet to see how this will pan out as he has just got back from his holiday in our villa and his part of the deal is just starting. Ray did get a free round of golf on him before he went though!
We don't like to rent out at bargain prices as like John points out you could attract the wrong sort of guests. Whats that old adage "You get what you pay for"![msnsmile]
heathercobbett
23-04-2004, 11:36
On the whole cheap villas attract the sort of clients who wont look after the villa so well.By charging a FAIR (not cheap) rent for our rental house we are able to keep it up to an immaculate standard ,constantly upgrade furniture and fittings, put loads of extras in and employ good managing agents. Why pay all that money to go to Florida and then take a chance on your accommodation? Heather
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
23-04-2004, 12:28
Exactly Heather.
Any enquiries we get with the words "best rate" or where the guest tries to name a price get instantly deleted - we don't even bother replying to them. I wonder how many of these people also email Virgin Atlantic or BA and say "I will be willing to pay £150 for a return flight to Orlando" - not many methinks [msnwink].
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:I wonder how many of these people also email Virgin Atlantic or BA and say "I will be willing to pay £150 for a return flight to Orlando" - not many methinks [msnwink][/quote] Well, they may be emailing them but I bet they don't get any replies! [msnoo][msnwink]
Or perhaps their £150 will run out half way over the Atlantic;)
It must work with some people because a lot of the enquiries are forwarded from one particular villa. When I looked at his rates they were, in my opinion, ridiculous but he must get mega enquiries to be able to pass them on.
I suppose he works on the premiss that it is better to have 48 weeks at a lower price than 26 weeks at a higher price????
Paul
Ray&Sarah
07-05-2004, 01:32
If he does then is he taking into account all the extra wear and tear on his furniture and furnishings? We will stick with our current rates, its our first year and we are doing okay.[msnsmile]
John's point is a very good one.
Villa rental costs in orlando are already very reasonable when compared to the cost of renting in any other holiday destination. ( Try Newquay in august. ) Also your accommodation only forms a small part of the overall holiday cost ( flights, car hire, park tickets etc. ) yet is so crucial to the ‘enjoyment factor’. And of course most owners make little or no profit while taking great pride in the standard of our villas and furnishings.
If renters find an ‘absolute bargain deal’ rest assured there will be a reason!
Most owners just charge a very reasonable rate for quality accommodation.
walmsley_family
29-05-2004, 20:05
Villas are rented out at very reasonable rates....
AS an example we have a static caravan on a site in the Lakes...which we keep just for our own use. the rates according to the brochure for our type of van would be for say 1st August for 7 days £732..that is just a 3 bed as well...without all the add ons or pool
It is the old story....you get what you pay for ;)
If you look at the cost of renting in Spain to Florida there is no comparison, a spanish villa of the same standard to a floridian one would be 3/4 times the price. I know because I looked at spain before deciding on Florida this year. Villas with views and private pools started at £1,000 pw and the one I fancied was £1850 pw!!!
The old adage is true, you get what you pay for and if you are constantly trying to beat people down on price( apart from the big operators with big margins) you run the risk of alienating the owners and losing goodwill. Its not a good start to a rental relationship!! where good:):)will on both sides is crucial.
chrizzy100
30-05-2004, 22:06
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by poet123
If you look at the cost of renting in Spain to Florida there is no comparison, a spanish villa of the same standard to a floridian one would be 3/4 times the price. I know because I looked at spain before deciding on Florida this year. Villas with views and private pools started at £1,000 pw and the one I fancied was £1850 pw!!!
The old adage is true, you get what you pay for and if you are constantly trying to beat people down on price( apart from the big operators with big margins) you run the risk of alienating the owners and losing goodwill. Its not a good start to a rental relationship!! where good:):)will on both sides is crucial.
[/quote]
My sister in laws aunt has been renting homes out all over the USA for about 25 years now.........when she first got her Orlando Rentals...years and years ago...she was getting well over a thousand pounds a week for them in high season......she is English.....and when she start very few Brits were renting out Villas in FL......I'm not sure if she still has them......
CarolAnn
11-09-2004, 16:40
A friend of mine stayed in a flat in Bournmouth in the summer, cost her £400 for 2 adults & 2 children, and wait for it, that was only for 5 nights [:0] The verdict being it was ok.
I think the villas I have seen, particularly on these sites must be worth 3 times that!!!!
Overall, I think a guest gets extremely good value and good quality when renting a Florida villa with private pool, all verified if they are through these sites too[msnsmile2]
Cruella DeVilla
11-09-2004, 21:53
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by walmsley_family
Villas are rented out at very reasonable rates....
AS an example we have a static caravan on a site in the Lakes...which we keep just for our own use. the rates according to the brochure for our type of van would be for say 1st August for 7 days £732..that is just a 3 bed as well...without all the add ons or pool
Jo
[/quote]
Goodness!
I'd forgotton just how good value villa rentals in Florida are compared to Europe We were thinking of going back to the Algarve next year and have just received a quote for a 4 bed villa next August.It was £1750 per week[:0]
Hi, bit late to reply[:I] But had to say we stayed in a villa on Linfields in May, the one we got to first was a real dive:( We complained and was given another villa about 4 doors away and boy what a difference this was:D Bigger brighter villa with a much bigger pool, so you never know these villas was nearly neighbours but so different[:O] I would definetly say get photos and as much info on aplace as you can, we didn't and after a long flight you don't need the hassle. In future we will be more aware. [:o)]:D
Hi Vicky
I assume you were assigned a villa by a tour operator/ management company?????? I am very glad to hear that your holiday did work out after the move. However, it does put a positive aspect on renting a villa directly from a private owner as you get what you see and probably for just as good a price. Most of the owners who rent out privately take enormous care with their villas to ensure guests get a fantastic place to stay
Jackie
Hi Jackie, we had the unfortunate luck to book with a company over the internet called Unitours:( We were run round in circles from the beginning, I won't go into details but put it this way I wouldn't recommend them:( And in future will look to a site such as this so I know exactly what I am getting.
Thanks for the reply:)