Ijustluvit -well you're not exactly disagreeing with me. My basic argument was whether to Do It Yourself or hire a manager. Whether it be TV property management or another, the intent would be the same - let someone local do the work, right?
I wasn't as concerned with the rules, as most of them made sense to me and I agreed with them. As I recall, the rules didn't want you to supply a golf cart (probably to bolster their cart rentals and to avoid them getting them fixed if the tenants didn't take care of them), and I really didn't want to worry about it either. As far as gas grills, I'd also rather not have someone leaving smoke stains on the ceiling of my lanai because their steak flared up too much.
I was able to use the house any time I wanted except the high season. But even one January they didn't have a rental for the first week, and I asked to use it. They said no, because I was not allowed to during high season. I spoke to the manager and they said it was OK since it wasn't rented. So they were flexible for me. I only needed to give 30 days notice to break the contract (not during high season though).
I'd still want to speak with them even if just to test the waters. How anxious they are to get your house in their program, and how much they indicated you could expect to rent, would be a good barometer of the current rental market and an indicator of how Creekside has affected it.
But everyone has different experiences, and I am glad your property manager worked out well for you.
And again, we are probably more in agreement than disagreement since we did both choose to go the property manager route.
Have a good one!
