Overabundance of Rentals

[Single Track]

Is anyone else having difficulty renting out their home this season? I was under the impression from everyone that you'd never have problems renting Jan. through Mar. Is this year different from prior years? I have a brand new patio villa and despite advertising in the Daily Sun and having a property manager working on it, it will lay vacant in March. The property manager has said that there are so many folks buying up homes who are not able to occupy them on a permanent basis yet, and it's causing a glut on the market because they are renting them out. What's happening? Do you think there is any truth to this theory?

[Bogie Shooter]

Is anyone else having difficulty renting out their home this season? I was under the impression from everyone that you'd never have problems renting Jan. through Mar. Is this year different from prior years? I have a brand new patio villa and despite advertising in the Daily Sun and having a property manager working on it, it will lay vacant in March. The property manager has said that there are so many folks buying up homes who are not able to occupy them on a permanent basis yet, and it's causing a glut on the market because they are renting them out. What's happening? Do you think there is any truth to this theory?

I question this............wondering who "everyone" was?

[ilovetv]

Is anyone else having difficulty renting out their home this season? I was under the impression from everyone that you'd never have problems renting Jan. through Mar. Is this year different from prior years? I have a brand new patio villa and despite advertising in the Daily Sun and having a property manager working on it, it will lay vacant in March. The property manager has said that there are so many folks buying up homes who are not able to occupy them on a permanent basis yet, and it's causing a glut on the market because they are renting them out. What's happening? Do you think there is any truth to this theory?

Many people book their rentals a year in advance, while here for the season, and they continue with the same property/landlord.

Also, many people choose a place by looking at photos and all details in online vacation rental sites. Being able to see how the place looks inside is crucial. In fact, I'd never rent without seeing it in person or in photos, because some are sparsely or cheaply furnished if new, and many are badly in need of updating and tasteful furniture, window treatments and accessories.

People around us having rentals have no problem renting theirs out and are already booked for 2014.

[rayschic]

Check the classified section on this website under Real Estate Wanted. There are some people looking for March. I don't know if they found anything yet, but you should try contacting them.
I don't see your home advertised on this site. It is advertised anywhere else where people can see pictures and price.( such as ****.com, villages4rent.com, etc)
What is the property manager doing to advertise ?
Hope you find someone to rent.
Good luck !

[villagerjack]

Put it on **** with a lot of photos

[tucson]

Is anyone else having difficulty renting out their home this season? I was under the impression from everyone that you'd never have problems renting Jan. through Mar. Is this year different from prior years? I have a brand new patio villa and despite advertising in the Daily Sun and having a property manager working on it, it will lay vacant in March. The property manager has said that there are so many folks buying up homes who are not able to occupy them on a permanent basis yet, and it's causing a glut on the market because they are renting them out. What's happening? Do you think there is any truth to this theory?

I just think you are advertising in the wrong place.You should try putting it on TheVillages4Rent.com (they advertise on Talk of The Villages). I rented out my house last yr at thr end of Dec. and in 3 days had it rented out for Feb and Mar. Good luck! (I think I had at least 300 or more hits in about a 1-2wk time frame while on that website) People search for R.E./rentals via the internet, not too many get the Daily Sun around the country and the world)

[asianthree]

Many are already lock in for 2014. We left a property managment company for the same reason.....they were offering it weekly in wi ter season because it was just easier...put that to a stop

[spk7951]

List it on various internet vacation sites and especially Villages related sites. I would also suggest looking into your own web site, with as much info & photos as you can put in. List your pricing and availability calendar along with your contact info. You should be able to link to your web site from any of the internet vacation sites you list with. Pricing is another thing to look at. Check web sites and see what comparable villa owners here are asking. If you really want to be aggressive price your villa on the low end of what others are asking.


A few years back my wife and I owned a vacation home in Kissimmee near Disney. We had a property manager responsible for the house and we handled all the rental aspects. Our weeks rent was priced on the low end for our size house and we usually had 35 weeks or so per year rented. A friend of mine has a Ranch style home in TV and has similar success with renting it out. Usually has only one or two open months per year. Good luck.

[gomoho]

I agree definitely go on TheVillages4Rent.com - that is the first place we always went to find rentals. Good luck

[tucson]

FYI; The Villages4Sale is also a good place if one is selling their house. I sold mine on that site. It's also very economical to advertise. The fact that the first words are"The Villages" when ppl search on the internet makes it a plus for marketing your rental.

[skyc6]

I agree definitely go on TheVillages4Rent.com - that is the first place we always went to find rentals. Good luck

We rented our home a couple of years ago on thevillages4rent.com, and we must have had 75 calls after we had rented it. It is a good site.

[mickey100]

The house next to us has been rented for February and March, and has been vacant the rest of the year. I suspect that what you were told may not be that far off. Many more properties on the market for rent than there used to be. Is your rental pricing competitive with the rest of the market? I agree, online advertising would be best.

[asianthree]

If you are in the price ballpark you should be able to rent for 9 to 11 months a year....we rent one year full time and the next year for only 5 months so we and our family can enjoy our home

[kfierle]

I purchased my villa in December 2008 and have consistently rented it for 7-10 months per year. I am retiring in less than 5 months so I will not have to rent anymore! :MOJE_whot:

I always priced at the low end of the villas that were available to rent. I also advertised on thevillages4rent.com. I have had the best renters for the past 2 years!

[njbchbum]

I agree with the posters who suggest getting as much internet exposure for your rental that you can with the sites they have suggested.

wish your house was not out in Fernandina - have friends who want to rent for j/f/m 2014 and march 2014 - but want to be closer to Spanish springs areas.

[redwitch]

The problem with advertising on **** is that only the homeowner can advertise there. Most property managers frown on that approach. It is one of the many reasons so many don't use property managers but rent out themselves and use a caretaker to maintain the home and keep the renters happy.

To me, advertising in The Sun seems counter-productive. Someone from out of town who has never visited TV is not going to know about the local paper. They're going to look online.

Do make sure your prices are competitive. The one thing I've noticed lately is that higher-end homes (designers, ranches) are renting quicker than patio villas or those on the historic side.

Good luck!

[asianthree]

Is anyone else having difficulty renting out their home this season? I was under the impression from everyone that you'd never have problems renting Jan. through Mar. Is this year different from prior years? I have a brand new patio villa and despite advertising in the Daily Sun and having a property manager working on it, it will lay vacant in March. The property manager has said that there are so many folks buying up homes who are not able to occupy them on a permanent basis yet, and it's causing a glut on the market because they are renting them out. What's happening? Do you think there is any truth to this theory?

When is your contract up....i would start looking to rent on your own

[justjim]

I believe there are more homes for rent than in previous years. With interest rates below what they were in '64, when we bought our first home, some are buying prior to retirement and taking advantage of the low rates before they go higher. After all, TV is in the final phase and if you want a new home----buy now!

[jukerocks]

Want your rental home backed by The Villages? Call Hometown Property Management!

[CFrance]

Want your rental home backed by The Villages? Call Hometown Property Management!

What does that mean?

[Sable99]

I've been told that a lot of baby boomers are buying property in TV now because of the price increases on new homes. They are renting their homes out until the can retire. And, that is part of the reason there are so many more homes on the rental market.

[graciegirl]

I've been told that a lot of baby boomers are buying property in TV now because of the price increases on new homes. They are renting their homes out until the can retire. And, that is part of the reason there are so many more homes on the rental market.

That is true, but the demand is increasing for rentals too.

I think the OP would do better with a visual presentation on the internet, such as on this forum or another internet site. I feel too it is pointless to advertise in The Daily Sun. Potential renters are mostly off site.

Also he must be sure his home is well staged and the price is competitive.


I have heard that homeowners are frequently investing in a second property to rent.

I am concerned that people who do not live here and don't intend to live here are buying multiple properties to rent. I hope that isn't happening. I don't think that they will be as caring and protective as someone who makes The Villages their home.

The Villages would not allow a person I know to buy two new properties that he intended for rentals but I don't think anyone can stop anyone from buying resales for that purpose. It kind of worries me. People who are house proud now primarily live here. I think that could change if a person didn't have a high interest in maintaining the property to high standards.

[gadaboutgal]

People who have purchased Village homes for rentals are required to upkeep their home just as anyone who lives in The Villages. Thankfully, with our covenants, there is no worry that the property will be "let go." Just not goin' to happen.
And, yes, there are many more rentals than even five years ago, but then the number of people clamoring to visit The Villages has also increased exponentially.

[pepfalcon]

Have you tried to list it with The Villages 4 Rent, Rentals in The Villages (http://www.villages4rent.com?) This is a web site everyone uses to find rentals - if you get it listed, be sure to update it several times a day to keep it on the front page - also be sure you go in and check it without signing in to see if it's in there right. I manage a villa and have had many inquires through Craigs List and Vacationhomesrentals.com (http://www.vacationhomesrentals.com). I can not use the villages4rent because of misunderstanding.

[asianthree]

If you look at the numbers on thevillages4rent the numbers do change, but all in all in the last four years homes for rent are close to being the same number for patio, cyv,ranches, small jump in designers... As houses are added so are ones taken off when they retire or sell to move into something bigger or smaller

[Single Track]

Thank you for all the responses though it has been a real education. After listening to you, I asked my property manager if she would advertise in thevillages4rent, but she said that only the home owner can do that. I have to admit that I'm not computer literate enough to be able to provide pictures for that site and to try to accomplish that for a March rental is impossible. I agree with all of you who said that people would only rent if they could see pictures. My patio villa is beautifully furnished by Southern Lifestyles because it was a model home in Sept 2012 and everything else in it was newly purchased. I believe it was priced correctly at $3000 with a golf cart so I think everything would have been perfect and I would have had more success if I had just put it out there so people would know. As they say, live and learn and I certainly have done that.

[redwitch]

One other thing to consider: If you could rent a place for $3,600 for a commission or a place for $3,000 for a commission, which one would you be pushing first?

Posting pictures is not that difficult. There are several sites where you can download the pics for free. imgur.com is a very good site.

FYI -- If you do go the Village for Rent site, don't try to get around their rules. That is, don't you post it but have your property manager be the contact person. They get tetchy and it is not an outlet you want to lose.

[skyc6]

I am looking for a weekly rental for the week before Easter. My daughter is visiting and we need some bed space. Non smokers and no pets.
Preferably in Sumter or lower. Anyone have any leads on anything here?
Thanks for any help.

[kfierle]

Thank you for all the responses though it has been a real education. After listening to you, I asked my property manager if she would advertise in thevillages4rent, but she said that only the home owner can do that. I have to admit that I'm not computer literate enough to be able to provide pictures for that site and to try to accomplish that for a March rental is impossible. I agree with all of you who said that people would only rent if they could see pictures. My patio villa is beautifully furnished by Southern Lifestyles because it was a model home in Sept 2012 and everything else in it was newly purchased. I believe it was priced correctly at $3000 with a golf cart so I think everything would have been perfect and I would have had more success if I had just put it out there so people would know. As they say, live and learn and I certainly have done that.

When you list with thevillages4rent.com you do not have to post the pictures of your villa. They post the pictures for you. They will also take pictures of your place for a fee. The site is VERY SIMPLE to use. The only way you can mess things up is if you violate their rules.

I have been using that site to rent my place for over 4 years and have had not had a problem renting. Let me know if you would like more specific information.

[tommy steam]

Is anyone else having difficulty renting out their home this season? I was under the impression from everyone that you'd never have problems renting Jan. through Mar. Is this year different from prior years? I have a brand new patio villa and despite advertising in the Daily Sun and having a property manager working on it, it will lay vacant in March. The property manager has said that there are so many folks buying up homes who are not able to occupy them on a permanent basis yet, and it's causing a glut on the market because they are renting them out. What's happening? Do you think there is any truth to this theory?
I was told by a salesman , that over 300 new homes were sold in December. The builder wanted at least 350 new homes ready each month. I guess many people are snapping homes up before they retire,not wanting to be left out as we come to final build out within two years. Could be too many homes for rent.

[asianthree]

I was told by a salesman , that over 300 new homes were sold in December. The builder wanted at least 350 new homes ready each month. I guess many people are snapping homes up before they retire,not wanting to be left out as we come to final build out within two years. Could be too many homes for rent.

That' how many homes were being sold in 2010 when we bought, not sure how many homes were being build in 2006 when we first started coming down.

[asianthree]

Want your rental home backed by The Villages? Call Hometown Property Management!

The villages does not own a property management company.

[rayschic]

The villages does not own a property management company.

Maybe you are not familiar with it, but here is their website.

The Villages for Rent | The Villages | (877) 447-6217 (http://www.thevillageshpm.com/)

[gomoho]

May be their website, but they turned over the management to someone else - do a search and you'll see lots of posts - some good, some not so good.

[tucson]

Thank you for all the responses though it has been a real education. After listening to you, I asked my property manager if she would advertise in thevillages4rent, but she said that only the home owner can do that. I have to admit that I'm not computer literate enough to be able to provide pictures for that site and to try to accomplish that for a March rental is impossible. I agree with all of you who said that people would only rent if they could see pictures. My patio villa is beautifully furnished by Southern Lifestyles because it was a model home in Sept 2012 and everything else in it was newly purchased. I believe it was priced correctly at $3000 with a golf cart so I think everything would have been perfect and I would have had more success if I had just put it out there so people would know. As they say, live and learn and I certainly have done that.

The owner of TheVillages4Rent will post the pictures for you, I did that, call him, the phone # is on the front page.