1. How much is a vacation home compared to a resort?
Short term vacation home rentals are priced vary reasonable at rate medium rate of around $150 per night which at first might sound expensive but when you realize how much you get you might find this is cheap!  A resort on Disney property is around $80 per night and that is for 2 adults 2 kids.

2. Where are these homes located?
Short answer, all other the place!  Most are within just few minutes of Disney property.  We work closely with a few owners that homes literally 5 minutes from Animal Kingdom gates.

3. Why get a vacation home over a resort?
This really depends on the size of your group. Most vacation homes are at least 3+ bedrooms with a fold out couch and most also offer at least 1 kids room with bunk beds so for an average of $100 per night you can have a dozen people in one house and you get a full size kitchen with all the appliances and utensils you might need for cooking meals at your home thus, saving even more money. Many of these vacation homes also have private pools!

4. What's the catch?
Well, you aren't exactly getting the magic 24/7 like you would at a Disney resort and there some bad homes out there as well as horrible property management company's.

So then how do I know I'm getting a good deal and not using one of these black hat vacation home management company's?  First, ask me (Michael, in the forums), I live in the area, I'll check out the area and the company but we also have a few suggestions.

Buyer beware! The recent economic problems are causing many foreclosures. Vacation properties are not immune to this! The people that bought many of the homes in this area as investments are more likely to let their vacation homes go into foreclosure before their primary residence for many different reasons but primarily because the taxes on a non-permanent (a.k.a. Homestead) home are very high. You might be thinking "Well, if they go into foreclosure they would stop bookings and return money". Think again, I've personally toured homes that are Banked Owned with websites still taking reservations. Yes, homes that are "Bank Owned" (not to be confused with a "Bank Short Sale") and when I Google address I find websites actively taking reservations on an empty home! This is a growing problem in this area. I live just a few miles from WDW and I just so happen to be in the market for a home so I see this very often. The only company I will personally vouch for right now is  WDW Vacation Homes for a few very good reasons, I know the owner, I know their reputation and I know these are real homes at really good prices.

The recommended vacation homes:

1. Disney World Vacation Homes, see their homes near Disney World.

2. Our friends Steve B. has a vacation home in Emerald Island that he contracts out himself. Contact him in the forums or on his own site . Make sure to remind Steve you found his rental home here at ExploreTheMagic.com!