Risk of booking in advance

[florida addict]

having read Rustys thread i am now a bit dubious of booking and paying a deposit this soon. We are due to go in May 09 but begining to wonder should we book accomadation closer to the time.

what safeguards or guarentees are there with booking a private villa through the owner either a dibb villa or private villa

[Dreamers]

Good question :)
Hopefully with the security and knowledge of a site such as here you would feel more secure.
As a Dibb advertiser, should anything go wrong you and all other Dibb members would be the first to know.
With the added security of all other sites to verify ownership that would be close at hand as in Rusty's case, as it shoud be.
We hope this can give the peace of mind that all villa guests should be entitled to :)

Trish

[loadsapixiedust]

Booking direct with an owner involves trust on both sides, it can go wrong as in Allie's case and sadly in the current economic climate that scenario will be increasingly common. The main thing is to keep in communication with the owner, take all possible steps to verify the info they give you and be careful which payment method you choose so that your money is protected should the worst happen.

I'd be very suspicious of a cheap villa these days.

[rusty30]

I'd be very suspicious of a cheap villa these days.

Just to clarify, out of the quotes I had, the one I booked wasnt the cheapest (as I was well aware of what a cheap villa might mean!), it was middle of the quotes, lower end of the middle certainly, but not cheap enough to raise any doubts. It didnt have a games room like other villas which is why I assumed this one was a tiny bit cheaper than some others.

My advice is to be well informed. My situation is merely annoying (worst case scenario I'll be £400 down which isnt pleasant, but it could easily have been nearly £2K more than that which would have been devastating). Had I not had the resources on hand (via a DIbber) to check up on my suspicions I could well be out of pocket for thousands and not have any accomodation on arrival in Florida.

Know what to look for and keep a good rapport with your owner - if they ignore emails or calls, then be suspicious! A good owner will always make an effort to get back to you and have excellent communications.

[florida addict]

how do you check up on ownership/foreclosure notices etc?

[Maddie]

The fast majority of owners do all they can to reassure their guests....no questions or queries are too much trouble for them. Nothing would please me more than being able to say nothing will go wrong because I can't. All the owners I know, and there are many, love and treasure their homes. We put in a lot of love and attention to detail. By booking early allows you to pick and chose a villa which meets your criteria. Yes it is a difficult decision to make....I have a booking for 2010 as do many other owners. Only you can make that decision whether to book now or later, but before you do ask loads of questions and then sit back and reflect....do you feel comfortable with the answers? Gut instinct goes a long way. Good Luck!

Maddie xxx

[sunsetlakes]

This is a double edged sword!! Many owners will already be fully booked for May 2009 (us included) and so by waiting to book you could lose the opportunity to choose the right villa for you. As Rusty30 and Maddie have said, you should go with your instinct, make any checks you can and get a feel for the owner - it's especially good on the Dibb as many owners post regularly so you will be able to "get a feel" for them, you can be sure that we are always on the lookout for each other on here and problems have a way of coming out into the open, just like this one! We like to keep an open dialogue with all our guests and are happy to answer any questions, villa related or not if we have the answers, if not we will always try & find out! Fingers crossed that Allie (Rustie30) will have averted a bigger problem by her actions and instincts so that she can carry on with her holiday planning! I do hope you find your dream villa & are able to overcome your worries :wave:

[Dreamers]

how do you check up on ownership/foreclosure notices etc?

Each county has its own sites for verification of records,

as an example our villa is on Silver Creek, Clermont, which is in Lake County,
http://www.lakecountyclerk.org/

http://www.lakecopropappr.com/index.aspx

Osceola county,
http://www.osceolaclerk.com/

http://www.osceolataxcollector.com/

Polk County
http://www.polkcountyclerk.com/

hope this helps

Trish

[Orlandobelle]

Have to admit it's put me off my search for a villa for Christmas 2009 :(

[Midsummer]

The best thing you can do is put in a request and see what comes up. Your experience is unfortunate but unusual. Most owners are more than happy to answer any questions you have. Once I have had a guest book with me I am in constant touch with them, keeping them informed of any changes that may have happened since they booked, best place to book flights, car hire and for the purchase of park tickets. As well as places to visit especially the more out of the way places.

[Orlandobelle]

The best thing you can do is put in a request and see what comes up. Your experience is unfortunate but unusual. Most owners are more than happy to answer any questions you have. Once I have had a guest book with me I am in constant touch with them, keeping them informed of any changes that may have happened since they booked, best place to book flights, car hire and for the purchase of park tickets. As well as places to visit especially the more out of the way places.

Yours is one of the villas I have shortlisted for next year :D

Didn't know you were a Dibb advertiser lol!!

[Midsummer]

I have only just signed up on DIBB and thank you for saying I am on your short list. If you are really interested in Christmas 2009 don't leave it too long. I do have a very genuine enquiry for this time already. I can honestly say our house will still be ours then. No intention of selling as we enjoy visiting Florida far too much especially in the winter months.

[Orlandobelle]

I have only just signed up on DIBB and thank you for saying I am on your short list. If you are really interested in Christmas 2009 don't leave it too long. I do have a very genuine enquiry for this time already. I can honestly say our house will still be ours then. No intention of selling as we enjoy visiting Florida far too much especially in the winter months.

We intend to have a drive around the locations we have shortlisted (as most are on developments we've not stayed on before) whilst we are over there next week before making a decision :)

[Midsummer]

If you have any questions do let me know.

[florida addict]

sorrt to seem a bit dumb trish or anyone but when i click on the links in your previous post where do i go into to search for foreclosures?

thanks

[Dreamers]

Hiya,

as an example for homes at Lake county, click on "official records lake county fl" on the right hand side, click to agree at the top, type in the party name and search, if there is a JUD as type , click on it and it will show Final summary judgement of mortgage foreclosure. hth

Trish

[Lesley_Perschky]

After reading about Allies problems I rang the owner of where we are going to stay (Chatham Park) and the owner was most helpful. So we are sticking with the villa, but probably next time we go (we hope!) it will be onsite.

[shedenuk]

We have booked our villa for October next year(we booked it in April this year).
We have paid £250 deposit and wont need to pay the balance until 8 weeks before we depart.

In this current climate the owners are also taking risks as there are lots of people that are having to cancel holidays due to redundancy etc

I think the advice given by the other Dibbers is right, do your research and the more you know the less of a risk you are taking.

[_tinkerbell_]

In this current climate the owners are also taking risks as there are lots of people that are having to cancel holidays due to redundancy etc



This is true also. We had a booking cancelled on us for this very reason, the husband had been made redundant and they simply could not afford the holiday.