Before booking a villa - please read

[Orlando 2004]

Just looked our villa up before i send the final balance and all seems ok so fingers crossed.

[Orlando 2004]

When sould the tax have been paid for 2009? Just wondering as the villa we stayed in last year was paid in June 2009 but the one we're staying in this years was only paid in mar 2010. Is this ok or should i be worried? Did they pay late?

[TelfordWolf]

Originally Posted by Queen of Herts

Hi, go to polktaxes

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Hi, great link - found our villa for next year - all taxes paid!
I would recommend anyone do this sort of check just to set the mind at ease

[Disney0210]

Hmm little concerened havnt booked yet and they are not a dibber, but when i put there name in it says no records found. Can i say the name of the site we found them off? Its an amazing villa and im worrying if we ae going to be ripped off. Can someone tell me step by step whay i need to do? Thanks

[arkv1lla]

Originally Posted by Disney0210

Hmm little concerened havnt booked yet and they are not a dibber, but when i put there name in it says no records found. Can i say the name of the site we found them off? Its an amazing villa and im worrying if we ae going to be ripped off. Can someone tell me step by step whay i need to do? Thanks

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You are not allowed to put the site

You need to go to the County website and put in the owner surname but I would say if you are concerned then you should speak to the owner - then you can ask anything you are worried about

Sandra

[arkv1lla]

You could always ring the owner and ask for the name and number of a recent guest and give the guest a call.

I did this recently for some Canadians we have going in Feb - they rang one of my other Canadian guests as once they had a villa which didn't look like the photo's so she wanted to check that ours did.

She came back to me and paid straight away after the phone call.

Decent villa owners will want to put your mind at ease.

Sandra

[Guest]

Also some of the government sites are not always up to date- and sometimes you have to search in different ways- for instance j & O Bloggs could be Bloggs O , Bloggs J, or in a trust name Bloggs Builders ltd- these things are not straight forward.
HOWEVER, if you go througha reputable site like this, where the villa owners have paid for the advertisement, you have a better chance as the background information is thorough before they are admitted onto it.
The ones who have sold their homes, or have gone into foreclosure have usually sold their home too cheaply, and found they cannot make the bills...you need to look for someone who is successful in the business, and has a good management team and some experience. There will be no problem on this site, and ew are more fun- we all love to talk about Florida and Disney

[Susan62]

Having to rebook villa due to DD and DF now coming on holiday with us. I am trying to check property appriaser for Stella Street, Bellavida, no details are showing under surname, could this be because the development is new? Can't afford to make any more mistakes, as I have just lost my deposit!

Contacted owner - property is listed under name of company, not surname. Have now checked records.

[Guest]

All this makes a lot of sense but before everyone goes into panic mode there are other issues that should be taken into consideration.
There are indeed owners who have just come to the conclusion that they cannot any longer afford to pay the ever increasing running costs for the pleasure of owning a villa and also the ever decreasing rental rates that the market is demanding.
I live in Florida and it is noticeable that the owners who have walked away from their homes have done just that - walked away and this is so evident by the condition of the houses.
There are however owners who have gone down the path of seeking a loan modification which will help them to keep the villa and have a reduced mortgage as a result of this. These owners have usually retained a specialised real estate attorney to act on their behalf and negotiate with the banks to obtain a modified loan.
Whilst the negotiations are being made the foreclosure process will continue but these homes will not be foreclosed whilst the talks continue.
My advice would be ask your owner if he/she is working with an attorney in this way. This would likely mean that all would be well with your booking the home as the process can in fact take many years to be decided.

Hope this will at least make some sense and not prevent you taking a lovely Florida holiday

[Guest]

Unfortunately this has happened, how awful for weary travelers to arrive to this situation! There are owners who are upside down and financially in dire straights..Windsor Hills is in great shape! We have noticed more US visitors arriving by vehicle, vs. airlines...It is always a great idea to ask if the HOA is current,most owners would be more than happy to provide you with what ever information you are requesting...from the homeowners point of view...we too have to screen our guests, it can be difficult to screen via the internet, but with several email threads, the guest and owner can reach a comfortable agreement... We have so many of the same wonderful families returning...they love the idea of the same villa, a well known quanity.