VRBookerVRBookerTips, hints, news and gossip from the Florida vacation rental marketplace.
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Hello world!
2007-12-17 21:39:00 Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! More About: World , Hello World
Fantastic 5 bed villa on Sunset Ridge
2007-11-20 06:54:00 VRBooker is proud to be actively promoting this property, a gorgeous 5 bedroomed villa with absolutely fantastic views on Sunset Ridge . You can currently see this villa listed at HomeAway and Wannavilla.I am looking for new villas to market online. If you need help in getting good quality guests into your property contact me as soon as possible as places are limited. Get VRBooker in Your Email More About: Villa
Tuscana Tavern at Tuscana Resort
2007-11-12 20:02:00 I did the really sad expat thing on Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed an English roast dinner at the Tuscana Tavern.The Tavern is actually in the clubhouse of the Tuscana Resort , a recently completed condo development near Champion's Gate.(To get to it, come off I4 at junction 58, head west towards Champion's Gate, then turn right immediately before the arches and follow the road to the end.)The resort itself is brand new and immaculate and although it is early days I am sure it will become very popular over time.On arrival we thought we had gone to the wrong place because it was deserted and didn't look much like a tavern, but once we were sat down by the pool with an appropriate beer in hand we felt more comfortable.I know you really can't go too far wrong when you serve up a roast dinner to an Englishman who hasn't eaten one in a while but I have to say it was really very good. The Yorkshires were light and the roasties were crispy so I was a very happy bunny. Our guests were e...
British Mortgages Abroad No Longer Lending in Florida
2007-11-09 20:54:00 In yet another sign of the difficulties being experienced in the vacation rental market in Central Florida , British Mortgages Abroad have made the decision to cease lending in the state.British Mortgages Abroad, a subsidiary of General Electric's financial group, GE Money, made the announcement in October, saying it wanted to focus on their lending business in the United Kingdom.Lee Weaver, director of operations for the Orlando-based British Home Loans Florida - which had been BMA's top-producing brokerage company - told The Reporter that there's no way of knowing yet what impact the decision will have on the vacation home market in Central Florida.Personally, I have never thought it wise to take out a mortgage in any other currency to the one used in the country you are buying, but some disagree. One thing I am sure about though is that BMA would not be making this decision if they thought they could make money in the area.Nigel Worrall of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes seems t... More About: Lending , Broad
What Licenses Do I Need Before I Rent Out my Vacation Rental?
2007-11-08 21:14:00 So you have bought a beautiful second home in the sun with the intention of renting it out and hopefully turning a profit. What paperwork do you need in place to keep the State and County happy?ITIN Number: Unless you already have a US social security number you are going to need an International Tax Identification Number. To obtain an ITIN you need to complete a form W-7 and mail it to Internal Revenue Service, ITIN Operation, P.O. Box 149342, Austin, TX, 78714-9342. Along with the form you need to send a notarized copy of your passport to confirm both identification and residency.Allow four to six weeks for notification of your ITIN number.Application to Collect and/or Report Tax In Florida: You need to apply to be able to collect state sales tax on your rentals. You do this by completing Form DR-1 and mailing it together with a check for $5 to Florida Department Of Revenue, 5050 W Tennessee St, Tallahassee FL 32399-0100.The Sales Tax rate in Florida is currently 7%.Resort Dwellin... More About: Rental , Vacation , Rent , Licenses
VacationRentals.com Renewal Offer
2007-11-07 12:34:00 Have you previously listed your vacation rental with VacationRentals.com? If so, take advantage of their 18 months for 12 renewal offer.Select the listings you wish to re-activate, select 1 year, and enter the coupon code SP6117 at the bottom of that screen.Click "Recalculate".Make your payment and update your listing. More About: Renewal , Offer
Foreclosure Bargains at Emerald Island
2007-11-05 23:54:00 I spent a couple of hours at the weekend at Emerald Island , just meandering about, and was quite surprised at the number of houses that had rather desperate looking signs in the windows saying something along the lines of "Really Cheap House, Please Buy Me".I knew the resale market here was not particularly good but surely the people who bought these large houses were not in too much trouble?How very wrong I was.I thought, as I stood outside a grand house on La Isla Drive (7 bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms) that was sporting one of these signs that a little investigation was in order so I called the number. The realtor who answered informed me that the house was in preforeclosure and the bank were hoping to get somewhere in the region of $425,000 for it.According to the Osceola Property Appraisers web site it was sold in September 2006 for $600,000. That means the house had in effect depreciated 30% in 13 months.I got the realtor to email me details of other houses he had in preforeclosur... More About: Foreclosure
YouTube Your Vacation Rental
2007-11-04 18:23:00 In my quest to find original ideas for marketing your vacation rental I leave no stone unturned so for all you guys who would like a 360 tour but maybe don't want to spend the money I give you...YouTube.The idea is really simple:You video your villa and the surrounding area.You sit down at your computer and make a movie.You post it to YouTube.You then embed the video into your website using the really simple linking tools provided.Here are some examples:Slideshow formatWalkthroughObviously if you want to spend the money, you can get something more professional created for you and then post that to your site. Several of the larger villa rental companies have already done so:AllStarVacation sPremier Vacation HomesThe only reason they are using YouTube is because it works, so make it work for you too. It really isn't that hard. More About: Youtube , Rental
VRBooker in Your Inbox
2007-11-04 13:39:00 Yes it is true, you can now get all posts from VRBooker emailed directly to your inbox. Just complete your email address in the form to the right and everything else is done automatically.Now you don't even have to make the effort to visit here to get all the tips and tricks on getting your vacation rental booked or the latest news from the Disney area.No need to thank me, just fill out the box. More About: Inbox
Home Away Buys Owners Direct
2007-10-03 14:09:00 It looks like Home Away just won't be happy until they rule the world:HomeAway, Inc., which operates the world’s leading vacation rental sites, reinforces its leadership position in the global vacation rental industry with the acquisition of Owners Direct .co.uk. Representing more than 17,000 ”holiday homes,” the company ranks only behind HomeAway’s Holiday-Rentals.co.uk as the largest vacation rental web site in the United Kingdom. Under HomeAway, OwnersDirect.co.uk remains an independent brand, continuing to operate from its offices in Ashtead, England.Good to see that Owners will still be independent as this might mean that inquiries won't drop off a cliff as they seem to have done at all the other sites previously purchased by HomeAway. More About: Rect
Free Advertising for your Property
2007-09-11 14:26:00 Get a three line ad. in the Times for free. More About: Advertising , Property , Free , Prop , Pert
Recommended Listing Site
2007-08-04 00:09:00 I have been getting good reports on Vacation Home Rentals. Several owners that I have spoken to have mentioned the level of inquiries they are achieving from this site. So if you are a VR owner looking for extra leads (Aren't we all?) a listing here could prove to be a good investment. More About: Site , Listing
Latin Quarter - Universal City Walk
2007-08-03 06:29:00 Why do I do this to myself?I insist on trying out 'restaurants' in theme parks. This place is just piled high with overpriced crap. That picture is supposedly $22 worth of Paella. It was foul and obviously reheated from the night before.I am not even going to give them a link because I don't want any of you to make the same mistake I made. More About: Latin , City , Universal , Walk , Quarter
Pleasure Island
2007-08-01 01:46:00 We all piled into Pleasure Island on Saturday and this is the only photo that is fit to print. You can see us in all the others!Whilst there we went to the Adventurers Club which is just a laugh a minute. Visit if you get the chance.
A Shooting Day Out
2007-07-26 01:31:00 I have just got back from taking a few Brits to the shooting range. I forget just what a novelty it is to the British to be able to pick up a gun and loose off some rounds. Anyway suffice to say we all had a great time at Mid Florida Gun Sales and I would recommend it to anyone. The guys at the store are really friendly and will guide any beginners who have never shot before.This chap had never used a handgun and within 30 minutes was blamming away with this original 1928 Tommy Gun.Mark decided to be all rufty tufty and use the M4 AR15:Whereas I being altogether smoother and generally more handsome used the Beretta Cx4 Storm.Altogether this makes for a fantastic half a day out and it is something you just can't do in the UK because none of you are responsible enough to have a gun according to the government. You elected them. More About: Shooting
Testimonial
2007-07-23 23:14:00 testimonial1, originally uploaded by Michael Peach. It is always nice to get a testimonial and especially nice when it comes from a child. Sweet More About: Testimonial
Vacation Rental Web Design
2007-07-20 20:14:00 I have now added another string to my overloaded bow, Vacation Rental Web Design . The first visuals of this exciting venture can be seen below. I fully anticipate that every owner that visits this site will be totally blown away by their quality and will email me immediately to have their own site designed (Or redesigned).Obviously I am going to be so inundated with work that I will no longer be able to keep up with this blog so I had better say goodbye in advance. Goodbye.Seriously though, if you want your site to look professional and attractive, and that would probably be a good idea wouldn't it, email me and I will get to work.
Dull and Stormy
2007-07-20 04:52:00 A generally dull day was capped off with some magnificent storms. Loads of thunder rattling the house, some RAIN, and a rainbow to finish things off.Bookings have been pretty good but I am running out of last minute space. It is a shame to turn away inquiries but I have no choice at the moment.If anybody has a nice five bed house unbooked (or bigger), let me know as I can probably fill some gaps in the next four or five weeks. Contact details to the right. More About: Stormy
Peabody Ducks
2007-07-19 13:38:00 At the weekend we had the great pleasure of staying at the Peabody in Orlando. This is a lovely hotel but being a Vacation Rental kinda guy I had to compare the accommodation with the properties that I book out. I have to say that I believe that when it comes to standard of furnishings, space, private facilities and value for money my VRs stand apart.Of course, when you stay at a VR nobody leaves the New York Times outside your room (Well, unless you send the kids to the 7-11 to get it for you.), the bar is self service and nobody hands you a towel when you go to the pool.But having a five bedroom executive home with pool and spa for the same nightly rate as a 200 sq. ft. room, no comparison really, is there?Oh, The Peabody does have ducks though.
Story of My Life
2007-07-18 16:03:00 No sooner do I go and see La Nouba after about ten years of waiting than Cirque decide to discount the seats for Florida residents. All the more reason to go and see the show again I guess.Orlando Sentinel - La Nouba discounts by Beth Kassab: "Cirque du Soleil is offering Florida residents a discount to the La Nouba show at Downtown Disney starting Aug. 1, so that the cheap seats for adults will be available for as little as $49, plus tax -- $14 off the regular price." More About: Life , Story , My Life
Late Availability Deep Discount
2007-07-16 14:44:00 This beautiful villa is still available for August 3rd to August 13th 2007 so if these dates fit in with your travelling times contact me and we can do a deal. It has a south facing pool and is just 9 miles from Disney so you really won't find anywhere else more ideal than this.Call today to book this villa. More About: Availability , Deep , Late , Discount
Starliner Stalled
2007-07-13 17:37:00 The folks at Cypress Gardens are really messing up the launch of their new star attraction. Firstly, they don't get it built on time. Then, on the big opening day, nobody can ride because the paperwork hasn't been completed properly.What a mess.
Starliner set to Ride Again
2007-07-11 15:17:00 The official ribbon cutting takes place on Thursday.Get ready! Florida's original scream machine will roar over the tracks once again! Join us as we celebrate the grand opening weeekend of the Starliner with a whole lot of fun, including rides with Cody Linley from "Hannah Montana." The coaster will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 12th followed by first rides. Special fun continues throughout the weekend with daily dance parties and the first 250 passengers receiving t-shirts each day through Sunday.Sounds like a fun day! More About: Ride
Congress looks to boost US tourism
More articles from this author:2007-07-07 18:29:00 At last the message seems to be getting through:The United States has lost billions of dollars and an immeasurable amount of good will since Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks nearly six years ago because of a decline in foreign tourists. Several senators are now trying to get the government involved in bringing those visitors back. The Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill to establish a nonprofit public-private corporation to promote the United States as a tourist destination and clear up misperceptions about U.S. travel policies. It also would create a new office in the Commerce Department to work with other agencies on fixing visa policies and entry processes that discourage visits. Visits to the United States from countries outside of Canada and Mexico totaled 21.7 million in 2006, down 17 percent from a peak of 26 million in 2000, according to Commerce Department figures. In the same period, cross-border travel around the world was up 20 percent. "The global pie of in... More About: Congress , Tourism , Boost , Looks 1, 2 |
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