How to Check If a Florida Community Allows Short-Term Rentals Before You Buy

How to Check If a Florida Community Allows Short-Term Rentals Before You Buy

Picture closing on a sunny pool home minutes from Walt Disney World, ready to host nightly guests, then learning the community caps every rental at six months. It happens more often than buyers expect, and it can turn a smart purchase into a long-term landlord business you never wanted.

Knowing how to check STR rules in Florida before you sign is the surest way to protect your investment. In the Disney corridor, the answer usually sits in a few documents.

What Counts as a Short-Term Rental

In Central Florida, a short-term rental, or STR, usually means guest stays under 30 days. Anything longer is treated as a standard long-term lease.

Demand near the parks runs…

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Top 10 Condos Near Disney World: Updated Picks & Prices for 2026

 

Buying a condo near Disney puts you minutes from the parks with far less upkeep than a private villa. Condos near Disney World now sell from about $150,000 to more than $700,000. Price depends on the resort and unit size. Most sit inside gated resort communities that allow short-term rentals. One unit can host your family and earn income the rest of the year. This 2026 guide ranks ten strong options by price, rental rules, and drive time to the parks. For the wider picture, start with our Disney resort vacation homes overview.

What To Know

The best condos near Disney World sit in gated resort communities within 20 minutes of the parks. Prices in 2026 run from roughly $150,000…

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Central Florida Real Estate Recap of JUNE 2026

Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association data shows Central Florida home sales increased for the fifth month in a row as the summer market heats up.

State of the Market

  • Overall sales rose by 8.0% from May to June. There were 2,711 sales in May and 2,929 sales in June.
    • Sales have increased every month this year.
  • June’s interest rate was recorded at 6.5%, holding steady with May.
    • Interest rate data is sourced from Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise that tracks national mortgage market trends and publishes weekly average mortgage rates.
  • The median home price for June was recorded at $416,308, up from $407,002 in May.
    • The median home price in…

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Best Condo Hotels in Orlando in 2026: Pros, Cons & Top Picks for Investors

Best Condo Hotels in Orlando in 2026: Pros, Cons & Top Picks for Investors

Orlando welcomes more than 70 million visitors a year, and every one of them needs a place to stay. That steady demand is why condo hotels are a favorite way to own a slice of the Disney-area rental market. You get a furnished unit, a hotel team to run it, and a cut of the revenue. If you're hunting for the best condo hotels in Orlando in 2026, you're in the right place.

This guide covers how they work, the trade-offs, and six resorts worth a look. Browse the full lineup of Orlando Condo Hotels for Sale to follow along.

What Is a Condo Hotel?

Think of a condo hotel as the middle ground between owning a vacation home and booking a hotel room. You hold the deed to a…

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Windsor Island Resort vs Solara Resort: A Vacation Home Buyer's Showdown

Windsor Island Resort vs Solara Resort

Two resorts sit a few minutes apart off the same Disney-area highways, both built to turn a second home into a booked-solid rental. From the road, Windsor Island vs Solara can look like the same investment, and plenty of sharp buyers treat it that way. Once you own one, the gaps in price, fees, and rental appeal separate them in ways the highway view never shows.

Windsor Island Resort

Drive south off US-27 in Davenport and you reach the newest of the big Disney-area rental resorts. Pulte built Windsor Island between 2020 and 2023, and it sold out fast, so everything trading now is resale.

One of the largest resort pools in the corridor anchors Windsor Island, wrapped…

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Where to Buy a Vacation Home in Kissimmee: 7 Top STR Communities

Where to Buy a Vacation Home in Kissimmee

Picture a home that pays part of its own mortgage while families from around the world make memories in it just minutes from the gates of Walt Disney World. That is the draw of Kissimmee's short-term rental market. The best Kissimmee vacation home communities share three traits: they sit close to the parks, they are legally zoned for short-term rentals, and they wrap private pool homes in resort amenities guests book again and again. Here are seven worth your shortlist, with the details that actually shape the decision. 

What Makes a Kissimmee Community Worth Buying Into

Not every neighborhood near Orlando allows nightly rentals, and zoning is the first gate. A home in a…

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How Much Is My Florida Condo Worth?

How Much Is My Condo Worth?

If you've been watching the Central Florida market and wondering what your condo could sell for today, you're not alone. Whether you bought near Disney, settled into a quiet community outside Orlando, or invested in a place that doubles as a vacation rental, knowing your condo's value is the first smart step toward any real estate decision.

“How much is my condo worth?” is one of the most common questions sellers ask, and the honest answer is that it depends on more than just square footage.

Why Condo Valuations Are More Complex Than You Think

Condos are valued differently than single-family homes, and that gap matters more in Central Florida than almost anywhere else in the country.

Unlike a…

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How to Price a Condo in Florida: What Most Owners Get Wrong

 

Pricing a condo feels straightforward until you actually try to do it. You look at what your neighbor sold for, add a little cushion, and list. Simple enough, right? Not quite. How to price a condo in Florida is a more layered question than most owners expect, especially in Central Florida, and sellers who skip those layers tend to find out the hard way: weeks on the market, price reductions, and buyers who have already moved on.

Why Pricing a Florida Condo Is Different From Pricing a House 

A buyer shopping near Kissimmee or Davenport is doing more than comparing square footage. Before they book a showing, they are looking at the full monthly cost picture:

  • Your list price

    …

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Vacation Property Tax Rules Explained: What Owners Must Know

Vacation Property Tax Rules Explained: What Owners Must Know

Central Florida remains one of the most popular regions in the United States for vacation homes, driven by year-round tourism, proximity to Disney, golf communities, and strong second-home demand. While these properties offer flexibility and lifestyle benefits, understanding vacation property tax rules is essential before buying or renting.

These rules directly affect how income is reported, what expenses can be deducted, and how ownership costs are planned over time.

What Counts as a Vacation Property for Tax Purposes?

For tax purposes, a vacation home is not defined by location or style, but by how it is used throughout the year. The IRS focuses on usage patterns rather than…

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Central Florida Real Estate Recap of APRIL 2026

Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association data shows sales cooled slightly while new listings increased and prices remained up year over year.

State of the Market

  • Overall sales rose by 7.5% from March to April. There were 2,360 sales in March and 2,539 sales in April.
  • New listings rose 3.0% from March to April, with 4,066 new homes on the market in April, compared to 3,946 in March.
  • April’s interest rate was recorded at 6.3% – up from 6.2% in March.
    • Interest rate data is sourced from Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise that tracks national mortgage market trends and publishes weekly average mortgage rates.
  • The median home price for April was recorded at…

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