I have noticed recently on http://www.miami.craigslist.org that there are several people offering up their homes and/or condos for short term rentals. Some of them are even asking to do a swap. The company that I work for http://www.miamihabitat.com, located in Miami Beach, Florida, only does short term rentals. We have over 50 units located with in a walks distance from the beach. Refer to our website for more information, pictures and contact information.

Hello. We have a beautifully renovated new condo in Sunrise, Florida (near Ft. Lauderdale) Centrally located near many stores and even a swap shop...We are looking to rent it from December 1st to April
for around $1500 a month
Call Emily at 772-340-1407

Dear Sally

It is easy to contact an Association but it can be tedious as you will calling dozens and dozens of individual associations all across the coast. There are many luxury buildings here in Aventura, Sunny Isles, Bal Harbour and Hollywood Beach that have a mimimum of 4-6 months rental periods. If you techically rent under 6 months you are liable for extra taxes (same as in a hotel) as it is considered transient living and not permanent. However if you are looking for an oceanfront investment that does not have rental restrictions we have one for you. Check out this listing: http://www.golanteam.com/defaultlistings.x?ListID=691082 - it is a oceanfront studio condo right on Sunny Isles Beach. You can rent it weekly or monthly with no restrictions. Asking price is $305,000. There are many snowbirds who own here and stay here over the winter.

Regarding your question on exchanges the condo association does not care how much you are paying the Landlord this is between you and them they only care to approve you and take a building security deposit so I do not personally think that they will care what or where the Landlord is when you are there.

How long are you looking to rent for?
Debra Golan
THE GOLAN TEAM
EWM REALTORS
786-333-6200 http://www.golanteam.com

Hi Sally,

I specialize in short term rental properties here in the Orlando area and whether it's an exchange or a rental it would still fall under the same category to your HOA. Instead of paying with money they are basically just bartering and still "renting" the home. Before you buy make sure you find an agent who specializes in these types of sales because you could run into some snags and pitfalls if not versed on it.

The easiest way to contact the HOA to see if it is approved in that community would be to get the name and number from the home owner. I would hold off on your offer until you have your answer or put a contingiency in the contract stating that if you don't get a green light from the HOA the contract is void.

Another way to consider going about this is to talk to the local property mnagement companies that deal with these short term rentals and see which communities they rent the most in. It's almost like working backwards. You will get an idea ahead of time of which communities are most desirable for rentals and if they already have rentals in them then you know they allow it. I reccomend taking that route whenever searching for a short term rental or barter property.

Best of luck Sally!!!

Good morning Sally. I have a condo for sale on the famous corner of Ocean Drive and 5th street in South Beach. The owner is very motivated and he is asking $239,000. Has a large balcony, a few steps from the ocean and next to the Ocean Drive beach park. This building has a gym, pool, and many more amenities. Across from restaurants, near nightclubs, shopping centers and near major highways. This unit cannot be rented the first year, but after that you can. This unit has no parking, but you can rent one of the many other absentee owners spaces, or you can rent a public parking near the building for about $150 a month. We have the unit listed $80,000 below the next unit for sale. If you are interested, visit our website at http://www.ForSaleAgent.com for more information and high quality photos.

You will definitely be able to find out the current rental and exchange guidelines in any condominium association by reading the Condominium Documents. In fact, that information is shown in very abbreviated form on most MLS listing data pages as the "Minimum Rental Period" under the "Financial Information" section. There are some condominium communities that have traditionally been very strict about rentals and others that cater to the investor-owner and are quite flexible about allowing rentals. Realtors in the areas where you are looking will know this information to help you look at the condos most suited to your intentions.

However, you must also be aware that condominium communities may by a majority vote change the rental rules and any other rules for that matter with a majority vote. This is less likely to happen in a community with a long tradition of liberal rental rules, but still possible in the future if the current owners are replaced by other owners who vote for a change. In what areas are you looking? If Vero Beach is on your radar, and it should be, please contact us for a list of condos that adhere to the rental policies you are seeking. Click on the web reference below or E-mail me at ginny@MyVeroBeachRealEstate.com

Sally,

Home exchanges are a great way to do inexpensive travel as well as make new world wide acquaintances.
How often would you do exchanges? It would seem the arrangement you would be looking for would be to "rent 12 times annually."

The best course of action is to request the condo docs. before making an offer. Review them and question issues of concern.

Good luck,

We would be happy to provide condo information for the Sarasota/ Venice area if needed.

The "Eckler Team"
Michael Saunders & Company
billeckler@michaelsaunders.com
941-408-5363