In-depth analysis

Should you buy an STR in Orlando in 2026?

Yes, if you understand that “Orlando STR” almost always means an Osceola County resort-community property, not a City of Orlando home. The market produces a $156 ADR — modest relative to luxury markets — but 71% occupancy keeps RevPAR at $111 and the unit-economics work because acquisition prices in Kissimmee / Davenport / Reunion / ChampionsGate sit far below Sun Belt averages. The trade is volume over premium: this is a market for operators who buy several 4-6 bedroom resort homes near Disney and run them like a portfolio, not a market for a one-off boutique stay.

Regulation: where the city stands

Orlando’s STR landscape splits sharply across jurisdictions:

City of Orlando — restricts non-owner-occupied STRs to under-30-day stays only in specific zones; owner-occupied “home share” permitted more broadly. Most City of Orlando residential parcels are not viable for whole-home STR use.
Osceola County (Kissimmee / Celebration / ChampionsGate) — the heart of vacation-rental Florida. Purpose-built resort communities (Reunion, ChampionsGate, Solara, Storey Lake, Encore) are zoned and master-planned for STR use. License through the county and state DBPR required.
Lake County / Polk County (Davenport / Four Corners) — also STR-permissive in designated areas; lower acquisition cost than core Osceola.
City of Kissimmee, City of Winter Garden, etc. — each is its own municipality with its own framework.

Florida state preemption (FS 509.032(7)) provides a stable floor but doesn’t override municipal grandfathered restrictions or private HOA rules.

The market by the numbers

Metric	Orlando metro	Resort communities
Avg ADR	$156	$220-$340 (themed 6BR homes)
Occupancy	71%	70%+
RevPAR	$111	$165-$220
Acquisition	~$380K	$450-$700K (6BR pool home)

Demand is unusually steady — Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and the convention center keep the calendar full. Peak weeks are spring break (March), summer (June-July), and Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter holidays. The shoulder months (September, late January) are softer but still produce occupancy.

Submarkets that matter

Reunion Resort (Osceola) — premium resort community, championship golf, water park, larger themed homes. Highest ADR in the metro. HOA fees are significant.
ChampionsGate (Osceola) — large-home theme-park inventory; balanced ADR and acquisition cost.
Storey Lake / Solara / Encore Resort (Osceola) — newer-build amenity-rich resorts; family demand.
Davenport / Four Corners (Polk Co) — value entry; smaller homes, similar Disney demand, lower acquisition cost.
City of Orlando proper (Lake Nona, College Park, Audubon Park) — STR-restricted; treat as long-term rental territory.

The 3 mistakes buyers make here

Buying inside City of Orlando expecting Osceola rules. The two regulatory environments are completely different. A house off Sand Lake Road is not the same legal product as a house in ChampionsGate, even though both say “Orlando, FL” on the listing.
Underestimating HOA + CDD fees. Resort communities carry HOA fees of $300-$700/month and Community Development District (CDD) bond payments on top. Underwriting without these line items inflates the cash-on-cash return materially.
Treating Disney-themed renovation as optional. This is a themed-home market. A vanilla 6-bedroom pool home is a commodity. Themed bedrooms (Star Wars, Frozen, Mario, etc.) produce 15-30% ADR premiums and faster bookings — but the furnishing budget is real ($50-90K).

What to do next

Run a Market Score on the specific community, not the metro.
Use the Comp Analyzer within the same resort and same bedroom count.
DSCR financing for Orlando-area resort homes is well-priced; model with the DSCR Loan Calculator.
Use the Year 1 Cash Needs Calculator — themed furnishing and CDD fees are the line items first-time Orlando buyers miss.
Read Analyzing Airbnb Comps Before You Buy — themed-vs-vanilla comp differentiation matters more here than anywhere.

Not investment advice. Verify all regulatory, HOA, CDD, and tax information with local authorities and licensed professionals before committing capital.

Last reviewed 2026-05-07 · Estimated — community-sourced · Population 287,442