Family homes beside a lake in Orlando, Florida

Buying a home in
Orlando

Q: Can I buy a villa near Disney and let it on Airbnb?

Only in the right zone. The City of Orlando permits home-sharing in residential areas only when the resident lives on site, is present, and lets no more than half the home. Unincorporated Orange County allows short-term rental only in certain commercial and industrial districts, in R-3 zoning, or in planned developments that expressly permit it. Osceola County, which includes the Kissimmee area, has a dedicated short-term rental zoning district and overlay map. Verify the address with the county before you make an offer.

Q: How do lenders treat a holiday rental home?

As an investment property if you intend to let it, and that changes the terms. A second-home loan assumes you use the home yourself. Lenders following Fannie Mae's rules will not finance a condominium that is operated like a hotel, with daily rentals or mandatory rental pooling, which rules out standard loans for some resort condominiums. Buyers who live in Europe generally use foreign national loans, some of which are designed around rental income. Be straightforward with the lender about your plans.

Q: How much tax is added to a short stay?

In Orange County guests pay 12.5% on the rent: 6% state sales tax, 0.5% county surtax and 6% tourist development tax. In Osceola County it is 13.5%. You, as owner, are responsible for collecting and remitting it, usually through a management company or the booking platform.

Q: Are sinkholes something I need to think about?

Central Florida sits on limestone, and Florida law deals with the risk directly. Every insurer must cover catastrophic ground cover collapse, meaning an abrupt collapse that leaves the home condemned. Wider sinkhole cover has to be offered for an additional premium. Cracks and settling alone are not covered. Ask your inspector and your insurer about the specific property.

Q: Will my property tax match the seller's?

Probably not. Florida reassesses at market value after a sale, and a non-resident owner gets no homestead exemption and only a 10% yearly cap on assessment increases. County averages, such as 0.82% of value in Orange County, include long-term residents whose bills are held down. Ask for an estimate based on your purchase price.

Orlando is the Florida market Europeans know best, because so many have stayed in a villa near the theme parks. Buying one is a different exercise. Whether you may let it by the week depends on the zoning of the exact plot, and the answer inside the city limits is usually no.

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Everything about buying in Orlando

Short answers on this page. The full guide has the detail, the figures and the sources.

The purchase and the loan

How a purchase runs here and which loans fit.

Financing a home in Orlando

Prices, taxes and insurance

What homes cost and what you pay on top.

Costs of owning

Letting and living

Rental rules, local life and how to get there.

Zoning decides whether you can let
Getting there

Read the full guide

Two markets under one name

"Orlando" covers four counties: Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake. Within them are two quite different housing markets. One is an ordinary, fast-growing American metropolis where people live, work and send children to school. The other is the belt of holiday homes and resort communities to the south-west, around Kissimmee and towards the Polk County line, built to be let to visitors.

Prices in the metro area as a whole were a median $439,000 for a single-family home and $300,000 for a townhouse or condominium in August 2026, both slightly lower than a year before. In neighbouring Polk County the medians were $327,000 and $244,900.

Calm lake in Celebration, Florida, mirroring tall green trees and a lakeside path

Orlando at a glance

Figures last checked: 3 October 2026

This is not a lending decision: a US specialist confirms what applies to your own situation.

Median sale price	$439,000 for a single-family home and $300,000 for a townhouse or condo in the Orlando metro area, August 2026 (Florida Realtors).
Loan limit 2026	$832,750 for a one-unit home in Orange and Osceola counties.
Effective property tax	Orange 0.82%, Osceola 0.76%, Seminole 0.70%, Lake 0.77% of home value on average (Tax Foundation). A new buyer usually pays more.
Short-term rental	City of Orlando: hosted home-sharing only. Unincorporated Orange County: only in certain zones. Osceola County: dedicated short-term rental zoning.
Tax on short stays	Orange County 12.5%, Osceola County 13.5%, combining state, surtax and tourist tax.
Flights home	Year-round nonstops to Amsterdam, Dublin, London, Madrid and Paris. Seasonal to Frankfurt, Lisbon, Munich, Edinburgh, Manchester and Reykjavik.

White lakeside buildings and trees reflected in still water in Celebration, Florida

Arched footbridge with railings on a park path under a blue sky in Kissimmee, Florida

Downtown Orlando high-rises and morning sun reflected in the water of Lake Eola

Fiery orange sunset sky reflected in Lake Eola with a lit fountain in Orlando

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Before you make an offer in Orlando

Decide first: a home to live in, a second home, or a rental investment.
Confirm the zoning for short-term rental at the exact address, in writing.
Read the homeowners' association rules on letting.
Ask about Community Development District assessments.
Get a property tax estimate at your purchase price without homestead.
Get insurance quotes, including for the pool enclosure and sinkhole cover.
Tell the lender the true intended use.
Ask a tax adviser about the net-income election for US rental income.

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Questions people moving from Europe ask

Can I buy a villa near Disney and let it on Airbnb?

How do lenders treat a holiday rental home?

How much tax is added to a short stay?

Are sinkholes something I need to think about?

Will my property tax match the seller's?

Continue your research

Sources (16)

Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. Rates, prices and local rules change, so confirm anything you rely on before you commit.

Buying a home inOrlando