Here is an older thread with links that could still be helpful.
Staying offsite/house rental? - Walt Disney World / Accommodations - TouringPlans Discussion Forums
Also - I just sent this to a friend IRL who was asking me about it.
*My biggest caution in renting houses now is be careful of the location being too “far” away. The house we rented in 2014 and 2016 was around the corner from the house we rented last month and it took 2-3x as long to get up to the Disney area because of massive so much sprawl and construction. What used to be gigantic barren spaces now has looming hotels, townhouse complexes, strip malls and schools. We were horrified. Going forward, if our family were to vacation in FL again I would be more willing to spend a little more each night ($50-75) than ever get in those traffic nightmares again. Leaving Universal one evening we plugged our house into GPS and it was 1H and 1M away.
Also - while it is still significantly cheaper than hotel spaces (and much more comfortable). But I had to pay a good deal more this year than I did in 2019. Inflation is everywhere.
The more modern and flashy a house is the more it costs; something that last got new furniture in 2015 will be cheaper than something that was built last year. Etc.
