Vacation Home Rentals Blog

Dan C., who lists this New York vacation home and a Miami condo with VacationHomeRentals.com, helps us launch our Take it From an Owner feature, where we’ll gather tips on how to gather exposure for your own property during all seasons. In just 18 months, he has reaped the rewards of keeping up on his listings with gorgeous photos, detailed content and renter testimonials.

Does he think vacation home owners be rattled by the economy? Naah. Not if they’re marketing their properties right. Without further a due, his advice …

Q: Why did you list with VacationHomeRentals.com and what success have you found with it? What other forms of advertising have you tried?

Now this is the kind of vacation home that makes me wish for crisp temps and apple cider.

This North Carolina cabin rental begs to be booked–even for just a weekend–to give you a break from deadlines and Power Point presentations. Smokey Mountain views all around. A 36-foot covered porch to soak up sunsets and sunrises. There’s even a fire pit to smoke marshmallows.

The two-bedroom, two-bath house has hosted many guests on summer vacation, but I’d bet it makes an even cozier autumn escape with its 12-foot ceilings and wood everywhere. Equipped with board and card games, the house is ready for anyone looking to get back to the basics of family and friends. I could even see couples choosing this spot for their babymoon, that one last romantic fling before junior comes.

While fall doesn’t officially start until Sept. 22, we all know there’s only a small window when the leaves turn from green to amber and then simply just disappear, leaving branches barren and gray. You think you have all this time and then boom, the season has passed regardless of whether you were paying attention.

Just this once, don’t let time march on without you.

With less than two months away from the election, certainly you’ve asked yourself (regardless of your political bent): Who is this Sarah Palin and why should she be vice president?

We here at VacationHomeRentals.com aren’t here to debate the parties’ policy stances, but Palin’s candidacy certainly shines a spotlight on her state of Alaska.

Whatever happens in November, the chamber of commerce must be tickled. The state hasn’t gotten this much play since “Northern Exposure.”

Palin was once the mayor of Wasilla, home to this Alaskan vacation cabin. The $155-a-night home looks out onto Cottonwood Creek, Hatchers Pass and all the eagles and moose that care to grace the natural surroundings with their presence.

“As I about to turn in for the night, I looked out the window and saw the Northern Lights dancing over the mountains,” said Pail Bauer, a Fairbanks, Ak., resident who stayed at the rental.

The Northern Lights, really? What an incredible opportunity, and way more exciting a story to share than saying you saw Palin’s old stomping grounds.

There’s no denying the antiquity of Rome, the romance of Paris and the royal splendor of London, but for Americans, those European destinations may not be viable right now, or let’s face it, that smart either considering our cramped budgets.

So what’s a vacationer to do in these hard times?

Travel to Argentina.

At the current rate, the dollar is worth three times its value in pesos, which means more cash for discretionary spending for steak, wine, fashion and vacation rentals like this Buenos Aires vacation apartment.

In any major U.S. city – New York, Boston, Chicago – this trilevel loft would likely cost in the the tens of thousands. It’s listed at VacationHomeRentals.com for $2,800 a month, $800 a week and $150 a night.

This luxury apartment sits in a quiet pocket of Palermo Nuevo near the zoo, the botanical garden, public transportation and two of the hottest neighborhoods in the city: Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood. The sleek styling – from the stainless steel gourmet kitchen to the hardwood floors to the chic bathroom – feels very South Beach, no?

Paris (and cities like it) may be on your list of top dream vacations, but when the greenback’s worth is swallowed by the euro, wouldn’t you rather be living the luxe life in the Paris of South America?

This vacation home in Santa Teresa, Sherman’s Travel magazine’s favorite beach in Central America.

The destination throws back to 1960s Hawaii before developers got greedy and tourists invaded. Think natural beaches and some of the whitest sand you’ll ever see.

The Costa Rica vacation home sparkles in its tropical setting. 

Check out the incorporation of the outside indoors: The house, brought to you by a family who owns a Malibu beach home, boasts patios on both levels to keep guests in touch with the natural beauty at all times. The master bedroom suite doesn’t block that ocean air from entering either. The shudders swing out to let in cool breezes. (And just in case you’re worried about getting overheated, don’t. Each room has individually controlled air conditioning systems and ceiling fans.)

Since the true measure of a showhome is the wow factor of its kitchen and bathrooms, the landlords have installed stainless steel appliances, Hansgrohe fixtures and ceiling-mounted rain showers.

The gated property on 3.5 acres has been dubbed “The Hidden Jewel.” Near a beach that pristine and unspoiled, there would be no other name more appropriate.

Today, find another brilliant marketing tactic for a vacation home rental in Washington.

You get the three-bedroom, three-bathroom house, its breathtaking Pacific Ocean views, tons of space for 10 people, couple’s spa shower with travertine tile and–how incredible is this–even two dogs to rent if you so choose. Yes, canines.

You’ve heard the saying, “The best part about being an aunt is playing with your nieces and nephews, then handing them back to their parents” (or some version of this). Well, that’s how I feel about dogs. If you’re like me, you don’t have the patience to walk, feed and play with them so it’s best that you take them on loan.

The pot for the Pacific Beach vacation home gets sweeter.

Consider a $100 Safeway gift card for a weeklong stay (good for all those gourmet dinners you’ll be whipping up for friends), plus a bottle of red or white vino, complimentary snacks, drinks, a bag of Peet’s coffee, sweeteners AND more than 20 games for the Xbox 360. The property owners clearly have thought of every possible visitor, from the couple on a romantic getaway to the family with teenage gamers.

Has anyone else stayed in a vacation rental where the owners went out of their way to make you feel at home? I think arranging for a dog companion takes the cake, but that’s just me.

Now this is the creative marketing I’m talking about: Marketing a boat as a vacation home.

Genius.

This is precisely the kind of thinking that just might work in these troubled times. For people to want to give up their money, you have to sell them with a compelling reason. This one – a three-bedroom, 52-foot luxury yacht – is a pretty good one.

Unless you’re a millionaire, who can say they’ve reserved a boat on Pier 39 as a vacation home? Not me. Not even my flashiest friend.

If you’ve traveled to San Francisco, you’ve probably hit all the touristy spots - Crissy Field, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown – but can you say a boat was your home base? With two weeks notice, owners of this luxury liner can even arrange tours to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The only missing ingredient for this dream vacation would be cruising just before sunset with Steve Perry belting in the background, “When the lights go down in the city … ”

Now that would be a classic SF moment.

Friends, if you haven’t taken a vacation to Hawaii yet, this would be the time.

Kids are in school so you’ll have the run of the islands without feeling like you’re in Disney World. The weather averages high 80s – rainy season doesn’t start until November.

You can score deals on Maui vacation rentals – like this $70-a-night Kihei vacation condo in October – to quash any guilt you might feel for that temporary setback in your checking account. If you have the wiggle room, why not? Do your part to goose the economy and you’ll be rewarded with sunsets, sunrises and a tan to make all your co-workers jealous. (Which is half the reason, you book a Hawaii vacation home, no doubt.)

Do you have any tips for vacation home renters looking to travel to Hawaii? Share it with me here.