Vacation Home Rentals Blog

The latest Take it From the Owner comes from John Lutton, who puts himself in the renters’ shoes when thinking about ways to market his Florida vacation home. He focuses on giving folks the best value for their dollars. Considering those budgets are strained right now, he dangles a pretty irresistible carrot: A whole house for $90 a night from Oct. 25 to Nov. 6. Any takers?

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

A: I liked the VHR name, site layout, opportunity to get actively involved in marketing my property and the free trial – showing confidence I’d get bookings without risking money upfront. Most of my bookings have come through VacationHomeRentals.com, and I have no reservations about renewing my subscription. Having tried other listing companies and newspaper ads, both involving expense with virtually no return, I’m still very happy with the value for money provided by this site.

Q: Your listing is very mindful of the money stress Americans are under right now. What kind of interest have you had with your $90 a night special for Oct. 25-Nov. 6, and if it’s a success, will you offer more incentives like that to get renters in?

A: I always try to give good value for money in covering my costs, and this is particularly important just now when people want the very best deal for their dollars. I strive to offer attractive discounts and as many free features as possible, to encourage them to have that break they’re thinking about and to choose my vacation home. I haven’t had any take-up as yet for my current deal, but I’m fairly confident I will. If successful I’ll certainly offer similar deals in the future.

Q: Your information on the listing is deep. How often should property owners maintain and update their posts and what other general advice do you offer would-be landlords?

A: It’s essential to not only maintain your listing so it’s always up to date, but to keep trying to improve it. There’s a continual difficult balance to be struck between making it punchy and readable, yet at the same time comprehensive and informative. I probably update it most months, the triggers being a booking, a new deal, new photos, enhancements to the property, and a review because bookings aren’t going as well as I’d like. My main advice to owners would be to put yourself in the place of the renter. What do you put into your browser? How do you make your search on the VHR website? Are you looking for quality or value or both? What attracts you to particular properties/ads/owners before you part with your well-earned money?

Q: What has been your busiest month for bookings?

A: My busiest months for the American/Canadian market are November to March and for the UK market May to August.

Q: What tips do you offer renters when looking for a vacation home?

A: I sympathize with those renters who put in general inquiries and subsequently receive lots and lots of offers from individual owners. I’ve listed with websites that seem to operate mainly on this basis, with renters getting 50 or so offers with every inquiry. I much prefer a more targeted approach – choosing a website that narrows the search criteria so the responses are self-limiting, being clear about what you want and specifying what’s important to you, choosing a home that seems to offer that ( rather than simply the cheapest/dearest/or something in between ), asking questions of the owner to get assurance you’re actually getting what you want, building confidence that your owner is going to do business with you in a professional and understanding manner.

Q: What are the main selling points of your house?

A: In a saturated market with lots of good properties that are frankly much of a muchness, I think I’ve got a unique combination of features that make mine stand out:

• A great location set among citrus groves, lakes and golf courses
• within walking distance of shops, dining, pubs and entertainment
• quick easy access to theme parks, airports and beaches
• Nice open views at both the front and rear
• All on one level giving easy access and complete safety
• Total privacy round the large pool deck, heated pool and jacuzzi
• Brand new spacious air-conditioned game room with bar, full-length pool table, air hockey, foosball, basketball, TV and Playstation

If you’re good-looking, athletic, intelligent and a fan of live music, there’s a strong chance you live in Austin.

Or so says Travel & Leisure, which gave the town high markets on its annual “America’s Favorite Cities” list.

Singletons, this would be your chance to check the fine Texan specimens out for yourself, using this Austin vacation condo as the place to “go up for a nightcap.”(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

The contemporary, pimped-out space features West-Elm-meets-Crate-&-Barrel styling with its sleek furniture, neutral tones and Bosch-beautiful kitchen. The stone bathroom and private pool look straight out of a luxury resort without the four-star prices. This vacation condo rents for just $150 a night.

The downtown getaway is close to the 6th and 2nd Street Shopping Districts if boutiques are on your agenda. For those of you willing to admit you’re prowling for hookups, use this opportunity to scope out the local talent via the amazing live music venues and lively bars.

According to the magazine, Austin is home to some of the friendliest people around. So regardless of how many phone numbers you take home after last call, you’ll at least walk away with some Southern hospitality.

Gas prices have eased a little, paving the way for you “I-want-to-explore-small-town-America” types to indulge your inner vagabond.

Today, I take you to St. George, Utah, a cute Western town just an hour from Zion National Park. Now this one-bedroom vacation condo isn’t a luxury retreat, but the basics are all covered, from a flatscreen TV to a full-size washer and dryer and kitchen. There’s no sticker shock either. The condo costs just $92 a night if you stay before Oct. 25.

I chose St. George because according to this Associated Press article, it’s been getting a lot of interest lately as a market for vacation homes. And no kidding:

1. It’s close to seven golf courses.
2. Mesquite Nevada casinos are only 30 minutes away.
3. Bryce Canyon National Park, with its majestic red rock spires and vast amphitheaters, is two hours by car.

Existing property listers, maybe this is the next place to invest?

One look at this Costa Rican sky and you’re swept away to sparkling waters, a quiet beach and puffs of clouds swirling into dusty peach perfection.

It’s enough to make you want to jump on a plane this very minute, isn’t it? But something – or maybe someone – is stopping you.

The Internet, that endless, shifting black book of people and products spoils consumers into believing that next best thing is just a click away. The sheer volume of information available, from user reviews to news stories, can be daunting especially when it comes to the deep virtual landscape of vacation homes.

If you’re a first-time renter, eliminate the stress of finding that dream getaway by following these four steps:

1. Narrow down your search to two, at most three, vacation spots. I always start with a search of cheap airfare tracking sites like Airfarewatchdog.com and farecast.live.com. Proceed with VacationHomeRentals.com, where properties are listed by state, international destinations and Last Minute Deals.

2. Once you’ve found potential hot spots, contact owners and – if you’re extra curious – past renters (whose e-mail addresses are linked to their user reviews) with questions about the property. Ask questions, even if that information is already provided on the listing. It never hurts to be armed with all the answers up front because the information could be out of date depending on how often the landlord tends to the post. i.e. Does the rental charge including cleaning services? Is there a grocery store nearby? Are there cribs, strollers and other family necessities provided?

3. Stack your favorites against each other (You can add your favorites to a folder after registering on the site.) Based on the answers provided by the owners, decide what property best suits your situation in terms of cost, convenience and time. That Florida vacation home may be a great deal at $750 a week, but if it’s too 4,000 square feet too big for your family of three and too far away from Disney World,  where you’ll be spending most of your time, maybe a vacation condo closer to the park would make more sense.

4. Be flexible. Even if you’ve been wise enough to do all the research up-front, the final factor is your gut. Keep the planning as production-free as possible. Because that is the whole point of going on vacation.

If you’re intrigued by this luxury Maui vacation home, either A)price is not an issue or B)you’re just stopping by to look.

And how could you not? That would be like going into to Tiffany and turning your eyes away from the diamonds. You couldn’t.

The Japanese-influenced beach rental set on 4.1 acres sells me on the promises of lush landscaping, wide open, wood-paneled rooms, dreamy bedrooms and oh, those views. Swaddled by 120 coconut trees – including one very majestic Monkey Pod tree – the house knocks me off my computer desk chair. (And take it from me, since I started blogging for VacationHomeRentals.com, I’ve seen a lot of listings.)

What makes it even more exceptional: staircases that sweep to the second floor without rails, three neighboring guest houses, an outdoor jacuzzi and overall privacy for you and your posse.

The economic state of our country makes everyone nervous about even thinking about spending their money, but it never hurts to look. One day you might be flush, and this, along with any other Hawaii vacation home, could be your regular getaway.

Don’t give up the dream.