Vacation Home Rentals Blog

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With two weeks left of summer, is it too early to be pushing for fall bookings?

Of course not.

While no one wants to be reminded that the season of sandcastles is slipping away, it’s the savvy marketer who understands the necessity to pounce weeks ahead. Case in point: The owner of the Vermont vacation home above knows his/her customer–a nature buff–and is offering 15 percent off for a weekly rental between Aug. 30 and Oct. 15.

The five-bedroom home sprawls on 50 acres and connects to the Kingdom Trails network in the Northeastern part of the state. Visitors can bike, hike and watch for the random deer or moose. (Yes, moose.) And if the words fall foliage excite you like a cup of warm cider, you’ll most certainly have to make the most of your camera to capture Mother Nature in all her amber, gold and brown splendor.

Winter rates jump to $1,800 a week from Dec. 15 to April 15–so it does in fact pay to be the early bird.

Just don’t market Christmas in July. Now that’s a real turn-off.

When it comes to packaging your vacation home online, don’t underestimate the power of staging. Just like you would with a home you are about to sell, you need to convey the message of neutral sophistication with smartly chosen decor. Folks need to be able to believe they could live there, too, without reminders of the owners.

Here, find five tips for jazzing up your house, whether it’s a Florida vacation rental or Chicago vacation home.

1. Spend money on better linens.
People notice scratchy towels and 200-threadcount sheets, two preferences that may wind up in negative user reviews if the renters happen to be passionate about such things. Don’t risk the bad press. Going to sleep in a stranger’s bed is enough of an adjustment. Make it an easy night with silky linens and they’ll thank you for it.

2. Eliminate tchotchkes.
You may have thought that singing fish trophy was cool as a gag gift in 1993, but trust me, it was never cool. The same goes for neon Budweiser signs, poems printed on plaques and anything else that would qualify for a garage sale.

3. Declutter.
It’s off-putting to see piles anywhere–especially in a vacation home. How’s a renter supposed to relax with articles strewn about?

4. Keep it neutral.
Customers will expect a nautical theme in a Cape Cod beach cottage, but there’s no need to overdo it. Just being at the coast will set the tone for the vacation itself. Don’t hang an anchor or starfish in every room.

5. Depersonalize.
Maybe you do stay in the home a few weeks at a time. Good for you. You worked hard for this place and this vacation. Still, do your clients need to see photos of you at every turn? Some may find that charming, but others could be creeped out a little. If you insist on adding your personal touches, do that with art or a handwritten note accompanying a welcome basket. Those are signatures they’ll appreciate.

Whether it’s a Florida vacation rental or Myrtle beach condo rental, earning a glowing user review is as good as gold.

Word-of-Internet is the new word-of-mouth, demonstrating the most strength in numbers. So the more positive experiences renters have with your property, the better.

With the Internet at our fingertips, content is power, but there’s a lot of dodgy information out there. Owners, load your listing with the best, most specific reviews to equip potential renters with enough facts to make an informed decision.

But first off, how do you get past renters to write about their stays? Here are a few ideas.

1. Consider an incentive program.
If the house lived up to or exceeded its billing, encourage renters to share their experiences online with rewards for future visits. Families tend to book the same house year after year to take the hassle out of planning or potentially losing that coveted house on the lake. Give them discounts for return trips.

2.  Bring in extra touches.
You may not know them personally, but vacation home clientele want to feel like guests of your home. Add a personal signature to their stay by providing a basket filled with fresh baked cookies or wine, and you’ll have them gushing long after their summer vacation.

3. Don’t forget about the off-season.
Make your vacation home a year-round money maker by dangling incentives during all four seasons. That Cape Cod beach house? Make it available during Thanksgiving. That Destin condo? It could be the next destination for a girlfriends’ getaway come December. Let it be known that shorter stays and holiday weeks aren’t off limits, and you’ll have folks cooing about how flexible you were.

4. Make it family friendly.
Parents will scan your listing for words like crib, Pack ‘N Play, bunk beds and stroller when they’re narrowing down their list of possible vacation rentals. A kid-ready home is likely to land repeat renters and possibly new ones in other parents.

Note to Caribbean vacation home owners: When posting your property, go heavy on the blue.

Even if you’ve never actually been, the first image that comes to mind is those sparkling, tempting waters. Reinforcing that idea is never a bad thing.

And now, the dream could be closer to reality as occupancy rates have plummeted dramatically on some islands, where tourism has fallen by the double digits, reported Tribune Media Services.

I don’t know about you, but I’d always kept the Caribbean in the column of “wouldn’t-it-be-nice-to-visit-if-i-had-the-money” destinations, a place for honeymooners and wealthy families who did super fancy things like yachting, snorkeling and scuba diving. Of course, I’m just a kid from the suburbs of Virginia Beach. My idea of vacay is crabbing off Chick’s Beach.

This is certainly great news and fuels my fire to find the perfect Virgin Islands vacation rental for me and my family.

We just have to get through the Florida vacation first.

If a Malibu vacation home was on your list of must-visits or you own a property in this glitzy zip code, be forewarned: Renting and owning could hit you deeper in the pocket.

That’s because as of July 1, Malibu property owners will have to pay a 12 percent transient occupancy tax for vacationers who stay less than 30 days, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Will it affect those of us who “summer” in the playground of the papparrazzi?

90623 landlords: Here’s your chance to sound off. Will you be raising prices to offset the tax burden?

And luxury vacation home renters: to Malibu or not to Malibu this year?

When you’ve walked a jillion miles from Cinderella Castle to Frontierland, the last thing you need is another jillion miles to walk on a sprawling resort. You’ve just pushed a stroller and stood in lines in 90-degree heat for eight hours straight. You’re sore, hungry and in dire need of a shower.

Suddenly those five-minute highs from spinning yourselves silly on the tea cups have turned you into a cranky, stinky you-know what.

In preparation for that literal crash–sugar and otherwise–you’ll want to find a nice place to stay. But not that standard, identity-free hotel room, but a real cozy, intimate retreat.

Disney Area vacation homes at Tropical Palms Resort will feel like home. The Kissimmee vacation rental above is a real-life dollhouse, perfectly sized for families with small children. Brimming with the charm of a Key West cottage, the house sports a loft, tiny kitchen, bathroom, TV and wireless access. For the tykes: a kiddie pool and game room.

And there’s something else miniature about the spot, too: the price.

Just $59 a night.

Yes way.

Maybe you bought your Lake Norman vacation home as an investment, hoping to flip it after a few years for big bucks. Maybe your Charlotte vacation rental won’t get used this year because you’re worried about taking too much time off. Smart–we’re all nervous about losing our jobs.

Whatever the reason, it would pay off now to list your property with VacationHomeRentals.com, because according to the Charlotte Observer, the area is seeing a lot of traction. Only 12 miles from Mooresville, aka Race City USA, Lake Norman is a bastion for NASCAR fans and families seeking the peaceful 520 miles of shoreline, jet skiing, fishing, sailing and canoeing.

One of the reasons travelers might favor a lakeside home is the access to boat docks to park that spankin’ new watercraft. I mean, that’s probably why you bought the property, right?

Share the spoils with other folks. Don’t let your vacation home sit stagnant when there’s $ to be made.

Steamboat Springs vacation homes aren’t the first places on your radar for spending summer break. After all, you’ve just spent months with an ice pick frozen to your hand–wouldn’t you rather be holed up in a Florida vacation rental instead?

Well, humidity, not to mention pastel-colored everything, isn’t for all of us.

Give some folks a mountain chalet and its accompanying crisp, thin air, pine-covered reserves and fishing rods for the vacation of a lifetime. Getting back to nature, y’all.

While the home above has hosted its share of ski bunnies, don’t discount the 3,500-square-foot chalet for that long-time-in-coming family reunion, corporate retreat, post-final exam escape, girlfriend getaway and mancation. The owner was wise enough to post photos of the property when weather’s warm. I highly suggest that strategy to other Colorado vacation home owners, too.

Don’t pigeonhole yourself as a one-season only destination.

Think of the folks who already live in warm climates. They might need a place to “cool down” during summer, too.

We hope that Florida vacation home you booked for July is still in the works, but a new poll suggests that folks have canceled at least one of their planned trips.

A survey by AP-Gfk claims that 42 percent of Americans will be going on summer vacation, compared with 49 percent who said in a 2005 AP-Ipsos poll that they would be taking one. And most notable: While 43 percent of 30-49-year-olds will be vacationing, only 39 percent of 65 and older Americans plan to do so.

Can’t say I’m surprised.

The entitlement generation is used to Starbucks, Louis Vuitton purses and high-end denim. Personally, those are luxuries I can live without, but a vacation? No way.

If your company is teetering on the edge of layoffs or you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I can understand why you’d want to bypass the holiday in a Maui vacation rental, but an abbreviated excursion, even an extended weekend, can do wonders. Just choose carefully and don’t be stupid. If a road trip to Colorado is more feasible than a splashy European adventure, more power to you. And don’t rule out the savings and space benefits of renting a vacation home.

What’s the truth, though, America? We want to hear from you. Are you sticking by or scrapping your summer vacation? Leave a comment here or follow us (and speak to us) on Twitter @checkincheckout.

California and Illinois aren’t the only states strapped for cash.

Florida lawmakers have decided to cut the budget for the state-subsidized tourism agency, Visit Florida, to $25 million, $10 million less than what it received last year, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The optimist in me says the Sunshine State will endure the downturn even without the added support of the agency–especially if the airlines continue to discount airfares. I found an insanely cheap fare to Tampa on AirTran for around $138 roundtrip, but I went with Southwest (for $179 to boot) because it’s easier to travel with the kids on direct flights.

Given the competition for out-of-towners, hotels are doing everything possible to convert vacancies into occupancies, so Florida vacation home owners should be creative with their marketing and consider dangling last-minute deals and other incentives–including buy three, get the fourth-night-free promotions to free Disney tickets–to land bookings.

Travelers, if you’re looking for that resort experience but like the conveniences of your own kitchen, VacationHomeRentals.com has plenty of properties to suit your needs. (Destin vacation rentals come to mind.)

The diminished power of Visit Florida hopefully won’t deter tourists from visiting. Because when it comes to surf, sand and sun, the state is to vacations as McDonald’s is to french fries. It’s what it does best.