Sure, there’s Santa Claus, Ind., and Saint Nicholas, Pa., but who would have ever guessed that one of most festive yuletide towns in the U.S. exists in Branson, Mo.?

Branson vacation rentals owners should capitalize on the city’s host role to the Branson Area Festival of Lights, a six-week electricity extravaganza designed for oohing and aahing. Limousine tours wind through downtown Branson in style–complete with sparkling cider and Christmas tunes–but visitors are more than welcome to take their own vehicles along the 175 displays of twinkling Santas, reindeer and nativity scenes. (Note: The Branson Area Festival of Lights Drive-Through charges $10 for family vehicles, but the limo rides are offered by Branson Limo Service for $125-$360 depending on the style of car you reserve, whether that’s luxury sedan, stretch limo or shuttle bus.)

If you’re a landlord with a Missouri cabin rental, make sure to detail how close your property is to the sights and how it would make an attractive option for groups looking for a break from their usual holiday routine. Showcase large open spaces if you have them, like a supersized dining table or game room, where prospective renters can see themselves carving a turkey, sipping eggnog together and challenging the in-laws to a game of pool.

And besides “light-seeing,” don’t forget those other two holiday traditions: shopping and eating. Your listing should mention proximity to Branson Landing, the behemoth outdoor mall, the Tanger Outlet Center and the Branson Mill Craft Village, where artisans display their unique wares such as etched glassworks, wood carvings and stained glass.

For dining, make recommendations on where to eat, as people will be too lazy to cook all of the days. Or, if your house boasts a kitchen built for grandma’s from-scratch recipes, place your renters there so they can smell it. Showcase the dining room table all dressed up for holiday dinner. Post pictures of the duel ovens. If you have images of previous tenants baking cookies, display them. A lively room speaks volumes.

That’s what the holidays are all about: spreading cheer.

Property owners, it’s time to take a good, hard look at your listing.

Is it stuck in the wrong season? Is your posting riddled with photos of people water skiing or golfing in shorts? Yep, it may be time for a makeover.

With the right “staging,” your lovely little getaway can be billed as the perfect ski bunnies’ retreat or Christmas cabin. Remember: Even Floridians need a break from 80 degrees.

To properly winterize, say, your California vacation rental, think like a prospective tenant.

What would you  associate with the season?

1. In cold-weather climates, tenants look for places to play in the snow. Think skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. If your property is near a ski resort, by all means, say specifically how close your home is, as the owner of the Big Bear Lake vacation rental does above.

2. If you have any photos of the property dressed up for the holidays, upload them. Who can resist a fully lit, 16-foot Fraser Fir in all its yuletide glory?

3. Show off that hot tub in photos. Folks who endure subzero temps will be grateful for the soothing jet action after taking their muscles to their limits on the slopes.

4. Ditto for fireplaces, and by all means, make sure there’s fire in the photos. A stone-surround fireplace is gorgeous and all, but even more brilliant when lit with logs. The only thing missing there is a family in reindeer sweaters sipping hot cocoa.

5. When the season is over, change the “linens” with new images that are appropriate to the time. Keeping the listing fresh reminds renters that you’re a conscientious business owner who tends to his properties and cares about the customer experience. An absentee landlord is like the neighbor who refuses to take down his Christmas lights–in February. Come on already.

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.

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.