September 29, 2009: Small Problem, Big Hassle A broken TV at one of her rental cabins leaves Christine scrambling

September 15, 2009: A Narrow Escape Christine catches a potential rental catastrophe just in the nick of time

September 9, 2009: A Labor-Intensive Labor Day Christine takes a flurry of calls from prospective renters over the holiday weekend

August 27, 2009: Back From Across the Pond Christine experiences vacation rentals from a traveler's point of view on her family's European vacation

July 27, 2009: With a Little Help from My Friends A fellow vacation rental owner helps Christine gets her cabin into shape

July 22, 2009: When Disaster (Almost) Strikes Christine has a minor scare when the electricity goes out at one of her vacation rentals

July 13, 2009: The Pre-Vacation Scramble Christine scrambles to get her rental properties in order before leaving on her own family vacation

July 7, 2009: Blowing the Top Off Hurricane Insurance Christine gets a 4th of July treat: a $300 reduction on the wind insurance policy for one of her vacation rental properties

June 29, 2009: A Smarter Way to Tackle Multiple Mortgages Christine does a mid-year assessment of her rental goals and learns a better way to pay down the mortgages on her vacation rental properties

June 22, 2009: Don't Take Your Property Taxes Lying Down Christine fights (and wins!) a property tax dispute

June 15, 2009: Meet the New Members of the Owner Community Christine takes some time to introduce the newest members of her team.

June 9, 2009: Up Close and Personal Christine explains the difference between her book, seminars, and the Owner Community site

May 27, 2009: Memorial Day Madness In booking vacation rentals for her family vacation, Christine gets a taste of what it's like to be on the other side of the booking process

May 19, 2009: In a Holding Pattern The summer season is shaping up to be a good one for bookings. For refinancing? Not so much.

May 12, 2009: Refinancing Headaches Christine hits a frustrating roadblock while refinancing her home mortgage.

May 6, 2009: A Dispatch From Deep Inside the Mortgage Refinancing Process Christine updates readers about her progress in refinancing her home mortgages.

April 28, 2009: Responding to Swine Flu Worries Christine advises vacation homeowners on how to deal with possible cancellations from travelers worried about swine flu.

April 16, 2009: Offering Flexible Payment Schedules Christine explains how her flexibility with payment schedules has helped her to secure more bookings.

April 7, 2009: VRBO Owner Profiles and Google Maps™ Christine spent some time over the weekend adding an Owner Profile and Google ™ Map to her listings.

April 2, 2009: Annual Vacation Home Buyers Survey Christine shares her opinions about the results of the 2008 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey.

March 24, 2009: Redecorating During My Vacation Christine took advantage of some bargains to redecorate a couple of rooms in her Destin condo.

March 16, 2009: Vacation at My Destin Rental Christine is enjoying one of her vacation homes in Destin, but she'll still be responding to inquiries as usual.

March 11, 2009: Panic with the Power Company Christine shares a recent experience where her online banking failed her and the utility company almost turned off the power at one of her vacation rentals.

March 4, 2009: Preparing for Tax Season Christine is trying to break her habit of procrastinating on her taxes.

February 16, 2009: Refunds for Cancellations Christine admits to sometimes being a softie when it comes to renter cancellations.

February 10, 2009: Getting My Mistakes Out of the Way Christine is relieved to have made a couple of minor mistakes early in the year.

February 3, 2009: Inquiries for Driving Markets Christine examines some trends in the inquiries she has received.

January 20, 2009: How Renters Are Adjusting to the Economy Christine shares feedback from her renters that are still booking vacations in an uncertain economy.

January 14, 2009: Disappointed with a Housekeeper Christine talks about her disappoinment with the condition of one of her Destin condos.

January 7, 2009: A Holiday Visit to My Gatlinburg Cabins Christine talks about what she accomplished during a visit to her cabins during the holidays.

December 22, 2008: Looking Back at 2008 Christine reflects on her rental successes in the past year, along with the differences in inquiries from previous years.

December 15, 2008: The Importance of Carbon Monoxide Detectors Christine urges vacation rental owners to install CO detectors in their homes.

December 10, 2008: Receiving Text Message Inquiries Christine provides her feedback on the new SMS inquiry feature from HomeAway.

December 2, 2008: A Slow Thanksgiving Christine recaps her holiday weekend and notes the fervid owner response about raising rates.

November 24, 2008: Accommodating a Guest with Allergies Christine handles a renter who shows up at her property and has an allergic reaction.

November 13, 2008: The Best-Equipped Home I've Rented Christine describes her experience at the most fully-equipped vacation rental she's stayed in.

November 7, 2008: Budget Travel's Vacation Rental Handbook, Part 3 Christine wraps up her dissection of the Vacation Rental Handbook from Budget Travel Magazine (Nov. 2008).

November 6, 2008: Budget Travel's Vacation Rental Handbook, Part 2 Christine offers her feedback to points 6-10 of the Vacation Rental Handbook in Budget Travel (Nov. 2008).

November 4, 2008: Budget Travel's Vacation Rental Handbook, Part 1 Christine breaks down a recent article from Budget Travel magazine on the process of renting a vacation home.

October 28, 2008: Saving Money on Cable Christine provides some money-saving tips for your cable bill.

October 15, 2008: First Impressions with Your Directions Christine gives some useful advice on providing clear directions to your renters and solidifying that best first impression!

October 1, 2008: Observations about Vacation Homes and Owners Christine shares some valuable insight on her recent conversations with owners and vacation rental stays.

September 22, 2008: Heading to the Hawaii Seminars Christine talks about the prep work for the Hawaii Seminar Series.

September 16, 2008: A Non-Traditional Booking Christine is pleased to have landed a 10-week booking at her Panama City Beach condo.

September 8, 2008: Scheduling Fall Maintenance Christine vents about the burdens of scheduling and planning for fall maintenance.

August 28, 2008: Being on the Renter Side Christine shares some insight into her search and booking process.

August 25, 2008: My Labor Day Weekend Confusion Christine discusses some recent confusion about Labor Day availability.

August 18, 2008: Back from Vacation Christine had a great time in Exuma and is ready to plan her next vacation.

August 5, 2008: Preparing for Vacation Christine talks about the building excitement and the not-so-fun prep work for her upcoming vacation.

July 22, 2008: New Appliances Christine's special anniversary gifts resolve some vacation rental problems.

July 7, 2008: 4th of July Weekend and Using the Find Feature Christine explains why she doesn't use her own home on the 4th of July and shares a handy keyboard shortcut.

July 1, 2008: Vacation Rental Highs and Lows Christine discusses some unexpected bookings and a vacation rental obstacle.

June 24, 2008: The Frommer Interview Christine shares her thoughts about her Frommer interview and a recent rental pain.

June 20, 2008: Arthur Frommer's Radio Show Christine is star-struck after her interview with Mr. Arthur Frommer himself.

June 10, 2008: The Downside of Vacation Rental Ownership Christine recounts a recent experience that made her momentarily forget why she enjoys renting her vacation homes.

May 27, 2008 Misconceptions About Recent Inquiry Christine discusses an inquiry from what she thought was a scammer but was actually a qualified renter.

May 21, 2008: Memorial Day Weekend Christine talks about ideas for booking last minute renters for a big holiday weekend.

May 13, 2008: The 2008 NAREE Conference Christine talks about what she learned from her panel at the 2008 NAREE Conference.

May 5, 2008: An Overview of Spring Conferences Christine talks about the recent shows and conferences she has attended.

April 22, 2008: Maintenance Disappointments Christine discusses her maintenance expectations and finding trustworthy service providers.

April 7, 2008: Sending Two Contracts for the Same Week Christine gets on a soapbox about why you shouldn't send two contracts out to potential renters for the same week.

March 31, 2008: What To Make of the 2007 Vacation Home Buyers Survey Christine's take on the survey results of the National Association of Realtors.

March 24, 2008: Did Early Easter Affect Your Spring Bookings?  Before you start scratching your head about lower than normal spring rentals, it might just be the early Easter holiday. Consult your calendars for insight into booking patterns.

March 17, 2008: Booking Patterns and Weather Christine weighs in on how the weather across the country affects when bookings tend to roll in.

March 11, 2008: Added Extras Christine talks about the benefits of including beach service for her guests.

February 25, 2008: Deviating from Your Process Christine goes against her booking process... bad idea.

February 22, 2008: One of Those Weeks Christine recounts this past week when everything seemed to go wrong.

February 13, 2008: Playing Catch Up  Just so you know... Christine doesn't always practice what she preaches.

February 5, 2008: Less-Than-5 Reviews Christine explains why she's not upset by a 4-suitcase review.

January 29, 2008: The Value of Snowbirds Christine describes the invaluable feedback that monthly (or longer) renters can give.

January 22, 2008: Following Up with Inquiries Christine offers advice for how to followup with inquiries for the summer season.

January 8, 2008: New Technology and the New Year  Christine chats about new developments at HomeAway and how to make sure you're getting your inquiries.

December 21, 2007: The New HomeAway Connect Calendar Christine gives her take on the new HomeAway (and VRBO) calendar system.

December 11, 2007: Updating Your Rental Agreements Christine make a few alterations to her rental contracts.

December 5, 2007:  Vacation Destinations vs. Major Metros Christine finishes up her fall seminar tour and looks to 2008.

November 27, 2007: A Last-Minute Lock Change Christine deals with renters who forget to return the keys to her property-- and the backup set.

November 19, 2007: Getting Your Ads Ready for 2008 Christine prepares for the Thanksgiving holiday--- and for the new year.

November 12, 2007: Dealing with a Drought Christine offers insight into how to divert complaints when dealing with less than ideal situations.

November 6, 2007: Revisiting Your Insurance Policy A little CNN Headline News inspires Christine to look over the insurance policies and declaration pages for her vacation rental homes.

October 31, 2007: On Cancellations and Missing Organs Christine talks about her recent appendectomy and her only seminar cancellation in 10 years.

October 10, 2007: Juggling Inquiries from the Road Christine deals with a situation where a renter sent an inquiry about a certain weekend and expected her to hold it for her without sending payment.

September 30, 2007: On the Road Again... Christine checks in from the Northeast seminar tour.

September 17, 2007: Christine's Take on HomeAway 2.0 Christine talks about the benefits to owners of HomeAway 2.0.

September 11, 2007: The Most Difficult Part of Renting Christine contemplates the housekeeping situation at one of her properties.

September 4, 2007: Do Two Wrongs Make a Right? Oh no! Christine's renters showed up and her vacation home wasn't clean. She recounts how she handled it and why you should check your HomeAway listing to make sure that your rates haven't dropped off.

August 27, 2007: Nothing's Ever Easy Christine recounts her struggle to install an over-the-stove microwave in her vacation home.

August 20, 2007: How I'd Like to Respond to Stupid Questions Christine talks about how she'd really like to answer stupid questions from her renters.

August 6, 2007: Not-So-Smooth Sailing After boasting about her smoothly running summer last week , Christine deals with an array of less-than-ideal situations this week.

July 30, 2007: Summer Update, Seminar Tour, and Survey Christine talks about a smattering of topics this week include how the summer has been so far for her rentals, why she's limiting seating in the fall seminars, and how a little survey can get owners big press exposure.

July 23, 2007: Getting to Know You... Christine talks about how you (the owner) can sign up to participate in press opportunities, focus groups, and other owner feedbacks forums.

July 17, 2007: How the OC Gets Ideas This week, Christine writes about how the Owner Community decides what to write/podcast about and what you can do to help.

July 9, 2007: A Few Things We Can Learn From Hotels Christine recounts what she noticed while staying in hotels this past month and what hotel pratices and amenities that vacation rental owners might want to emulate.

July 2, 2007: Do You Stick to Your Principles? Christine reflects upon the quandary of offering amenities that don't necessarily coincide with the owner's personal principles to attract renters.

June 27, 2007: What You Should Know About Scams Scammers are getting more and more savvy. Here are some quick dos and don'ts.

June 20, 2007: Wrong Number Coincidence  This weekend, Christine once again transposed a number (see the Credit Card Scam blog post)... and it may result in a booking.

June 4, 2007: The Vacation Real Estate Market Christine's back from the NAREE conference with advice about dealing with the softening housing market.

May 29, 2007: Double-Booking Scare Christine recounts her Memorial Day experience dealing with a potential double-booked property.

May 23, 2007: Back from the FVRMA Conference Christine's takeaways from the Florida Vacation Rental Manager's Association conference that she attended this week.

May 21, 2007: FVRMA and Takeaways from Traveler Focus Groups
Christine sounds off on why she's attending the Florida Vacation Rental Manager's Association conference and what she learned from focus groups conducted by HomeAway this past week.

May 14, 2007: Accepting Large Dogs
Christine talks about targeting an often-overlooked group of renters: large dog owners.

May 7, 2007: How I'd Like to Respond to Bargain Hunters
Christine reacts to a few of the inquiries that she received this week.

April 30, 2007: Credit Card Scam or Not?
Christine talks about her experience dealing with an unsavory credit card situation.

April 23, 2007: Switching to Fluorescent Light Bulbs  
Christine talks about making the switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

April 16, 2007: Whew! Taxes Done.  
Christine is glad to be done with her taxes and checked in at her cabins on the new beds and linens that she recently ordered.

April 10, 2007: Buying New Linens for Your Vacation Property  
Christine writes about her experience buying new sheets for her new king-size beds.

March 26, 2007: Protecting Your Vacation Rental Home From Wildfires  
After a wildfire scare last week, Christine gives a few tips for eliminating the risk of fire in your vacation rental property.

March 21, 2007: "Vacationing" at Your Vacation Rental Home  
Christine's recent visit to her vacation rental home entailed more than just soaking in the sun. Each time she visits her properties, she completes necessary maintenance tasks that come with renting by owner.

March 12, 2007: In Response to Proposed Vacation Rental Bans in Hawaii  
Christine addresses the reasons behind the Owner Community's new Vacation Rental Bans and Local Rental Alerts sections.

February 22, 2007: "Are Vacation Rentals House-Swapping Like in the Movie, The Holiday?"  
At a recent conference, Christine spoke with many travelers who had never heard of or considered staying in a vacation rental. Here are a few of the questions and pre-conceived notions that they had about vacation rentals that vacation rental owners should be aware of.

February 8, 2007: Do you rent with your heart or your wallet?  
Christine looks at three scenarios that are difficult business and moral decisions to make regarding your vacation rental home. Consider what you'd do in these tough scenarios.

January 30, 2007: Buying New Beds for Your Vacation Rental Property  
Christine vents her frustration with the myriad of choices to made when buying new beds for her vacation homes.

January 22, 2007: Responding to Inquiries... Even if You're Booked  
One of the top complaints that we hear from renters at HomeAway.com is that vacation rental owners never respond to their inquiries. Why not?

January 8, 2007: Why It's Important to Be a Good Vacation Rental Owner  
There's a new type of vacationer on the rise-- the vacation rental newbie-- and it's important to treat them well to ensure your future success and the success of the vacation rental industry.

January 3, 2007: The January 2nd Curse  
Every year, some major problem arises at Christine's vacation rentals. She's learned to prepare for the worst and relish the great renters.

December 18, 2006: Preparing for the Holidays  
When you're going to be out of town and out of reach, make sure that you have a plan for dealing with crises that could befall your vacation rental home while you're away.

December 11, 2006: Vacation Rental Booking Dilemma  
Christine deals with the dilemma of holding time at one of her vacation rental properties for a renter. When should you make exceptions?

December 4, 2006: The Pre-Busy Vacation Rental Inquiry Season  
Before you get barraged with inquiries for your vacation rental property, take a few minutes to update your listings.