Hi Everyone! This month's newsletter is filled with a haberdashery of topics from adding certain amenities to marketing to business travelers. Thanks to everyone for forwarding their answers to last month's question about their common cleaning complaints.

We had fun writing this month's top 10 list of decorating disasters—the Owner Community Team loves to sometimes take a break from the more serious topics and write with a bit of humor. And as always—in every bit of humor there is a touch of truth.

Happy Renting! Christine Karpinski

Top 10 Decorating Styles to Avoid

1) Dingy chic. If a piece of furniture was once in your husband's dorm room, it's probably not ideal for your vacation home. Renters expect the furnishings at your property to be as nice as or nicer than their furniture at home. 2) Hodgepodge chic. This often goes hand in hand with the style above. It's likely that the red leather couch that you just moved out of the rec room at your primary home doesn't go with the beach-inspired pastels currently residing in the living room of your vacation rental.

3) Fraternity chic. Unless your vacation rental is a $15/night property, $59 futons and sheet-covered couches are never acceptable. Also, avoid bringing outdoor furniture indoors. It is rarely comfortable for long-term vegging and quickly makes a nice property seem like a frat house. 4) Partisan chic. Avoid political décor. Not everyone will share your views and you don't want to risk alienating potential travelers on the basis on politics. This also applies to overly risqué or religious décor.

5) Kitschy chic. Be wary of over-decorating. Too many trinkets, quilts, kitten photos, and natural artifacts can make your home feel cluttered and crowded. There's no need to keep every seashell that your kids have ever picked up on the beach. A few decorative items in each room can go a long way. 6) Creepy chic. Avoid too personal décor. While it's fine to display a few family photos, think twice before constructing a shrine to your late grandmother, complete with her ashes.

7) Museum chic. Vacation rental homes are made to be lived in and especially when you have renters with children—accidents do happen. If you have a valuable art collection or priceless family heirlooms, perhaps you should display them at your primary home instead.

8) Spartan chic. There's definite merit to less-is-more; however, your vacation home shouldn't resemble a military barracks. Add a little bit of color and softness to your home by adding a throw pillow or two and some wall art. 9) Storage room chic. Avoid cramming too much furniture into a room. While this may increase your sleep number, it can make your home feel small and claustrophobic. 10) Non sequitur chic. Renters are often leery of out-of-place themes and decorating touches. Typically renters want a beach condo to feel bright and beachy and a mountain cabin to feel to rustic and cozy. It may not be the best idea to have a Hawaiian-themed living room in the Rockies or an homage to trophy hunting in the Caribbean.

Recently Added Articles to the Owner Community

The Pros and Cons of Adding a Swimming Pool to Your Vacation Rental   Considerations for building a pool at your vacation home.

Adding a Pool Table to Your Vacation Rental  Things to keep in mind when adding this amenity to your cottage, condo, or cabin.

Creating a Game Room at Your Rental Property  Learn how to furnish the extra space in your home to appeal to families with children.

Creating an Office at Your Vacation Rental  Follow these tips to create a functional workspace for business and leisure travelers alike.

How to Build an Outdoor Living Area at Your Vacation Rental  Learn some of the components of building a functional, comfortable, and memorable outdoor living space.

Going Green at Your Vacation Home, Part 1  Easy tips for saving money and helping the environment while maintaining your vacation rental property.

Going Green at Your Vacation Home, Part 2  Learn how to help your renters be environmentally conscious while staying at your vacation property.

Composting Toilets for Your Cottage Rental  Learn about a safe and environmentally friendly method of waste treatment.

Accepting Security Deposits by Credit Card  How to handle deposit payments by credit card.

Maximum Occupancy At Your Vacation Rental  Some pointers for determining when to be flexible and when to enforce your maximum occupancy.

Merchant Credit Card Account Categories  Be aware of the protection (or lack thereof) provided by your merchant account and/or business category.

Swimming Pool Rules for Your Vacation Rental Guests  Help ensure a safe and enjoyable visit for your renters by posting pool safety guidelines at your property.

Vacation Rental Market Q&A: Muskoka, Ontario  A Q&A with real estate agent, John Jarvis.

How to Market to Business Travelers  Learn how to attract business travelers as renters for your vacation property.

How to Use Flickr to Market Your Vacation Home  Tips for using photo-sharing sites to further market your vacation rental home on the web.

Finding Service Providers for Your Vacation Home  A quick list of service providers you may need as you embark upon renting your vacation home.

VRBO Listing Critique: Ariel Dunes (Destin, FL)  Very thorough listing with a good use of space.

Why Business Travelers Might Seek Out Vacation Rentals  Don't rule out an important group of renters for your vacation property

Question of the Month This month's question (s): What is your favorite part of renting your vacation home?  What is your least? Last month we asked: What has been your biggest cleaning complaint from renters?

"The floors. Sand, Dust etc.. Duh! You are at the beach and sand sticks to everything." -Veronica Caldwell, Maravilla, Gulfview, Ciboney, (VRBO #21668 & #160892, VacationRentals.com #536, #2569, #38065) "I've never gotten a cleaning complaint. I did have a rental that must have been chain smokers. It took a long time to get the smell out. That's when I decided to go non-smoking. It was terrible!!" -Janna Wagner, Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks, HomeAway #132778 And: What is the most ridiculous cleaning complaint that you've gotten from a renter? "My snowbird told me that my condo was not clean enough for them (I recently completely painted the walls and baseboards and totally moved everything) but good enough for surfers and Spring Breakers. (Who pay in one week what they pay for a month)." -Veronica Caldwell, Maravilla, Gulfview, Ciboney, (VRBO #21668 & #160892, VacationRentals.com #536, #2569, #38065) "I had a renter demand that the beach grass be cut due to the insects that it may (or may not) attract. After that I decided that the grass that was planted to keep the sand from blowing around will no longer be cut. It's the beach there are insects no matter what." -Janna Wagner, Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks, HomeAway #132778

Christine's Blog Posts

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.

Recently Added Podcasts

Buying an Investment Property in Naples, FL: Part 2 Second part of Christine's talk with Naples real estate agent, Lynn Wilber.

Buying an Investment Property in Naples, FL: Part 1  Real Estate Agent Lynn Wilber discusses the vacation home market in Naples, FL. Ask Christine #14: Benefits of Renting by Owner Christine touts the pros and cons of renting your vacation home on your own. One-on-One with Washington State Vacation Rental Owner, Bob Kelly Christine talks with vacation rental owner, Bob Kelly, about why he chose to rent by owner in Pacific Beach, WA.

Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512) 493-4340 and get an answer on the air.

Spring Seminar Schedule

We've had to reschedule the June 1 Los Angeles seminar.  We now have two dates in the LA area.  Registration is open for the following seminar dates: May 17th: Costa Mesa, CA May 18th: Sherman Oaks, CA May 31st: San Diego, CA June 3rd: Phoenix, AZ

April Vacation Rental News

Visit the Owner Community for more April Vacation Rental News and 100s of articles in the Vacation Rental News archive.

Second-Home Buyers Go Condo "The second-home market is in a slump. But one type of vacation property is still showing signs of life: condos. A new National Association of Realtors study estimates that sales of vacation homes in 2007 fell 31%, to 740,000, from 2006. But sales of condos dipped only slightly -- down 2.8% -- while sales of detached homes dropped 38%..." WSJ.com 04/18/2008

Transient vacation rental applications now available on Kauai "A bill recently passed by the County Council requires owners of single-family transient vacation rentals to register their homes or apply for a Non-Conforming Use Certificate..." KauaiWorld.com 04/10/2008

America's Top Second-Home Spots "Though the country's housing markets continue to soften, those who can afford a second, third or fourth home are opening their wallets..."  Forbes.com 04/02/2008

HomeAway, Inc. Webinar Series

We're launching a series of free webinars for vacation rental owners in late May. 

As a member of the Owner Community, we'd like to invite you to join us for a sneak peak. 

May 13th, 1PM EST: Selecting Photos: Room by Room May 14th, 12PM EST: Buying the Right Vacation Home May 15th, 2PM EST: How to Write a Compelling Headline & Property Description

Pre-registration is required and limited to 20 owners per session to ensure that everyone's questions can be answered. 

Sign up today to reserve your spot!  You can also send us your ideas and feedback for future webinars.

Have a question or comment? Email us.