Happy Holidays! I’m going to keep this very short and sweet~ Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  Happy Renting by Owner! Christine Karpinski Give the gift of life—Donate Blood.

10 More Vacation Rental Resolutions Last January, we counted down 10 Vacation Rental Resolutions for the New Year and have come up with 10 more to add to the list.

1) Set definite goals and objectives. It’s easy (especially if you’ve been renting your home for awhile) to get complacent. By setting specific goals, you’re giving yourself something to work toward. 2) Accept credit cards (if you don’t already). More and more, travel is becoming a paperless marketplace—don’t get left behind. 3) Get organized. It’ll make your life much easier in the long run.

4) Stay abreast of news in your vacation area. Subscribe to the local paper, sign up for Google alerts, or read the newspaper online. 5) Say no to bottom feeders. Don’t give your property away.

6) Get the most from your paid listings. Put up 12 quality photos, write descriptions that really sell your home, and use the rental rates and amenities tables. You’re not going to get as many inquiries and bookings if you listing is incomplete or hastily thrown together.

7) Be proactive. Create and stick to a preventative maintenance schedule. 8) Solicit reviews from past renters. 9) Respond to every single inquiry—even if you’re booked or the renter is asking for a discount. The number one complaint we get from HomeAway and VRBO visitors is that vacation rental owners don’t respond. 10) Take time to enjoy your home yourself.

Recently Added Articles to the Owner Community

Year End Tax Considerations As 2007 comes to a close, remember year-end responsibilities.

How to Avoid Double-Bookings Tips for preventing every vacation rental owner's biggest fear.

Household Stain Removal Guide Resources for removing household stains.

How to Market Your Vacation Home to Large Groups Don't miss out by forgetting large groups when equipping your home and creating your ads.

Keeping Records for Your Vacation Rental Avoid double-booking and other scheduling disasters by keeping detailed records.

Offline Marketing: Does it Work? Insight into marketing your vacation rental off-line.

How to Convert a Word Document to a PDF Tips for changing your contracts, receipts, and invoices into PDF files.

Creating an Owner's Lockout Closet Make your vacation rental home a convenient retreat for your family.

Interested in contributing content to the Owner Community? Send us an email with your name, contact info, and proposed topic.

Question of the Month This month's question: Which types of offline advertising have you tried in the past (e.g. newspaper classified ads, etc.) and to what success? Last month, Florette asked "In a very competitive market, what can I do to make my home stand out?"

"The most important thing is to make sure that your websites with Homeaway and VRBO are just as good as they can be. The best pictures, and the very best copy. Fun copy, interesting copy. Read everything Christine tells us about how to take those great pictures. I am always surprised at the folks that don't take advantage of all the things like taglines under pictures and do not use the space provided on the website to tell of the wonderful things to do in the area or what makes their home so special. I actually have a category that says: "What makes our home so special" and then I tell them. The best copy to me is to be very enthusiastic about your home. When I email or speak to prospective guests I tell them that I am very modest about other things in my life; but I am not modest about our two rental homes. I think they are absolutely the best in the Bryson City, NC area and I think that they (the prospective guest) would agree. I do not say that they ARE the best, only that I think they are (and I do think they are). We only have one chance to make a good first impression and that is our website!" -Sandy Nelson, Bryson Ciy, HomeAway #133735

Local Rental Alerts December 17, 2007: Missouri lodging association tracks down non-compliant VRs  Informal investigators hunting down non-compliant rentals.

Christine's Blog Posts

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.

Recently Added Podcasts

One-on-One with Baltimore Vacation Rental Owner, Richard Pretl Christine interviews experienced owner, Richard Pretl, about his vacation rental in Baltimore, Maryland.

One-on-One with Princeville Vacation Rental Owner, Hank Drayton Christine chats with Hawaii owner, Hank Drayton, about how and why he bought his property and how the vacation rental business has changed since he started 19 years ago. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512) 493-4340 and get an answer on the air.

Seminar Schedule

We've just added a couple 2008 dates: Atlanta: March 1st and 2nd (Details TBD) Toronto: March 26th and 27th (Details TBD) Look for additional 2008 dates in: Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, St. Louis, and Seattle.

December Vacation Rental News

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

12/21/07: Searching Across the Border NYTimes.com 12/15/07: Renting your home for Super Bowl week AZCentral.com 12/14/07: Foreign buyers turn to warmer areas of U.S. for holiday homes FinancialPost.com 12/7/07: The Name Game (Naming Your Second Home) NYTimes.com

Special Offer: No Sign Up Fee for New Credit Card Merchant Accounts until Dec. 31st We get asked time and time again if it's really necessary to accept credit cards.

Well ask yourself this:  On your last vacation, how did you pay?  Did you write checks for your airfare, lodging, groceries, breakfast at McDonald's, etc.?  More and more travelers pay (and expect to pay) by credit card than ever before.  Sure, your current renters are okay paying by check.  But what about the renters who don't even inquire because they look for "accept credit cards" in the property highlights. Save $99 if you sign up for the HomeAway.com Credit Card Program by December 31st.

Learn more about the HomeAway Network or List your property today. 

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