Top Ten Personal Affects to Leave at Your Property
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1) One or two family photos. But not: A shrine dedicated to each of your grandchildren.
2) Books. But not: Anything too political, religious or racy.
3) Children and Family-Oriented Movies. But not: Home movies or anything you wouldn't want your eight-year-old to watch.
4) Your Favorite Recipes. But not: Complicated dishes that require scads of hard-to-find ingredients.
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5) First aid supplies like band aids. But not: Your personal prescriptions.
6) Coffee, tea, and sugar. But not: Opened food items like cereal and peanut butter.
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7) Sunscreen and/or bug spray. But not: Your well-worn sun-hat and snake chaps.
8) Handmade decor like quilts and seashell centerpieces. But not: Your kid's kindergarten hand-print.
9) Office supplies like pens and paper. But not: Stationery with your smiling face on it.
10) A computer. But not: Your personal PC with your income spreadsheets.
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How to Sell Your Vacation Rental Home as a Business Tips for packaging and selling your vacation rental as business rather than just a vacation home.
The Difference Types of Travelers and How to Get Them to Book Your Property A light-hearted look at the easy-to-book travelers, the tough-sells, and the ones to avoid altogether.
Creative Ways to Keep Your Home Booked in the Slower Season Pointers for keeping your large home full during the off season.
How to Market Your Vacation Home to Couples Target groups of couples traveling together with the right language and amenities.
Ask Christine: Should I Charge a Non-Refundable "Wear-and-Tear" Fee? Christine answers a question from an owner who wonder if she should charge a non-refundable fee to cover wear and tear to her property.
Ask Christine: Does a Two Bedroom Rent More Easily Than a One Bedroom? Christine answers a question from an owner who wonders if it would be better to split her home into two separate rentals.
Running a Vacation Rental Business FAQs The most frequently asked questions that we get from owners about running their vacation rental businesses.
Buying a Vacation Rental Home FAQs The most frequently asked questions about buying a vacation rental property.
| Owner Community FAQs Answers to commonly asked questions about the Owner Community, newsletter, and podcast. |
HomeAway Listing Critique: Latitude Adjustment Very complete ad with great descriptions, but the photos might sell the property short.
Last month's question: What's your worst renter complaint story?
From Ed, HomeAway Listing #321131:
| "I just had a doosey of an unreasonable complaint. A couple complained that the my vacation property was just too rustic for them and they would like a full refund. When I asked which aspects were too rustic they had had some interesting comments. Their first was that there is too much nature around the house and that they didn't know they would be this secluded. At this point I reminded them of my HomeAway title: A Nature Lover's Paradise. |
They apparently weren't expecting it to really be a house surrounded by ten acres of wildlife and natural beauty. I always send prospective guests a link to my virtual tours to make sure they understand exactly what they are renting. Somehow 360 degrees of wilderness didn't show through for them. I'm really not sure how they missed it.
I even sent them 17 previous guest comments that went into explicit detail regarding exactly how the house is situated in the area.
Their last comment really killed me, though. They said that the house just had too much wood. When I asked what they meant, they said the walls are all wood and they didn't like it. I asked them if they saw the wood on the photos. They said yes, but once they got there they realized it was just too much wood for their taste. You just can't please some people."
Followup: "My difficult renter actually has a happy ending. They are currently on Day 3 of their stay and I've been having my housekeeper drop by each day to see how they are doing and dropping off little goodies (wine and chocolates, mostly) and being her super nice self. Anyway, I got a call this afternoon from the renter apologizing for her rude behavior. Said something about being tired and cranky. Again, the power of an $8 bottle of wine and a great PR person/housekeeper in action!"
Local Rental Market Information
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We're in the process of compiling local resources for each of the HomeAway markets. The first thing that we're starting with is local/regional/state tax office information. It's quite an undertaking and we need your help.
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We've already posted a list of State Sales Tax Offices and are now looking for city and county office websites. If you have the link to your city, county, or regional tax office handy, please send it our way.
July 10, 2007: Maui to Enforce Short-Term Rental Regulations Vacation rentals without permits to be cited.
July 9, 2007: Did HomeAway Add My Property to This Website? As scraping becomes more and more common, it's important to be aware and to take action.
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