Happy Spring! In the spirit of spring cleaning, this month's newsletter focuses on making our vacation rentals clean-tastic. Thanks to everyone for participating in the Question of the Month last month regarding cleaning fees. We';ve written an article with a summary of those results for you to see how your cleaning fees measure up against those in other areas.

Also, we have solidified the venues for our upcoming San Diego, LA, and Phoenix seminars. If you have always wanted to attend a seminar, but have found that we don't come to your area, San Diego is an awesome place to visit. What better way to have a tax write off and be in a beautiful place!

Hope to see you at one of the seminars! Christine

Top 10 Most Common Cleaning Problems

1. Hair on the bathroom floor or in drains. Your housekeeper should vacuum after mopping to make sure everything is picked up. You can also ask him/her to check the drains in the sink, shower and tub to prevent clogs. 2. Mildew on shower curtains. Use mildew-resistant shower curtain liners. They cost a bit more but will stay cleaner longer. Keep replacements in your owner's closet and ask your housekeeper to replace them before they start to mildew. 3. Rust stains in toilet. Keep bleach on hand in addition to standard toilet cleaner for your housekeeper to use regularly.

4. Dirty stove, oven or toaster oven. Remind housekeeper to check appliances. It is also helpful to purchase burner liners for the stovetop and keep extras on hand. 5. Dirty barbecue grill. Purchase the appropriate tools for keeping your grill clean. 6. Dirt or food under couch cushions. Ask your housekeeper to vacuum couch cushions after guests check out to make sure no Cheerios slipped through the cracks!

7. Dust on ceiling fans. Purchase a ceiling fan wand or duster and a stepstool for your housekeeper to use.

8. Dusty vents. Ask your maintenance person to replace A/C filters at designated time intervals, and have your housekeeper dust the outside of vents periodically. You do not want your guests to think that's what they're breathing! 9. Stained sheets or towels. Keep extras in your owner's closet, and have your housekeeper replace sheets or towels when they start to get dingy. Be sure to check your linens every time you visit your home.

10. Burned out light bulbs. Keep extras on hand. It is not unreasonable to ask your housekeeper to check on these and reimburse for any extras purchased.

Recently Added Articles to the Owner Community

Decorating Your Beach Vacation Rental Home Classic and understated beach-inspired decorating ideas.

Determining Your Target Renter By narrowing your focus, you can more effectively target your ads.

Keys to Success: Renting Your Vacation Home A few guidelines for making sure that your vacation rental business runs smoothly and effectively.

Managing Cleaning and Maintenance from a Distance How to overcome the biggest challenge that you will likely face as a vacation rental owner.

Your Rental Options: Using a Property Manager vs. Renting by Owner After you decide to start renting your vacation home, you have a few options in moving forward.

The Top-Searched Amenities Which amenities are at the top of travelers' lists?

How To Market To Seniors and Snowbirds Senior citizens and snowbirds are popular renters for the winter. Learn how to effectively market your vacation home to capture these bookings!

Screening Your Guests What should go into vetting your guests, what information should you ask for, and what should you do if you have a bad gut feeling about a potential guest?

What To Do If Your Busy Spring Season Is Not Booked Tips for getting those last minute bookings!

Choosing a Phone Service and Plan Learn how to choose the best phone service and plan for both the homeowner and renters.

Exercise Equipment and Sporting Goods Do you have a stationary bike, treadmill,or unused sporting equipment collecting dust in your garage?

What is a Reasonable Cleaning Fee? How do you determine how much you should be paying for housekeeping between guests?

4 Reasons to Create a Property Inventory Having a clear inventory of which items you have in your vacation rental property is very important.

How to Market Your Vacation Home to Families with Teenagers Tips for appealing to the parents of teens.

Question of the Month This month's question: What has been your biggest cleaning complaint from renters? Last month, we asked Owner Community members how much they pay their housekeeper or property management company to clean their vacation home between renters and how much they turn around and charge their renters.

We had a total of 75 complete responses and here's what we found...

Christine's Blog Posts

March 17, 2008: Booking Patterns and Weather I have become somewhat immune to weather changes, because—well…Austin';s weather is pretty consistently the same—sunny and nice. Now you're probably reading this and wondering if I've fallen off my rocker...

March 11, 2008: Added Extras This past weekend, all of the sudden, I realized that I had not paid the beach service company for the beach chairs and umbrella that I have put out on the beach for my guests....

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....

Recently Added Podcasts

Ask Christine #13: Pricing Mistakes Christine discusses common pitfalls when pricing your vacation rental property.

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

Spring Seminar Schedule

Registration is open for the following seminar dates: March 27th: Toronto May 31st: San Diego, CA June 1st: Los Angeles, CA June 3rd: Phoenix, AZ

February Vacation Rental News

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

City of Venice loses short term rental case "A circuit court judge overturns a city council ruling, saying Venice's zoning ordinance doesn't clearly limit the duration and frequency of rentals." VeniceGondolier.com (3/21/08)

How to decuct mortgage interest, points on taxes "Are you in the market for a mortgage loan? Whether the loan is to buy a new home or to refinance your existing mortgage, you must shop around." Mortgage101.com (3/20/08)

Napa council wants to reel in vacation rental properties "The Napa City Council wants to bring order to a segment of the tourism industry that allows domestic stays in homes in the city's neighborhoods rather than in hotels or B&Bs." NapaValleyRegister.com (3/19/08)

The Scoop on VRBO's New Photo Limit We've gotten asked by many owners about VRBO's new photo limit. Here's the scoop: How does the new photo limit differ from the old one? • You can now have up to 16 photos. The previous limit was 12. • You now get 5 photos included with your annual subscription. Before, it was 3.

Why would I want to include 16 photos? • To show up higher on the VRBO list for your area. VRBO sorts listings in a region by, first, the number of photos (more photos = higher on the list) and then by seniority (i.e. those who signed up earlier rank higher). So therefore, if two property listings both have 16 photos up, the one with the lower property ID number would show up first. Be sure to check your area's page on VRBO to see where your ad falls on the list. • Listings with more photos get more inquiries. A prospective renter is more likely to inquire if they feel like they have all of the information on hand to make a qualified decision. • To give renters a better view of your home. One of the first questions that renters ask after inquiring about your home: Do you have any more photos?

How do I come up with 16 photos? Read this article for tips for choosing 16 photos of your home—no matter the size.

Have a question or comment? Email us.