10 Things We Learned from Vacation Rental Owners in 2007
Our owners have a wealth of information. Here a just a few of the things we learned this fall. |
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10 Things We Learned from Vacation Rental Owners in 2008
Read tips for renting your home that we learned from other owners during our 2008 seminars.”
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11 Steps to Staging Great Photos for Your Vacation Rental Listing
Tips to stage a room in your vacation rental so that your photos will look more professional. |
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4 Quick Steps to Improve Any Photo Using Photoshop Elements
Tips to quickly and easily improve the quality of your property photos using Photoshop Elements. |
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Advanced SEO for Your Listing: The Importance of Building Links
Once you have optimized the text and photos in your listing for the search engines, you can take it one step further. |
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Advertising Your Vacation Home to Special Event Travelers
When updating the listing for your vacation rental property, don't forget to reach out to special event travelers. |
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Being Involved In Homeowners' Associations (HOA)
Easy ways for YOU to get involved with your HOA from afar. |
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Charging a Cleaning Fee vs. Having Your Vacation Rental Guests Clean
Many owners are tempted to just let their guests clean upon leaving a vacation rental property rather than hiring a housekeeper. But is this really the best thing? |
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Charging by Night or by Person: Setting Vacation Rental Rates
Whether you charge per person or by maximum occupancy often depends on your vacation rental market. |
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Christine on Keeping Up Vacation Rental Calendars
Keeping calendars up-to-date has been a bit of a sore subject with vacation rental owners. Why Christine thinks it's a must. |
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Christine on the Benefits of Collecting Sales Tax from Vacation Rental Guests
Sales tax evasion has always been a pretty hot discussion topic among vacation rental owners. |
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Common Mistakes Owners Make When Filling Out Their Contact Info
When filling out the contact information section of their vacation rental listing, many owners make business-breaking mistakes. |
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Creative Ways to Keep a Large Home Booked in the Slower Season
Pointers for keeping your large vacation rental home full during the off season. |
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Descriptive Words to Use in Your Vacation Rental Ad: Part 1
Tips for choosing adjectives to describe your holiday rental home. |
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Descriptive Words to Use in your Vacation Rental Ad: Part 2
Tips for choosing property type, location, and amenity words to highlight in your vacation rental descriptions and headlines. |
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Determining Monthly Rates for Your Vacation Rental Home
A general formula you can use to determine monthly rental rates. |
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Don't Lower Your Rates, Raise Your Standards
A little vacation rental advice for keeping up with the competition. Don't panic and slash your rates. Instead add value. |
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Examples of a Well-Written Vacation Rental Property Description for HomeAway
Learn how to better organize the information in your property description for potential renters. |
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Examples of Well-Written Vacation Rental Property Headlines for HomeAway
Come up with new ideas for your own property headline by learning what works well in the examples below. |
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Filling Out the Amenities Section of Your Vacation Rental Ad
A checklist for completing the amenities section of your vacation rental listing |
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Google Maps and Your Vacation Rental Listings
Give travelers the location information they crave while maintaining complete control over the privacy of your home. |
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Guidelines for Charging Pet Fees at Your Vacation Rental Home
If you choose to accept pets in your vacation rental, here's a guideline for pet fees. |
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Guidelines for Taking & Selecting Photos of Your Vacation Rental
Your photos are your chance to visually market your vacation home to potential renters. Don't miss out by taking lackluster photos of your home. |
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Homeowners' Association Meetings and Vacation Rental Homeowners
Attending your annual Homeowners' Association (HOA) meeting can serve as a way to voice your opinions and form a vacation rental owners association. |
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How Much Should You Charge Friends For Rentals?
Information on renting to friends and how much to charge your friends to stay in your vacation rental home. |
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How to Book Last-Minute Rentals at Your Vacation Property
Tactics you can use to increase last-minute bookings of your vacation rental property |
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How to Create Unique Content for ALL of Your Vacation Rental Listings
Learn how to get more results from the search engines and make the most of your marketing budget. |
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How to Encourage Repeat Renters at Your Vacation Home Rental
Having a past renter come back to your vacation rental property makes good business sense |
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How to Equip and Market Your Lake Rental Property
Guide to furnishing your lake house or condo with the right amenities to attract certain types of vacationers. |
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How to Find the Next Door Neighbor of Your Vacation Rental Home
It's generally easy to find other vacation rental owners in your area. |
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How to Increase the Number of Reviews in Your Online Guestbook
Owners with 45+ reviews share their secrets about what it takes to get guests to leave comments |
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How to Increase Your Vacation Rental's Curb Appeal
How to make your property's first impression a good one |
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How to Keep Your Vacation Home Booked in an Uncertain Economy
Tips for marketing your vacation home during these tough financial times. |
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How to Look Up Area Codes and Time Zones
When calling a potential renter, it's important to know where they're located and what time it is there. |
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How to Make the Most of Your Marketing Budget
5 ways to analyze your current advertising spending to get the most for your marketing dollars. |
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How to Make Your Listing as Good as Your Vacation Home
Don't let your special touches go unnoticed – be sure to advertise everything you offer. |
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How to Market Your Beachfront Rental
Suggestions for increasing inquiries and bookings at your beachfront vacation home. |
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How to Market Your U.S. Vacation Rental to International Travelers
The benefits and considerations of taking your vacation rental business global. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home as a Luxury Rental
Boost the extravagance factor of your vacation home. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to 30-Day Renters
Market to this niche group to satisfy local minimum stay regulations or to simply your increase bookings. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Business Travelers
Learn how to attract business travelers as renters for your vacation property. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Couples
Target groups of couples traveling together with the right language and amenities. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Families with Children
Tips for attracting groups traveling with young children. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Families with Teenagers
Tips for appealing to the parents of snarly teens. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Fishing Enthusiasts
Guide to baiting and hooking recreational fishermen and women. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Foodies & Wine Aficionados
Learn tips for attract food and wine lovers to your vacation rental. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Golfers
Learn how to attract golf enthusiasts to your vacation rental. |
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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. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Skiers
Here are tips for getting skiers to choose your vacation home when they are planning to hit the slopes. |
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How to Market Your Vacation Home to Travelers with Pets
Learn how to equip your home and advertise your vacation rental as pet-friendly |
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How to Market Your Vacation Property 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! |
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How to Market Your Vacation Rental to Traveling Consultants
The Owner Community shares some valuable and thorough information on marketing to this niche group of business travelers submitted directly from a vacation rental owner |
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How to Market Your Winter Vacation Home for Summer Bookings
Take advantage of some extra booking opportunities even if summer is not your busy season. |
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How to Quickly Improve the Appearance of Orange-Cast Photos
Tips for editing a photograph of your vacation rental property that is overly orange in tone. |
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How to Spot a Vacation Rental Scam Inquiry
Tips for identifying whether a rental inquiry is legitimate or a scam |
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How to Target Large Groups Even if You Have a Small Home
Tips for marketing your small vacation rental property to larger groups. |
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How to Turn a Good Photo of Your Vacation Rental into a Great One
Bring life to your photos and renters to your doorstep with a few easy changes. |
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How to Use a Digital Camera to Take Photos of Your Vacation Property
Quick tips for using your digital camera to capture your vacation rental property's best side. |
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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. |
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How to Use Photo Captions to Your Advantage on Vacation Rental Websites
Tips for writing great photo captions in your HomeAway or VRBO listings. |
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How to Write a Compelling Property Description
Make the most of the space available by describing the things travelers care about most. |
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How to Write a Great Headline for Your Vacation Rental Listing
It's critical that yours is not just good, but GREAT. |
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How to Write about Your Vacation Rental Property's Location
The description of your vacation rental property's location is a vital component of your ad and should not be overlooked. |
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How to Write Your Ads for the Search Engines, too!
When writing your advertisements, learn how to attract travelers from the search engines. |
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Marketing Your Vacation Rental to International Travelers: FAQs
Answers to commonly asked questions about advertising and renting to travelers form outside the U.S. |
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Off-Season Marketing Tips from Vacation Rental Homeowners
View responses to the July 2008 Question of the Month on attracting renters during the off-season. |
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Off-Season Marketing: 12 Ways to Prep for the Off-Season
A creative guide to attracting new travelers and filling your availability calendar during the slower season. |
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Offline Marketing for Your Vacation Home: Does it Work?
Tips for marketing your vacation rental off-line |
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Operation Off-Season: 12 Tips For Attracting & Accommodating Guests
Tips on renting your home in the off season and keeping your cabin, cottage or condo booked even during the slower months. |
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Personal Websites for Your Vacation Rental Business
Learn how to add a personal website to your vacation rental marketing efforts. |
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Raising Rates for 2009?
Last month we asked vacation rental homeowners about their plans for rates in 2009. Here are the results. |
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Raising Your Rates: When and How Much?
When and how much should you raise the rates of your vacation rental property for next year? |
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Reviews: Why They Matter and How to Handle Criticism
Think back to the last time that you made a big purchase: Did you seek opinions from other customers before making a decision? |
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Setting Rates for 2009, Part 1: Revisiting Goals
Pricing can be tricky. Learn how to present rates that will bring in bookings and boost your bottom line. |
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Setting Rates for 2009, Part 2: Avoiding Pricing Mistakes
If you have created top-notch listings with detailed descriptions and high-quality photos and you're still not receiving any inquiries, it is fairly likely that you're not priced right for your market. |
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Setting Rates for 2009, Part 3: Sticking to Your Guns
If your home is booking slower this year than in the past, don't jump the gun and give a discount too early. |
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Should You Accept Pets in Your Vacation Home?
Are you debating whether you will accept pets in
your property? What you need to consider when determining a pet policy for your vacation rental. |
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Should You Offer Discounts on Stays in Your Vacation Rental?
When should you discount the rates of your vacation rental property? During the low or off-season? For extended stays? For last-minute vacancies? |
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Small Property? How to Come Up with 12 Photos
For smaller properties, it can be hard to find 12 photos to display. |
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The 4 Criteria That All Vacation Renters Are Looking For
Make sure that your vacation rental listing talks to your intended audience. |
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The 7 Photos to Include in Every Vacation Rental Listing
Put yourself in the shoes of your vacation rental guest. Would the photos of your property make YOU want to rent it?
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The Benefits of Listing Your Vacation Home on Multiple Web Sites
Exclusivity is not a good idea when listing your vacation rental property. |
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The Benefits Of Networking With Other Vacation Rental Homeowners
The benefits of developing relationships with fellow second homeowners. |
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The Benefits Of Using Peer-to-Peer Services like Skype or Google Talk
Get immediate access and stay up-to-date with your guests, inquiries, and housekeeping staff. |
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The Ethics of Using a Photo Editor to Alter Photos of Your Vacation Rental
Where is the line when it comes to using a photo editor to enhance pictures of your vacation property? |
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The Importance of Choosing a Unique Thumbnail Photo
Make sure your thumbnail stands out. |
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The Importance of Clear Location Information in Your Vacation Rental Listings
Don't miss out on potential guests by omitting important location information in your listings. |
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The Ins and Outs of Naming Your Vacation Home
Put your creativity to good use with a unique, memorable, and marketable vacation home name. |
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Tips for Creating a New Vacation Rental Listing
Learn valuable time-saving tips for creating a listing on another site or a listing for a new property. |
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Top 10 Specials to Offer Without Lowering Prices
Learn how to attract vacation rental guests with special offers without losing your shirt. |
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Urban Legend: The 809 Area Code Scam
Since 1996, the 809 Area Code Scam has morphed into a bigger more complex scam, resulting in a wider web of implications for vacation rental property owners.
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Urban Legend: The 809 Area Code Scam
Since 1996, the 809 Area Code Scam has morphed into a more complex scam, with a wider web of implications for vacation rental property owners. |
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Using Facebook to Promote Your Vacation Rental
It's not just for the kids! Social networking can drive repeat renters and increase word-of-mouth bookings |
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Vacation Rental Advice for the New Year: Part 1
How to to start off your vacation rental business on the right foot for the New Year. |
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Vacation Rental Advice for the New Year: Part 2
Ways to make this year your best rental year yet. |
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What NOT to Include in Your Vacation Rental Property Headline
Learn what you can leave out in the limited space of your property headline. |
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What To Do If Your Busy Spring Season Is Not Booked
Tips for getting those last minute bookings during one of the busiest seasons of the year. |
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What To Do If Your Peak Summer Weeks Are Not Fully Booked
Suggestions for drawing traffic to your listing and securing last-minute bookings.
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When Should You Hire a Professional Photographer for Your Vacation Rental?
Tips for choosing and hiring a professional photographer to shoot pictures of your vacation home. |
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Why You Should Set Up an Auto-Reply to Respond to Inquiries
Using an auto-responder to inquiries assures potential renters of your vacation rental home that you got their inquiry and will get back to them shortly. |
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Why You Should Use an Email Signature in Correspondence
Don't overlook this easy and vital business tool. |
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