Whether you're selling a vacation rental home to buy a bigger property, a property in a different location, to do a 1031 exchange, or simply to unload your second home altogether, consider selling your home as a vacation rental business rather than just any old vacation home.

Prove that it's a profitable business. Selling your vacation home as vacation rental business could be very attractive to prospective buyers. Ask your real estate agent to quote your last year or two's rental revenue history. Many buyers seek vacation homes that they can rent out for part of the year to defray expenses. Buyers may even pay more for a property with proven rental income. For the serious buyers, you can easily show the buyer your entire past rental records proving your rental history.

Running a Vacation Rental Business FAQs    Anwers to commonly asked questions about vacation rental ownership and running a vacation rental business, including information about screening renters, insurance and more

How to Start a Vacation Rental Business    Questions to ask yourself when making the decision to start renting your vacation home and running a vacation rental business

Vacation Rental Terms Glossary    Definitions for terms that come up often when researching or talking about vacation rental homes.

Determining Your Vacation Rental Seasons    Do not make the mistake of underselling your vacation home by choosing the wrong seasons.

Owner Community FAQs    Answers to commonly asked questions about the Owner Community team, the Owner Community newsletter, pre-recorded webinars, the How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner podcast and Seminar Series.

Owners' Favorite and Least Favorite Parts of Renting Their Vacation Homes    Results from vacation home owners regarding the highs and lows of renting their vacation homes as vacation rentals

Three Perspectives on Accepting Pets at Your Vacation Rental    A fun take on the reasons you want or may not want to allow pets in your vacation home.

10 Phone Calls from Renters and How to Handle Them    How to immediately fix problems that may arise and how to prevent future occurrences

When Do Your Guests Form Their First Impressions?: Part 2    Part two discusses the importance of full disclosure, how to avoid check-in day surprises, and the biggest mistake you could be making.

Buying & Selling   Considerations for buying a vacation rental property, including vacation rental insurance, market profiles, break-even points, and the benefits of rent by owner

HomeAway Listing Critique: Blue Pearl Suites Apartment (Playa Del Carmen, Mexico)    This listing sells the appeal of Playa del Carmen, but forgets to sell itself.

HomeAway Listing Critique: Swaying Pines Chalet (Gatlinburg, TN)    This cabin rental listing gets an A+ for completeness.

HomeAway Listing Critique: Park Ave Condo (Park City, UT)    With brighter photos and a stronger headline, this listing should be able to stand out in the crowded Park City marketplace.

Listings 101 Checklist for Building a HomeAway Listing    Critique your own listing using our Listings 101 criteria

Listings 101 Checklist for Building VRBO.com Listings    Criteria used in assessing VRBO.com vacation rental listings for Listings 101

HomeAway Listing Critique: Calla Lily Villa (Crescent Lakes, FL)    This Orlando area listing uses its photos and descriptions to its advantage.

Example Assessment Using Listing Critique Criteria    Improve your vacation rental listing using the criteria spelled out in the Listings 101 Guidelines

VRBO Listing Critique: Sea Sun Rentals (Fairfield Sunrise, AZ)    With some help from this owner's personal website, this VRBO listing could be especially great.

HomeAway Listing Critique: TurtleCon (Kiawah Island, SC)    This listing faces the challenge of advertising a multi-unit home.

HomeAway Listing Critique: Gated Golfing Condo (Orlando, FL)    In a competitive market like Orlando, it's important that your ad pop! This listing is solid with good pictures.

HomeAway Listing Critique: Luxury Tuscan Retreat (Las Vegas, NV)    This listing should focus on one market.

The Fair Housing Act and Vacation Rentals    Does the Fair House Act apply to vacation rentals? And if so, how should vacation rental owners treat potential renters according to the act?

Guidelines for Accepting Pets in Your Vacation Home    Creating a set of specific pet policies will make the process of screening guests with pets much easier.

How to Take and Select Great Photos for Your HomeAway Listing    Improve the quality of your vacation rental listing photos for better results.

How to Build the Perfect HomeAway Listing    A checklist for improving every aspect of your vacation rental advertisement

4 Reasons to Upload 12 Photos on HomeAway    4 reasons for making sure that you have 12 photos up on your HomeAway listing.

The Importance of Structured Rates on HomeAway    Price is a very important factor when travelers search for vacation rental properties.

How to Create a Gourmet Kitchen at Your Vacation Rental    Learn how to make your kitchen a destination in itself.

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

Tips for Furnishing Your Vacation Rental Home    Guide to choosing new furnishings for your vacation rental home.

How to Build the Perfect VRBO Listing    Use this checklist to determine your listing's areas for improvement

Negotiating Sales Contracts for Vacation Homes    There can be so much more to negotiating a sales contract than simply the price for a vacation rental property.

How to Sell Your Vacation Rental Home While You Have Renters    How to balance selling your vacation home and accomodating your renters.

Vacation Rental Market Q&A: Telluride, Colorado    Answers about the Telluride vacation home market from realtor, John Janus.

Vacation Rental Market Q&A: Whistler, British Columbia    Answers about the Whistler vacation home market from real estate agent, Ursula Morel.

Vacation Rental Market Q&A: Destin, Florida    An interview with Destin, FL realtor, Shannyn Stevenson about buying a vacation home in the Destin vacation rental market.

Ten Ways to Sell Your Vacation Home Faster    Tips for selling your vacation rental home in the a lukewarm housing market.

Buying Another Vacation Rental Home    It's contagious! Your property is renting so well you that you want to buy another. Here are a few tips to consider.

Vacation Rental Market Q&A: Park City, Utah    A Q&A with Park City realtor, Dennis Hanlon, about the current buying conditions in the Park City area.

Questions to Ask a Potential Real Estate Agent    How to find your perfect match.

Christine Karpinski   Christine Karpinski's bio, media coverage, seminar schedules, and her weekly blog about the ups and downs of renting her own vacation homes.

Christine's Blog: The Best-Equipped Home I've Rented (11/13/08)    Christine describes her experience at the most fully-equipped vacation rental she's stayed in.

Christine Karpinski in the Media    A record of bestselling author Christine Karpinski's print, tv, and radio appearances.

Vacation Rental Seminars & Workshops    Information about Christine's upcoming How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner seminars and workshops for vacation rental owners

About the Author: Christine Karpinski    A short biography of bestselling author and Owner Community director, Christine Karpinski.

Christine's Blog: Observations about Vacation Homes and Owners (10/1/2008)    Christine shares some valuable insight on her recent conversations with owners and vacation rental stays.

The 2nd Edition of Christine Karpinski's Book, How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner    Christine talks about the new 2nd edition of How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner, which includes over 150 pages of new material and is now available on her website.

Top 10 Most Common Cleaning Problems at Vacation Rentals    Avoid some of your renters' biggest complaints.

Post-Peak Season Maintenance Plan for Vacation Rentals    After 12 weeks of continuous use, your property probably deserves a little TLC.

Decreasing the Heating and Cooling Costs at Your Second Home    Make sure that you're not losing unnecessary cold air, heat, and money at your condo or cabin.

How to Build the Perfect VacationRentals.com Listing    Follow these pointers for developing a stand-out ad on VacationRentals.com

Buying an Investment Property in Muskoka, Ontario (Transcript)    Real Estate Agent, John Jarvis, discusses the vacation home market in Muskoka.

Buying a Vacation Property with Friends or Family: Part 1 (Transcript)    Christine talks with attorney and co-ownership expert, Andy Sirkin.

Buying an Investment Property in Destin, Florida: Part 2 (Transcript)    In the second part of Christine's interview with Destin realtor, Shannyn Stevenson, Stevenson discusses why more and more Destin vacation rental owners are renting by owner instead of using a property manager, why Destin isn't the typical home market, and why those interested in Destin should buy now.

One on One with La Jolla, CA Vacation Rental Owner, Mireya Schmidt (Transcript)    Christine talks with Mireya Schmidt about her background as both a real estate agent and vacation rental owner of multiple properties.

One-on-One with Canmore, AB Vacation Rental Owner Richard Colwell Part 2 (Transcript)    Christine continues her discussion on the challenges of renting and maintaining a vacation property from abroad.

Selling a Vacation Home, Part 2 (Transcript)    Christine talks with Washington owner, Ed Reese, about his process for selling a vacation home.

Managing Vacation Rental Properties as a Co-op (Transcript)    Christine interviews Bev Babich of Colorado, who is part of a Vacation Rental Property Co-op

Selling a Vacation Home, Part 1 (Transcript)    Christine talks with Washington owner, Ed Reese, about his experience owning vacation properties.

Mortgaging and Refinancing Vacation Homes: Part 1 (Transcript)    Christine talks with the President of Colonial National Mortgage and vacation home owner, David Motley, about mortgaging and refinancing options for vacation homes.

Buying an Investment Property in Stowe, VT (Transcript)    Christine chats with Stowe real estate agent, Ken Libby about the current market conditions.

Ask Christine #11: Is It Okay to Charge Renters for Utilities?     When should you charge renters extra for electricity, gas, or water?

Ask Christine #26: Describing Your Vacation Rental's Location    What's the best way to describe the surrounding area in your vacation rental listing?

Buying an Investment Property in Naples, FL Part 1 (Transcript)    Christine and real estate agent, Lynn Wilber, discuss the vacation home market in Naples, FL.

One-on-One with Richland Chambers Lake, TX Vacation Rental Owner, Michelle Helterbran (Transcript)    Christine interviews lakehouse owner, Michelle Helterbran, who had the first vacation rental on Richland Chambers Lake, TX.

Mortgaging and Refinancing Vacation Homes: Part 2 (Transcript)    In her second interview with David Motley, President of Colonial Savings, Christine discusses the current mortgage situation, tips for buying vacation homes, and options for refinancing.

Buying a Vacation Property with Friends or Family: Part 2 (Transcript)    Second part of Christine's interview with co-ownership expert and attorney, Andy Sirkin.

Different Types of Vacation Rentals (Transcript)    Different kinds of vacation rental properties, the number one mistake that vacation rental owners make, and how to get financing.

Buying an Investment Property in Park City, Utah (Transcript)    Christine interviews Park City realtor, Dennis Hanlon about the Park City vacation home market.

One-on-One with New Hampshire Rental Owner, Robin Clapp (Transcript)    Christine talks with vacation rental owner Robin Clapp.

How to Choose a Vacation Rental Property Manager (Transcript)    Christine talks with Orlando property manager, Steve Trover about how to find a good property manager.

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

Go International-- The Merits of Advertising Your Vacation Rental Worldwide (Transcript)    Christine speaks with the HomeAway UK about renting vacation properties worldwide.

One-on-One with Canmore, AB Vacation Rental Owner Richard Colwell Part 1 (Transcript)    Christine discusses the challenges of owning and renting a vacation home in Canada while living in the UK.

Foreclosures and Short Sales in the Destin, FL Vacation Rental Market (Transcript)    Real Estate Agent, Shannyn Stevenson, is back to discuss the Destin, FL market, along with foreclosures and short sales.

Selling a Vacation Home, Part 2 (Transcript)    Christine talks with Washington owner, Ed Reese, about his process for selling a vacation home.

Buying an Investment Property in Kissimmee, FL (Transcript)    Christine discusses the Kissimmee and Orlando markets with vacation home real estate broker, Raymond Butterfield.

Buying an Investment Property in Provincetown, Massachusetts (Transcript)    Christine talks with realtor Rick Tourgee about the vacation rental market in Provincetown.

The Resort and Second Home Market (Transcript)    Christine interviews real estate broker Jim Dague, an expert on the resort and second home industry

Buying an Investment Property in Martha's Vineyard (Transcript)    Christine chats with Martha's Vineyard buyer's agent, Fred Roven about the vacation home market in the area.

How to Write a Great Headline for Your Vacation Rental Listing    It's critical that yours is not just good, but GREAT.

How to Market Your Vacation Home to Couples    Target groups of couples traveling together with the right language and amenities.

How to Spot a Vacation Rental Scam Inquiry    Tips for identifying whether a rental inquiry is legitimate or a scam

How to Increase Your Vacation Rental's Curb Appeal    How to make your property's first impression a good one

How to Market Your Beachfront Rental     Suggestions for increasing inquiries and bookings at your beachfront vacation home.

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.

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.

How to Market Your Vacation Home to Travelers with Pets    Learn how to equip your home and advertise your vacation rental as pet-friendly

How to Keep Your Vacation Home Booked in an Uncertain Economy    Tips for marketing your vacation home during these tough financial times.

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.

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.

How to Write Your Ads for the Search Engines, too!    When writing your advertisements, learn how to attract travelers from the search engines.

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.

How to Write a Compelling Property Description    Make the most of the space available by describing the things travelers care about most.

Google Maps and Your Vacation Rental Listings    Give travelers the location information they crave while maintaining complete control over the privacy of your home.