When you own a second home – whether you're right next door or 1,000 miles away - you're wise to collaborate with other vacation homeowners. No matter who they are, where they live, or where they own, it's important not to think of other vacation rental owners as your competition, but rather as your partners. The more successful our industry becomes, the more comfortable travelers will be in booking vacation rentals in the future.

Here are some of the key benefits of developing relationships with other vacation rental owners.

Share ideas and questions. Considering accepting pets? Interested in sending holiday cards? Not sure if you've received a scam inquiry? Having other owners to bounce off ideas and ask questions will likely save you some time and frustration, and perhaps open your eyes to better or simpler ways of handling your vacation home and guests. Besides, sharing views, reviewing other listings and discussing your successes and failures will help give you some benchmarks for improving your own vacation rental business.

Get recommendations on products and services. Owners that own property in your vacation market might be able to recommend housekeepers and maintenance services, but owners from just about anywhere could recommend other products and services like web design, credit card merchant accounts, or even where to buy soap in bulk.

Learn about other vacation rental listing sites. If you're thinking about trying out a new vacation rental website, see if any of the other owners in your network have had experience with that site. Message boards like the vacation rentals Yahoo! group are a great way to get feedback on advertising venues.

Keep each other posted on local happenings. It's important to keep up with your HOA meetings, but also any city council meetings or town assemblies that could affect vacation rental regulations in your market. Developing relationships with other owners, especially those that actually live in the market where you own, can help keep you abreast of legislation and meetings. In the event that a vacation rental bill is proposed, you and your network of owners can band together to lobby your collective interests.

Find out where to purchase your next vacation home. One of the biggest benefits of networking with owners outside of your vacation rental market is to learn where they own and how successful their market is. Perhaps you'll get inspired to invest in a property in a completely new region.

The bottom line: Birds of a feather should stick together. You never know what tricks of the trade you might learn from other vacation rental owners. Reach out beyond your neighbors and expand your network of second homeowners to learn from others' experiences.

How do you work with your vacation home neighbors and other vacation rental owners?

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.   10 Things We Learned from Vacation Rental Owners in 2008 Read tips that we learned from other owners during our 2008 seminars.   How to be a Good Vacation Rental Neighbor, Even from Afar Learn the benefits of developing relationships and joining forces with your vacation property's neighbors.   Renting Your Vacation Home by Owner, FAQs Rent by owner or use a property management company? Here are the most frequently asked questions.

© Copyright, Christine Karpinski 2006. U.090226.LC