This is an edited transcript of Christine Karpinski's How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner podcast.

Christine Karpinski: Today's question comes from Paul. He asks:

Q: "I've noticed that I'm receiving a lot of questions from my renters about the location of my home. My listing focuses on the details about my home, but I haven't spent much time selling the area. What are the key points that I should include about the location."

A: Paul, that's a great question. Location is a really important thing to consider.

Recently, I was looking to go to Northern California to go to the wine region, and when I went to the websites like VRBO and HomeAway I found that there was an overabundance of locations: Napa, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Kenwood. And quite frankly, not knowing the area, I was not sure even where I wanted to be: I just knew I wanted to go to the "Wine Country". I didn't realize there was going to be so many choices. And I think that a lot of travelers are faced with this when they want to go somewhere. I can think of a gazillion places that the same kind of challenges would come into play. So I think it's really, really important for you as a homeowner to really sell your location inside your listing.

Now, one of the ways that you can do it is, first off, using the map feature on HomeAway. Put the pin where your property is located. I know it's not the best map, but at least it gives you somewhat of an idea. And make sure it's accurately placed on the map. Another thing is you'll want to talk about mass transportation in the area. Is it on the subway line, is it on the bus line?

Also, I want to know how far it is from nearby towns. For instance, if you're in Wine Country region and you're not in Napa or Sonoma, the two probably most well-known regions. Let's say you're in Santa Rosa. If you're in Santa Rosa, then put "Santa Rosa is just X miles away from Napa and X miles away from Sonoma, and the road between Santa Rosa and Napa has about 300 different wineries." Something like that to paint me a picture. I need to know as a traveler where I should stay when I come to that area. I think it's really important for you to depict that as much as you can in your listing.

Another thing to consider is why do people come to your area? If it's nearby attractions, again, put how far the various wineries are. If there's some really famous wineries or famous restaurants, say how far you are. Not just in miles but in a car drive, or if you're within walking distance. How far of a walk is it going to be. And be realistic. If it's really a 10 or 15 minute walk, don't put five minutes. And don't go speed walking while you're doing that, put it very realistically.

I hope that answers your question. Again, location really, really important to put in your listing. Information specific to your property. I think then it could help people decide where they want to stay.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of "Ask Christine." If you have a question we would love to hear from you. Please leave a message at 512‑493‑4340.

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