Vacation Rental By Owner Blog

Las Olas Resort & Las Brisas Del Mar Condo Vacation Rentals

2009-09-28T16:02:00.005-04:00

Las Olas Resort and the new condo complex in the Republic of Panama, Las Brisas Del Mar has moved forward with it's owner friendly vacation rental program.

Seeing the need and desire to incorporate the owners in the rental of their own condos, Las Olas Resort has decided to partner with La Barqueta.com and provide a unique and aggressive way for the owners to rent their condos while they are not present for additional income.

With the demand for direct ocean front property, renting a 3 bedroom condo that is directly on the ocean with a wonderful pool is a good business decision. It is now easier at Las Olas located at Playa La Barqueta.

The owners can be more involved and have direct control over the rental process. They have listings on the Internet that have complete online booking, the owners receive the funds up front, and the local company handles the coming and going of the guest, cleans the unit and provides customer support for the guest while they are on site.

So now an owner in the USA can be involved in the rental process and be confident that the guest staying in their condo in Panama is getting the proper treatment they deserve.

If you are looking for a vacation in paradise and want to visit the Las Olas area, please review the vacation rentals at the Las Brisas Del Mar condos here: ONLINE RESERVATIONS We would love to have you as a guest to show you this beautiful piece of paradise and we look forward to having your online review of Las Olas and the Playa La Barqueta area on our sites.

If you are an owner or a person looking to buy at the Las Olas Resort location, please be sure to review the resorts web site http://www.lasolasresort.com/ and also the web site of LA BARQUETA, http://www.labarqueta.com/

With the online tools that are now available to an owner, running a vacation rental has never been easier, even in a foreign country or half a world away! If you are intersted in a condo please feel free to contact us at either site. Now is the time to buy. We look forward to seeing you at the Las Brisas Del Mar Condos soon!

http://www.lasolasresort.com/
http://www.labarqueta.com/

Online Review of Las Olas Villa and Las Olas Resort in the Republic of Panama

2009-09-03T18:10:00.006-04:00

We wanted to thank our first visitors to http://www.lasolasvilla.com/ Pat and Fred Enders. They booked the villa online at our web site and made the trip to the Republic of Panama and the Las Olas Resort area in Aug. It was the couples 14 year wedding anniversary. They had a relaxing week enjoying the beach and the ocean front villa. Here is an online review of the property that they posted to our web site:

Panama is a beautiful, scenic and people friendly country. Our week stay in David at the Las Olas Villa was exceptional. The house is so spacious and offered us everything which made our stay there a fabulous anniversary vacation. We walked just a few steps to the ocean and beach and enjoyed our morning coffee sitting by the pool daily. The refrigerator was fully stocked with our personal requests when we arrived which also added to the conveniences and services that were accessible to us to make our time at the Villa so restful and romantic. We spent a day in the near by mountain town of Boquette for shopping, coffee plantations and out door adventures. Staying at this beautiful resort home was a grand opportunity and an experience we will never forget.

Pat and Fred Enders New Richmond OH USA

We really appreciate the kind words Pat and Fred! You are more than welcome any time. This was the couples first trip to the Republic of Panama and to the Las Olas Resort area of Playa La Barqueta. They enjoyed a wonderful meal on the actual date of their anniversary at the Las Olas Resort restaurant. It is only a few steps from the villas.

If you have a special vacation coming up, a honeymoon, family vacation, second honeymoon, wedding anniversary, a guys trip, a girls trip or any kind of get away, visiting Panama and the Las Olas Villa next to the Las Olas Resort can be a trip of a lifetime.

To book your vacation to the Republic of Panama and stay at the Las Olas Villa and enjoy a massage on the ocean front balcony and walk the endless sandy beaches of Playa La Barqueta just click here http://www.lasolasvilla.com/ and book your trip online.

We look forward to having YOU as our next happy guest!

Deposit Insurance for Vacation Rentals Thru ivacationonline Vacation Rental Software

2009-08-26T15:08:00.004-04:00

ivacationonline.com is proud to announce our new partner, TRAVEL GUARD and their Deposit Protection Plan.

Managing a vacation rental is getting easier everyday. With the online booking, reservation system and vacation rental software that http://www.ivacationonline.com/ provides, running a vacation rental keeps getting easier and easier.

Now with the TRAVEL GUARD ACCIDENTAL RENTAL DAMAGE INSURANCE there is no reason to take and hold and then return a security deposit. For a one time fee of $45 that you charge to your guest, there is a policy placed on the lease that covers the owner up to $1500 in accidental damages. What is an accident? Well, it does not cover anything intentional. If there is an accident, junior bounces a ball and it beaks a lamp, then you file a claim thru the ivacationonline.com vacation rental software and you, the owner receives a check from Travel Guard. *per the terms and conditions.

Why should you as an owner offer this? One reason is it will keep your cost to book with you down. If you are taking a $500 security deposit, the guest must give you an extra $500 when booking. That is replaced with a $45 fee. So if the guest is shopping around your rates may now appear to be less. Then you as the owner will not have to track that, and then return it after the stay. So it will help with your booking rates and it is less work on your end.

Then you now have $1500 in coverage where before you may have taken a $500 deposit and what do you do when there is more than $500 in damage? You just tripled your coverage.

The ivacationonline.com vacation rental reservation system does all the work. You simply tell the system you want to participate in this program, then each booking will have a $45 fee added to the booking and the insurance is placed on the booking for you. This is all done behind the scenes at ivacationonline.com. The only you will ever have to do it file a claim, which is a form in your admin if one needs to be filed. Simply fill it out and press send!

The best news is, you as the property owner gets paid for participating in this program. So you make money on the selling of the insurance on your property.

Keeping things simple and staying on the cutting edge in the vacation rental business is what ivacationonline.com is all about. We are here to make it easy to book online and to bring all the tools an owner or manager needs to have a successful property rental business.

Look for more updates on TRAVEL GUARD TRAVEL INSURANCE soon on the ivacationonline.com system.

Republic of Panama Vacation Rentals - Las Olas Villa

2009-08-25T17:27:00.003-04:00

We wanted to share with you our new villa that is now for rent as a vacaiton rental in the Republic of Panama at the Las Olas Resort location of Playa La Barqueta.

If you are looking for a vacation destination, you have found it! Panama has so much to offer. With the new Ocean Front villa, LAS OLAS VILLA you can take a vacation of a life time to a remote private setting in a luxurious beach front villa. From the live in care taker to the daily maid service, you will be able to relax and enjoy the ocean side life style. The 4000 sq ft villa is professionally decorated and the private pool with gazebo is a stunning way to spend the afternoon.

Consider the Republic of Panama and Playa La Barqueta for your next vacation of a life time and book your trip online today at http://www.lasolasvilla.com/ Be sure to view our photo album on the site so you can see exactly what your vacation in Panama will be like. Here are jsut a few of the activities you can enjoy while on your trip.

Horse back riding on the beach in Panama. Have horse brought to you at the villa and enjoy a sunset ride on the beach. There is no better way to relax than having a horseback ride on the surf and sand of Panama.

Zip Line in the Rain Forest of Panama. In the small coffee town of Boquete Panama there is an adventure business called TREE TREK. If you ever want to feel like you are flying, this is the thing for you. Spend a great day zipping along the tops of the rain forest in Panama.

Kayak Tour of the Mangrove System. One of the wonders of Panama is the Mangrove system in La Barqueta. This system Mangroves goes on for miles and takes you to the Pacific Ocean. Experience with the local guide Elaine and she can show you all you need to know about this outdoor wonderland!

Ocean Side Massage Service. If you really want to get away and relax be sure to schedule your ocean side massage. The experienced staff of Las Olas Villa will arrange your massage pool side and ocean side. This is a treat not to miss!

There are so many more things to experience on your vacation of a lifetime to the Republic if Panama. Here are just a few more. PANAMA ACTIVITIES.

Call today or email us anytime. If you are looking for a differnet vacation and to get away from the crowd, this Ocean Front Villa at Las Olas Villas, in Playa La Barqueta is your next stop. Book it online today.

Deposit Insurance with Travel Guard

2009-04-29T15:16:00.006-04:00

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Travel Guard. Travel Guard and ivacationonline.com have teamed up to provide a unique service to both private owners of vacation rentals and management companies of vacation rentals.

Accidental Rental Damage Insurance through Travel Guard is now integrated into your ivacationonline.com account. As the property owner or manager, you now have the option to charge a $45 fee for coverage up to $1500 in accidental damage done to your property. This benefits both the owner and guest.

The owner now has up to $1500 in coverage in case of an accident. If you previously took a $300 security deposit, what did you do when something cost more than $300? Now with the Travel Guard Accidental Rental Damage Insurance being integrated with the ivacationonline.com vacation rental software, your bookings can have up to $1500 in coverage. That is 5 times the coverage of a $300 security deposit.

You will also see an increase in bookings as your pricing now seems to be lower. If you are taking a security deposit, that appears to be an additional fee to book with you. So they may shop elsewhere.

The good news is the owner/manager receives a portion of this fee as compensation for offer the coverage on their property. Now you can actually make money by running your business on the vacation rental property management system, ivacationonline.com!

The guest also benefits from this as they do not have to tie up additional funds in a security deposit for months. They also have more coverage then a $300 security deposit provides.

We feel this is a huge step for the private owners to run a successful vacation rental business. They can act just like the pros!

Claims are all handled inside the ivacationonline.com software and the whole transaction is automated upon booking. There is no additional work for the owner/ manager or guest.

Next on the development list is the Travel Guard TRAVEL INSURANCE interface. The owners/managers will be able to offer either optional or mandatory travel insurance with every booking through the ivacationonline.com vacation rental management software. This is another huge step forward in protection and convenience for the owners/managers and guest. Stay tuned....

Here is a short note about Travel Guard:

Travel Guard works with marquee clients worldwide to provide customized travel insurance plans, emergency travel services, travel medical assistance, concierge, and customized call center solutions for their employees and customers. When you partner with Travel Guard, our passion for exceptional customer care will exceed your expectations and those of your customers.

John M. Noel is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Travel Guard. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Travel Guard is one of the world's leading travel insurance providers. The company specializes in providing innovative travel insurance, assistance and emergency travel services for millions of travelers and thousands of companies throughout the world.

Travel Guard has built its reputation upon unparalleled customer service and its values-based approach to doing business. As a result, John Noel has been awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year, the University of Wisconsin Regent Partnership Award, and the State of Wisconsin's Exemplary Employer Award. Recently, Noel was named as the recipient of the World Tourism Award in recognition of "Travel Guard's values-based approach to business and its philanthropic mission to give back to both the global and local communities it serves.”

"Our clients appreciate our exceptional customer service and our ‘never say no’ approach to doing business… We’re proud to work with leading companies throughout the world who share our commitment to solid corporate values."

John Noel
Founder & CEO, Travel Guard

ivacationonline.com is proud to be associated with TRAVEL GUARD and we look forward to a long relationship with them. If you need a reservation system for your vacation rental and want to have this level of service and the protection that TRAVEL GUARD provides you and your guest, join ivacationonline.com today!

Happy Renting!

Joe Godar
ivacationonline.com

2009 Vacation Rental Season - Take Control now!

2009-02-27T15:22:00.003-05:00

This may be the toughest season ever for vacations rentals in a very long time. How are your rentals for the 2009 season?

Here are some proven techniques to keep your properties booked and the cash flowing.

Sitting around and complaining that the economy is bad and your bookings are down will get you no where. This is the time to get to work! You need to go over everything and put some time into your business.
1) Update your photos! Do you have a quality photo album to showcase your place? If the guest know to shop around, they will be looking harder and harder at the online photos that represent your rental. You need your best foot forward. Taking new quality photos is not expensive and can help! Be sure your photos are the best you can afford!

2) Advertise! This is the time to advertise more! Not less. Run specials. Make it look attractive to book with you! What does your title say about your property on your ads? Does it say, "BOOK WITH ME" or does it say, "I have not updated my ad in years". Here is one example:
GOOD AD: "Save $250 today! May 1-7 is open! Ocean View Condo, Call today"
Not so good ad: "3 bd 3 bath condo with dvd player in master bedroom"

You need a call to action and a reason to call you, instead of someone else. A coupon or special may be the trick to get them to call!

3) Follow up. Call if possible the prospect that emails you. If they put a phone number in the ad, call them at that number as fast as possible. If there is no number, email them as fast as possible. Answer the questions and tell them you want the business.

4) Have an online reservation system. This makes taking a booking fast and easy. The easier it is on the guest, the better the chance they will book with you! Using a site like ivacationonline.com and the vacation rental software it provides can make a difference. Who wants to wait for documents to be emailed back and forth and then filled out and mailed back! Make it easy and attract more business.

5) Do something every day! Update your calendars, change your ads, call your guest. Take 10 min and ask your self what needs to be updated and ACT! Sitting around will get you no where.

Try a few of these options and you will see the results! More bookings! People are still going in vacation and you need to be out there and get in front of them.

Good luck in the 2009 season!

More information on vacation rental software and vacation rental management software.

Stop Vacation Rental Foreclosure

2008-12-10T15:57:00.006-05:00

This is the "SIGN" of the times! It does not have to happen to you!

If you own a vacation rental and you are having trouble with making the payments, there is help. Here is what we are seeing as the biggest problem in the vacation rental industry. There are really 2 things that have happened.

SPECULATION. Many buyers a few years ago have purchased a property when the market was on the rise hoping to flip in in the short term for a profit. They bought as the market was going up and then it peaked and fell off. So selling it for what they paid is not an option. This was the start of the real estate bubble.

So now they own a vacation home or condo and may not have wanted to be the owner for the long run. They do not have a plan in place to rent or manage the property. This is very common in this market. There is help. We want to help! ivacationonline.com can help you manage your property online and turn it into a cash flowing machine. It is not that hard. You simply have to look at this as a business. You need to advertise, take credit cards online and set up your business! Once set up, the market is still there. People are still going on vacations and they can stay with you and now you have help to pay your mortgage.

This does take work! It does take time. The option of not doing this and giving the property back to the bank is last thing most people want to do. This is a great business. Guest want to pay you to stay in your vacation home or condo and this is cash flow you need to support the property. Sitting around and "waiting for the market to come back" is basically financial suicide.

Fell free to contact us today for a complete property evaluation. We can take a look at your property, estimate cash flow and help you get started on the road to a successful vacation rental business.

Here is the other problem we are seeing in the vacation rental market.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. Many owners have properties and have had them for years before this real estate break down. Many property management companies do a great job. It seems that the smaller, private companies or mom and pop shops seem to have a leg up on the mega companies we see in almost every resort town.

The smaller companies are able to pay more attention to your property and may have several key people that work there and will know you and your home. Some mega companies have a rotating system to place business in your property and they have a hard time keeping your unit occupied.

We can help you! You can do this on your own if you need the extra cash flow to pay your bills. Sitting there and doing nothing will end up getting you NOTHING in the long run. Make a change. Find a new company that can produce results or go out on your own. We have the online vacation rental software that will run this business for you. Once set up, taking online bookings and handling the day to day things that this business needs is very easy. It makes you look like a top rate company, with one property!

Make some changes! Try something new! Got out on your own. Stay out of foreclosure. We have software, books and customer support ready and willing to help you run your vacation rental by owner. It has never been easier! Just take some action today! Call us, we are ready to help! We help owners every day turn vacant, empty, cash sucking homes into cash flow machines. Just give this a try!

Joe Godar
888-716-2220
ivacationonline.com Vacation Rental Software
Vacation Rentals for Profit - Book

Vacation Rental CASE STUDY

2008-08-12T10:41:00.008-04:00

NEW DESTINY WEST VACATION RENTAL- CASE STUDY.

I often get asked a question from new owners, "What does it take to get these properties to be successful?" This is a loaded question! The biggest problem I see is owners do not approach this like a business. I have said this a hundred times. They walk into 2ND home ownership, need or want cash flow to pay for it and never really "dig" into the details it takes to be a success.

That is why we do what we do! We want to show you EXACTLY what it takes to be a success. Owners that are doing this "right" are having record years. People are still taking vacations. No matter the price of gas or the economy or the real estate market, they are still going on vacations. You just have to be in a position to get that business before someone else.

I have had the privilege of knowing a couple from Cincinnati, Greg and Tracy. They wanted a 2ND home in Destin, my neck of the woods, so they came to Destin to view properties and pick one out.

This gave me the perfect opportunity to document what they are doing and how they will become successful. I know Greg very well. So I know he will be very professional and business minded in his approach to setting this new home up. So here goes!

We will follow them every step of the way. I will blog about it and give exact details of what they did right or wrong and we will see the first booking come in and watch as they fill up the calendar for 2009.

We recently blogged about the 10 Steps to Success for Vacation Rentals. We will follow this format and show you each step so you have a blue print of what to do and when to do it. Here is the first step and update on where they are.

1) BUY THE RIGHT PROPERTY TO BEGIN WITH. Greg and Tracy did this perfectly. They have been to Destin. They understood what they wanted as a visiting family on vacation and looked to provide that with the home they purchased. They agreed to try to find the largest home for the money, in the best shape, close to the beach and pool in a family community. They viewed homes for one full day. They settled on one in Emerald Shores. Which is the community I purchased my very first home in. They went to make an offer and it was under contract. So the second choice was a more expensive home in nearby Destiny West. Which is a bit more upscale, very desirable and close to the beach. This home has great character and was a builders own home that was never rented.

Just by viewing it with them, I could tell it would be a great rental. It is only 2 doors from the community pool, it is as close to the beach as they can get in that area. And they agreed to buy a Golf Cart for the guest, making it more attractive and easy to get to the beach and around Destin.

GOLF CART. This is something I want to touch on. High end rentals seem to be doing great in this market. In Destiny West, it is common for the owners to provide a Golf Cart for the guest to use. There are not many rentals in the community. So starting with a great home and then on top of that offering a street legal Golf Cart so your guest can use it for the week is a great way to attract business. Legal work MUST be done to protect your self. Please contact your attorney when doing this. But from a marketing prospective, this is a home run in my opinion. This is the type of thing that will demand more rent and make the difference in booking with you or someone else. Financially it makes sense too. To invest $6,500 into a nice Golf Cart and then increase your rentals by $10,000 to $15,000 a year is a good return.

July 31, 2008. This is the date they closed on the house. They came to Destin to stay in the home for a few weeks to furnish it and get it ready for occupancy. The home was not totally furnished so they need some time and money to get it ready. They took as many pictures as possible while they were in town. There will be more work to do on the next trip, but they are now ready to set up the web sites, get the vacation rental software with http://www.ivacationonline.com/ completed, apply for the merchant service and begin to advertise.

So they have taken the first HUGE step and closed on the property. They have started to complete the home and it is now ready for guest to arrive. They want to make more improvements but this can wait until there next visit. Once we start on the web site work we will continue this and give you the exact details on where we list their home, why we listed, the Search Engine Optimization we will do, the pricing structure plus more! So stay tuned as this new rental hits the market and becomes another great success story! The next step is setting up www.ivacationonline.com and getting the merchant service. We will blog about this soon!

Details, Details, Details..Vacation Rental Details!

2008-07-18T09:10:00.003-04:00

I wanted to share with you the number one reason for success int he vacation rental by owner business. DETAILS.

The owners that treat this as a business and take a business approach to it, are usually VERY successful. They follow thru with the details. Many owners get very frustrated at the level of bookings they have. They may have full time jobs, families and many other things pulling them in 10 different directions.

We are all very busy! The owners that take their time and work a little every day, paying attention to the DETAILS always seem to be the successful owners.

Here are some examples. One owner may advertise on VRBO and be about 20-30% booked. When we advise them to advertise more, spend More money on more web portals, they may not follow up and think that VRBO is more than enough. The owners that do the proper search for the vacation rentals in their market, spend the time listing on more quality advertising portals and complete the details on each listing site, are usually 70-90% booked. The devil is in the details.

Just doing "some" advertising is not enough. The details of marketing are you have to do enough of it to be successful. Taking the short cut with one ad is not going to make you successful. Spend the time and money and dig into the details to make your adverting a success.

The same can be said for your photos. It use to be 3-5 pictures would bring you all the business you need. Now the owners that have photo albums, like PICASA from Goggle are the ones experiencing success. It takes time to build one, follow thru with the details and list your captions. And you will have success. The more time you put into these details the better your success. Here is one example of a slide show that has turned my 3 bedroom condo into a booking machine in Destin Florida:

This is an average condo in Destin. Since I take the time to dig into the details and have a complete photo slide show, I advertise on 5-7 quality sites, have my online booking system in place, I have taken a condo when I purchased it, from a $20,000 a year unit to over $50,000 in gross rents for 2008 and nearly 100% occupancy. No other condo in our complex comes close, yet we all have identical units. The reason is DETAILS. The other owners could do the same thing, run more ads, have photo slide shows, take credit cards online etc.

The business is out there. You have to out perform the competition. Sitting around waiting for the phone to ring is not going to work. There is no magic pill to swallow. Just get to work, run more ads, update your unit and run your vacation rental by owner like a business. Spend time on the details and you will see your bookings increase!

Good luck!

10 Steps to Vacation Rental by Owner Success

2008-05-20T15:07:00.003-04:00

After working with thousands of vacation rental owners, we have put together a list of items that seems to be consistent with the most successful owners. Owners ask all the time, “What does it take to be successful in the business?” well here it is. We put together this list as these items seem to be what the most successful owners are ALWAYS doing.

1) PROPERTY. The best thing you can do is to buy the right property from the start. There are no shortcuts in this area. If you are in a coastal area, people want to be as close to the beach, ocean, or water as possible. Guests want access to a pool. They want great views in the mountain areas etc. They want a nice clean updated or new place to stay. Buying the cheapest home on the market may cost you in the long run. Be sure to research where you are buying and make sure your vacation rental offers as much as possible for your area.

2) BOOKING SYSTEM. Having an online booking system or software like http://www.ivacationonline.com/ lets your guest know you are serious about your business. Add the online credit card processing to this and you will attract more guests. We have surveyed hundred of guest and they want to pay online with a credit card. You need to put the odds in your favor. One survey revealed that over 41% of the guest surveyed told us that an owner taking credit cards influenced the buying decision. Why send 41% of the market down the road to another owner? Take credit cards online and supercharge your business.

3) PHOTOS. The most successful owners we work with have the most and best photos easily available. In years past, 3-5 photos online would bring in the business. Now you need hundreds. We highly recommend PICASA by Goggle. It is a free online web based album service. It lets you showcase not only your property but also your community and town. This way you can “sell” the entire vacation experience. Guest love to see photos! Give them that option. They are really buying your photos once you think about it. That is the only way they know what you have to offer until they arrive at your location.

4) PRICING. Too many owners think their properties are worth more than they are. The normal guest has thousands of options to pick from. They all look alike to the guest! There are millions of very nice vacation homes on the market. The chance that yours is the best is extremely rare! So price it accordingly. If you see your market is getting $1200 a week for a prime week, you need to be at $1195. This keeps you in the market and priced “right”. Trying to price it at $1500 to “see what happens” is a sure sign NOTHING will happen. Guest can shop too easy. Price it right, book it up and be thankful for the success.

5) DISCOUNTS. Once you are priced right, you may have times open that you need to discount. This does not mean you are giving time away. It is simple a “marketing” strategy to increase your booking ratio. If you have 3 weeks booked and you have one week that is open, offer a discount. Taking a $200 discount may mean the difference between a $1200 booking and $0. $1400 would have been nice, but $1200 is better than $0. The higher ratio of bookings you have, the more likely you will be in the “black” at the end of the year.

6) DOMAIN NAMES. Successful owners understand that the guest wants to book online as fast as possible. Taking them to other web sites and then to your online booking site, increases the chance you will lose them. INTERNET sales 101, less clicks the better! Period! So buy a URL that applies to your area/property, like this one, http://www.bluetides411.com/ and point it to your online booking site. The faster and easier you can get a guest to your site and book online, the greater your closing ratios, the greater your gross income. More examples:
http://www.destinpalms.com/ http://www.sugarsands411.com/ http://www.waves411.com/
http://www.bajaretreat.com/ http://www.beachclub411.com/ These are all pointing to the owners’ online booking site and the owner can take a booking in a few clicks!

7) ADVERTISING. VRBO is not enough! This is one of the biggest problems we see. Many owners think that if they advertise on VRBO alone, they can be successful. That is no longer true. You must set up an “umbrella of advertising” as we say. Search your location and find advertising sites that come up in those searches. Joining 5-10 sites is not too many! You need to spend $1,000 to $1,500 a year to properly advertise your property. Anything short of that and you will simply not get the calls or emails needed to be successful. This is the difference in getting a few bookings and being totally booked solid. YOU NEED TO ADVERTISE!

8) UPDATE PROPERTY. Most successful owners update the property almost every year. Guests want to see that the owner is taking care of the place and putting some money back into the property. New linens, furniture, fresh paint all make a difference. Have a policy in place that each year you look for the worn out items and replace some or all of them. It will keep the repeat business coming back!

9) ANSWER CALLS. Most owners get plenty of leads but do not get back to the prospect in a timely manner. The guest is online right now, looking for a place to book. They call or email you, and then you take 24 to 48 hours to return that call or email. During that time they have booked someplace else. Calling or emailing them the second they respond is the best policy. If you can not get to that till later in the day, call or email as soon as possible. Time is money! Your Money!! Call faster than the other owners and get more bookings. Simple!

10) STAY IN TOUCH. Make sure you stay in touch with guest after the stay. Having to market all over again next year for all new guest makes it hard. If you can get your repeat business up to 30-40%, running at 90% booked is now a possibility. More business gets more business! They bring a friend and so on. Having a plan in place to stay in touch, so when they want to book again the next year, they think of YOU! Not staying in touch and sending them back online to find another property is a waste of resources. They found you once, stayed with you and now trust your business and property. Do the proper marketing to them and they will stay with you for a life time!

These simple techniques are proven over and over again to bring in more business. They are battle tested. How does your style or business measure up? Are you booked 90% of the time? If not, make some changes. These all take time. Many owners simple do not run their business like a business. Make sure you do it right from the start. Once you set up these items in place, they will work for you and you may have years of vacation rental success. Good luck!

2008 Vacation Rental By owner Season

2008-05-09T08:44:00.003-04:00

2008 RENTAL SEASON

Well, the 2008 rental season is in full swing. We had tons of questions about how this season would turn out. Here is what we are seeing. The owners that are "working" the business correctly are doing better than ever. Our units and most of the owners we work directly with, that are using all of the tools available to them, online booking, advertising, running specials, photo albums, these owners are having record years.

They are all beating the 2007 numbers they posted last season. WHY? They are working harder than most other owners. The rental market is still very strong. With gas at almost $4 a gallon, people still want to take a vacation. So it is tougher on many, but with the proper tools, you can do very well in the toughest of times.

We are seeing some higher than usual cancellations. We feel this is due to many factors. They may have booked a few months ago, put a deposit down and when the full payment comes due, the funds may not be there for some families. This is another reason to be taking credit cards for your rent payments. Some guest who may not have the funds today, will put the final payment on a credit card, to make sure they can take the family on vacation. So it is another way to get business you may have lost.

We are also seeing new owners enter the market and doing VERY well. All for the same reasons. If they buy a desirable unit, they advertise properly, use the online vacation rental software from http://www.ivacationonline.com/ to complete bookings as fast as possible, they are filling up the calendar as soon as the start marketing.

REAL ESTATE MARKET. This is a totally different animal from the rental market. Real Estate markets are having a very tough time. Some prices continue to drop and some have leveled off. Buying a unit now is a great idea. Prices have not been this low in 4-5 years. But do not confuse a tough real estate market with a tough rental market. They are 2 different animals. Rentals are strong. You may have to work a little harder, but to the victor goes the spoils. Update your photos, take credit cards online, price your property correctly and you will have your share of business.

The bottom line is always been and always will be, you get out what you put in. Do the work to make your rental business a success and you will be successful. Do nothing and nothing will happen.

Stay tuned. We all hope the real estate market and the economy will swing back to the top soon.

Panama Vacation Rental Market

2008-02-22T10:03:00.008-05:00

I just returned from a trip to Panama. As I have mentioned here before, we are building Ocean Front Homes in Panama for Fractional sales and Vacation Rentals.

Every time I go to Panama, I see a country that is untouched. We went out fishing and scuba diving and it was on a Saturday. There was no aircraft in the area, NONE. And we had to go find our guides friends that were diving too, to invite them to lunch.

It was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever been through. The picture above is the brand New condo complex at Las Olas near David. This complex is just being completed and the next complex is getting ready to break ground.

Showing what there is to do in Panama is one of the ways we can show you where to take a vacation. With out pictures to document what to do on vacation, how would anyone know what to do once they get there.

I will also include a video that I found on YOU TUBE that really helps show off Panama. There is so much there that no one really knows.

This is why we decided to build vacation rentals in Panama and to use the online booking software, ivacationonline.com. With the online booking and the slide shows showing what there is to do in Panama we feel the market will respond and book a trip to this destination.

The lost are truly endless as to the activities in Panama. Las Olas resort is building a new 27 hole golf course, diving, swimming, beach walking, zip lining and on and on.

If you ever thought about a trip south to Panama, I highly recommend it! Feel free to contact me anytime. We are always planning a trip down there and would love to meet you there to show you what we have found to be our home away from home, PANAMA!

SEO for your Vacation Rental by Owner

2008-01-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

Trying to drive traffic to your vacation rental by owner is the goal of every owner.

We all know that the best way to get out on the market as fast and as efficient as possible is by joining the most productive web portals that are available to you.

That being said, what can you do for the long term SEO, or Search Engine Optimization of your vacation rental. There are a few things you can do that are very reasonable in cost and can help bring natural, "free" traffic to your listing.

We spoke on the last blog about "branding" your listing and having your own personal domain name, like, http://www.bluetides411.com/

This is still a great idea and an easy way to communicate to your prospects how to get to your online booking site and listing on ivacationonline.com.

What we will address here is more to do with SEO than "branding". Using http://www.ivoldomains.com/ you can buy a domain name for SEO reasons. After doing some research on what terms may benefit you and your listing, you can search to see if that domain is available. Here is an example of the process from start to finish.

I found a term that had a good amount of searches but was not that competitive in the market. We use tools from Yahoo and Google to establish what terms are being searched and what terms are being advertised. We decided to use " destin florida vacation house" as our SEO term.

We then take that term and create a natural amount of it into our description on our listing. You can view the listing here and read the description to see how it is used:
http://www.destin-florida-vacation-house.com/

We also where able to buy the URL and point it to our listing on ivacationonline.com. That is why when you click on the link above, you land on my listing on ivacationonline.com. I also have the domain name http://www.tobagosun.com/ pointing there too. These are for different reasons. I give my prospects the URL, http://www.tobagosun.com/ and I created http://www.destin-florida-vacation-house.com/ for the SEO of the listing. I use the dashes to let the search engines see what I am trying to convey to them. destinfloridavacationhouse.com is not as easy read by the syders as
http://www.destin-florida-vacation-house.com/

The other things that need to be done is the terms, "destin florida vacation house" has to be entered into the "title" of my listing on ivacationonline.com.

I have also put these as the keywords on my account with http://www.ivoldomains.com/ and make sure I represent it in the description too. So now the combination of my URL has my search terms in it, my "title" has that term in it and my description mentions it more than once, should bring me up nicely in the search engines.

The reason this will help you is you are going after a selected term and you are showing the search engine everything it is looking for to decide if this term applies to this site. If it is in your domain, your title, your description and your keywords, the search engines have no choice but to show this page as something that this person searching must see. So you have to make sure the term applies to your listing.

This will take time. At least 30 days before you may see results. But for the cost of the domain, $9 and I also recommend the TRAFFIC BLAZER at $17 at http://www.ivoldomains.com/ it is a no brainer! Once I submit it thru the TRAFFIC BLAZER on http://www.ivoldomains.com/ and the search engines spider the site, I will start to see natural results for my terms.

The main concept on choosing a term is to find one that is searched but the competition is low. Try to optimize for "vacation rentals" is a HUGE task. Basically forget about it. Find a term that applies to your property, has some level of searches online and take the large piece of the small pie. In the search engine world, it is called "grabbing the low hanging fruit".

If I can get 10 to 30 extra clicks a month, for free, and the search they performed is a "dead" match for my property, then I will stand to increase my web presence.

Adding this to your arsenal of marketing is a great long term way to establish your business online. Please contact us at anytime for help in using this concept. Here are a few owners URLS that are now doing this:

http://www.destin-florida-home-rental.com/
http://www.destin-florida-vacation-house.com/
http://www.destin-florida-rental-home.com/
http://www.gulf-shores-duplex.com/
http://www.pet-friendly-gatlinburg.com/

Good luck!

Domain Names for Vacation Rentals by Owner

2008-01-23T12:26:00.000-05:00

Having a private domain name for your listing on ivacationonline.com is a great way to "brand" yourself and it will help make your business a more personal transaction between you and your guest.

We have created http://www.ivoldomains.com/ for this reason. You can buy a domain name here and "point" it to your listing on ivacationonline.com. This will help you when you are talking to a guest or emailing them back. Here is a great example: http://www.bluetides411.com/ This owner has his domain "pointing" at his listing, so it looks like his private web page. He also has it "masked" so the prospect has the URL, http://www.bluetides411.com/ on the page.

With all the tools we provide on ivacationonline.com, there is no reason to send them anywhere else. Many owners are shutting down old websites and using the domains they have had for years and now pointing them to the listing on ivacationonline.com .

If you get a call from a prospect, or an email, you can respond by saying/emailing, just go to my site, http://www.bluetides411.com/ and you can see my slide show, guest book, Google Map and book it online. That way the guest can easily find your listing and not have to navigate to it. Once on your site, they can view the photos, and book it now. The less "work" you give your prospect, the more likely you are to get the booking. Sending them to the site where you do the booking makes the most sense.

If you still have a regular website, consider shutting it down, saving the hosting fees and "pointing" your domain to your listing on ivacationonline.com. This will not only save you money, but it should increase your bookings as they have less to navigate to book your property. If they have to find your regular site, look around, then find your listing on ivacationonline.com, there is some chance they may not make it there and not book with you. Less clicks, the better!

Buying a domain, if you have never done this is, very easy. Go to http://www.ivoldomains.com/ and start an account. Then search for a domain that you like. Then buy it. It is only $8.99 per domain. Try to keep it as short as possible. Try to use words that are easily spoken on the phone. They have to easily understand what you are saying and be able to type in in their computer. So the shorter the better!

Once you purchase a domain name you can add "domain forwarding" (it is free). You just copy and paste your URL on ivacationonline.com into the space that will re-direct someone when they type in your new domain name. I would also suggest the "masking" (also free) so they do not even see they are on ivacaitononline.com. You can add keywords too. This all helps in the search engines.

After you have your domain name you can start a FREE GOOGLE ANALYTICS account and then you can track the traffic on your site. This is a great service too! It will show you what search terms the public is using to find your site. It shows you where and how they find you. The information it provides is endless. The combination of a private domain and GOOGLE ANALYTICS is a powerful way to run your vacation rental. Just go to GOOGLE and sign up for the ANALYTICS account. Then enter your private domain name to be tracked. They will give you some code that needs to be entered into your description on your ivacationonline.com listing. You will need to use the SOURCE button on your description to enter the html code. It is invisible to you and me, but GOOGLE will pick it up and track your traffic after that is in there.

Here are a few examples of listings that are using this service:

http://www.tobagosun.com/
http://www.bluetides411.com/
http://www.waves411.com/

The domains are only $8.99 a year and everything thing else we spoke about is free! We have set up the domain service to be as reasonable as possible. Try it! I think you will like having a more personal approach to your business! Let us know if we can help in any way!

Vacation Home Expo for Vacation Rentals

2008-01-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

We are proud to announce we will be at the first of it's kinda Vacation Home TRADE SHOW in Atlanta April 11-13, 2008.

Please stop by to see us at out booth. We hope you can make the trip to be at this wonderful event.

This show will help promote vacation rentals as a great alternative to hotels when people take a vacation. More and more, people are finding that a private home or condo is the place to spend a very comfortable and affordable week on vacation. This is the first of it's kind TRADE SHOW to help promote them.

ivacationonline.com will be there and we have partnered with eCom to give private owners of vacation rentals a solution to renting them by owner. With the patent pending ivacationonline.com booking software and the online credit card processing eCom provides, owners can now run a vacation rental like a pro and save the 20% to 50% a management company charges.

Having the online booking system gives the private owner the tools needed to run a successful vacation rental. With more owners being successful, that gives more options to the guest looking for a nice place to stay.

The Vacation Rental business needs this type of show to help promote our products. The more people know this is an option, the better chance we have of them staying with us. Anything an owner can do to run a better business, will benefit us all in the long run.

Consider coming to Atlanta in April. Weather you have a vacation rental and you want to see the latest and greatest there is to offer or if you need a vacation, I am sure there will be plenty of homes and condos to choose from.

See you in April!

Pricing your Vacation Rental By Owner for Profit

2007-12-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

Pricing any type of real estate in the long run can spell victory of defeat.

There are so many factors that go into "how to sell" or "how to rent" real estate or vacation rentals. In this blog we will concentrate on PRICING!

Pricing is king! Anyway you look at it, pricing in almost any industry drives the market. So how does this effect us in the vacation rental business.

That is easy! Supply and Demand. If there are plenty of 3 bedroom condos for rent at $1000 per week and you are priced at $750, you will be 100% occupied but also you will be missing out on real income.

On the other hand, if you are priced at $1200 a week, you may not be getting bookings due to your pricing being too high. You may get some left overs, as the other units get booked up, the SUPPLY goes down and the last minute guests are only left to book your higher priced condo.

So some owners mistake some bookings as "they will pay my price" but they are really missing out on the majority of the market. The idea is to be almost 100% booked. With 90-95% occupancy you are running at optimal pricing. Any less and you may be too high, any higher you may be too low. Again, this is taking into consideration JUST pricing!

Now this does get a little harder to figure out as you have different units. Condos are easy to price as they are really close to being the same. Look online at comparable units. If you have a 3 bedroom home near the beach, do not comp it out with homes ON the beach. Be realistic. One mistake owners make is thinking their unit is "the best" one on the market. Chances are it is not. Be honest and realize that there are MANY nice homes/condos just like yours. Now comp them out to see what they are getting in rent. Comp out the market and see what everyone else is doing and come in AT the market! It does no one any good to UNDERCUT the market.

Here is why. If everyone is at $1000 a week, price yours at $1000 a week. If you go to $900, the next guy goes to $850 and so on. Now you may all be giving away income! If the market will pay $1000, stay there. Then your job is to "out market" and "out service" the competition. If you are using the online booking software, ivacationonline.com, you will have a big advantage on the competition already. You can take a booking in 30 seconds, and your competition will take 10 days to get a lease back with a check. Who do you think the guest wants to book with? The owner who accepts credit cards and has an online booking system. Also make sure you have your photo albums set up on your listings. Example: SLIDE SHOW

Now that you are priced at the market, and you are out performing your competition, you should be running at an optimal level. That is the whole concept. Keep your prices at the market, but work harder than the market to get MORE than your share. It works! Try it!

SPECIALS. Running specials or offering discounts is totally different than low ball pricing. Once you have researched your market, found your optimal pricing structure, stick to it and market your vacation rental. As time goes by, you will get the business you need to keep your unit booked. Then if a week does not book, as they sometimes will not, or if you get a last minute cancellation, you can offer a SPECIAL or DISCOUNT to try to get that time booked.

The online booking system ivacationonline.com has a COUPON system in place to handle this situation. Many listing sites have "specials" you can run to get the word out quickly that you have a "offer to good to pass up". The idea is to offer something to entice the guest to find you!

Give them $100 off, save 20%, anything that makes you stand out. The concept is your month is 3/4 booked, you have one week left that has not booked, you run specials or discounts for that week and the guest responds to those ads. Now you are 100% booked that month. With proper , marketing and placing ads or changing your "titles" on the ad portals, this is a great system of marketing to employ. Here is an example of a "title" I would run on say, VRBO, to help book a last minute cancellation: " Oct 7-14 now OPEN, save $150, Call today".

This targets a guest that needs that week, then they see the special and they click on your unit instead of the other 100 on that page. Now they view your spectacular photo album, you provide online booking and credit card processing and you get the business. That is how it works. Fast clean and easy!

Try this concept. You will enjoy the results! Remember to have your "system" in place to take the booking, then market, advertise and bring in the prospects. Pricing is one of the most important parts of the puzzle. Do your research and price your unit RIGHT!

Good Luck!

Vacation Rentals In Panama!

2007-12-27T16:35:00.001-05:00

We are very excited about a new project that we are associated with. We have been working on Panama, the country, for about 3 years, buying, researching and now building vacation rentals on the beach in Panama.

This is the first home we will have completed. It is under construction now and here is a slide show to show you the progress of this home:

The reason we are in Panama is to try all the things we know that work in the Vacation Rental business. We have purchased ocean front lots and are building homes to vacation in. There will be maids quarters, built in swimming pools, sun decks, plus more. Everyone wants to be on the beach. Theses homes are on the beach, the back yard is the Pacific Ocean.

The country and area have so much to offer. Taking a vacation to Panama and staying at one of our homes on the beach will offer the ultimate vacation experience. The list of things to do is endless. There is horse back riding on the beach, ATV riding in the mountains, Zip lining in the rain forest, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, sunbathing, plus more.

The people are EXTREMELY friendly. You will have a live in staff waiting on you when you arrive. So now I hope you can see why we are going in this direction. To take a vacation and have this type of service and list of things to do is unreal! The best thing about it is the prices will be very reasonable. So instead of taking the family to Florida, consider the "other" Panama. The country.

Stay posted to our sites. We are offering "Fractions" for sale on this property. You can purchase 4 weeks a year and use them as you see fit. You can place them on the rental program and we will rent them for you. So this can truly be a lifestyle investment. Or use them! It is up to you.

Here is the site for fractional sale information: PanamaFractional

And stay tuned to our online booking site, www.ivacationonline.com and be ready to book your next adventure of a life time in Panama! UNIT 613 in Panama! ( currently under construction)

Hasta Luego Amigo!

New Features on ivacationonline, to help run your Vacation Rental by Owner.

2007-12-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

RENTORS.ORG Update! One the of the new features and one of the most highly anticipated ones is the ability of the ivacationonline system to automatically update your RENTORS.ORG calendar.

Now when you enter the needed info into your property account, every time you CONFIRM, DECLINE, VOID or DISABLE a lease in the ivacationonline system, it will update your calendar on the RENTORS.ORG system. This can save you time and keep you accurate!

Automation is the pride of ivacationonline.com, we are taking tasks and time consuming items and automating them so the private owner can operate a vacation rental like a PRO! With the ivacationonline calendar being totally automated, you will never have to worry about keeping track of a calendar again!

SPREADSHEET! You can now email your spreadsheets to someone. We got this ready for the end of year tax rush. If you have a partner, manage a property for someone or just need to get your spreadsheet to your CPA, you can now email it to them off the ivacationonline.com system.

If you have not tried the ivacationonline.com system to run your vacation rental, you truly do not know what you are missing. Stop emailing word documents! Have a booking in seconds not days! Keep track of everything! The list is endless. Here is a LIST of FEATURES.

Sign up for our FREE 30 DAY TRIAL today. No credit card needed. No obligation. We will work with you to get you taking online bookings in a few minutes!

We look forward to helping you run a successful business!

eCom and Authorize.net now on ivacationonline.com

2007-12-10T16:08:00.001-05:00

We are proud to announce the Patent Pending online reservations system, ivacationonline.com has added a new merchant service provider. eCom is now available to use with your online reservation system.

We have added eCom as an option for our owners as they use the Authorize.net gateway and this let's us have the most up to date technology for processing credit cards online.

This will mean more reliable servers are processing your transactions. Less possibility of a communication problem during your booking. Faster bookings too. Now the combination of the ivacationonline.com reservation system with the eCom, Authorize.net gateway for your processing is a sure fire way to take online reservations for your vacation rentals.

The rates are the best we could find. No application fee, no annual fee, only 2.24% for qualified transactions and no monthly minimum.

You can APPLY ONLINE for this service and you have to be an ivacationonline.com member to get these rates.

No set up fee
No monthly minimum
No closure fee
No Annual Fee
2.24% qualified discount rate
2.19% debit card discount rate
$.15 per transaction
$5.00 monthly service/statement fee
$10.00 gateway monthly fee
$.20 gateway per transaction fee

It only takes about 24 hours to have your merchant service set up. Then just add the log in and password information to your MY ACCOUNT section on ivacationonline.com, edit your rates to accept the eCom account and you are back in business. Taking online bookings has never been any safer or easier!

If you are not currently on the ivacationonline.com system, try our FREE 30 DAY TRIAL to see what taking online bookings can do for your vacation rental business. No more email WORD documents! No more double bookings! No more tracking everything! Let the software do it for you!

We hope you have a Happy Holiday Season and make sure to sign up for the free trial soon! The busy 2008 vacation rental season is just around the corner.

Happy Renting!

Vaction Rentals, End of year updates!

2007-12-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

With the year coming to an end, now is the time to consider your next years business.

What needs to be updated? What are you going to do about your rates? Increase them or not? Any changes needed at the property?

These are all great questions most owners have. Anything I have done in my life, one principle holds true. The more time you put into something, the more you will get out of it. If you only advertise on a few sites, do not visit your properties, do not make improvements on a regular basis, then your gross rentals will reflect that.

The cabin pictured above is a new owner to the "BY OWNER" market. The owner has been taking the time to set up his "BY OWNER" business. Since he has taken the time, I know he will be successful in 2008. Be sure to check out his unit, 623 on ivacationonline.com.

I know we are all busy. So you must be honest with yourself to the commitment you can make. The owners we work with have many different ideas on how much time and money they invest in this business. We do see a trend. The owners that look forward to the future, paint the units, price them right, spend time researching what ad portals to advertise on and in general, just run a good business, are the ones that are the most successful

This is the perfect time of year for some self evaluation. Are you spending enough time to get the business you want? Are your rates for 2008 up on the ad portals you advertise on? Have you made any improvements to your properties?

Before you know it, Jan 1 will be here and for most of us, that is the start of another busy booking season and we are on our way! So get ready now. Make a list and work a little each day to make sure you are ready!

Look over your competition too. See what is going on in your area. Don't be the last to know something, be the first!

Your time spent on your vacation rental business will come back to you in rental dividends. Good luck in 2008!

Get Involved!

2007-10-30T16:06:00.000-04:00

I just returned from Destin Florida, where I was to attend our HOA meeting and budget meetings for one of the communities I have a home. I am on the board at Cottage Retreat in Destin and have held the Presidents position for the past 3 years.

The reason I bring this up is I think we need more owners to get involved. Everyone wants a nice community, clean streets and sidewalks, beautiful homes,l clean pools and hot tubs, but there is some work that needs to be done to get them there.

I have enjoyed my time I spend working with the other board members. It really has not been too bad a time commitment. If more owners became involved, then they would have a voice in the rules, regulations and direction a community is heading.

If you do not get involved, you can not complain when something does not go your way. I wanted to be involved in the early years as many rules, and items needed to be completed. If I did not voice my opinion, how can I expect the outcome I am hoping for. The HOA has to take into account the good of all the owners, not just the board members. A good board of directors will keep that in mind. It is not a place for a "good ole boys" attitude, but you must do what is best for everyone.

Think about getting involved in your community. You may enjoy it as much as I have. It is also a great learning experience. There are state laws that help protect the owners and the community. There are rules that must be followed so that no one is at a disadvantage.

GET INVOLVED! Your investment depends on it! Go to your next meeting and run for a position on the board. You may be surprised how happy others are to have your help! Then you can start to shape and mold your own future!

Good luck!

Why use Online Booking?

2007-10-22T15:55:00.000-04:00

We get this question often. Some owners of private vacation rentals have been in business for years. So they have "some" type of system in place to take bookings and keep track of the guests coming and going. So we understand the resistance to change. But.....

THINGS CHANGE. What use to be standard a few years ago is now out dated. Look at all the technology we have now in our cell phones, DVDs, TVs etc. So why not look into a state of the art booking system for your vacation rental business.

The ivacationonline.com software is built so the owner may perform a transaction with the guest, online, and all parties are informed and all parties have the needed documentation for the transaction.

SPEED COUNTS. We all know in the vacation rental business the owner that returns the calls and emails the fastest usually gets the booking. So why would you want to put a 4-7 day freeze on that process.

Let's say you return a call of a prospect that is very interested and wants to book your unit. You call them, they ask questions and you both agree to the booking. Now you have to email or fax the paperwork to them, they must print it out, sign it and write a check and mail it back to you. This is the normal way of doing business without online booking. VERY SLOW and puts too much on the guests.

You are taking a person who wants to buy something from you and putting a 7 day period into the equation and chances are they may not follow thru. The odds are not in your favor. Is your property "pending" or do you rent it to the next person that acts faster? What if they do not return the paperwork? How long do you wait for the paperwork before you try to track the prospect down? See the problems here?

You can now get that booking online and get it when the guest is wanting to do business with you! Which is NOW! In about 60 seconds it can all be done! We have taken an online survey of guest after they have booked with the ivacaitononline.com system and to date, 100% of the guest said they want to book a trip with a credit card. This is what the ivacaitononline.com system promotes. In any business, if you give the consumer what they want, you will attract more business. Make the sale when the prospect is ready to buy. Not one week later. Online booking gives you that option. Online booking is the way of the future.

Most of the owners we consult with that are not doing well, have a very difficult booking process. They have too many "rules", they do not take credit cards and are slow getting back to the prospect. They do not advertise enough. There is too much competition now. The owners that are making these changes, doing online booking, taking credit cards and removing roadblocks to the bookings are getting the lions share of business.

THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE. This is the best way I can describe what the automated online booking system, ivacationonline.com, can do for you. Make it easy on the guest, open the door WIDE open. Welcome them with open arms. Have your terms and conditions well written, have them agree and book them now! When the guest has you on the phone and they are all excited, that is the time to take the booking. Not 2 days later when you email them the documents and they have to write a check.

What would happen if a car dealer showed you a car you loved on the lot, you wanted to buy it and they told you to go home and wait for an email, print it out, then fill out the form and mail them a check back! They would never sell a car! So why do that in the vacation rental business?

NEW TREND. Here is the trend we see with online bookings. Owners are now removing taking a security deposits, asking for 100% up front, and they have language in the terms that they reserve the right to charge the credit card used in this transaction for any damages that may occur. The benefit here is the guest perceives a lower cost as they do not see an inflated price due to the security deposit. The owner has less work after the booking as they do not have to return a deposit. The owner has a copy of the card on file in the merchant service so they are protected. It is a win win for all involved. Again, this is making it easier for the guest and they respond by booking faster with these owners using these policies.

TRY IT. You can always go back to the OLD FASHION way. If you do not see how this system benefits you, go back to what you where doing. The owners that are using this technology to the fullest are having record years on the rentals.

Hope to see you taking online bookings soon! You will not regret it!

Details, Details, Details; Winning with a Vacation Rental by Owner

2007-10-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

Today I wanted to go over what very successful owners are doing to stay successful!

I work with owners form all over the country with vacation rentals in many different areas. The underlying trait that the successful owners have is they pay attention to the details.

One of the most successful owners I know are Jay and Betty Coppic in Destin Florida. I have known Jay and Betty for about 5 years. They called me when they had one unit in Destin and were not very happy with the management company. I shared with them what I was doing to run this business on my own and they soon gave notice and left the management company. They have some rentals in one of my communities in Destin and they did so well with it they started to buy more. They now own 3 in the same complex.

They too love Destin like we do. They love it so much, they moved there and now live in a community near their rentals. So they now have a great advantage in this business. They can enter the units on a weekly basis and check on everything and keep the units in great condition.

The main reason I want to bring them up is the level of detail they put into this business is second to none! When I work with an owner that is not having success, I can see a trend of not putting in the time it takes to make this business work.

The old style of, "This is my second home, if you want to rent it, do what I say." Is out the door. As I always preach, this is a business. And if you are not running it like a business, you will suffer the economic consequences.

So now I see a direct relationship between owners like Jay and Betty, that take the time that is needed to run a great business and are VERY successful and owners that pay very little attention to it and they are not doing very well. So let me go into some detail so you can see what owners like Jay and Betty are doing to stay fully occupied and cash flowing their properties.

The devil is in the details! Jay takes great photos and uses them to "sell" his units. We could not agree more. Take as many pictures as possible. Use the Picasa Slide shows. Do what ever you can to show off your property. This takes time and the owners that take the time to do this are the ones seeing the benefits.

Advertise properly. You can not just throw up and ad on VRBO and complain that you are not 100% booked. The ad must be written correctly. Give details about everything. The bedrooms, the living rooms, inside, outside. You can not put too much detail on the web portals. The guest want to read all about a property, once they have interest.

Communicate with your guest. First owner that gets back to them, gets the business. Use this mentality and do not count on just emailing the guest and getting the bookings. CALL THEM ASAP!

Have all your policies in place and stick to them. Do not let the inmates run the asylum! You must know your policies and state them clearly on your sites and follow them. If you change your check in and check out time for every guest that ask, you will go crazy! Stick to your minimum day booking requirement. You need to run a successful business, you will also have to learn to say NO. NO, I do not allow pets. NO, I can not take a 2 day booking. NO, I do not rent to students under 25. NO is OK.

Follow up and stay in touch with your guest. This is rarely done. Getting someone to come back to your property is much better that trying to find a new prospect. They know you and your unit. They have been there. They are an easy sale. If you are not contacting them on a regular basis, they will forget who you are and end up booking with someone else next year.

Take the time to re-think your business. Take a few days or evenings and update all your sites. When is the last time you changed your copy on the web portals you advertise on? Keep it fresh.

Yes, this does take time, but if you start paying attention and run your properties like a business, the way Jay and Betty do in Destin, you too can be fully booked and cash flowing your units. Try it! You have no place to go but UP!

Off season, time to update your Vacation Rental

2007-10-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

Many of us are going into what we may consider to be the slow season. Some markets are now just heating up. Either way, updating your property and doing normal maintenance is part of this business.

If you are running your business successfully you may be booked during the "slow" time when other units are empty! This is a great problem to have. What I will normally do is take as many bookings as possible up to about Nov. 1. I know in my market of DESTIN FLORIDA, any bookings we can get in Nov. outside of Thanksgiving is really a bonus. So if I am going to take time off the calendar it is usually around the beginning of Nov.

I have found it is worth missing one or two weeks of low rent and keep my units updated as much as possible, so my high season guests are happy when they return and see an improved unit. And since we run usually over 90% booked, I have very few weeks a year to get this work completed.

Here are some items you need to consider.

1) Have your HVAC cleaned and inspected. Much of this will be preventative. There is not one of your guests that want to arrive and not have heat or air. This is a great way to stop a problem before it happens.

2) Paint and decor. It is always good to keep your vacation rental fresh with the latest colors and decor. How long has it been since you painted the entire place? Do you have enough touch up paint to keep the place looking good. Guest bringing in and out large travel bags and suite cases can leave your walls "dinged" up. Touch them up and keep enough of the original paint on hand so this is easy and fast.

3) Pressure washing. I love my pressure washer. You can make anything look new again. Decks, sidewalks, driveways, siding on your home. If you do not have time to do it your self, hire someone. There are always plenty of handy man around to do this. This will make everything look new again. I have one of my homes pressured washed once a year, they do the drive way, patios, front porch, sidewalks and side of the home for about $200. It is money well spent.

4) New Furniture. You will know when it is time. If I see a worn couch or chair, we will make plans to replace it in the fall. This is one thing that everyone needs to consider. The furniture does take a beating. Try to budget for it. Make it part of your yearly expenses. If you buy one or two pieces a year, every year, you will always have furniture that is in great shape.

5) Carpet cleaning/Replacement. If you have carpet, clean it! The guest can tell when you have worn out dirty carpets. I like to put as much ceramic tile down as possible. But where I have carpet we have it cleaned at least twice a year. You should also have your tile cleaned once a year as the dirty tile can transfer the dirt right back to the carpet once it is clean. After 5-6 years it may be time to consider replacing the carpet. I always try to pick colors or patterns they go good with dirt! Brown carpet is much better in vacation rentals then white!

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. What do yo uhave at your place that needs work. Now is the time to schedule the improvements.

I hope these items gave you enough ideas to get motivated to improve your unit. I assure you the better you take care of your place,the better your guest will like it and want to come back. Building up repeat business is GOLDEN in this business. They feel safe booking with you as they have a track record with you and they know you keep a clean updated place.

The more you put into this business, the more you will get out. Keep up the good work and keep your units updated! Happy Renting!

Gatlinburg Meeting for Vacation Rentals By Owners.

2007-09-25T15:54:00.000-04:00

Well, we just got back from a great weekend in Gatlinburg TN. We had the opportunity to meet with a great group of owners in Gatlinburg. This group was formed off of the Yahoo board of Gatlinburg owners. They are taking the needed steps to help them selves in the vacation rental industry. Here is a slide show of the day; (If you are having a problem viewing the Slideshow from the feed you can go to www.ivacationonline.com and click the blog link to view this blog entry)

I think their idea of forming the group they have is wonderful. They are pulling the resources and learning to be more successful than the competition.

I also had the chance to meet Christine Karpinsky from Homeaway. It was great to finally meet her face to face. She also does a great job traveling and holding seminars to help owners of vacation rentals run successful businesses. It is very similar to what we offer at Vacation Rentals For Profit.com There was so much information for these owners we hope they all take something home with them that will help improve their rental business.

Here are a few topics we handled that day.

1) Running "Special" ads on Homeaway. We have had great success with this feature on Homeaway. You can run a "Special"ad and draw attention to a particular week or days that you need booked. Once you place the ad, guest will find your ad in prominent positions on the Homeaway network and your chances of getting a booking increase tremendously.

2) Making sure you are advertising enough. Many owners only have 1-3 web portals bringing in prospects. Owners need to set a budget and make sure they are well represented on the sites that do well with the searches in their areas. Being on 4-10 well positions sites is what a successful owner needs to do.

3) Picasa Photo Album. We went over this in detail. This is one of the best ways to close a sale. If you have a photo album of this quality on your listing at http://www.ivacationonline.com/ your conversion ratio will improve. Guest want to see pictures. Give them the latest most user friendly photo album out there.

4) Taking online bookings and credit card processing. In today's "give it to me now" society, having the http://www.ivacationonline.com/ automated online software taking real time online bookings with credit card processing will super charge your business. Guest simply react better to online booking than waiting around for an email that they must print out, sign and then mail back to the owner with a check. The faster you return a phone call, and the faster your booking process is, the better your rental business will be.

I shared a real life story with my own unit. As I drove to Gatlinburg on Friday morning, I received a call from a prospect in Indiana. I had just put back on the market a week that started on Saturday, the next day! He wanted to book with me and he did so online with his credit card. I emailed him back the CONFIRMATION once I arrived at my brothers place in Gatlinburg. He arrived the next day at my place and everyone was happy. There is no way to get that transaction completed without taking online bookings and credit card processing.

We really talked heavily about running your unit like a business. Have a business plan. Have policies in place. Have a well written online contract and check out procedures. Once all of this comes together, the owners that take the time and do the work are the ones getting the rewards.

I think more areas need to act like the Gatlinburg owners. The more we work together as an industry the better we will be perceived. We need to act and look professional. Running your business like a professional is now easy with all the tools available.

I would like to thank the group in Gatlinburg and I would love to come back anytime they will have me. I really enjoy being around like minded folks and I love talking about the vacation rental by owner business.

I wish them all luck and hope to be able to work one on one with any owners we met in Gatlinburg! Just call or email me anytime! I look forward to your continued success.

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