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Monthly Archives for June 2017

Advertising Your Vacation Rental

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 28, 2017

Advertising your vacation rental is the most important task an owner must do to secure rentals. Gojne are the days of just listing your rental on Homeaway or VRBO. Things have changed on major listing sites and now your vacation rental may be relegated to the bottom of search results due to not activating ‘Book it Now”.

There are several ways to advertise one’s vacation rental property. These include posting ads on bulletin boards, websites, local papers and magazines, joining  online rental listing sites and even building your own website.

Effective Ways to Advertise your Vacation Rental

1) Create your own website

The most important step an owner can take is to build your own website. Independence from major listing sites allows owners to avoid service fees and take control of their vacation rentals marketing. Once an owner has a website they can provide, photos, coupons, rates, reservations, maps, events, and more. An owner can advertise their rental with a broader approach on the internet using adwords, submission to major directories and local vacation rental listing sites.

2) Advertise using Craigslist

Craigslist is used by many owners to advertise a vacation rental. Owners must be vigilant when listing on Craigslist. Many scammers will use a rentals information to create their own ad to scam renters. Owners need to search Craigslist often to look for ads of their property posted illegally.

3). Vacation Rental Listing Sites

The most productive way to advertise your rental is to look for local vacation rental listing websites. These regional or local sites allow owners to list rentals without service fees and restrictions on communications between owners and renters. By listing your rental and website owners increase their visibility on major search engines.

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An Easy Tip to Place your Vacation Rental Website Higher on Search Engines

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 27, 2017

One of the easiest and often overlooked way to help place your rental higher on search engines is to look at your competition.

How to research your vacation rental competition.

Perform searches of popular keyword phrases that are used to find your vacation rental.

Examples: Kitty Hawk Vacation Rentals, Kitty Hawk Rentals, Kitty Hawk home rentals…

Look for competitors or owners of vacation rental owners in your area that show in the search results.

Next perform a search of a competitors vacation rental that you found in the search results for the keyword phrases.

Example: Our Kitty Hawk Beach House

What websites is Our Kitty Hawk Beach House listed on? Create a list of all sites that your competitor is listed on.

Add your website to the same sites if possible. By doing this your are recreating the back links that your competition is using to place higher in search engines. Recreating the same links often results in higher placement on search engines.

CapeMayVacationRentals.com

 

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The Importance of Owning a Vacation Rental Website

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 27, 2017

As an owner of a vacation rental your mission is to find quality rentals for your rental. Many owners are now faced with the task of marketing their rental without the assistance of Homeaway, VRBO and Flipkey. Owners do not want their guests to pay service fees for booking their vacation rental. Owners want to openly communicate with potential guests prior to booking. Homeaway, VRBO and Flipkey charge service fees and block communications between owners and renters.

So what can a Vacation Rental owner do? Build your own Vacation Rental Website.

Sounds difficult right? Nope. There are plenty of services that offer pre-built websites that owners can customize with photos, logos, descriptions, rates and more. Owners need to have a fully bookable website. What does this mean? A fully bookable website allows renters to reserve your rental on your site. Renters can browse your availability calendar choose open dates and book. Payment can be made by check or credit card.

One popular service is VacationRentalDesk.com. Vacation Rental Desk offers powerful tools to help build your vacation rental website. Owners can use Vacation Rental Desks site builder to easily create a fully bookable site in minutes. The admin area allows owners to customize rates, email templates and much more. An example of a wonderful Cape May rental website is CapeMayHollySuite.com

Building your own vacation rental website is the first step to independence. Owners will find they no longer need big listing sites that charge service fees and block communications.

CapeMayVacationRentals.com

 

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Tips for taking Quality Photographs for your Vacation Rental

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 27, 2017

As an owner of a vacation rental you have one chance to make an impression on an individual searching for a rental. The most important part of vacation rental listings are the photographs.

Tips for quality photography of your vacation rental.

  • Stage your photos. Use flower arrangements in the rooms you photograph. A popular place to use flowers is your dining table. Also stage the table with wine glasses for that extra touch. If you have a deck, patio or pool stage the area with open umbrellas, glassware and any other items that make the outdoor area inviting.
  • Use proper lighting when taking photos of your vacation rental. Make sure your photos are clear and well lit. Dark photos are a turn off for guests looking for a rental.
  • Photograph views. If your vacation rental offers views of the ocean, mountains. lakes or the city highlight the view. Guests love views. They picture themselves sitting on a roof deck enjoying a coffee in the morning or wine at night. As mentioned above, stage the area. Coffee cups or wine glasses and bottle of wine.
  • Take photos from above if possible in tight rooms. Stand on ladder and shoot down from a corner in the room. The result will be a larger and wider looking room.
  • Cozy up the place. If you have a fireplace, light it and photograph the beauty of the fireplace in your vacation rental. Add pillows on couches and a throw blanket. Soft light the rooms for a warm look.
  • Turn the TV on and take a picture. Guests want a large TV. Highlight your HDTV with photos of  something cool on the TV, sports and travel are favorites. If you have a theater room highlight the seating. Family time is often watching movies together while on vacation.
  • Lift your blinds and let the light in. Renters want light not dark.
  • Take photos of the surrounding area. Highlight local attractions.

CapeMayVacationRentals.com

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The importance of listing your Vacation Rental on Local Websites

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 26, 2017

Do you have a vacation rental website for your rental? Are guests using your website to book? If the answer is yes to both questions you need to understand the importance of Search Engine Optimization.

For your website to be seen on Google you will need to do certain things. The quickest and easiest solution to improve your vacation rentals placement on Google is to list on local vacation rental listing sites. Google looks at a websites relevancy when deciding placement. If your rental is important in Googles eyes your vacation rental will place well. Local listing sites are established vacation rental related websites in your area. By listing on these sites you effectively create a back link to your website on another vacation related website. You are then “showing” Google that your business is important in the area and should be seen by searchers. The more relevant back links you have the better you will place on Google. Too often owners think that large national sites are the only solution. They are not. In fact they give you zero relevance in your local market. They do not help your search placement. Only local listing sites will impact your search placement.

CapeMayVacationRentals.com

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How to avoid Service Fees when looking for a Vacation Rental

Uncategorized - admin - June 26, 2017

Things have changed in the vacation rental business this year. Listing sites like VRBO, Homeaway and Flipkey are now requiring owners to complete all rentals through their website. Gone are the days when owners could speak directly with renters prior to booking. Now all communication is hidden from the owner until the booking is completed.

In addition VRBO, Homeaway and Flipkey now charge renters a service fee to book on their respective websites. The service fee is usually 6 to 15% or more . A hefty charge for doing nothing more than clicking on a listing and booking the listing.

So what can renters do to avoid the service fees?

Search locally for a vacation rental. Read the listing on Homeaway, VRBO or Flipkey and look for the branded name of the rental within the description of the rental. Many owners describe their properties with keywords that will let renters know the actual name of their rental. Example….Wildwood Crest Beach House. Search the exact terms and often you will find the owners website to book directly with the owner to avoid the service fee.

Always look at the vacation rental listings below the paid listings on Google. These are the local listings of local vacation rental sites. Many times these are realtors or local vacation rental listing sites like CapeMayVacationRentals.com. Use these services to avoid service fees. Local listing sites do not block contact between owner and renter. They do not charge service fees.

In sum..a little searching can save you hundreds of dollars in fees. Take the time to search for the vacation rental you want and deal directly with the owner.

CapeMayVacationRentals.com

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What do Millennials want in a Vacation Rental?

Uncategorized - admin - June 26, 2017

1.We want information.

When looking for a rental we always prefer vacation rentals that provide plenty of information about the property and the area. We are info savvy due to the availability of knowledge at our fingertips with our phones.

2. We like unique.

We prefer unique accommodations. Tell us about your vacation rental and what makes it different from other vacation rentals in the area

3.We like excellent communication

In a world of instant communication we want responses to our inquires quickly. Please be prompt with your reply.

4. Tell us about the area

We are not always familiar with the area we are renting. We would like to hear from owners about events of any type that are scheduled for the season. Best restaurants, Best Bike Rentals, Coffee and Ice Cream shops. The more info the better.

5. Great Photos

We use our iphones for everything including photography. We know a good picture when we see one. Take great photos of your vacation rental and the surrounding area. Highlight the best features of your rental. Roof Decks, patios, porches are favorites.

6. Mobile Website

As Millennials we absorb information at lightning speed. Our phones are a part of our daily lives. Make sure your website is mobile ready. We do most of our transactions online and usually on our phones.

 

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7 Tips for Cape May Vacation Rental Owners

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 26, 2017

 

These 7 points are a sample of the most common mistakes Owners make.  As an owner of a rental in Cape May it is important to stay on top of the rental market and know how best to protect and market your rental.

1. Screening
Screen all renters. Take the time to speak with the renter. Ask for references if needed.

2. Listing with too many sites
List with local sites like CapeMayVacationRentals.com that offer a free trial. All search is local. Renters are searching local when looking for a rental. A typical example of a local rental search would be Wildwood rentals. The results of the search would show all listing sites including realtors in Wildwood.

3. Thinking Craig’s List will bring quality clients
Craiglist is notorious for fraud when it comes to listing your rental. Scammers post your information and steal from unsuspecting renters.

4. NO  rental agreement needed
Never rent without an RA. It is foolish to let anyone rent your property without protecting your valuable asset with ac contract. Always be very clear with your cancellation policy.

5. Pricing wrong.
Do research on what other similar properties in your area rent for. Do not overprice. Renters are money savvy and shop around. You have one chance to impress them or they move on to the next listing. Set your pricing on CapeMayVacationRentals.com easy to use interface.

6. Taking the first booking that comes along
Slow down and screen before accepting a reservation due to an opening you may have. Cape MayVacationRentals.com allow owners and renters to openly communicate. Other sites block communications. We believe the most important part of renting is proper communication

7. Ignoring gut feelings
Never ignore your gut feelings. If it looks bad it probably is. Move on to the next inquiry. Ask questions.

 

 

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Cape Mays Historic Jackson Street Vacation Rentals

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 25, 2017

One of the most famous streets is Cape May is Jackson Street. Jackson Street is a favorite among many vacation renters who visit Cape May.

One of our favorite properties is The Cape May Puffin Suites which has a wonderful one bedroom condo. CapeMayHollySuite.com offers an ocean view roof deck and all of the features many renters desire.

Cape May Puffin Suites is located in Historic Cape May. Cape May Puffin Suites are individually owned and operated Cape May vacation rental condominiums. Cape May Puffin Suites offers Cape May Vacation Rentals Located only 1/2 block from Cape Mays beautiful beaches and the fabulous Washington Street Mall. All within walking distance guests will enjoy antique shopping, gourmet dining, historic Cape May tours and the most beautiful beaches in New Jersey . The Puffin Suites are dedicated to recreating the grandeur of a days gone by while providing  guests all of the modern comforts and conveniences for a perfect stay. Cape May Puffin Suites is one of the best known Cape May Vacation Rentals in all of Cape May. Guests come back year after year for one reason. Location! Everything is within walking distance. Park your car and forget about it.

www.CapeMayPuffinSuites.com

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Cape May : The Jewel of South Jersey

Vacation Rental News - admin - June 23, 2017

Many times I am asked why did I choose Cape May over all of the other Shore Towns in South Jersey. My simple answer has always been, there is nothing like Cape May. When entering Cape May you will see something no other shore town has in abundance…trees. The streets are lined with old growth trees and lit by gas lights. The horse carriages and trolleys take visitors back in time. Its truly a wonder to have a town like Cape May still exist in all of its charm.

Cape May is now the go-to destination for couples and families looking for a quiet, historical town to vacation. Cape May Vacation Rentals are found throughout the town. The historic district is a favorite of many visitors. Located in the district are vacation rentals in condos, homes and bed and breakfasts. Many guests come back year after year and stay in the same rentals. Cape May is known for its large front porches where guests can people watch and meet new friends.

When looking for a cape may rental choose location first. There are many fantastic locations in Cape May. Whether its beach front, bay area or the historic district renters will have many rentals to choose from. Visit Cape May you will be back year after year. Cape May truly is a jewel of a town.

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