This newsletter is emailed 6 times annually to 18,897 owners
of vacation rental homes who have registered for free
universal availability calendars and guestbooks at:

  http://www.rentors.org

TO CANCEL: See Article #13, at bottom of newsletter.

 1 - Please Check Your Calendar and Guestbook Today
 2 - If You Were the Guests?
 3 - Handicap Accessibility
 4 - Off-Peak Discounted Rates
 5 - Keep the Organization Simple
 6 - Eliminate Your Management Company?
 7 - Remitting Your Sales Taxes
 8 - The Personal Touch
 9 - Harness the Web for Promotion
10 - More Vacation Rental Tips
11 - Rentors.org Sponsors Information
12 - Please Refer a Friend to Rentors.org
13 - How to Cancel

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1 - Please Check Your Calendar and Guestbook Today
==================================================

Your self-service universal availability calendar at
Rentors.org has no value if it is incorrect. Please follow
the link below to login to Rentors.org and update your
vacation rental calendar today.

  RENTORS login: http://www.rentors.org/login.cfm
 
If you've forgotten your Rentors.org PASSWORD, check the
bottom-left text in the yellow box at the login screen.

While you're there, be sure to set up a vacation rental
guestbook if you haven't already. Guestbooks add credibility
to your vacation rental, and help you to stand above your
competitors.

==========================
2 - If You Were the Guest?
==========================

If you were the guest and you found two comparable vacation
properties for rent, one that accepts credit cards and
another that does not, which property would you rent?

According to the International Credit Card Associations,
over 98% of travel accommodations worldwide are booked with
and paid for by credit cards.

Rentors.org offers a merchant account plan designed
specifically for vacation rental homeowners and property
managers. Rates are competitive, and most applications are
approved within 1-2 business days. It takes just a few
minutes to apply at:

  http://www.rentors.org/cc.cfm

==========================
3 - Handicap Accessibility
==========================

With the number of older, well-traveled people increasing
around the world, it may make sense to market your vacation
property to individuals with disabilities. While
disabilities come in different forms and levels of severity,
many existing vacation homes can be designated as being
handicap accessible, if properly described in the listing's
description.

For example, if a property is a ground floor unit or single-
family home and can be accessed without stairs, then that
may be enough for individuals who are simply unable to climb
stairs and/or use a walker to get around. Condominium
buildings with elevators may also qualify to this extent. To
be wheelchair accessible properties should have no steps,
low door thresholds, and wider doors to at least one
bathroom.

It may make sense to spend some money to 'upgrade' your
property to some level of handicap accessibility. Many
upgrades cost very little and could make the difference
between getting a rental or not. Grab bars by the toilet and
in the bathtub are quite inexpensive and easy to install.
Widening a bathroom door may be feasible. Think about adding
a short ramp to the front or rear door if space exists and
the entrance design lends itself to this arrangement. In
some instances getting one additional rental would cover the
cost of renovations.

Please consider looking critically at your property to
determine if there is a level of handicap accessibility.
There are many handicapped individuals looking for vacation
properties but they can't tell if your property is
accessible to them. By simply adding a paragraph with a good
description of accessibility you will help them and may get
additional rentals. Adding the words "Handicap Accessible"
to the Headline or description of your property will
certainly help prospective renters locate your property, but
be sure to also indicate details which will help your
prospective renters determine the degree of accessibility
your property provides.

-- Marvin Floyd and David Clouse
   Vacation Rentals by Owner
=============================
4 - Off-Peak Discounted Rates
=============================

Do you offer discounted "off-peak" rates for your vacation
rental outside of your "peak season"? You may be surprised
at the revenue you can generate during weeks when your
property normally sits empty. Many vacation rental
homeowners offer off-peak discounts of 20% to 50% compared
to their high- season rates. Some discounts run as high as
67% -- during very slow months.

Check your rental records. If your vacation home sat empty
for an extended period of time during the last year or two,
try some deeper off-peak discounts, like airlines do with
airfares. A 50% off-peak discount will produce more off-peak
rentals than a 20% off-peak discount, but you must consider
your rental COSTS also.

If you offer a deeply discounted rate, you may want to set a
minimum stay of 3, 4, or 7 nights. Set the number of days to
reflect a TOTAL price that you're willing to accept for each
stay -- to make it "worth your while" to prepare the house
for your renters to arrive and maintain it when they leave.

An unsold rental week can never be recovered. Fine-tune your
off-peak rates today to minimize your vacancies and increase
the return on your vacation rental investment.

-- Brian Raub
   A1 Vacation Rentals
================================
5 - Keep the Organization Simple
================================

Every homeowner should have a consistent procedure for
booking their vacation home and for short-term rentals, a
simple, basic confirmation is the way to go. This
confirmation should include:

1. Name, address and telephone number of the renting party
Name, address and telephone number of owner with
name/location of vacation home

2. The specific rental dates, eg.
   ARR; Saturday July 7th; Depart: Saturday July 14th

3. Specific check-in and check-out times for the above dates

4. An outline of the total due eg. Rent + damage deposit +
cleaning fee + other(tax)

5. A time line of when monies are due: eg. 50 % of above or
$450 due immediately to reserve (and hold) rental dates; the
other $450 due May 7th, 2003.

6. A clear concise cancellation policy: eg. All monies are
due 60 days prior to arrival (May 7th); after that point,
the rental is non-cancellable unless re-rented by another
party of equal value in which case a $50 fee will be
assessed.

7. Check-in procedure and contacts eg. Keys will be mailed
two weeks prior to arrival date; Property manager on hand at
555-555-1212 in case of emergency.

8. Damage deposits are returned 3 weeks following departure
date.

9. Other miscellaneous (quick) items unique to the rental
arrangement.

With each correspondence, the owner should confirm to the
vacationer, monies received et al and reiterate the above
points with another simple confirmation which can be sent as
postcard or a templated sheet of paper or email. This will
keep all parties in the loop. Further it will go a long way
in addressing two of the most common complaints we see. That
is, timely return of the damage deposits and clarification
of the cancellation policy. Now a procedural trail has been
established and the cancellation policy has been noted on at
least two occaisions. These simple steps will keep both the
vacationer and owner organized as well as minimizing two of
the most common complaints.

--Hunter Melville and Dave Bollinger
  CyberRentals
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6 - Eliminate Your Management Company?
======================================

Do you feel that your management company over-charges you?
Would you like to eliminate the hassles when you deal with
them?  Then check this out:

Here is a tip from our own personal experience: Since we
live in Michigan and our condo is in Florida, we thought we
had no choice but to use a management company to hand out
the keys, receive payments, pay taxes, be on call 24 hours,
clean the condo, etc.  For those things, they took a hefty
percentage off the top and gouged us for 5-minute light bulb
changes to boot. All that has now changed since we sent them
that cancellation letter. And for the better!

It may seem like a daunting task to find someone to do all
of those things the management company does, but if you
divide them up and ask around, it may be easier than you
think!

Here are some ideas:

1. We found a really nice couple in our condo building
willing to hand out the keys (they have been doing this for
others in our building).  Even if they are not in, they will
either leave the keys or designate another person to hand
out them out.  Alternative: get a combination lock box for
your door (like the ones that realtors use). Your cleaning
person can change the combination after the renters leave.
The above-mentioned couple changed the locks for us and will
be on call for simple maintenance tasks. Another idea: Two
homeowners recently told us that they have had no problem
mailing the keys to renters.  They collect a deposit and
mail the key. When the keys are returned, they return the
deposit.

2. Ask other owners in your area who they use for cleaning.
If no individuals are available, perhaps a company like
Merry Maids would meet your requirements.

3. For appliance services, we have a company that we pay
annually.  There are national companies if you are unable to
find one locally.  Also, check with the local utility
company to see if they offer furnace, air conditioning and
appliance repair service plans.

4. Doing taxes may not sound like much fun, but it is really
not that hard to do them yourself, or to have your
accountant or other outside firm do them for you (remember
it is still cheaper than paying the management company!).
See article below: "7 - Remitting Your Sales Taxes".

5. With some of the money you save by "doing it yourself",
why not get a merchant account so that you can accept credit
cards? This will add to your credibility and make taking
deposits a snap! Rentors.org now offers merchant accounts
specifically designed for vacation rental homeowners. Even
though you will pay fees to accept credit cards, you may be
pleasantly surprised that you are getting more rentals per
year than before.

So you see, it is easier than you think to save money by
"doing it yourself"!

-- Jan Van Voorhis
   Great Rentals
==============================
7 - Remitting Your Sales Taxes
==============================

Like hotel rooms and B&Bs, most short-term vacation rentals
are subject to sales tax in the USA. While renters pay these
taxes as an add-on to the rental cost, the law requires that
homeowners collect and remit them. Substantial penalties and
interest may apply if you fail to comply. These sales taxes
typically total 10% of rental revenue. They may be called
lodging tax, occupancy tax, bed tax, tourist tax, etc.
Filing quarterly or monthly with the state, county, and city
can be confusing and time-consuming.

To determine your tax-filing obligations, contact the tax
department in the city, county, and state where your
property is located. Alternatively, you can hire a sales tax
service to file and remit your taxes. To help you comply,
Rentors.org has partnered with HotSpot Management, a tax
management service provider for vacation rental homeowners
and property managers. Its founders are licensed CPAs -- and
vacation property owners themselves. HotSpot can help you
acquire your tax licenses, then file your returns on your
behalf usually for less than $10/month.

If you mention this article, HotSpot Management will either
obtain your sales tax licenses for free or if you already
have your licenses, waive the $19.95 annual service fee for
the first year. Call HotSpot at 877-589-0207 or see their
Sales Tax FAQ at:

 http://www.hotspotvacationrentals.com/management/popupnonav.aspx?type=22

Sales tax homepage:

 http://www.hotspotvacationrentals.com/management/salestax.aspx

-- Rob Stephens
   HotSpot Management Services
======================
8 - The Personal Touch
======================

Before your guest arrives:

Send out package of useful information.  A unit information
page: with your property address, property phone number,
numbers for housekeeping, maintenance, emergencies, and how
to contact you if they need something. Information guests
will want to give their relatives and friends before leaving
on vacation.  Welcome guests to your vacation home with a
nice cover letter; include a list of your favorite
restaurants and attractions.  You can often change just a
few lines on your cover letter to make it very personal.
Include maps showing restaurants and attractions; they are
often available for free in tourist areas.

While your guest is on vacation:

Make your guest feel at home. Board games, cards, and
puzzles are great to keep the kids busy if the weather is
bad. Leave a guest book in your home. The notes left are
informative and often touching. Put grocery store discount
cards on the key chains for your property.  Your guests will
love them and you will loose fewer keys. Tell them about the
discount card in your information package so they don't load
up at the grocery store before they arrive.

After your guest departs:

Send a hand written thank you card.  Let your guests know
that you enjoyed having them stay in your vacation home.  It
only takes a minute to write a note, and it is much more
personal than e-mail.  Your guests will be more likely to
return and to refer their friends.

--Bert Smith
  Vacation Resort Graphics
=================================
9 - Harness the Web for Promotion
=================================

Are you having too few responses to your rental ads?  Too
many?   The trick to hassle-free renting lies in effective
web marketing. Here are some rules of thumb:

1. Make them fall in love

   Photos of your rental are extremely helpful to promote
   your place, but don't stop there.  Tell a story.  Tell
   them about the neighborhood, its smells, sounds, people
   and personality. List nearby restaurants and points of
   interests to help them visualize being there.  The more
   you can illustrate how lovely / hip / fascinating / well
   located your rental is, and how they'd fit in nicely, the
   more likely they'll become hooked.  Use 3rd person
   sentence construction to tell a story about the property,
   rather than 1st person that tells a story about you.

2. Instill trust

   As the owner of the property, you may find it hard
   trusting your property to strangers.  Renters also need
   assurance that they're dealing with someone who is
   reliable and fair.  Lay out the rental terms as simply
   and explicitly as possible up front.  Respond to any
   email inquiries within 2 business days, and check your
   spelling.  In marketing terminology, you are building a
   brand.  Be polished.  Invest in a website.  Put together
   an attractive information packet and send it to them once
   you receive their deposit and before they leave for their
   trip. The more professionalism you project, the better
   they will behave.

3. Screen out unwanted renters

   How can you attract good renters but send away the bad
   ones?  It seems counterintuitive, but tell them the bad
   news too.  Is the place not wired for cable TV?  Is there
   a lot of street noise when the windows are open?  Most of
   the problems property owners face relate to unmet
   expectations on the part of the renter.  You may lose
   potential renters up front, but you'll ensure a pleasant
   experience for everyone.

Also, be careful not to cast your net too wide.  Some web
search engines like Google and Yahoo have very effective and
reasonably priced programs that send people to your site
based on the key words they submit in a search.  This may be
perfect for you or overkill, depending on how much traffic
it creates. Be sure you protect yourself by NEVER posting
the address of your place or including photos that allow
non-renters to identify your place from the street.

-- Lucinda Brown
   Trillamar Technology Marketing .
==============================
10 - More Vacation Rental Tips
==============================

If you would like to read more vacation rental tips, you can
refer to articles that were featured in previous issues of
the newsletters.

  http://www.rentors.org/archive/index.html

====================================
11 - Rentors.org Sponsor Information
====================================

Rentors.org is sponsored by these experienced vacation
rental advertising services. All will be pleased to help you
advertise your vacation rentals on the Internet.

Why not join all four sites to promote your vacation rental?
The Rentors.org availability calendar works on all of them,
and you'll have just ONE calendar to maintain!

VRBO - Vacation Rentals by Owner
  Home: http://www.vrbo.com/
  Join: http://www.vrbo.com/global/owner.htm

A1 Vacation Rentals
  Home: http://www.a1vacations.com/
  Join: http://www.a1vacations.com/advertise/

CyberRentals
  Home: http://www.cyberrentals.com/
  Join: http://www.cyberrentals.com/signup.html

Great Rentals
  Home: http://www.greatrentals.com/
  Join: http://www.greatrentals.com/Admin/Posting/Post.html

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12 - Please Refer a Friend to Rentors.org
=========================================

This "Tips for Vacation Rental Homeowners" newsletter was
emailed to 18,897 members of Rentors.org -- which offers
FREE online availability calendars and guestbooks for
vacation rental property homeowners and property managers.
Please refer a friend to:

  http://www.rentors.org

==================
13 - How to Cancel
==================

To cancel your newsletter subscription, please log in to
your Rentors.org account, then select "Delete this Account".
Your free calendar(s) and guestbook(s) will be deleted, and
you will no longer receive this newsletter.


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Copyright (C) 2003 Rentors LLC and the individual contributors.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form requires written permission.
==========================================================================

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