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Rentors.org News #15   January/20/2004
Tips for Vacation Rental Homeowners
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This newsletter is emailed 6 times annually to 22,500 owners
of vacation rental homes who have registered for a free
universal availability calendar/guestbook at:

http://www.rentors.org

1 - Please Update Your Calendar and Guestbook Today
2 - Do You Really Need a Wide Slot Toaster?
3 - Increase Your Bookings in 2004
4 - Use Your IRA Monies to Purchase a Vacation Home?
5 - Your Wireless Vacation Rental?
6 - Online Listings That Sell!: Adding "Personality"
7 - More Vacation Rental Tips
8 - Rentors.org Sponsors Information
9 - Please Refer a Friend to Rentors.org
10 - How to Cancel

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1 - Please Update Your Calendar and Guestbook Today
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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

YOUR EMAIL IS: admin@rentors.org

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.

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2 - Do You Really Need a Wide Slot Toaster?
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The following post appeared last week in a Vacation Rental
News Group:

"Hi all,

This is probably a silly sounding post, but I thought it
made a good point so here goes: We were staying at our
rental a few days before Christmas when I noticed that my
14-year-old daughter had sliced off the top of her oversized
bagel in an attempt to make it fit in our the toaster.
Basically she scalped it, but fortunately didn't scalp her
hand.

Kids and knives make me nervous--not to mention my ER nurse
friend said bagel-slicing-gone-bad was one of the top ten
reasons they see patients for stitches. But it got me to
thinking--even though our toaster was perfectly serviceable
and in great condition, how frustrating it could be for a
guest who just wants to make bagels and cream cheese for
breakfast.

The solution cost me $20, but the brushed nickel, wide slot
toaster from Walmart will accommodate some mighty big bagels
and minimize guest frustration. Not to mention it's a really
cool looking toaster ;-) I guess my point is that you don't
always HAVE to replace or upgrade something, but if it makes
your rental a safer or better experience for your
guests...its worth every penny".

Happy Rentals,

Amy

Discussion groups devoted to Vacation Rentals abound on the
web, and are great places to pick up tips, ask for an advice
and join a group of second homeowners with shared interests.

--Hunter Melville, Cyberrentals

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3 - Increase Your Bookings in 2004
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Maximize your booking opportunities by staying on top of
your inquiries! Check your email and phone messages
frequently - at lease once a day, if not more. The sooner
you receive an inquiry and respond, the more likely you are
to be the first owner the inquirer hears back from. This
gives you an advantage over other properties as the
vacationer will be impressed and pleased by your quick
response, and may even book right away. While it is not
always convenient to respond immediately, you can make it
easier to do so by minimizing the steps involved in making a
response. If you regularly get asked the same questions when
people inquire, compile a friendly "frequently asked
questions" that you can send as an email attachment along
with a personal greeting thanking them for their inquiry and
answering any other questions they may have which are not on
the FAQ.

If you send additional information through the mail,
assemble information packets in advance, so that you simply
address them and drop them in a mailbox when an inquiry is
made. In all cases, keep your property information at your
fingertips, especially up-to-date availability information
(if more than one person handles bookings, be sure to
communicate changes in availability as soon as dates are
filled!).

Vacationers will appreciate your efficiency, giving them
confidence in you and your rental. All amenities being
equal, this confidence could be the deciding factor in
booking your property over another. It is also a good idea
to keep track of inquiries you have responded to, including
the dates of correspondence. This way, you can easily follow
up with people who don't get back with you after your
response. They may have lost your information, or become
busy and neglected vacation planning. Follow-ups remind them
of your property and give you another opportunity to connect
with them, answer questions, and ultimately secure a
booking. Logging the final outcome of communication is also
very helpful. A review of past inquiries and bookings can
give valuable information about types of people who inquire
and book your property and can help you make your
advertising materials more effective by targeting those
groups of people.

--Amy Potter, GreatRentals

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4 - Use Your IRA Monies to purchase a Vacation Home?
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I bet you didn't know that it was possible to use IRA funds
to purchase real estate. I have asked Nick Herak of Herak
Financial Services to give a little overview of the options
available. Please contact Nick if you have any questions...

Dave Clouse, VRBO - Vacation Rentals by Owner

OPTION 1 - The first way to purchase real estate works best
for investment property that you will never use yourself.
This method allows you to own real estate within the IRA. A
self directed IRA custodian will be set up. The custodian
will be the owner of the real estate and hold it for the
benefit of the IRA. Since the real estate is inside the IRA,
investment and occupancy come under the some restrictive
rules. You cannot use your IRA funds to purchase a
residence, second home or any property in which you live or
work. This option typically requires that you have the full
purchase price of the real estate in your IRA. In addition,
rental real estate requires the investor to hire a property
manager, so self management is not possible with this
option.

OPTION 2 - The second way to buy real estate with IRA monies
works best if you plan on using the property yourself (for
example a second home, vacation property or even your
personal residence). This method allows you to make the
purchase outside the IRA and you own the property outright.
The IRA funds the real estate purchase and the owner can
take advantage of a full range of the financial and economic
benefits real estate offers. Capital gains tax treatment,
depreciation, additional write-offs, rental income
flexibility, a stepped-up income tax basis all become
possibilities. Leverage is now a financial option for the
real estate investor. An IRA can completely or partially
fund a real estate purchase. You can even share ownership
with IRA and non-IRA owners. You can buy a vacation home,
commercial building, land, a second home, an office
building, a ranch etc.

Both methods of using your IRA to purchase real estate have
been around for many years and should be understood before
deciding which is right for you. For more information and to
learn more contact Nick Herak at Herak Financial Services in
St. Ignatius Montana at 1 800 775 7151 or visit
http://www.herakfinancial.com

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5 - Your Wireless Vacation Rental?
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Many hotels, airports, restaurants, and coffee shops now
offer their patrons some form of free or low-fee high-speed
Internet access. It's a very significant trend, especially
for those (like you) who advertise lodging online to
Internet-savvy vacation rental prospects.

Many vacationers now must work online for at least a few
minutes each day. Onsite high-speed Internet access eases
that burden. If you include wired (cable or DSL) or wireless
high-speed Internet with your vacation rental, be sure to
identify yourself on your webpages as Internet-friendly.

If you don't yet offer high-speed Internet access, it offers
you an opportunity to make your property more appealing to a
growing subset of vacationers. If you add it now, it can
deliver extra rentals in 2004.

If you're tech-savvy, consider adding a wireless cable/DSL
router that offers BOTH wired and wireless access to your
guests. That combination will appeal to the greatest number
of vacation rental prospects. And if you do go wireless, the
802.11b wireless standard is the most "universal".

Here's an easy way to get started with wireless. First,
you'll need a computer running Windows 2000 or higher
($500+). You can add a wireless 802.11b router for about
$150. You'll also need cable or DSL access -- $50/month or
less in most parts of the USA. So the startup cost (starting
from no computer OR Internet) is $650, and the recurring
annual cost is $600. Of course, you'll enjoy wireless access
yourself when you stay in your own vacation rental!

For an introduction to wireless Internet access, search your
favorite search engine for "wireless Internet primer" -- or
simply "wireless Internet". Most new wireless routers are
"plug-n-play" for computers running Windows 2000 or XP.

-- Brian Raub, A1 Vacation Rentals

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6 - Online Listings That Sell!: Adding "Personality"
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Last year, Rentors.org introduced a program to make it
possible for vacation property owners to accept credit
cards. In the new year, you'll see even more exciting
improvements and innovations. It's all part of our effort to
serve you better.

In keeping with that theme, we're pleased to announce our
first regular newsletter column. Written by Alfred and Emily
Glossbrenner, the authors of over 60 books and numerous
magazine articles since 1975, the column is called "Online
Listings that Sell!" In each issue it will give you the tips
and tricks you need to make your online or Web-page vacation
property listing really stand out from the crowd. (Alfred
and Emily are also the authors of a book/CD package that
includes, among many other things, step-by-step instructions
for preparing an effective property listing on each of the
four services that joined forces to create Rentors.org.)

As always, we welcome your questions, queries, article
ideas, and suggestions.

--From the Editor's Desk

In a ferociously competitive market where many properties,
including your own, are nearly identical, how can you create
an online listing that will make renters want to book YOUR
place instead of the one down the street or even down the
hall? That's the focus of this new Rentors.org column,
"Online Listings That Sell!"

One of the best ways to make your listing stand out from the
crowd is to put your own personality into the property
description. Certainly there's an argument to be made for
emphasizing the king-size bed, game room, hot tub, and
TV/VCR/DVD units in the bedrooms. But everybody does that,
which is why most property descriptions are nearly as
identical as the properties themselves. After a while, your
eyes simply glaze over.

Now, imagine you're looking for a place and you see a
property description that begins like this: "We both have
very hectic jobs, so when we have the chance to get away to
'Casa del Sol,' we want to relax and unwind in beautiful and
comfortable surroundings." The description might go on to
tell about the care you've taken in decorating the place and
the style of furnishings you've chosen. It might talk about
quiet moments in the morning watching the sun come up. Or
evenings around the fireplace with a glass of wine and a
good book. There are lots of possibilities.

Start by asking yourself and your family and friends what's
special or unique about the place. What do you really love
about it? What do you enjoy doing? Then start writing using
"I" or "we." Make your description PERSONAL, just as if
you were talking to a friend on the phone.

For example, don't say, "Great wraparound deck." Instead,
say, "We love the fact that no matter which way the wind is
blowing, there's always a sheltered spot on the wraparound
deck for outdoor dining by candlelight."

So, if you want your listing to stand out from the crowd,
make it real, make it honest, and make it PERSONAL even to
the point of "signing" your property description like this:
"-- John and Jane Smith."

-- Alfred and Emily Glossbrenner,
Authors of the 320-page book/CD package
*How to Make Your Vacation Property Work for You!*

http://www.fullybookedrentals.com

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7 - More Vacation Rental Tips
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If you would like to read more vacation rental tips, you can
refer to articles that were featured in previous issues of
this newsletter at:

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

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8 - Rentors.org Sponsor Information
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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!

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

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

A1Vacations
Home: http://www.a1vacations.com/
Join: http://www.a1vacations.com/advertise/

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9 - Please Refer a Friend to Rentors.org
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This "Tips for Vacation Rental Homeowners" newsletter was
emailed to 22,500 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

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10 - How to Cancel
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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) 2004 Rentors LLC, Moneta, VA USA
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