Expert Tips and Tricks for Vacation Rental Homeowners from
the founders of Rentors.org:

http://www.cyberrentals.com/
http://www.greatrentals.com/
http://www.vrbo.com/
http://www.a1vacations.com/

This newsletter is emailed every 8 weeks to owners of
vacation rental homes who have registered for a free
Universal Availability Calendar and/or Guest Book at:

http://www.rentors.org/

-- # Members: 40,323
-- # Calendars: 50,891
-- # Guestbooks: 19,012

In this issue:

1 - Please Update Your Calendar and Guest Book Today
2 - What to Do When You Have to "Get a Man In"
3 - Time to Think About Buying a Third Home?
4 - Keeping Water in Its Place
5 - Be Fit for A King
6 - The Benefits of Networking with Your Competitors
7 - Increase Rentals with Visa/MasterCard
8 - Classified Ads
9 - More Vacation Rental Tips
10 - Rentors.org Sponsors Information
11 - Please Refer a Friend to Rentors.org
12 - How to Cancel This Newsletter

====================================================
1 - Please Update Your Calendar and Guest Book Today
====================================================

Your self-service Universal Availability Calendar at
Rentors.org has no value if it isn't kept up-to-date. 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 can't recall 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
Guest Book. Renter comments in guest books add credibility
to your vacation rental and help you to stand out from your
competitors.

And remember: As the owner, you can type in the comments
made by guests in your paper guest book (or sent to you via
email). You don't have to rely on former guests to key in
their own comments, although they can do so online if they
want to.

==============================================
2 - What to Do When You Have to "Get a Man In"
==============================================

We know an octogenarian property owner who, as Dan Rather
might say, is tighter than a tick with lockjaw. His greatest
fear is that his wife will decide that some project needs to
be done and "get a man in" to do it--at some exorbitant
cost. It's easy to sympathize since, when it comes to hiring
a handyman, it's pretty much a crapshoot. You never know
what you'll be getting.

So what do you do when your property needs maintenance and
the person you have long trusted to take care of such things
is sick, on vacation, or otherwise unavailable? You're 2,000
miles away, so "Who ya gonna call?"

You might call friends in the area, or the real estate agent
who sold you the property, to ask for recommendations. But
that's iffy at best.

Which is why every vacation homeowner should be aware of the
trend toward professionalizing the handyman business.
According to the Wall Street Journal (January 4, 2005),
several companies are "aggressively trying to create
networks of independent contractors around the country."

The idea is to bring reliability, competence, and money-
back, guaranteed results to a business long characterized by
independent operators who may or may not show up when they
say they will, and who may or may not be qualified to
perform the work involved.

You can expect to pay a "trip charge" of between $30 and $45
for a technician to come to your property. Hourly rates
range from $60 to $95, plus charges for any parts that may
be needed. The Journal reporters moaned about the expense.
But they've obviously never had a water heater or air
conditioner stop working a day before a family of four is
scheduled to check in.

The other consideration is the fact that geographical
coverage of such services is currently spotty. But that's
likely to change. The average home in the U.S. is now 32
years old, up from 27 years old ten years ago, according to
the Wall Street Journal. And more and more aging Baby
Boomers are concluding that it's much cheaper in the long
run to pay a handyman than to risk falling off a ladder. So
these professional handyman services are likely to expand
and grow.

-- Hunter Melville and Dave Bollinger, CyberRentals

============================================
3 - Time to Think About Buying a Third Home?
============================================

For most people, being able to buy a second home is a
remarkable achievement. Yet according to demographer Peter
Francese, nearly 6 percent of all U.S. homeowners--some 6.4
million in all--currently own a second home. And the great
majority of them do not offer them for rent when they're not
using them.

We think that may change in coming years. After all, as the
comedy group FireSign Theater put it in the 1970s, "How can
you be in two places at once...when you're not anywhere at
all?" So why not use your second home as an income-producing
rental whenever you're not vacationing there?

In the meantime, a new trend is emerging--third homes. As
leading newspapers reported throughout 2004, people of
comfortable means (but not "Martha-Stewart spectacular"
wealth) are buying third and even fourth homes in desirable
areas. And they're buying them primarily as investments.

In Las Vegas, Miami, and other hot markets, it isn't
uncommon for as much as 80 percent of all new luxury
condominium units to be purchased, pre-construction, by
speculators, and then sold at a profit before the official
opening of the property.

That takes some serious working capital, to say the least.
And once you've "flipped" a given condo unit, you've got to
go out and find another project to put your money to work.

But it doesn't have to be that difficult. We know any number
of property owners, for example, who have bought a vacation
rental property and seen it appreciate enough in a few
months to finance the purchase of their next property. And
so on.

What these folks are most interested in is acquiring
desirable vacation rentals and generating a healthy positive
cash flow by advertising and managing those properties
themselves. For many, it's the perfect retirement
opportunity. And, for the past five years at least, median
home prices have risen nearly 40 percent, compared to a 13
percent rise in the S&P 500 stock index. Real estate has
handily out-performed the stock market, in other words.

No one believes that today's historically low interest rates
and selectively soaring property values will continue
forever. But, barring a catastrophe, it doesn't look as
though things are going to head south any time soon.

So, assuming you want to explore the idea of buying a second
or third home as a serious investment opportunity, where can
you turn?

Certainly the first person to consult is your accountant,
CPA, or financial advisor. (Among other things, these
professionals will make sure that you are aware that
mortgage interest on a third home is not tax-deductible.)

This site lists properties for sale in a wide variety of
locations. That will help you get an idea of what you're in
for price-wise. But it also will help you find a real estate
agent in your chosen area who specializes in vacation rental
property. There is also an archive of very useful tips-and-
tricks articles.

Yes, a third home seems so over the top. "Why do you need
three homes?" your friends will ask. "Wait, you don't
understand," you reply, "this is an investment property.
I've got a positive cash flow from vacation rental income,
and all the while my investment is appreciating."

Strange as it may seem, it may just be the perfect time to
consider buying a third vacation property.

-- Jan and Pat VanVoorhis, Great Rentals
==============================
4 - Keeping Water in Its Place
==============================

"Did you know that your home is 6 times more likely to
suffer damage from water than from fire?" That was the
headline on an insert in a recent mailing from a leading
high-end insurance company.

We have no idea whether this is an accurate statistic. And
after the horrific destruction wrought by multiple
hurricanes and the Christmas Tsunami of 2004, a flooded
basement or a burst water pipe seems too trivial to mention.

On the other hand, even if your vacation home is a thousand
miles inland from any ocean, there are water- damage-
prevention steps you and every other property owner should
follow, regardless of location.

It goes without saying that you should regularly check water
and waste lines for leaks or damage, and that you should
make sure that your gutters are clean and that rain water is
led well away from the foundation of your house. Ditto for
regularly checking and maintaining your sump pump, if you
have one.

But here are four tips that are particularly relevant for
vacation rental properties or other properties that are not
owner-occupied throughout the year:

1. Replace your water supply hoses every 2-3 years. Washing
machines, dishwashers, icemakers, and even most modern sinks
and toilets connect to water inputs with a flexible hose of
some sort (instead of a PVC or copper pipe). Those hoses are
under constant pressure, and over time, this pressure will
cause leaks.

2. Replace your water heater after 7 to 10 years. That's the
typical lifespan. You can roll the dice and decide not to
replace a perfectly good, non-leaking 10-year old water
heater and risk having it start leaking when you're booked
for your high season. Or you can spend about $500 or less to
have it replaced as it nears the end of its useful life.

3. Consider installing a water flow/leak detection system.
Today's systems can not only detect a water leak and notify
a central security monitoring office, they can also actually
shut off the water on your main water line. Another kind of
sensor can be programmed to allow only a certain amount of
water flow before closing the main water valve. You might
also ask your alarm company about installing "low
temperature sensors" that would notify the central office
when the temperatures in the basement of your second home
dip below freezing.

4. Finally, just about every home has a "master" water shut-
off valve. Make sure that you and your renters know where it
is and how to operate it. If it's in a crawl space or some
other hard-to-access location, hire a plumber to relocate
it. When an internal water problem appears, nothing is more
important than shutting off the master valve as quickly as
possible to minimize the flow and the damage.

-- Dave and Lynn Clouse, Vacation Rentals by Owner
=====================
5 - Be Fit for A King
=====================

If your vacation rental home does not include at least one
very comfortable king-sized bed, then you're probably losing
at least some bookings to competing properties that do.

Many vacation rental parties include at least one guest
taller than six feet. If you cannot accommodate tall guests
with a king-sized bed, then your competitor will. And if
your beds are not comfortable, then this year's bookings
will never return.

Include comfortable bedding, with at least one bed that's
truly fit for a king, in your vacation rental! And if a
king-sized bed simply won't fit in your largest bedroom,
then you should include a queen-sized bed instead.

-- Brian and Lisa Raub, A1 Vacation Rentals
====================================================
6 - The Benefits of Networking with Your Competitors
====================================================

The word "networking" is now firmly embedded in our
language. But does it apply to owners of vacation rental
property? After all, "Does Macy's tell Gimbels?" If you find
a way to get a leg up on property owners who compete with
you, do you tell them? You might, if you and they stood to
gain from sharing information.

We recently learned about one group of rental owners in the
highly competitive Destin, Florida, market who have actually
created their own website to share rental leads. The site
evolved from an informal agreement among several owners in
the same subdivision. They'd gotten to know each other as
neighbors and agreed to mutually share any queries that came
in for dates for which they were already booked.

Handling everything by phone was enormously cumbersome, so
they agreed to split the annual cost ($250, total) of
maintaining a site that includes links to each of their
properties. In some cases, the link leads to an owner-
created website. In other cases, it goes to the owner's
listing on a vacation- rental advertising site like the ones
sponsored by this newsletter.

In every case, prospective renters are able to check
availability using either the Rentors.org Universal
Availability Calendar .

Anyone with any kind of experience in marketing will confirm
that generating a customer inquiry is almost as good as
making a sale. So, with a customer saying, "I would like to
buy," you don't want to just turn them away. After all,
they've almost certainly spent some time and effort
researching properties, and they've picked you. For your
part, you've spent time, effort, and money making your
property known.

Everything is working the way it's supposed to--except that
you've got nothing to sell because you're already booked for
the dates the customer wants. Under the circumstances, it
just makes good sense to be able to say, "I'm so sorry that
we're not available for the dates you want, but we have
friends with very similar homes in the same subdivision who
may have an opening. Every one of them is a quality
property. We're sure you will be very happy with any of
them. Here's the website you can visit for more
information."

Put yourself in the shoes of this prospective renter. Are
you going to give up on Destin because the particular home
or condo you want to rent isn't available, or are you going
to visit the suggested website in search of a nearly
identical substitute property? Assuming you didn't select
Destin by throwing darts at a map, you're going to check out
the suggested website.

Clearly "networking" can be a good thing for property
owners, even if they are technically in competition with
each other.

-- Alfred and Emily Glossbrenner
FullyBookedRentals.com
http://www.rentors.org/redirect/glossbrenner.cfm

The Glossbrenners are vacation rental experts and
bestselling authors of *How to Make Your Vacation Property
Work for You: The Quick & Easy Guide to Advertising,
Renting, Managing, and Making Money from your Second Home.*

=========================================
7 - Increase Rentals with Visa/MasterCard
=========================================

Rentors.org offers a program that allows vacation property
owners to take credit card payments easily and economically.
Accepting rental payments has never been easier. You'll
enjoy these advantages:

o Quick and easy access to your funds: Payments are
deposited to your bank account within 2-3 business days.
There's no more waiting for checks to clear or worrying
about returned checks.

o More Rentals: Consumers are used to paying for their
accommodations using their Visa or MasterCard. A typical
property owner processes 4 card transactions per month
totaling approximately $2000.

o Save Time: Process payments, issue credits and receipts
with the click of a mouse.

"I have just switched from PayPal to a merchant account
through Rentors.org, because I had several guests complain
about the hassles of using PayPal. The merchant account is
much easier for the guests to use, and that's the goal." --
Richard Pretl, Lancaster House

Three flexible pricing plans are available. For more
information call 866-663-6415 or visit:

http://www.rentors.org/cc.cfm

==================
8 - Classified Ads
==================


Your classified ad can appear in the next issue of
Rentors.org News. Rates are $40/word (10-word minimum). URLs
count as 2 words. All caps are forbidden. Sorry, we do not
accept ads from vacation rental advertising services, and we
reserve the right to reject ads for any reason. Ads appear
in first- paid, first-listed order. Our next issue's payment
deadline is exactly 2 weeks from today. Contact:

admin@rentors.org

=============================
9 - 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
this newsletter at:

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

====================================
10 - Rentors.org Sponsor Information
====================================

Rentors.org is sponsored by these experienced vacation
rental advertising services. As at least one authority has
said, "There are literally hundreds of vacation rental
advertising websites, but only four that really matter."
Those four are the founders of Rentors.org, and each will be
pleased to help you maximize the rental income your property
generates each year by advertising it on the Internet. All
charge a flat annual fee. There are no commissions or other
nonsense.

The Rentors.org Availability Calendar and Guest Book work on
all four sites, so you will have just one calendar and/or
Guest Book 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/adminpublic/members_area.cfm

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

A1Vacations - A1 Vacation Rentals
Home: http://www.a1vacations.com/
Join: http://www.a1vacations.com/advertise/

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

This "Tips for Vacation Rental Homeowners" newsletter was
emailed to members of Rentors.org -- which offers free
online availability calendars and guest books for vacation
rental property homeowners and property managers.

Please refer a friend to:

http://www.rentors.org/

==================
12 - How to Cancel
==================

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

==========================================================
Copyright (C) 2005 Rentors LLC, 95 Westlake Rd. Suite 205,
Hardy, VA 24101 USA Advertise: 540-375-3633
==========================================================

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