CoastRentals Beach Vacation Blog

One of the most common concerns we come across in dealing with vacation rental owners is the issue of security.  The vast majority of those who own a second home / condo in a vacation destination do not live within a short drive of their property, making things like maintenance, cleaning, and general “check ups” difficult to conduct.

It was a great idea at first - buy a vacation rental, use it for personal use, get tax benefits, and rent it out to others when you weren’t using it.  Cha-ching.

Adding to this issue is the fact that property owners are choosing more and more to rent and manage their properties on their own.  Horror stories of experiences in dealing with property management firms, which often charge anywhere from 30-45% of rental income, are common in the industry.  With the continued rise in popularity of the internet as a resource for booking travel, owners are finding that generating bookings for their property is easier than ever - why pay a property manager to do it at 30-45% of your income?

While saving that amount of money is usually worth it to rental owners to part ways with their property managers, the other benefits of having a property manager working with you are lost.  The individual owner is left with the responsibility of dealing with giving out keys, scheduling cleaning crews, as well as routine maintenance and security checks.  Truly, not having a local presence in your vacation area is a tough obstacle to overcome.

Where can you find a reliable cleaner?  Is there someone in the area that can check up on your house or condo?  In South Walton County, Florida the answer is an affirmative yes.  A company called “Spouses Watching Houses” has sprung up in the area, offering vacation rental owners “peace of mind by personally watching over [their] investment”.  The company is more than happy to make weekly inspections on property security, appliances, trash, and the like for a small quarterly fee ranging from $350-400.  Sure beats a property manager!  Those in the area now have someone to check up on pest and storm damage or meet a deliveryman.

Property owners who live far away and are only able to make it down to their rental a few times per year can now relax in knowing that they have some eyes and ears watching over their vacation rental.

Vacation Homes used to be reserved for the rich and famous, but today many people are realizing what a smart investment a second home can make. Everyone knows that real estate is a classic investment to steadily build wealth but did you know it is actually the number one way millionaires earned their fortunes? Buying vacation homes in Florida or the Bahamas is now a surprisingly affordable endeavor. With today’s relatively low interest rates and reliable management tools it might be time for you to consider a second home.

One of the toughest factors in buying a vacation home is deciding who is going to represent you as your real estate agent. Choosing an agent is tough because you will obviously be out of the local loop. One of the easiest ways to tell a professional agent from the crowd is to take a look at their website. If it’s too cluttered, covered in links, or generally confusing, it is likely that this agent is not the most professional one in town. The best agents in competive regions, such as the Florida Vacation Home market, should have sites that really provide meaningful help and have well written content, not just sales babble.

When analyzing where to buy a vacation home be sure to take that classic real estate maxim into account–location, location, location. Right now some of the hottest areas for vacation homes,both domestically and internationaly, are Belize, Goa in India, and Cyprus. These regions are steadily seeing an increase in tourism and out of country real estate ownership. If you properly identify a growing market such as these even earlier in the game you’re second home purchase might end up being even more profitable than expected!

This is just a short foray into the world of vacation homes and is in no way mean to be comprehensive. Be absolutely sure to check out this Forbes Magazine article on Buying a Second Home and give the professionals at Totally Florida a call to find out more about buying a vacation home here in the United States or abroad.

Our sister-site, LakeRentals.com, just launched a new photo contest.  There is a grand prize of $300 and it runs through March 16th.  Submissions must simply center around the theme of “lakes” and there is a cool voting system involved.  Get your lake pictures submitted today and win some money!

The demographic of travelers that choose vacation rentals is typically a little more geared towards weeklong, large party vacations.  Business persons (PC right?) busily spinning the wheel and looking to climb the corporate ladder may be more inclined to stay at a hotel, but as awareness of the benefits of choosing a vacation rental (space, privacy, no additional internet fees) spreads we expect more Assistant Euphemism Managers to be staying at properties listed here on CoastRentals.com.

As such, I think it’s important to give a shout out to those guys and remind them that it’s important that when you do decide to take a break and head to a beach house, that you leave work behind.  An interesting polar set of events has been happening in the past 5 years that has seen us be more “connected” at all times of the day than ever, yet at the same time the workforce as a whole showing a desire to maintain balance between their work life and their personal life.

Yes, you can bring along the Treo or the BlackBerry and madly hit “Send/Receive” while all the splendors of your destination pass you by.  Not much of a vacation though.  Heading to the beach is supposed to be the time to ‘get away from it all’.  That’s why you dropped the G+ to go there during one of the very few weeks you have off each year.  Forgot the guys at the office, let them deal with work.

I know that doesn’t sound like the way to get ahead at the old workstead, but spending your vacation checking back on the laptop or your Treo every hour is a waste.  If you’re overly concerned about moving up in your company then stay at home.  Leave the beach to the people that are ready to embrace it.

Orange County, the fairytale land of Southern California, has been thrust upon the American TV audience incessantly over the past 5+ years. Shows like “The O.C.”, MTV’s “Laguna Beach” and a whole host of other spinoffs on less-watched cable networks have us all wondering what the “real O.C.” truly is like.

Being a beach vacation site, we get exposed a little more to the reality of what areas like Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach have to offer the average traveler. You can believe the drama of LC and J-Wall at your own risk, but believe that this part of the country definitely has some great weather, great beaches, shopping and dining. Here are some honest, unscripted and unromanticized tidbits about the hot beaches of the O.C.:

Huntington Beach - Huntington Beach is a surfing mecca. The beach crowd revolves around the main pier in the middle of town - it’s the run that juts out a few hundred yards and has a restaurant at the end of it. You’ll be treated to a bunch of surfers out in the water and a sizeable soft sand beach. There are tons of good shopping and dining options within the main area of the pier - it looks and feels like the inside of a busy suburban mall. Of course, the weather is a bit better.

The surrounding area is stacked with Cali beach houses and some condo complexes, people riding or walking by tanned up and carrying surfboards. If by chance you are into the more healthy side of dining, Huntington Beach has a can’t-miss place called Bodhi Tree. They have faux options for every meat you have ever imagined and it all tastes superb. Try the ice cream also before grabbing your board and ripping up the waves (I estimate about 2% of CoastRentals visitors/listers will actually attempt to surf).

Newport Beach - Our description of Newport Beach on our listing page is a great example of how diverse a stop in Newport can be. There are, of course, the sand and surf options provided by Huntington mentioned above. But Newport is also home to a large harbor, so you’re more likely to catch your 120-foot yacht charter here than anywhere else in the O.C. Shopping, art, and dining are all worth mentioning as well - all in all, it’s safe to say you could live in Newport Beach and never have to leave for entertainment. Seriously. Think of your favorite things to do while on vacation, add a great beach and proximity to Disneyland (which is new and improved by the way) and you’ve got Newport. It’s much more metropolitan in its diversity than the rest of the O.C. Check it out.

Laguna Beach - A haven for artists, liberals, and the well-to-do . . . and high school kids. I hate to perpetuate the problem that many of Laguna’s residents (and those with 2nd homes there) have to deal with now that MTV has gone and made it a fairytale land of beautiful rich little kids, but perception is reality. All over the world, people’s attention has been at least momentarily directed at Laguna Beach and the TV show which sports its name. Good thing? Bad thing? I’m not exactly sure, but a wise man once said that “No publicity is bad publicity”.

With everyone in tune with where Laguna Beach is and definitely wanting to stop by to try and spot an MTV camera crew (not really), most will be glad to know that Laguna Beach has long been a superb SoCal town to visit. Founded by artists, the town still reverberates a feeling of purpose in its design and motions. Art galleries abound, dining is upscale, and the average resident is as relaxed as the sun that lightens the nooks of Laguna’s beaches. Wait, did I say perception is reality? That was way off. This place is very little like what you see on TV - it’s a gem.

Sure, you could read a book on the subject.  You could make some educated guesses too.  Truth be told, it doesn’t take a genius to understand that once you’ve got your vacation home or condo purchased and are ready to begin renting it out, all that matters is how you are going to generate the interest.

Luckily for all of us, the internet has came along and made it infinitely cheaper and more efficient to drive targeted vacation property seekers directly to your property.  Heck, that’s what this whole vacation rental website is all about right?

Aside from all the logistical hassles of having to hire and manage maintenance, cleaning crews, guests picking and returning keys (and typically doing all of this from a remote location), it comes down to marketing.  What websites should you list on?

To be frank, you need to be on the ones that have the greatest search exposure.  That is, which websites rank in the top 5 on Google, Yahoo, or MSN for keywords associated with your area?  If you have a Destin beach condo you’d like to rent out, search “destin beach condo” and “destin vacation rental” in Google and see who shows up.  Hint: If you’re having trouble coming up with the keywords that searchers are typing in for your area, try the Overture Keyword Suggestion Tool (it’s been working lately).

Run through the top 5 or 10 and see what their rates how, how their listings are designed (Hint again: Pictures are the most important thing), and how many properties they have in your location.  Keep in mind that you don’t want your property to get “lost in the fray” - if there are already 200 vacation rentals in Destin, you might consider any options there are to feature your property or perhaps just move on to the next site.

With regards to pricing - it really doesn’t matter that much the difference between one vacation rentals website and another.   It’s going to be between $120 and $200 these days.  The old mantra is “If you book one person from our site, it will more than pay for the listing cost”, which is true, but keep in mind that you have to watch out for which sites are going to provide bookings.  Like I said, it’s about search exposure and site layout.  Consider those two things and those two things only.

I’m not tooting our horn here either, seeing as CoastRentals is only some 7 months old.  We have a ways to go in our marketing, but we have made tremendous strides for our core terms already.  We hope to earn your business by driving bookings for your properties, and at the same time I encourage you to go out there and give a few of the other websites a try.  Being listed on all of the top vacation sites for your area may end up costing you up to $1,000/year, but I guarantee you it’s all the marketing dollar you’ll need to spend.

The only other suggestion I have is to start / host your own website that specifically highlights your property only - it’s a great place to direct people after they inquire because you can host as much information and as many pictures as you’d like.  Bring them in through the big boys and then direct them to your own site to close the deal.
Happy vacationing everyone.

The state of Oregon is probably the best kept secret in the United States.  Unparalleled natural beauty, which includes a great coastline of wide, sandy beaches and rocky surroundings, makes one wonder as to why Oregon isn’t a traveler favorite.  For those people who have been smart enough to take a trip up to the Pacific Northwest’s coastal towns, it’s no secret.  Here’s a few suggestions for your next beach vacation to Oregon:

1. Pick a spot - Pretty self-explanatory here, if you’ve made the decision to get off your rear and head out to the Oregon coast, you’re going to need to find the right spot to hit.  Here at CoastRentals, we are privy to a large variety of information and lodging options for the interested traveler.  And when it comes to Oregon, there are a few “big” spots that most people should visit.  Cannon Beach, which is in the most northwest corner of the state, is a perfect option for someone who likes to take in the natural setting of the beach in the “purest” form.  Cannon is a popular destination that will let you get away from it all, stroll the beach and peak out at Haystack Rock, a 234-foot rock just offshore.

Want to do something a little less ordinary?  Try heading to Oceanside, OR in the winter for some great agate hunting/collecting.  Oceanside and Newport are both top spots for this fun little endeavor.

If you’re more of the adventurer (and aren’t too excited by the prospect of digging up mollusks in Oceanside or Newport), Gold Beach is the spot for you.  Kayak, hike, run the beach, windsurf, heck, fly a kite!  Gold Beach is our pick for the most active-friendly Oregon coastal spot.

In truth, no matter the things you like to do while on vacation, Oregon has a lot to offer.  Up and down Highway 101, small beach towns and enclaves combine to make up America’s hidden coastal treasure - Oregon.  To see a full list of our vacation rentals here at CoastRentals in Oregon, head here.

It’s an ongoing problem in the world of vacation rentals (as well as across the net) that many people do not receive the inquiries sent to their email address.  Most bulk email providers, such as Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, and Gmail have some trickey spam filters that are constantly going through updates.  It is important as a property lister for you to double check and make sure you flag / denote CoastRentals as a trusted email sender.

We have taken some precautionary steps to help deal with the problem of emails not getting delivered.  Namely, every CoastRentals lister can login to PalmsInc with their username and password and physically view every inquiry that has ever been submitted through thier listing.  We also place a verification link at the bottom of the first inquiry you receive from us asking you to click to confirm its safe delivery - please do so.  We want to be sure that the traffic your listing is getting is resulting in bookings.

The HomeAway network’s newsletter for February featured a person who stated they really liked using Gmail because of all the search functionality it has.  We agree, Gmail is probably the best option when it comes to the free email providers.  In our experience, it also has the best spam filter of the email providers, meaning that CoastRentals inquiries (which are of course NOT spam), make it into our property owners’ inboxes.

No matter who your email hosted with, even if it’s through a unique domain you operate, please double check your Bulk/Junk folders and make sure that you haven’t missed any inquiries from us.  Also, do whatever steps your provider requires to mark us as a “friend” so there are no future problems.

We’ve released our new Top 10 list on Why Hotels Suck, and here’s a sneak peak at the list.

10. “Waiter, This Isn’t the Room I Ordered.”
9. Waking Up to Sound of”Housekeeping!”
8. Hassles at the Reception Desk
7. Want to Use the Internet? That’ll Cost You.
6. Pay-Per-View Can Make You Blue
5. Problematic Parking
4. Additional Charges for Everything
3. Noisy Neighbors
2. Size Matters
1. The Question of Cleanliness

Some pretty compelling reasons to steer clear of those hotels and instead enjoy all the benefits of a vacation rental on the beach huh? To get all the explanations, read the full article here. We’d love to hear your feedback as well . . . give us even more reasons to love vacation rentals by sending us an email or posting a comment here on the blog.

January is definitely the big month for vacation rental inquiries, and CoastRentals has been enjoying the love.  We’ve recently seen some great traffic for our listers, and inquiries are up over 200% over December.  In the past 6 months we have happily grown to 500+ property listings, and we are adding more every day through our free trial program and our premium listings.

Some popular areas we’ve noticed recently include Myrtle Beach, Destin, and the entire state of Hawaii.  Looks like this winter chill is motivating everyone to take a trip to the warm waters of our most tropical state.

Another idea you might consider for a beach trip (perhaps in conjunction with a New Year’s resolution to be more fit and healthier in ‘07), is one of the half marathons or marathons in the sunny land of San Diego.  There’s the America’s Finest City half in August, and a few other great runs in the SD as well.  Hey, if you’re going to put yourself through the rigorous training to complete one of these long runs, you might as well do it in a beautiful location.  Find San Diego vacation condos here at CoastRentals and make the trip even more enjoyable.