1. Know what you want, need, etc.

If you want to be right on the beach but don’t want to pay the premiums, then you may have to decide to give up a few amenities. In a beach rental you will get what you pay for so if you do want all the bells and whistles, then expect to pay a little more. It may be worth it since this could be one of the only vacations you have all year.

2. Do your due diligence…

The beauty of the web is there is all sorts of information out there. That can be a good thing and a bad thing, but utilize your common sense when determining what you are getting in a vacation rental. Ask for referrals, find a qualify local professional to assist you, read lots of reviews, view pictures and video tours, and so forth. Make sure you know what you are getting in terms of amenities and locations.

3. Know the owners and how will issues be handled:

Both of these attributes can play a huge role. Once our air conditioning went out and unfortunately we had to move spots, but luckily we were able to do that while they fixed the problem. Owners of vacation rentals should provide a bio and information regarding how to handle things while you are staying in their place. You may also be able to contact local business organizations like the chamber of commerce to make further inquiries.

4. Know the contract:

Signing up for a beach rental is not always like booking a hotel. Each rental will have specifications that you will want to know. The last thing you want on your trip is headaches with your spot. Do you have to clean up? Is there a refundable deposit? These are just a couple items to review. In addition to this don’t send money before you sign something and we recommend utilizing an escrow service or paypal that will allow you to dispute any issues.

5. Book early, book late, and ask for deals:

These owners are people just like you and I. They will tend to offer deals and usually do through a number of vacation rental websites (there are quite a few). Bottom line is write down what you want, your budget, and go find it. Once you do, book it or someone else will. You can get deals whether you book early or go last minute. Don’t play games though or you may wind up in a beach vacation rental you don’t want.

Vacations don’t come around all the time for the majority of us. Your goal is to enjoy it to the utmost and proper planning will ensure that. Finding beach vacation rentals is one of the critical factors that will determine the success of your trip.

Humidity in the summer is much more noticeable than other seasons. Rain is also much more intense during the summer. The coastal areas will always be more extreme in heat. Florida’s sometimes devastating hurricane season goes from June to November. Unless you enjoy running and hiding from dangerous whether, this may be something important to consider.

If you are looking for less crowded theme parks, January and February are key off peak months. This is an ideal time to travel due to small to non-existent lines. Also the weather is not so ridiculously hot that you will pass out from dehydration. It is actually warm and pleasant. Another benefit is this time is a pleasant way to escape the horrid winter conditions in many northern home lands.

Another benefit from traveling during the off peak season is that this is the time when vacation rental homes tend to be at their lowest cost. You are paying a lot less money to get the same luxury as you would in other seasons. Sounds like a vacation rental that simply cannot be beat.

1. Avoid the early summer

The period between late May and early June is a notoriously bad time of the year for getting a good deal on a vacation rental homes. This is the time when children get out of school, and many families immediately rush out to take a vacation. With many more families competing for the same real estate, vacation home owners have no incentive to lower their prices. In fact, they often raise them a bit during this time. It is much better to take your vacation during the mid to late summer months.

2. Be flexible on your dates

Rather than booking a home based on the dates you want to travel, you might try a different tactic. Instead, plan your travel dates based on when a home is available. Not only does this give you a wider selection to choose from, but it gives you the highest likelihood of securing a discount.

3. Be flexible on the home

Instead of choosing the exact home you’d like to stay in, you might consider asking the realtor which homes are available. If you let them choose, they might be able to get you into an even more luxurious home than you might have originally chosen – at a better price.

4. Last minute deals

This can save you the most money. However, if you’re the type of person who likes to plan everything out months in advance, it may not be the best choice for you.

However, these sites have their limitations. You will rarely find any information about each destination, since these sites typically cover the globe, albeit with varying levels of inventory available in any one resort or location. Also, the site is really nothing but an advertising venue; it takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information posted by the owners who use it, and you will have no comeback to the operator of the website if it turns out that the property is misrepresented, is not available when you turn up even though you have paid or, in the worst but by no means unknown case, does not even exist.

The second type of site is often advertised as ‘by owner’. These sites may be global, or they may be destination-specific. Such sites frequently claim that by dealing directly with owners they are cutting out the middleman and saving you money, and in certain areas owners who market their properties directly can escape some types of tax. However, these sites also have drawbacks. As with global vacation rental sites, ‘by owner’ sites provide no guarantees about your holiday; they are just a way of putting you in touch with the owner. Furthermore, the owner is not worried about the credibility and reputation of the site as a whole; their main concern is to promote their own property. Finally, if the property becomes unavailable for any reason, the owner may be restricted in their ability to provide an alternative. So be cautious with these sites.

The third type of site belongs to a property manager with an inventory of homes in a individual destination. He does not usually own the homes but rents them out on behalf of the owners. He does not mind which home you choose, so his incentive is only to find the property most suitable for your group. If, exceptionally, your property becomes unavailable for your dates, he will be able to find you an alternative from other properties he manages. Finally he will have consistent quality systems in place to ensure that your place is in perfect condition for your stay. So if you want to be sure of the quality of your vacation rental, choose a property management company which specializes in the resort of your choice.

Here are a few suggestions on how to make your holiday home environmentally friendly and still allow for a great vacation rental opportunity:

Make a list of eco-friendly “house rules” for your guests to follow once they are in your vacation home:

- Ask your holiday home guests to make sure air conditioners are off if doors are open or they are going out.

- Ask holiday guests to turn down (in colder environments) the heating thermostat by at least a degree Celsius, this will help save energy and decrease harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide.

- Ask holiday guests to turn off lights and switch appliances off when they are going out or not using a room.

- Advise guests to take advantage of the holiday sunshine when washing their clothes instead of using machine dryers – provide a clothes line so that clothes can be dried outside.

- Tell guests to use any recycling bins provided so they can separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes.

- Rainwater is better for garden plants than tap water, and can easily be collected and stored – provide your
vacation home with some method of collection of rainwater, water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource.

- As appealing as they can sometimes appear, try not to provide a gas patio heater as they use a huge amount of energy.

- For the swimming pool area, use eco-friendly products for the swimming pool, as much as possible buy products with fewer chemicals.

- Be sure your holiday home is well insulated; many state or local building codes include minimum requirements for home insulation. Be sure your new home or home addition meets those codes. It will save you money in the long run.

- Replace old appliances as they can consume a lot of energy; these days many appliances are efficiency tested – try to invest in energy efficient appliances.

- If the holiday property is empty make sure appliances are unplugged – many home electronics still consume energy even when they are turned off. Many devices on “standby mode” will continue to draw down power and help increase your electricity bill. Also, chargers and power adapters continue to draw power from the wall socket even if the device is not attached. Unplug these devices or use a power strip to turn off multiple units, when they aren’t being used to make sure that you are not wasting energy.

- Replace conventional incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They cost a little more, but last up to 10 times longer, use two-thirds less energy and give off 70 percent less heat.

You will be able to set a limit on how much money you can afford to spend. In turn, this will allow you to locate the properties that best your financial needs.

When buying vacation homes as investment properties, you need to expect to make at least a partial mortgage payment on the property every month. Unlike your primary residence, you will be able to rent out your vacation home as a way of making extra income. This way, the money that you receive from any rentals can be applied to your mortgage payments. Essentially, if you can make enough money on renting out each property each month, you would never have to pay for your mortgage out of your own pocket.

But, before you get too excited about this, you will need to keep in mind one important fact: in order to make money from your rental properties, you will have to find somebody that wants to rent the property. And remember, vacation homes are very competitive. If your property is in a popular part of the country, you will have to deal with a lot of competition. This is why buying a quality vacation home rental is soo important. Also, upkeep on the property will go a long way as far as finding people to rent the property on a consistent basis.

Many people have found that investing in vacation homes as rentals can do more than allow them to own a second home. If done correctly, investing in these types of properties can turn into a full-time job that has the potential to generate quite a bit of income. Furthermore, there is no rule that states that you can own and rent out only one rental property. In fact, by owning more than one property, and collecting the rent money year round, you can set up a steady additional stream of income.