3 Astonishingly Easy Tips to Avoid Vacation Home Rental Hype

After working with potential clients in the vacation home rental business for more than 10 years

, I'm still shocked at how many of them believe the "what you see is what you get" hype. Thousands of travelers book homes with blind trust and without ever having spoken to a live human being. Hold onto your rose-tinted sunglasses folks because I'm about to expose some tricks of the trade, how to detect them and how to get around them.

Easy Tip #1: Talk to a Live Person and Ask for Details

You know what's important to you. Is it space, location or security? Ask specific questions such as, "What are the exact dimensions of the rooms?" A wide angle lens can make a closet look palatial and PhotoShop can dramatically change a cold, austere house into a warm looking one. Don't rely on photos alone. If they were taken by a professional chances are several colorful props and plants were brought in to dress up the house. Don't assume anything. When in doubt, ask.

Easy Tip #2: Fully Explore Your Online Resources

Online directories like Homeway are great resources but have self-imposed limitations. When the home has its own web site most directories will link to it. That's where you'll find in-depth information such as room descriptions, guest reviews, more photos or even a virtual tour. The homeowner may have new videos, a blog or a YouTube page. Do you want to read about the experiences of previous guests? Flipkey, vacation home rental sister site to TripAdvisor, is an excellent resource for objective guest reviews.

Easy Tip #3: Trust Your Gut Feelings

Are you getting vague answers to your questions? If you're talking to a rental agent are your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices unavailable? Does he keep steering you to other homes in other areas? It's extremely rare but there are a couple of unscrupulous independent agents who take photos and info from sites without homeowner authorization, post them as their own then use them to bait and switch clients to the handful of homes they legitimately represent. One independent agent claimed to represent over 130 homes when he actually represented 9!

Beware - the term beach front is used very loosely these days. Many hilltop homes with an ocean view claim a beach front location. Ask, "Exactly how far in walking distance is the house to the beach?" Trust your gut. If it doesn't feel or sound right, look elsewhere.

It makes no difference if this is your first or fifth time renting a vacation home; you've probably overlooked one of these critical points. The great news is you can use these easy tips to avoid the hype and find the perfect vacation home where you'll make wonderful memories.

3 Astonishingly Easy Tips to Avoid Vacation Home Rental Hype

By: Evelyn Gallardo

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