First - Thank you to all who have sent us such encouraging emails and inquiries.  You will be able to register and add your vacation rentals for free soon.  We continue to find excellent tools to include in our revisions and we think you’ll be both pleased and surprised!  Revisions should be complete soon.

We’re pleased to announce that Furnished Homes we will be utilizing Google Checkout for owners who want to promote their properties as preferred listings.

We will keep you posted on progress here on The Furnished Homes blog and you can follow us on Twitter too.  We’re working “feverishly” in with our dev team in the “incubator”!  Enjoy your summer time and Thank you again for your patience and encouragement!

It can be unsettling to leave your vacation rental unattended for an extended period of time.  You never know if you are going to come back to serious water damage issues or expensive maintenance problems.  For this reason many rent by owner vacation rental owners hire a professional service to routinely check on their property or even offer a drastically reduced rent for someone to house sit.

Recently one vacation rental owner contacted us to let us know that a leak in the reverse osmosis drinking water system caused over $40,000 in water damage.  The water flooded the home so thoroughly that there were literally weeds sprouting up out of the carpets!  Typically this type of water damage is caught in dense condo complexes by other owners, however, if you rent a single family home you may not find out until you come back or your next visitors arrive.

Most likely there are vacation watch services and house sitting services that can help prevent disasters and vandalism.  Basic “house watch” services may include walking through your rental, flushing toilets, checking windows, adjusting temperatures for heating and cooling, looking for pests and more.  Many of these simple checks can be done for $50 to $100 per month.  Of course, a house sitter may be the best as they are there full time.  Be sure to check the references for any of these services to be sure they are reputable and reliable.

Furnished Homes is undergoing partial redesign and this is affecting the image upload portion for new and existing owners.  Just wanted to let everyone know that we are aware of the problem and it will be resolved with our new release.  We sincerely appreciate your patience and will have all issues resolved soon.  If you are having trouble contacting us please email us direct customercare@furnishedhomes.com.

Tucson, Arizona - April 20, 2009 -

Furnishedhomes.com will be releasing a new simplified vacation rental map in May 2009.  According to founders John Foxworthy and Ted McGuire - “We have addressed many speed, search and navigational issues with the new 2.0 release.  With the assistance of nearly 1000 registered users, we have been able to test the site as to function and effectiveness.  Inquiries and views for our vacation rental owner listings has been a success and we still have yet to launch a full on advertising push.  We’re committed to making the best vacation rental map on the web.  Thank you to all vacation rental owners and property managers for your valuable input to improve Furnishedhomes.com and make the site easier to navigate for owners and travelers.  The release of Furnished Homes 2.0 stresses simplicity and creating a fast and efficient way for owners and travelers to transact business.”

Standard vacation rental listings will continue to be free and owners and managers will have enhanced listing options to improve their exposure and add even more external links to their own marketing efforts. 

Furnishedhomes.com 2.0 will continue to use Google maps as the primary search tool for finding vacation rentals near your targeted destinations.  The vacation home rentals are posted by owners and managers offering homes, condos, villas and furnished rentals that can be booked directly - no commissions or booking fees are collected.  The site allows travelers to search not only by city or country but also landmark locations and popular tourist destinations.  Vacation homeowners can manage availability calendars, manage vital advertising statistics for their rentals, link to personal websites and much more.

Furnishedhomes.com press inquiries - customercare@furnishedhomes.com

Simple gestures or helpful tools can often set your vacation rentals guests off in the proper mindset and help make their stay more enjoyable. Of course your vacation rentals need to be clean and presentable - but the little extras like a welcome book and a few little extras show that you care and that you are not some mega management company that could careless about their stay.

Three of the best vacation rental welcome ideas that we have used with success are very inexpensive. These gestures require just a bit of your time to implement and are well worth the effort.

1.  The Personalized Welcome Book - This is really a main stay and most vacation homeowners already have this for guests.  Our previous guests especially appreciate our suggestions on dining and seasonal suggestions - like “order the margaritas here - they are the best!” or “Be sure to go to The Desert Museum - especially when the day time temperatures are lower because the animals are much more active - especially the Mountain Lions!”

2.  The Grocery & Pharmacy Discount Key Chain Cards -  No one wants to pay full price and everyone wants membership discounts.  Each set of keys to our condos includes a member discount card for purchases at the nearby CVS Pharmacy and grocery stores.  The area stores love the “out of towner’s” as most don’t have a card and they can charge higher prices.

3.  Postage Paid Postcards - We typically leave 1 or 2 stamped post cards of the area wildlife or attractions.  All the guest has to do is address them and write a quick note.  No need to purchase the post card or postage - it’s a simple gesture - and we have people thank us for the thoughtfulness.

These vacation rental guest gifts also have a great “shelf-life”.  That is they do not need to be constantly updated which is especially important if you are turning a vacation rental every few nights or weekly.  Even a pack of chewing gum or mints is nice to have welcoming your new guests to your vacation home.

Advertising your vacation rentals online works and is most likely the best life line you have to keeping your vacation rentals booked - so DON’T stop now!  If you stop putting gas in your car it will not run and the same holds true for your advertising efforts - no exposure equals no inquiries.

If you have to find a way to tighten your vacation rental operations perhaps you can look into reducing your fixed expenses of operation:

1.  Check your fire insurance deductibles - a $250 deductible was the norm years ago, however, insurance companies often charge as much as 30% more for this than a $1000 deductible.  If you have cash reserves set aside you may want to consider a $2500 deductible.  Even if you carry the lower deductible and experience a claim, most companies will apply a surcharge.  So you might want to insure for the larger catastrophic loss anyhow?

2.  Check your cable, phone and internet bills for your vacation rental.  Competition for your business has been heating up as more companies offer better discounts if you bundle your services for lower rates.  Be sure to check those free 90 day sign up offers for movie channels - free for the 1st 3 months and then bang a jump of up to $30 to $50 monthly.  Delete those extras that are just too darned expensive!

3.  See if your utility companies offer budget billing.  The company can take your total annual costs and average them out for you.  This way you won’t get slammed in the summer or winter peak months.

4.  Double check your listings with vacation rental sites to be sure that you are not over paying for extras like images, maps and such.  Perhaps on the top vacation rental sites you need the base number of photos - make sure they are great and be sure to add your link to your website if allowed!

5.  Pulling out the stops now - if you do not already clean your vacation rentals yourself, you have the time, energy, and live nearby - start cleaning your own rental?  I told you this was pulling out the stops - so if this is like “no way” or not possible - just a suggestion.  You may be able to save $100 to $150 each time you turn your vacation home.

6.  Promote your vacation rentals on quality free internet services like Twitter, Wordpress, Craigslist and Furnishedhomes.com.  (SNEEK PEAK - we’re in a redesign and basic listings will be FREE - details coming soon)  The redesign is cramping my blogging!  We often TWEET our new listings to the world as an added benefit to all.

7.  Don’t forget your off line advertising!  Print out a few of your listings from your vacation rental ads and post them in your local coffee shop or fitness center. 

Be sure that you are offering the best vacation rental experience for the price.  Cut costs where you can, but DO NOT stop advertising your vacation rentals.  If you pull the plug severely on your online advertising you could be destined to go down the drain.

Last but not least, make sure your rates are set properly.  See our recent vacation rental blog post “80% of something is much better than 100% of nothing!”  Update your specials too! 

Post your comments and ideas about saving money managing your vacation rentals here!

I thought the trip to Kartchner Caverns was going to be like - Ok - saw it - let’s go!  Wrong! Kartchner Caverns, take my word for it - you need to go!  If you are visiting Southern Arizona put it on your list to make the drive to Benson Arizona and schedule a day to tour the largest living cave in Arizona.  From the 15 minute theatre presentation about the caverns discovery and preservation to the souvenir shop - it was great!

This cave was kept a secret for nearly 15 years by two Tucsonans who discovered it in the mid 1970’s.  You have to personally tour these caverns to realize how hard it must have been to keep that secret! 

Our tour guide was Jerri and she shared some fascinating facts about the discovery and preservation of this incredible living cave.  She answered all of our questions and seemed like an old friend by the end of the tour.  The temperature in the cave is around 70 degrees and about 90% humidity - kind of liking be in the jungle, yet in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.  My children especially enjoyed seeing the bones of the ancient sloth found in the depths of the cavern.  Lot’s of ooohs and aaahs!

If you rent a vacation home in Tucson or Green Valley you need to put Kartchner Caverns at the top of your list along with the Sonoran Desert Museum and the Chiracahua Mountains.  Be sure to make your reservations early and remember that the Throne Room is only available for viewing from mid October to mid April as the bats use the Throne Room as their maternity ward.  There are plenty of shaded picnic tables for outdoor dining, a small cafe and RV campground on-site.

Here’s the link for tickets and more info - Kartchner Caverns State Park Tickets and Info

The air conditioner conked out in one of our vacation rentals and we called in for service. First AC repair man went through a very lengthy explanation about how the compressor was shot, unit was so old that it was not worth repairing and the replacement - the only option - would be $6000.

We had already relocated visitors to a nearby unit. We new that the unit was older, however, we did not expect that the entire unit needed replacement. It would be easiest just to have a brand new unit installed and be done with it. However, we decided to be sure that it really needed replacement. Would love, yet hate for a repairman to come in and say “Oh see here - it’s this little wire that came loose and that’s $100!”

We talked with a local property manager who oversees around 150 vacation rental units. He said to check with his AC man and get a second opinion on our vacation condo. After a few minutes looking over the unit the 2nd repairman said that it was still a viable air conditioner and that it really just needs a new fan motor. While it is an older unit - he would be able to find the part and it would cost around $200.00 total.

Here we are a year later and the air conditioning at this vacation rental works great. I asked Joel why the other “highly advertised” AC company could give such a different diagnosis and he replied: “They just don’t like to mess with repairs - they really like to do replacements - more money.”

At that moment - I felt for all the little old ladies in the area that probably have heard the same bull from some of these AC companies - “No Ma’am - nothing we can do you need a brand new AC!”

As with medical care - the same applies to appliance repairs for your rental homes - Get a second opinion and maybe a third. It saved us nearly $5800! Don’t forget to replace your air filters often!

This Furnished Homes blog entry is about helping you set up your own blog for your vacation rentals.  We’re on the web constantly looking for ways to help you market your vacation home rentals and we think we have found a great resource that you will appreciate. 

These are high quality videos with excellent sound and content.  I think you will find a wealth of knowledge here to help you better market your furnished rentals - no matter if you manage 1 or 100 vacation homes for rent.

Even if you have very limited computer skills you can can easily get your vacation rental blog up and going in short order.  The videos explain the easiest way to host your blog, to customize your blog and to self host your blog.  Get a cup of coffee and do yourself a huge favor and watch these videos. 

Not sure if you want or need a vacation rental blog or personal website?  See our previous posts “Got Blog” and “Do I need a Vacation Rental Website - Yes!” 

10 Easy To Follow Videos Showing You How To Create Your Blog From Scratch!

Congratulations Gideon and Yaro - you have helped make life easier for those of us looking to learn for ourselves how to set up a blog - easily and painlessly.

Show us your vacation blog here - post your vacation rental blog url and comments below - we’d love to hear from you!

Our Golf Villa for your Ski Vacation Rental? Let’s make a deal! 

One perk that you might want to consider as a vacation homeowner is trading time at your place with another vacation homeowner.  While there are sites specifically dedicated to exchanging vacation home rentals, you can also contact fellow owners via vacation rental advertising sites.

For example, if you want to Ski Breckenridge in February you can probably find an owner with a like, kind and quality vacation rental to swap for your golf villa in Arizona.  You get to ski and they get some sunshine. 

Here are some obstacles you may encounter when exchanging vacation rentals:

• Are the homes comparable as to amenities?
• Coordinating schedules that work for both parties.

Don’t count on trading your 1 bedroom condo for a 6 bedroom home with a private pool and remember, your “peak” season is not necessarily their “peak” season.  Of course, there are exceptions to the rules - IE.  maybe you can trade a 5 br Disney area vacation rental with a pool for a small upscale New York apartment?  Remember, it’s up to the two parties to decide if they want to make a deal. 

For example, I have received various offers to visit my Arizona home during March (the best month to be in Arizona) for a Breckenridge condo in July - when all the snow is gone.  On second thought, it is pretty hot in AZ during July and the mountain air in Breckenridge during July sounds tempting.  You get the idea.

Most owners want to trade vacation rentals at peak for peak or off season for off season. Research what time of year you want to travel and offer to trade your vacation rental for theirs. 

Let other vacation rental homeowners know that you are interested in possible vacation rental exchanges - put this info on your personal website or property rental ads.  Example, “Fellow Owners - Interested in coming to San Diego, CA?  Please contact me if you would like to trade - I prefer to visit Paris, France and Vancouver vacation rentals!  Trade? Let’s make a deal?

You never know - your vacation rental can facilitate some new and exciting vacations for you and your family! 

Have you recently exchanged your vacation rental for another?  We want to hear from you - good, bad and ugly!  Post your comments below - Thanks!