We are witnessing a fairly dramatic increase in the market place for vacation rentals by owner. Just take a peek at some of the “Big Boy” vacation rental by owner sites and you will see a surge in the number of “vacation rentals” that are now coming to market.

Reality check has arrived for many owners - Two common phrases that we hear almost daily - “this place is not going to sell” or “I’m not selling at that price!” Many owners have opted to not only rent out their properties, but to rent them out as vacation rentals. We have seen the number of VRBO listings in our city go from about 50 to over 250! There will be price pressure to be sure.

All the more reason for vacation rental owners to bring your A game! Of course some of us will need to slice and dice rental rates or offer bigger incentives to keep vacancies to a minimum. So what does “bringing your A Game” look like in the world of furnished home rentals?

Let’s revisit why you even need an “A Game” anyway. Just take note of the VRBO vacation rentals by owner website. It’s big and has done a great job over the years branding itself. Now take a look at San Diego by itself! Not including all the outlying areas in San Diego County with nearly 30 more cities, the San Diego vacation rental listings total about 250. Chances are the owners are paying about $300 on average annually for their listing on VRBO. You had better bring your A Game or you are going to get lost in the maze!

The A game will get you better results and does not take a huge leap in effort. #1 Perhaps the most important factor is great photos! Remember that visitors are searching and if the images are blurry or worse yet not there it is game over. So no matter where you have your property listed - including your personal website - upload great photos.

Tip of the day - here is where we see the biggest errors owners make in uploading images. The image files are TOO SMALL - many times owners are in a mad dash to copy and paste info from their personal site to a vacation rental directory.

A common rule that you really need to be aware of when it comes to uploading images to websites. The webmaster can always make a big image smaller and more clear - he or she can’t make a small image bigger and more clear. Digital images can go from big to small but not small to big. You control the quality of the images!

Often image files that we see are blurry because they are copies and even 2nd or 3rd generation copies such as thumbnails or small images from a personal website. If you want great photos - use BIG image files. It takes a few seconds more to do but it helps separate you from the competition and remember the competition is coming on strong! At Furnishedhomes.com you can email us bigger files if you do not like the way photos appear.

#2 Update your rates, your availability calendars and descriptions. With increased competition it may even be a necessary move to expand your “slow-season” rates. For example, if you are in the desert Southwest it is getting warmer earlier this year and more people are vacation rental landlords this year - you may want to adjust your slow season to include the month of May and September too? If you are in your peak season and see a slow down in reservations you may need to adjust your price to make it compelling for visitors. Make rates competitive - “Wow that place looks great and at that price I don’t care how much GAS is - I am going on vacation!” (a bit of drama for affect)

#3 Respond quickly to your inquiries. Perhaps the demand is still fantastic in your area, however, with the vacation rental markets getting more crowded it may be that you need to get back to inquiries quickly. Some of us may have had the luxury of sitting on a lead for a couple of days and now that has changed a bit. Make it easy for visitors to contact you - phone numbers, contact owner forms and personal website links.

#4 Advertise, advertise and advertise- take advantage of quality sites that will present your property in a professional manner at reasonable rates. Some very good vacation rentals sites are available for $50 to $99 annual to list and include Vacationrentaldirect.com and Vacationhomerentals.com. Furnishedhomes.com has a special offer to owners and managers - unlimited listings FREE for 6 months.

Short story - It’s a vacationer and travelers market for accommodations. Owners present your properties and market them effectively. Travelers enjoy some great savings on great destinations and vacation rentals! Down go the sales and up go the rentals!