If you own or manage vacation rentals or corporate short term rentals you need to be aware of 2 important trends that are surfacing in the market now!

#1 The real estate downturn is driving more owners to consider turning their standard unfurnished rentals into short term vacation properties. Can’t sell it? Rent it?

#2 Competition for advertising vacation rentals online is heating up.

Can’t sell it? Rent it? Anybody with their finger on the pulse of vacation rentals has seen more and more investors, owners and managers looking for alternatives to generate income. Why? Because investors who were never interested in holding a property are now forced to find alternatives because they can’t flip them. Many have observed the success of others with vacation rentals vs. unfurnished rentals and decided to become “Vacation Rental Owners”. Secondly, owners who intially had no intention of renting their personal luxury vacation homes are reconsidering due to economic pressures.

Trend #1 is creating Trend # 2. Nearly all vacation rental owners and managers will tell you that a great percentage of their quality reservations are secured via internet advertising. Even with a great personal website SEO’ed to the max many owners have turned to online vacation rental directories to increase success.

If you have searched for or advertised vacation rentals or corporate housing you have probably seen or heard about the biggest vacation rentals websites. VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner), HomeAway, Cyberrentals, GreatRentals, A1vactions, vacationrentals, vacationhomes, vacationrentalsdirect, vacationhomerentals, and the list goes on.

VRBO is now part of The HomeAway Network based in Austin, Texas. As vacation homeowners and property managers search for high quality leads and renters it is imperative to maximize your advertising dollars. For example, a 12 photo listing on VRBO can cost nearly $400 annually! VRBO has done an excellent job in promoting vacation rentals and achieving high search rankings on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

Good News or Bad News first?

Ok the bad news - more vacation rentals competition in your neighborhood for the foreseeable future.

The Good News - Increased competition for your online advertising dollars can create lower ad fees. Many established online directories will hold rates, however, many new competitors are driving new technology and reducing ad fees to attract owners.

How to increase chances for success? Be sure your vacation rentals are priced competitively, post great photos and give visitors easy ways to contact you via email and phone. Investigate new vacation rental sites who offer quality online advertising and tools for less money or better yet FREE.

A notable newcomer with advanced search technology and owner management tools is Furnishedhomes.com - Advertise all of your vacation rentals and short term furnished housing for FREE.