Mastering your Niche: How to Get the Most Value from Niche Marketing
Guest post by Matt Landau: In my previous post, “The Future of Vacation Rental Marketing: It’s All about the Niche,” I wrote about the superior value of niche vacation rental sites like...
View ArticleThe Psychology Factor: Vacation Rental Damage Insurance vs Security Deposits
At first glance, vacation rental damage insurance can seem like a great prospect to a homeowner. But is it all that it’s cracked up to be? And can it effectually replace the psychological impact of a...
View ArticleShould I provide linens in my vacation rental?
Homeowners frequently ask us, “Should I provide linens?” Although there’s no right answer, I have to say that linens and towels are a very popular amenity, particularly for vacationers who are...
View ArticleGetting Started: Listing Your Property on WeNeedaVacation.com
Wondering how easy it is to get your listing up and running on WeNeedaVacation.com? Watch a quick, two-minute video with a step-by-step walkthrough of the sign up process.
View ArticleConsidering Pets in Vacation Rentals – Part 2 –“Yes! Fido CAN come, too!”
In our previous post, Considering Pets in Vacation Rentals, we mainly discussed the risks involved in accepting pets into your vacation rental home. But here’s some advice for those of you who, like...
View ArticleJoin us at our Open House on May 3!
Happy spring! In celebration of Brewster in Bloom weekend, please join us for an Open House at our new Brewster office on Cape Lane!
View ArticleGet Your Vacation Rental Ready for the Summer Season – Spring Post Roundup
We’ve listed the best of our past posts on preparing your rental for the summer season in one place! Find a variety of tips – from ideas for improving curb appeal, to checklists for a thorough spring...
View Article100 Years, 100 Posts, and 100 Ways to Say “Thank You!”
Last week, we published an article on our WeNeedaVacation.com website celebrating the 100th birthday of the Cape Cod Canal. For a century, visitors have been crossing the 17.5 mile long waterway, an...
View ArticleHousehold Supplies: What to Provide for your Vacation Rental Guests
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what to provide in your vacation rental, and the choice is completely up to the discretion of the owner. But, as in ALL aspects of managing a vacation rental, the...
View ArticleWhat are your expectations of your tenants upon their departure?
Most disagreements between homeowners and vacationers over security deposits could be avoided by better communication from the homeowner and a clearer understanding of what was expected of the tenant...
View ArticleMy House is Clean – Guaranteed!
I decided this summer that I would offer my tenants a cleanliness guarantee: if they have any concerns at all about my home’s cleanliness, I will bring my housekeeper back, usually within 24 hours.
View ArticleThose Special Touches
A few weeks ago, my husband and I stayed at the Hotel Marlowe in Boston. While I would choose a vacation rental over a hotel in almost every situation, it was nice to feel a bit pampered. And pampered...
View ArticleShedding Some Light on Energy Costs
By now, you have probably heard that NStar has filed for a rate increase of around 29% for 2015. If approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the average residential customer’s...
View ArticleThe Pros and Cons of Charging a Cleaning Fee
One of the difficult choices to make when managing a vacation rental is whether or not to charge a cleaning fee, refundable or not, over and above the rent. There really isn’t a right or wrong answer –...
View ArticleAre HomeAway’s new policies also reducing bookings?
It’s becoming evident that the recent decision by HomeAway/VRBO to join the other big box sites in assessing vacationers a fee may merely be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. A few...
View ArticlePreparing your Cape Cod Rental Property for the Summer Season Part 2
Ryan is from The Furies Cleaning and Linen Rentals based in Wellfleet. Every spring The Furies performs hundreds of Spring Cleanings and over the course of the summer cleans numerous second homes and...
View ArticleWhy you should reach out to your prior guests
Chances are, you’re probably starting to get inquiries for next summer. But have you reached out to your past guests yet? Repeat guests are the best kind, and they might appreciate the nudge! While...
View Article10 Tips for Those Who Rent Out Their Primary Residence
Most of the Cape and Islands rental listings on our site are for either seasonal cottages or year round homes that are not the primary residences of the owners. There are, however, a number of Cape...
View ArticleIs your vacation rental a good fit for your guests?
As homeowners, we are usually fairly anxious to convert as many inquiries as we can into bookings. We’re abundantly aware of how much competition there is out there, and we want to grab that bird in...
View ArticleLodging Tax Imminent – Voice Your Opinion!
Beacon Hill lawmakers seem poised to bring the lodging tax to fruition, although the details have yet to be decided upon. For years, and particularly this past year, we have been voicing our opinion...
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