Property Management Website Features

This blog post for ivacationonline.com property management software system is going to be a intoduction for some and a refresher for others. Often times when you have been using a software and have become comfortable with it, you tend not to investigate other options of the software or try the new features that come along. Why would you, everything is working perfect now. Don't fix it if it's not broken right?
That is true the ivacationonline website works perfectly the owner is constantly trying to improve the system, adapting to new changes in the industry and bring you the lastest upgrades available.
These are just going to be snippets and you can click on the link to read the full details.
Registering a domain and having a website for your property. You be so booked in your units that you do not need any additional renters but one thing that can help you is having a domain and website for each of your properties. Ivacationonline can build youe website and you can register a domain name through their site.

Travel Insurance.

This have been a lifesaver, and a big selling point for many of our property owners and managers. Many of the homes our members rent are large, expensive homes. A week in prime season can cost $10,000 or more. This can create tension and stress for a potential renter. What better way to close a rental than to offer a product that insures the potential renter that they can get a refund for any reason or no reason at all. Talk about peace of mind. Visit travel insurance.
Damage Insurance. Are you still dealing with collecting a security deposit? Why? Iavacation with Travel Guard has set up a program that you can automatically add $3000 worth of damage insurance to your property for a fee of $39. This fee is typically passed on to the owner and can be a potential revenue stream for the owner. The customer actually appreciates it because now they no longer have to wait to get their money back from you the owner, they are not nervous about being charged for damage they did not do. If every there was a perfect product for the owner and renter alike this may be it. Read more at Rental Damage Insurance
If everything here seems foreign to you or you have never used ivacationonline.com online property management website then here is a great opportunity. You can try it for free for 30 days with no obligation. Use this link to start you free 30 day trail with the best property management software available.

Save Time With Ivacationonline's Email Quote System

ivacationonline.com's new email quoting system.

Are you ready to stop wasting time when it comes to replying to rental inquiries for your vacation home or condo? ivacationonline unveils its new Email Quoting System for vacation rental inquires. During the busy seasons of the vacation rental business the inquiries can come in droves. This is especially true when you are property manager and are handling the bookings for ten, twenty, thirty or more properties. With the average property getting 20-30 inquiries a week, multiplying that amount of emails by 30 can lead to an email overload.

Individually answering each email with additional information and pricing, not only wastes time but can cost you bookings as well. The new email quote system gives you the option of answering emails with a single click or just a simple copy and paste.

The email quote system gives you 3 options:

• Property is available email
• Property is unavailable email
• Visitor email

In each pre-propagated email you can put in pertinent information, answer redundant questions, send a price quote, and have a link directly to your properties booking page. This saves you time by not having to answer several emails to the same potential renter, and because now they have practically everything they want to know in one email they can make the decision to rent your property.

Many vacation rental customers will send out 10 or more inquiries and normally cannot remember which property was which, but with the ivacationonline.com Email Quote System you will be sending them; a picture of the property, the address, the pricing breakdown, down payment amount, security deposit, and payment schedule. Don't forget the email includes a direct link to your booking page so that a renter can book their stay online with ease. This link to the booking page makes it easier than ever for a potential renter to book you property online.

The system, once you have set up your responses can save you approximately 80% of the time you were spending answering emails. That is correct 80%, and this time saved is money made. It is proven in this industry that home owners and managers who respond faster to inquiries GET MORE BOOKINGS!

Another great feature of the system is when a visitor clicks on your Email Quote button they have the option to send all of the information to every person in their party. This is a major factor in getting more booking and renting your property faster. Every property owner has heard this, "I love the place but I have to show it to the others in our group to see if it is ok with them". Now everyone involved gets all of the information instantly so that your potential vacationers can make a decision faster.

So now that you know all of the time saving benefits, the money making advantages, and the customer service upgrades, you're probably asking what will this additional service from ivacationonline.com cost me. The answer is, nothing, that's right, if you are already a member of the ivacationonline.com property management software system website there is no charge to you, it' free! Also if you are not already a member of ivacationonline.com simply sign up for a 30 day free trial and see how easy renting your vacation home or condo can be.

Visit http://www.ivacationonline.com/ today, click on the risk free 30 day trial offer, and enjoy the benefits of online property management.

Learn about:

Our live calendar
Emailing contracts
Renter updating email system
Online booking payment system
Credit card acceptance
Damage insurance
Travel insurance
The "Cancel For Any Reason Plan"
Voice description for your property
Video and photos of your home
Google Maps
Picasa
And our new Email Quote System

All of this and more on one easy to use website plus a customer service center that is second to none.

Only A Few Seats Open For Vacation Rental For Profits Seminar

If you have not signed up for the Vacation Rentals For Profit Seminar you will need to hurry. There are only a few remaining seats for this highly sought after event. We apologize in advance to those of you who will not be able to get a ticket to the event. The event is limited to an amount of seats which is dictated by the venue and we are not allowed to exceed the venues maximum occupancy. As stated there are still a few seats available but they will not last through this week.

Many vacation home and beach condo owners are taking advantage of this seminar and we have registrants from around the country flying in to learn how they can stop the bleeding caused by the expenses of owning a vacation home. Especially those that own a second home and do not rent out that property. Taxes, mortgage, HOA fees, special assessments, insurance, repairs, maintenance, furnishings, updating, pest control, land scaping, utilities and many more costs are eating away at many of these home or condo owners saving.

This free seminar will teach you how to cover your costs and actually turn a profit with your property. How do we know this is possible, because the lead instructor at the free seminar is Joe Godar and he has developed this system through his own experience as a vacation home owner and manager. Mr Godar, not only created the system but he is using the system to turn profits on his vacation rental properties and others that he manages, and now he is sharing that knowledge with you, FOR FREE!

Don't wait, there is no obligation, no fees, and you get a free lunch. Visit www.vacationrentalsforprofit.com/seminars.html/ to get registered for the last remaining seats.

2009 Vacation Rental Season - Take Control now!

This may be the toughest season ever for vacations rentals in a very long time. How are your rentals for the 2009 season?

Here are some proven techniques to keep your properties booked and the cash flowing.

Sitting around and complaining that the economy is bad and your bookings are down will get you no where. This is the time to get to work! You need to go over everything and put some time into your business.
1) Update your photos! Do you have a quality photo album to showcase your place? If the guest know to shop around, they will be looking harder and harder at the online photos that represent your rental. You need your best foot forward. Taking new quality photos is not expensive and can help! Be sure your photos are the best you can afford!

2) Advertise! This is the time to advertise more! Not less. Run specials. Make it look attractive to book with you! What does your title say about your property on your ads? Does it say, "BOOK WITH ME" or does it say, "I have not updated my ad in years". Here is one example:
GOOD AD: "Save $250 today! May 1-7 is open! Ocean View Condo, Call today"
Not so good ad: "3 bd 3 bath condo with dvd player in master bedroom"

You need a call to action and a reason to call you, instead of someone else. A coupon or special may be the trick to get them to call!

3) Follow up. Call if possible the prospect that emails you. If they put a phone number in the ad, call them at that number as fast as possible. If there is no number, email them as fast as possible. Answer the questions and tell them you want the business.

4) Have an online reservation system. This makes taking a booking fast and easy. The easier it is on the guest, the better the chance they will book with you! Using a site like ivacationonline.com and the vacation rental software it provides can make a difference. Who wants to wait for documents to be emailed back and forth and then filled out and mailed back! Make it easy and attract more business.

5) Do something every day! Update your calendars, change your ads, call your guest. Take 10 min and ask your self what needs to be updated and ACT! Sitting around will get you no where.

Try a few of these options and you will see the results! More bookings! People are still going in vacation and you need to be out there and get in front of them.

Good luck in the 2009 season!

More information on vacation rental software and vacation rental management software.

Details, Details, Details..Vacation Rental Details!

I wanted to share with you the number one reason for success int he vacation rental by owner business. DETAILS.

The owners that treat this as a business and take a business approach to it, are usually VERY successful. They follow thru with the details. Many owners get very frustrated at the level of bookings they have. They may have full time jobs, families and many other things pulling them in 10 different directions.

We are all very busy! The owners that take their time and work a little every day, paying attention to the DETAILS always seem to be the successful owners.

Here are some examples. One owner may advertise on VRBO and be about 20-30% booked. When we advise them to advertise more, spend More money on more web portals, they may not follow up and think that VRBO is more than enough. The owners that do the proper search for the vacation rentals in their market, spend the time listing on more quality advertising portals and complete the details on each listing site, are usually 70-90% booked. The devil is in the details.

Just doing "some" advertising is not enough. The details of marketing are you have to do enough of it to be successful. Taking the short cut with one ad is not going to make you successful. Spend the time and money and dig into the details to make your adverting a success.

The same can be said for your photos. It use to be 3-5 pictures would bring you all the business you need. Now the owners that have photo albums, like PICASA from Goggle are the ones experiencing success. It takes time to build one, follow thru with the details and list your captions. And you will have success. The more time you put into these details the better your success. Here is one example of a slide show that has turned my 3 bedroom condo into a booking machine in Destin Florida:

This is an average condo in Destin. Since I take the time to dig into the details and have a complete photo slide show, I advertise on 5-7 quality sites, have my online booking system in place, I have taken a condo when I purchased it, from a $20,000 a year unit to over $50,000 in gross rents for 2008 and nearly 100% occupancy. No other condo in our complex comes close, yet we all have identical units. The reason is DETAILS. The other owners could do the same thing, run more ads, have photo slide shows, take credit cards online etc.

The business is out there. You have to out perform the competition. Sitting around waiting for the phone to ring is not going to work. There is no magic pill to swallow. Just get to work, run more ads, update your unit and run your vacation rental by owner like a business. Spend time on the details and you will see your bookings increase!

Good luck!

10 Steps to Vacation Rental by Owner Success

After working with thousands of vacation rental owners, we have put together a list of items that seems to be consistent with the most successful owners. Owners ask all the time, “What does it take to be successful in the business?” well here it is. We put together this list as these items seem to be what the most successful owners are ALWAYS doing.

1) PROPERTY. The best thing you can do is to buy the right property from the start. There are no shortcuts in this area. If you are in a coastal area, people want to be as close to the beach, ocean, or water as possible. Guests want access to a pool. They want great views in the mountain areas etc. They want a nice clean updated or new place to stay. Buying the cheapest home on the market may cost you in the long run. Be sure to research where you are buying and make sure your vacation rental offers as much as possible for your area.


2) BOOKING SYSTEM. Having an online booking system or software like http://www.ivacationonline.com/ lets your guest know you are serious about your business. Add the online credit card processing to this and you will attract more guests. We have surveyed hundred of guest and they want to pay online with a credit card. You need to put the odds in your favor. One survey revealed that over 41% of the guest surveyed told us that an owner taking credit cards influenced the buying decision. Why send 41% of the market down the road to another owner? Take credit cards online and supercharge your business.


3) PHOTOS. The most successful owners we work with have the most and best photos easily available. In years past, 3-5 photos online would bring in the business. Now you need hundreds. We highly recommend PICASA by Goggle. It is a free online web based album service. It lets you showcase not only your property but also your community and town. This way you can “sell” the entire vacation experience. Guest love to see photos! Give them that option. They are really buying your photos once you think about it. That is the only way they know what you have to offer until they arrive at your location.


4) PRICING. Too many owners think their properties are worth more than they are. The normal guest has thousands of options to pick from. They all look alike to the guest! There are millions of very nice vacation homes on the market. The chance that yours is the best is extremely rare! So price it accordingly. If you see your market is getting $1200 a week for a prime week, you need to be at $1195. This keeps you in the market and priced “right”. Trying to price it at $1500 to “see what happens” is a sure sign NOTHING will happen. Guest can shop too easy. Price it right, book it up and be thankful for the success.

5) DISCOUNTS. Once you are priced right, you may have times open that you need to discount. This does not mean you are giving time away. It is simple a “marketing” strategy to increase your booking ratio. If you have 3 weeks booked and you have one week that is open, offer a discount. Taking a $200 discount may mean the difference between a $1200 booking and $0. $1400 would have been nice, but $1200 is better than $0. The higher ratio of bookings you have, the more likely you will be in the “black” at the end of the year.

6) DOMAIN NAMES. Successful owners understand that the guest wants to book online as fast as possible. Taking them to other web sites and then to your online booking site, increases the chance you will lose them. INTERNET sales 101, less clicks the better! Period! So buy a URL that applies to your area/property, like this one, http://www.bluetides411.com/ and point it to your online booking site. The faster and easier you can get a guest to your site and book online, the greater your closing ratios, the greater your gross income. More examples:
http://www.destinpalms.com/ http://www.sugarsands411.com/ http://www.waves411.com/
http://www.bajaretreat.com/ http://www.beachclub411.com/ These are all pointing to the owners’ online booking site and the owner can take a booking in a few clicks!

7) ADVERTISING. VRBO is not enough! This is one of the biggest problems we see. Many owners think that if they advertise on VRBO alone, they can be successful. That is no longer true. You must set up an “umbrella of advertising” as we say. Search your location and find advertising sites that come up in those searches. Joining 5-10 sites is not too many! You need to spend $1,000 to $1,500 a year to properly advertise your property. Anything short of that and you will simply not get the calls or emails needed to be successful. This is the difference in getting a few bookings and being totally booked solid. YOU NEED TO ADVERTISE!

8) UPDATE PROPERTY. Most successful owners update the property almost every year. Guests want to see that the owner is taking care of the place and putting some money back into the property. New linens, furniture, fresh paint all make a difference. Have a policy in place that each year you look for the worn out items and replace some or all of them. It will keep the repeat business coming back!

9) ANSWER CALLS. Most owners get plenty of leads but do not get back to the prospect in a timely manner. The guest is online right now, looking for a place to book. They call or email you, and then you take 24 to 48 hours to return that call or email. During that time they have booked someplace else. Calling or emailing them the second they respond is the best policy. If you can not get to that till later in the day, call or email as soon as possible. Time is money! Your Money!! Call faster than the other owners and get more bookings. Simple!

10) STAY IN TOUCH. Make sure you stay in touch with guest after the stay. Having to market all over again next year for all new guest makes it hard. If you can get your repeat business up to 30-40%, running at 90% booked is now a possibility. More business gets more business! They bring a friend and so on. Having a plan in place to stay in touch, so when they want to book again the next year, they think of YOU! Not staying in touch and sending them back online to find another property is a waste of resources. They found you once, stayed with you and now trust your business and property. Do the proper marketing to them and they will stay with you for a life time!


These simple techniques are proven over and over again to bring in more business. They are battle tested. How does your style or business measure up? Are you booked 90% of the time? If not, make some changes. These all take time. Many owners simple do not run their business like a business. Make sure you do it right from the start. Once you set up these items in place, they will work for you and you may have years of vacation rental success. Good luck!

2008 Vacation Rental By owner Season

2008 RENTAL SEASON

Well, the 2008 rental season is in full swing. We had tons of questions about how this season would turn out. Here is what we are seeing. The owners that are "working" the business correctly are doing better than ever. Our units and most of the owners we work directly with, that are using all of the tools available to them, online booking, advertising, running specials, photo albums, these owners are having record years.

They are all beating the 2007 numbers they posted last season. WHY? They are working harder than most other owners. The rental market is still very strong. With gas at almost $4 a gallon, people still want to take a vacation. So it is tougher on many, but with the proper tools, you can do very well in the toughest of times.

We are seeing some higher than usual cancellations. We feel this is due to many factors. They may have booked a few months ago, put a deposit down and when the full payment comes due, the funds may not be there for some families. This is another reason to be taking credit cards for your rent payments. Some guest who may not have the funds today, will put the final payment on a credit card, to make sure they can take the family on vacation. So it is another way to get business you may have lost.

We are also seeing new owners enter the market and doing VERY well. All for the same reasons. If they buy a desirable unit, they advertise properly, use the online vacation rental software from http://www.ivacationonline.com/ to complete bookings as fast as possible, they are filling up the calendar as soon as the start marketing.

REAL ESTATE MARKET. This is a totally different animal from the rental market. Real Estate markets are having a very tough time. Some prices continue to drop and some have leveled off. Buying a unit now is a great idea. Prices have not been this low in 4-5 years. But do not confuse a tough real estate market with a tough rental market. They are 2 different animals. Rentals are strong. You may have to work a little harder, but to the victor goes the spoils. Update your photos, take credit cards online, price your property correctly and you will have your share of business.

The bottom line is always been and always will be, you get out what you put in. Do the work to make your rental business a success and you will be successful. Do nothing and nothing will happen.

Stay tuned. We all hope the real estate market and the economy will swing back to the top soon.

Vacation Rentals In Panama!

We are very excited about a new project that we are associated with. We have been working on Panama, the country, for about 3 years, buying, researching and now building vacation rentals on the beach in Panama.

This is the first home we will have completed. It is under construction now and here is a slide show to show you the progress of this home:

The reason we are in Panama is to try all the things we know that work in the Vacation Rental business. We have purchased ocean front lots and are building homes to vacation in. There will be maids quarters, built in swimming pools, sun decks, plus more. Everyone wants to be on the beach. Theses homes are on the beach, the back yard is the Pacific Ocean.

The country and area have so much to offer. Taking a vacation to Panama and staying at one of our homes on the beach will offer the ultimate vacation experience. The list of things to do is endless. There is horse back riding on the beach, ATV riding in the mountains, Zip lining in the rain forest, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, sunbathing, plus more.

The people are EXTREMELY friendly. You will have a live in staff waiting on you when you arrive. So now I hope you can see why we are going in this direction. To take a vacation and have this type of service and list of things to do is unreal! The best thing about it is the prices will be very reasonable. So instead of taking the family to Florida, consider the "other" Panama. The country.

Stay posted to our sites. We are offering "Fractions" for sale on this property. You can purchase 4 weeks a year and use them as you see fit. You can place them on the rental program and we will rent them for you. So this can truly be a lifestyle investment. Or use them! It is up to you.

Here is the site for fractional sale information: PanamaFractional

And stay tuned to our online booking site, www.ivacationonline.com and be ready to book your next adventure of a life time in Panama! UNIT 613 in Panama! ( currently under construction)

Hasta Luego Amigo!