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When & How to Hire (or Fire) a Property Manager.

By William May
Published: 12/06/04 Topics: Comments: 0

This newsletter spends a lot of time discussing issues helpful to self-managed owners. However, the majority of vacation rental owners seek the aid of professional management firms to manage their homes. So today lets spend time explaining how to pick a good manager and, if necessary, fire a bad one Read more Leave comments

How to get sued, without really trying.

By William May
Published: 10/11/04 Topics: Comments: 0

It is easy to become wildly enthusiastic about the money-making aspects of buying and renting your own vacation rental home, what with the many factors contributing to the rapid growth of private vacation rentals: internet advertising, low interest rates, an emphasis on leisure and the post-911 Read more Leave comments

If there are Vacation rentals in Afghanistan, They must be here for good.

By William May
Published: 09/05/04 Topics: Comments: 0

I kid you not. The LA Times is reporting that Estullah Rooz, after years of fighting Soviets, rival Mujahedee and the Taliban, the man known as the Commander Mullah is going corporate. And how you say? Well, he's building the first Swiss designed and pre-fabricated Vacation Rental homes on Lake Qarg Read more Leave comments

Vacation Rentals In Afghanistan

By William May
Published: 09/05/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Is Yours a Quality Home?

By William May
Published: 08/02/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. To quote good old Bill Shakespeare, that long ago landlord from Stratford on Avon, in Merry old England. It's also a fine lesson for vacation home owners who want to get the best guests, highest rates, most occupancy and fewest headaches. Read more Leave comments

Charging for the Extras

By William May
Published: 06/28/04 Topics: Comments: 0

There is a fine line between charging customers for the products and services you sell and nickel- and-diming them into submission. In recent e-mails, online groups and phone calls there have been a flurry of questions from owners about what they can and can not charge for. I've also noticed that a Read more Leave comments

The Trouble with Suppliers

By William May
Published: 05/19/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Most owners focus 80% of their energy on creating more demand, upping rates and increasing occupancy. I can think of a hundreds Emails and phone calls where the only question is ;How to I increase sales? As all large companies know, lowering costs can be just as important to and much easier Read more Leave comments

Be Selfish If You Donate Your Rental

By William May
Published: 04/19/04 Topics: Comments: 0

New owners of Vacation Rental homes quickly learn how many friends they really have. And I don't just mean cousin Jenny and her 12 screaming kids who would love to spend every week end at your lake house this summer chowing down on your hamburgers and chips. No, I am referring to all the truly great Read more Leave comments

The Trouble With Hotels

By William May
Published: 04/06/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Can anyone tell me why a family would stay in a Hotel for their vacation? I was reminded recently of how distressing it can be when we visited the famous Waikiki Beach area of Hawaii. Penny and I hadn't spent much time there for 20 years but my 14 year old son decided there were things he just nee Read more Leave comments

Six Tips for Creating More Cash From Your Rental

By William May
Published: 03/08/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Sorry if that headline sounds like a get rich quick scheme. Owning a rental is too much work for that. Most weeks I cover a single topic that owners have been asking about. But today let me catch up on a number of small but equally important tips Vacation Home Owners will want to know. Its kind of a Read more Leave comments

Taking Credit Cards Smells Good, Tastes Bad

By William May
Published: 02/23/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Taking payments by Credit Card is another way to accelerate revenue, right? If that's what you are thinking I'd like to help put the brakes on. Yes, taking credit cards will make you look big time and maybe even increase revenue but it may also subject you to guest stealing money directly out of you Read more Leave comments

Using Guest Checklists

By William May
Published: 02/09/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Promises, promises, promises. I wanted to get back to the website strategy topic I promised a couple of weeks ago but another Owner question has come up and I wanted to pass on some suggestions on that. We'll get Part two of web strategies published in a future issue. (Hey, I'm a volunteer!) GUEST Read more Leave comments

Website Strategy, Part One

By William May
Published: 01/19/04 Topics: Comments: 0

Whether you are self managed or use a property management firm you gotta have a website if you want to maximize income. In recent weeks I've been getting lots of questions about website strategy. For Example: David White from Rock Creek Cabins (www.RockCreekCabins.com) asked, Sometime in the Read more Leave comments

dis n dat for 2004

By William May
Published: 01/12/04 Topics: Comments: 0

I just can't help myself from breaking into 'pigeon; after a month in Hawaii. But now we're back to the grind stone and hard at it. Actually we put the nose to that grind stone while in Hawaii but it always seems easier there. As we begin the new year I thought I'd give you a run down on some Read more Leave comments

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