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We want to keep you posted and publish occasional newsletters that can include news, information, opinions and data. Read everything we know.

When & How to Hire (or Fire) a Lodging 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

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

Vacation Rentals In Afghanistan

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

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

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

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

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

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

No wonder guests prefer Vacation rentals? Oahu Pick Pockets

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

Usually we go to Kauai, but we want to see certain Hawaiian cultural places available only on the island of Oahu. They were great. Staying in a hotel that extracted every possible penny was not. Read more

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

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

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

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

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