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You have a vacation rental home, now what? List it! Your guests will more than likely find your vacation rental home listing through internet searches. Listing your rental property through well known sites like Airbnb and VRBO will get more traffic than if you were to list it yourself. Airbnb and VRBO are the two most popular vacation rental platforms and they draw a lot of attention. Let them do the hard work for you.
Now the question is, Airbnb or VRBO?
Airbnb
- The most listings in the most countries out of all the vacation rental home platforms.
- Your vacation rental home listing is free to post however there is a fee every time there is a finalized booking however, Airbnb has one of the lowest host fees.
- Are you planning on renting your home out by the room or even a room share? Airbnb lets you rent out spaces rather than entire properties.
- Is your vacation rental home a cabin, tiny home, luxury villa or castle? Airbnb has a wide variety of listings outside of typical homes.
- Geared toward shorter stays for a quicker guest turnaround.
- Favorable and flexible guest cancellation policies, guests like this!
- Airbnb attracts both the younger crowd and the business travelers due to often being more affordable with convenient accommodations including necessary facilities.
VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner)
- Once you list your vacation home for rent it will automatically post on HomeAway, 2 in 1!
- There are 2 fee options when listing on this site. You can choose from either the $499 annual subscription fee, which will cover all your listings for one year or you can pay per booking. The commission per booking is a 5% fee plus the 3% credit card processing fee.
- Your vacation rental home is more traditional and you rent the entire property. VRBO does not allow renting of any shared spaces.
- VRBO is more family friendly because of the full space rental rather than just a room. If your vacation rental home is family friendly or can accommodate larger groups then VRBO might be a smart place to list your rental home.
- Geared more toward longer rental stays, less housekeeping on your end!
- Guests tend to be weary when it comes to VRBO’s cancellation policy because there is a no refund policy, under any circumstances, anytime.
- Is your vacation rental home located in a well known vacation destination? VRBO is known for their vast number of properties in these touristy locations.
If neither of these platforms seem like the best fit for you to list your vacation rental home on, there are several other sites including Booking.com, Expedia, FlipKey, HomeAway, HometoGo, HouseTrip, Kid and Coe, Rent Like a Champion, Tripadvisor and Tripping.
Other questions to ask yourself when listing your vacation rental home:
- Does it have inviting furnishings and décor?
- Does it have the accommodations guests seek?
- Is the home comfortable and secure?
- Is the price you have listed right for the market?
- Would running a discount or promotion increase occupancy during lulls?
Don’t let that beautiful vacation rental home sit vacant, list it to rent it!
Remember, your vacation home needs a thermostat too, save big, up to 30%, on your energy bills with a Landlord thermostat today!
