If you are going on an extended vacation then you may want something a bit more private or inexpensive than a hotel.
If you look up vacation rentals by owner online then you may be able to skip the travel service or real estate agent and rent directly.
You can find these properties in newspapers, bulletin boards, word of mouth, and of course online.
These tend to be better especially for extended stays, when you want more than just a room.
Always get the address of the vacation rental and talk to the person not just use email, read my list of ten tips below.
Just recently a friend of mine found and rented a place that she found online at a very popular online vacation rental web site.
When arrived at her vacation rental she was horrified because of the location, cleanliness, and most of all safety.
She did not end up staying at the place and did not get her prepaid money back.
These may even be homes they normally rent by the month and will make deals if the property is sitting empty for long periods of time.
Sometimes a hotels price per night can be negotiated, but a rental listing online can almost always be negotiated.
Talk with the owner of the property they may give you a much better deal especially if it's off season.
If the rental is within the next couple of months or even closer always check out a couple of places in the area to learn the availability, if there's lots of availability then there's lots of room for price negotiations.
There are times when the actual owner will not live in the area and give someone else the authority (middle man) to rent their property for them.
These types of rentals are very hard to negotiate, they are sometimes working in commissions and don't have the authority to negotiate.
This is another reason to inquire at multiple vacation rentals by owner.
You can find vacation rentals by owner in virtually any location.
Once you have picked a place to spend your vacation below is a list of ten things to inquire and check.
This list is to just give you some ideas, check around the internet and you will find plenty more.
1) If possible get recommendations 2) Inside and outside pictures 3) Address of rental property 4) Talk to the person, don't use just email 5) For negotiation power find out availability 6) Inquire at several vacation rentals 7) Cancellation policy, know the rules period.
This information should be on a signed lease 8) Policy's - Number of occupants, children, pets, parking, trash, and any others 9) Check in and out dates and times 10) Keys - Believe it this can be a problem, make sure you know where to get them when checking in and where to drop them off when checking out I lied 11 steps: Most of all have fun If you are going on vacation then this may be definitely a way to go, but always be careful.
It saves you money and allows you more privacy and the feeling of being in a home rather than an impersonal hotel.
Check out all your options before you travel.