| The Internet has proven to be a natural
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| | wish to rent. Generally, the sites simply
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| tool for potential real estate buyers.
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| | provide referrals and the rental
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| You can check out homes now through MLS
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| | arrangements are negotiated between
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| listings that provide multiple
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| | property owner and vacationing tenant.
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| photographs, room sizes, heating and
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| | An example of such a listed rental
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| cooling features, landscaping and more.
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| | property is Moose Back Lodge, which
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| Gone are the days of getting in a car and
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| | maintains listing on HomeAway and other
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| driving to home after home with a real
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| | major rental sites, as well as its own
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| estate agent who is guessing at your
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| | website: Many owners maintain their own
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| tastes.
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| | websites in addition to securing listings
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| The same is proving true with vacation
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| | on rental directory sites, allowing them
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| rentals. Resorts have long marketed their
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| | to provide a kind of online "business
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| facilities online, but the use of the web
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| | card" for the propriety that isn't tied
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| for individual seasonal rentals is just
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| | to a particular directory's formatting.
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| hitting its stride. It has proven to be
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| | Direct, owner operated websites provide
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| sufficiently successful that venture
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| | opportunities to allow the personality of
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| capital has entered the arena and a
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| | the property to show through in the
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| number of homegrown websites for vacation
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| | design and information presented on the
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| rentals are being acquired and
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| | site, as well as the ability to better
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| consolidated.
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| | control the content.
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| The biggest player in the consolidation
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| | There are also real estate agencies that
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| market thus far is HomeAway, a two year
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| | provide regional rentals in popular
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| old company that is backed by $160
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| | vacation areas. States like Maine, North
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| million in VC dollars and has engaged in
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| | Carolina, Florida and many others will
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| a number of acquisitions, quickly
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| | have realty companies that handle
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| building critical mass in the online
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| | vacation rentals as a sideline - managing
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| seasonal rental business. Homeaway's most
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| | properties for absentee landlords. These
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| recent and biggest purchase has been
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| | websites usually have excellent photo and
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| VRBO, or Vacation Rental By Owner.
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| | text descriptions of their properties,
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| VRBO claims 60,000 individual listings
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| | along with a calendar of available dates.
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| and more than 20 million site visits per
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| | In many of these cases, rental
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| year. Other acquisitions that created the
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| | arrangements are made through the agent.
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| HomeAway business structure include
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| | Then there are facilities in tourist
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| in the United Kingdom and FeWo-direkt.de
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| | areas that handle their own marketing.
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| in Germany. These and other properties
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| | These include major and minor resorts and
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| give HomeAway a catalogue of 60,000
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| | B&Bs. Often a small facility such as a
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| rentals in 90 countries. In two years,
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| | B&B will link to a regional B&B marketing
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| they have grown very quickly.
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| | web site or a local chamber of commerce.
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| Vacation Home Rentals remains a web
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| | There are also large developments built
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| presence with over 14,000 listings,
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| | around recreational facilities such as
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| principally in the sun-n-fun states of
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| | lakes or skiing facilities that handle
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| California, Arizona, Hawaii and Florida.
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| | seasonal rentals for the people who buy
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| Vacation Rentals also remains a strong
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| | the condos and houses built as part of
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| web presence, with a hefty investment in
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| | the development.
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| search engine marketing. Their home page
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| | Planned developments in recreational
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| lists virtually every state and several
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| | areas are often second homes for their
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| continents with countries listed beneath
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| | owners, but also income properties. In
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| them.
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| | the larger ones, the developer will often
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| On all of these sites, seasonal rental
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| | have a permanent office for both sales
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| property owners pay a fee to list their
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| | and seasonal rentals. In these cases
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| property and post photographs, floor
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| | also, the rental agency acts as property
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| plans, fees, etc. On HomeAway, the cost
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| | manager and handles both rentals and
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| is $300 to list your property for one
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| | maintenance for the owners.
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| year. There is no charge to customers who
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