In this episode of Evelyn’s Vacation Rental Home Tips, Evelyn reveals little known tricks used by unscrupulous rental agents and how to spot and avoid them.

3 Astonishingly Easy Tips to Avoid Vacation Rental Home Hype

by Evelyn Gallardo

Hi, I’m Evelyn Gallardo coming to you from paradise. If you’re having trouble deciding on a vacation house welcome to this video where you’ll discover 3 Astonishingly Easy Tips to Avoid Vacation Rental Home Hype.

Let’s define vacation rental home hype. It’s when a homeowner or rental agent misrepresents a home through exaggerated descriptions, deceiving photos or ambiguous information. Now, don’t get me wrong, most homeowners and rental agencies are honest but I’m going to show you how to spot the few that aren’t.

Easy tip number #1 is talk to a live person. The photos are going to look fabulous and the descriptions will be glorious but you want to be able to ask questions. Call the person listed as the contact. It’s a red flag if there isn’t one. If you really like the vacation villa you’re looking at email the contact person and request a phone number.

Here’s your first caveat folks – lots of people are advertising beachfront homes when all they have is an ocean view. Of course, it may be a spectacular ocean view but there’s a big difference between walking to the beach and driving to the beach. Ask questions like, “Is this home right on the beach or does it just have an ocean view?” If they answer that it’s right on the beach ask, “How long does it take to walk to the beach?” If the answer is 10 minutes, the house is definitely not on the beach.

You know what’s important to you. Do you want to be in a quiet neighborhood? Do you want a location convenient to restaurants and shopping? Make a list of the questions you want to ask before you call. Calling also gives you the opportunity to evaluate reactions to your questions. Are you getting straight answers or is the rental agent ambiguous?

Easy Tip #2 is if you’re not on the homeowner’s personal web site, Google it. Vacation directories are self-limiting as to the number of photos and word count. The directory may not even have a video feature. If the homeowner has a web site, this is where you’ll find the real treasure, which can include virtual tours, additional photos, expanded descriptions, guest reviews and more. A good source for objective reviews is Flipkey.com the vacation rental sister site to Trip Advisor.

Easy Tip #3 is to trust your gut. As I said the majority of vacation rental agents out there are honest. However, there are the few unscrupulous ones who take photos and descriptions from other sites without permission and pretend to represent them without their knowledge. Not surprisingly, when you call, that particular home is never available. “But ah, I have these other beautiful homes,” says the rental agent. This is the old “bait and switch.” The agent baits you with other people’s homes then switches you to the ones he legitimately represents. If the agent says your 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd choices are unavailable and keeps trying to steer you to homes, maybe in areas you hadn’t even planned on visiting – this is a huge red flag folks. The beauty of a phone call is that it gives you the opportunity to evaluate reactions to your questions.

Remember the movie Forrest Gump when Forrest is being bullied and his friend Jenny yells, “Run Forrest, run!” That’s exactly what you should do if something doesn’t sound right or feel right. Hang up the phone and “Run Forrest, run!”

So, your 3 Tips are:

1. Talk to a live person on the phone
2. Google it – find out all the information you can about the home
3. # Trust your gut.

Thank you for joining me in paradise for this episode of Evelyn’s Vacation Rental Home Tips. Until we meet again – Paradise Awaits!

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3. 3 Insightful Tips to Tipping the Staff at a Vacation Rental Home – Part 2
4. 3 Insightful Tips to Tipping the Staff at a Vacation Rental Home – Part 1
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