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Deal of the Day by Kelli B. Grant (Author Archive)
It's Not Too Late for a Summer Rental
Don't panic: Even the worst procrastinators can still find good deals on beach rentals, says Gary Strohm, president of Beachhouse.com, which lists waterfront vacation rentals around the globe.
Sure, many high-end rentals are booked a year in advance. But thanks to last-minute cancellations and a glut of vacation rentals in certain markets, like Emerald Isle, N.C., last-minute travelers should be able to find something decent, says Strohm.
Before you book, be sure to negotiate. Owners might be willing to haggle rather than let a property stand empty for a week.
Here's a guide to finding the right rental at the right price.
- Be flexible. At this late hour, you shouldn't fixate on a Saturday-to-Saturday rental in one destination of choice. The key is to be open-minded. Must you go to Long Beach Island in New Jersey, or would another nearby beach town — Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside and so on — suffice?
- Look for beach accessible, not waterfront. Waterfront property is convenient, and the view can't be beat. But you'll get a better price — and a wider selection — on properties set farther back. A three-bedroom home near Lake Travis in Texas is $1,500 a week, while waterfront properties are going for $400 to $500 more.
- Talk to friends, family and co-workers who own timeshares. Timeshares can be an ideal vacation rental because they combine the best features of hotels and private homes. You have the independence of your own set of rooms, including a kitchen, but you also have housekeeping and other resources of the resort. The best part, though, is that you don't need to own a timeshare to take advantage of some resorts' last-minute deals.
Many companies will let timeshare owners book additional time at the resort for themselves or a guest. The timeshare owner doesn't have to give up any of his or her weeks, and you get a cheap vacation. Interval International, for example, lets members buy available weeks at its more than 2,000 partner resorts world-wide. A week in August at the Royal Aloha Vacation Club at Lake Tahoe, Nev., is going for $349 (sleeps four, kitchen), and a week at the Coconut Palms Beach Resort II at New Smyrna Beach, Fla., for $279 (sleeps four, kitchen). Both are waterfront properties.
- Wait a few more weeks. Once Labor Day passes, many beach- and lake-house owners cut their rental prices for the "off season." A three-bedroom lakefront home on Keuka Lake in upstate New York costs $4,000 a week during the summer — but after Sept. 10, the weekly price goes down to $2,000.
Reviewing Properties
Naturally, surfing the web is your best ticket to a great last-minute rental.
Current postings on Craigslist include weekly rentals for a cottage in Maine for $1,100, a three-bedroom house on Montauk Beach in the Hamptons for $1,700, and a three-bedroom house in Santa Cruz, Calif., for $1,600.
The list of web sites offering properties is exhaustive. To minimize the work on your part, look for sites that let you search by travel date or offer an immediate way for you to check availability. Here are a few sites where owners and brokers list available properties.
| Site | Details |
| Beachhouse.com | Great for the traveler who hasn't picked a destination. Search by state, price or number of bedrooms. Thorough descriptions with photos, rates, policies and access owners' own web sites where you can check availability. You can check out a selection of special deals and discounts for rentals, and sign up to receive weekly emails about the last-minute deals available. |
| Rent 101 | One of the few sites that lets you search first by your travel dates. You can also search by state and region or city, price and number of bedrooms. You can limit your search to beachfront properties or those with a pool. Each listing includes amenities, nearby activities and rental policies. |
| VacationHomes.com | Search by state, or by type of rental (luxury, beachfront, pet-friendly and so on). Thorough descriptions include calendar of availability, rates, photos, policies, deposit information and reviews from previous guests. |
| Vacation Rentals By Owner | This site lets owners post properties for rent. Once you've narrowed down the rentals by state and region, you can search by number of bedrooms, pet friendliness and other qualifications. You can also check rental availability, view photos and read reviews from previous guests. |
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