Getting the Most Out of Your Island House Rental
People who live on the east and west coasts of the United States know that there are dozens of habitable islands just a few miles off shore, but people who live in between those two extremes have a tendency of hearing the word “island” and thinking of tropical island paradises such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Guam, or even the Bahamas.
But there are islands much closer to the US where it’s possible to kick back and relax and enjoy the atmosphere - for there is a certain atmosphere endemic to living on a small island, one which you can cross from side to side in a couple of hours, and see the ocean extending out as far as the eye can see in all directions…
The Florida Keys are perhaps the most famous islands known on the east coast of Florida, and the most popular with the vacation crowd and “snowbirds” who want to escape the winter cold of the midwest. These islands are too small to have the huge hotels that pop up like mushrooms in the large cities, instead, there are bed and breakfasts, motels, and homes for rent - which are much nicer and simply more “homier” than a hotel.
Hilton Head, South Carolina is a very famous resort island…even mid-westerners have heard of it. It’s the second largest island on the east coast of the US, and it needs to be, to fit all the golf courses that have been built on it.
Going north up the east coast, what other islands do we have? The Brunswick Islands of North Carolina are nine islands off the coast of the state that have something for everyone. The favorite for old lighthouse lovers is Old Baldhead Island, because they have the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, called “Old Baldy.” Out of service now, but tourists can still visit the lighthouse, and walk on ground where Blackbeard and other pirates once trod.
Chincoteague is Virginia’s only resort island, famous for its wild horses, and its oyster festival. It is also on the Atlantic flyway for shorebirds, waterfowl, and others. So if you’re a birder, you’ll definitely find a week or two spent in Chincoteague worth your while.
That’s only a selection of islands on the east coast, there are many more, and I haven’t even gotten around to covering the west coast. Just do a google search on “Resort islands” east coast, or west coast, and a whole new world will unfold before your eyes.
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Looking To Rent Your Cabin?
If you’ve got a vacation cabin which you can no longer afford to own, hold off a while before putting it up for sale. Why not think about turning it into a rental property? Here are a few guidelines to help you get started.
• Have a rental agreement drawn up by a lawyer. This will protect both you and your renters - you will each know where you stand. But you need to do more than have a rental agreement - go over the agreement with your prospective renter provision by provision - so that you know that your renter knows what is expected of him/her, and they can’t plead ignorance should something untoward occur.
• Speak with an insurance lawyer to find out what kind of insurance you must have in case a visitor trips on a step, breaks a leg while trying to get into a boat, or, worst case scenario, is killed while doing something on your property. (To that end, make sure your cabin has no loose wires, unstable roof slats, and so on.).
• Speak with your accountant to find out what the sales tax requirements are. In addition to charging rent, you may have to charge sales tax, and send that in to the local government, Find out what the local, county, and state tax rules are.
• Make your cabin attractive to renters by offering various “amenities” - hot tubs, ping pong tables, or pool tables even! If you have a cabin on a lake, make sure you have a dock, perhaps a paddle boat, even a personal water craft. (But be verrrry careful about the insurance for all these things.)
• Travelers with pets - cats, dogs, even birds - need a place to stay. Many places exclude pets. If you allow them, you’ve increased your customer base.
• A cabin is not a luxury home. Don’t over-decorate it… but don’t under-decorate it, either. Best thing to do is to visit other cabins that are for rent, check out how they are decorated (and how successful they are on the rental market) and follow that lead.
Once you’ve got all the formalities out of the way, you still have to find people who will want to rent your cabin. You can either list it with a series, or create a website for it, and handle all the rental details yourself. To that end, make sure you have plenty of photos of the cabin, both interior and exterior, to show off what you have to offer.
Then, be patient, while you wait for your first client. The first client may be a long time coming, but once you’ve broken the ice, future clients will come faster.
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Big Bear House Rentals - How to Plan For Your Big Bear Lake Vacation
After one whole year of working hard in your career, it’s definitely time for you and your love ones to enjoy a wonderful vacation at the famous Big Bear Lake. Big Bear Lake has a lot of wonderful activities waiting for you. All four seasons throughout, it will bring a lot of fun and you and your family will definitely enjoy it!
Big Bear Lake, located in the heart of the San Bernardino Forest, is open all year round for both the nature lover, and for those who love great activities - such as skiing during the winter, and mountain biking, hiking or rock climbing during the rest of the year.
Big Bear Lake is tapped to make snow during the winter months, but in summer it’s full of boaters, personal watercraft users, and swimmers (all in their designated areas, of course). You can even go parasailing.
So, depending on what type of outdoors activity you and your family like, there’s something for you at Big Bear Lake.
So, once you decide when to go - what season - then you have to decide where you’re going to stay, and how you’re going to get there.
Big Bear Lake is popular all year round, so you’ll want to make reservations well in advance to get the best deals. There really is no “off season” there, every month is equally popular…although the recent economic downturn may force cabin and luxury home rental businesses to offer some sweet deals in order to get people to come in the same numbers as in previous years.
Before you go on your vacation - whether to Big Bear Lake or anywhere else, it is imperative that you do research to find the least expensive places to stay, or if money is no object, you at least want to stay somewhere where you’ll have all the amenities that you desire.
Because it’s so popular, there’s dozens of websites - those from the companies who offer rental cabins or homes, even bed and breakfasts, as well as websites that are “umbrella” sites - giving information on lodging, where to eat, activities, and so on.
With the amount of information available, and the ease of acquiring it, with a little research you’ll be able to plan a fun and memorable vacation at Big Bear Lake.
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