Many platforms have recently emerged to cater to the needs of real estate investors and tenants. The vacation rental sector has, in fact, flourished greatly with many tools that have become widely available to assist buyers and renters. Third party websites, particularly, have become a pillar of this industry providing platforms for both buying rental properties and marketing them. Of the best vacation rental sites remain to be Airbnb, HomeAway, Mashvisor, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor, among many more.
Related: The Best Real Estate Investing Websites Any Investor Must Know About
Today we will present you with the best vacation rental sites for buying rental properties, specifically vacation home rentals and the best vacation rental sites for marketing such properties.
Before we delve into the best vacation rental sites, let’s explore the vacation home rental industry and where it stands today.
Vacation Home Rental Industry Today
The vacation home rental market has been growing exponentially in the United States. The list of vacation rentals which are alternate lodging options includes short-term rental apartments, farm stays, private homes, cabins, beach houses, villages, cottages, and chalets. The recent European financial crisis accompanied by Brexit has been advantageous to the vacation rentals’ industry in the US. Not only are tourists flowing into the US for their vacation gateway, foreign real estate investors are also investing and buying properties in the US housing market. Real estate investors from China and Europe are buying more vacation rental properties in the US than ever.
Real estate market analysis, actually, predicts the vacation rental market to grow at a CAGR of 6.89% during the period 2018-2022. Investing in a vacation rental property nowadays makes a great investment opportunity. Not only will you be able to use a vacation home rental for leisure, but also to generate and make rental income from.
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Buying Vacation Home Rentals
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Buying Vacation Home Rentals #1: Realtor.com
Realtor.com is the official website of the National Association of Realtors®. Realtor.com has compiled over 800 MLS databases throughout the country that you can search from. What distinguishes Realtor.com from other of the best real estate investing websites is the home value tool. This tool allows you to search for properties within a specific location. All you need to do is type in a street address or zip code and it will show an assessed value of properties in that area. You do however need to supply an email address and a phone number to receive the report.
Another tool that Realtor.com offers is the SearchAssist tool. This service provides updates on listings based on your search criteria delivered to your email inbox as they hit the market. Realtor.com also offers other useful tools such as finance tools, real estate news and statistics, and real estate tips and guides. Certainly, buying your vacation home rental has become easier with Realtor.com.
Related: Which Are the Best Vacation Home Rental Sites Out There?
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Buying Vacation Home Rentals #2: Mashvisor
Buying an investment property has been made easier with Mashvisor. Mashvisor provides real estate market analytics to show the expected performance of investment properties. Mashvisor’s mission to automate and analyze nationwide real estate data has helped many real estate investors to find traditional and Airbnb investment properties.
At Mashvisor, you can use the rental property finder to find vacation home rentals in the location that you desire. The property finder tool allows real estate investors to easily navigate through properties according to specific search criteria that investors set. The tool will search for investment properties in the city of your choice with the highest potential for profit based on their cap rate, cash on cash return, and Airbnb occupancy rate.
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Moreover, Mashvisor’s rental property calculator can assist you in calculating the profitability of a vacation home rental. The tool provides real estate investors with all the crucial numbers necessary to decide on the profitability of the investment. Not only is Mashvisor’s rental property calculator simple and user-friendly, it delivers accuracy as far as data generated. As a matter of fact, thousands have come to use the calculator and so should you. Visit Mashvisor to start using the rental property calculator.
Now that we have presented you with two of the best real estate investing websites for buying a vacation home rental, let’s explore some of the best vacation rental sites for marketing your rental properties.
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Marketing Vacation Home Rentals
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Marketing Vacation Home Rentals #1: Airbnb
Using the Airbnb property management platform has proven to be one of the best real estate marketing strategies out there. What was an emerging online renting platform, has now become the largest rental site out there. Airbnb guests have the option to rent a private room, the entire property, or a shared room. Additionally, as an Airbnb host, you get to earn profit while staying in your property while learning of various cultures without having to travel.
Related: Best Vacation Rental Sites for the Highest Profits
When you list your property on Airbnb, you pay as little as a 3% booking fee per listing. Also note that Airbnb does not charge a credit card processing fee nor a subscription fee, making this platform ideal for homeowners wanting to rent out their properties.
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Marketing Vacation Home Rentals #2: Booking.com
Booking.com offers another valuable short-term rental management tool. The site has the most visitors on our list, making it one of the best vacation rental sites. However, it doesn’t win the title for the best. This is because booking.com has higher owner fees, mandatory instant booking, and is certainly not exclusive to vacation home rentals. While booking.com does not have a credit card processing fee, it does, however, requires vacation rental owners to make a merchant account that usually requires them to pay a 3% additional fee. Moreover, while Booking.com does not charge a subscription, it charges a high booking fee of 15%.
Although Booking.com charges the greatest fees to owners amongst the best real estate investing websites, it does not charge guests any fees. This has incentivized guests and tenants to further use the site making it one of the most visited websites of all.
Best Vacation Rental Sites for Marketing Vacation Home Rentals #3: HomeAway
While HomeAway does not rank high in the number of visitors (6 million), the site makes for one of the best vacation rental sites out there. The website has two booking models- one that charges a subscription fee and another that charges a fee per booking. The subscription fee is the highest among this list, charging about $500 per year. This makes a feasible plan for vacation rental owners that rent their property for over 6 months of the year. If your bookings fall shorter than 6 months of the year, then use the pay-per-booking model. With the pay-per-booking, owners are indebted to pay a 5% booking fee. Regardless of the model, HomeAway charges a 3% booking fee.
Having presented the best vacation rental sites, we hope that you have a better idea of websites you should be using today. When selecting the most suitable website, it is important to take into account traffic these websites generate and the fees associated. Whether it is booking.com, Airbnb, or Mashvisor, the aforementioned websites are of the best real estate investing websites out there that you should resort to for your vacation rental purchasing and management.