Interesting article on vacation rentals

The primary focus of the article is renting vacation homes, but it also mentions timeshares. What's interesting is the reported growth in vacation rentals. It doesn't mention some of the rental sites I've read about here on TUG.

See article here

Excerpt:

"With more vacationers exploring renting homes, investors are pouring money into online portals that match-make homeowners with travelers struck with hotel fatigue.

Aimed largely at families who want to stretch out with a spacious living room and kitchen, vacation rentals — which include privately owned homes and condos, and unoccupied timeshares — has been a fragmented market that's been growing even as it's been slow to turn to the Internet for sales."
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I've looked into Flipkey and VRBO and they are just so much more than costly than Redweek they weren't very appealing.

I actually did use Flipkey in a 90 day trial I think it was because I thought wow anything associated with TripAdvisor it would have tremendous traffic.

I put up a number of Maui Marriott Gift of time weeks, which of course is a fixed week. I got a number of requests but every one "was can you change the date?" I think it was the nature of their calendar

In the meantime Redweek rented every one of them in about a month.

Flipkey shows $169 and I just got off the phone with them and they don't even support TSs so they are a total non-factor in TS rentals.

VRBO cost

You have to remember VRBO is advertizing 52 weeks per year per property and while I haven't done the math I think it compares well if it rents a reasonable number of weeks for a homeowner. It has paid for itself many times over for me.
Yours,
Jim