Best rental sites to post ads

[pcgirl54]

I wish to post my Marriott HHI week to rent my booked May 2018 week. Because I have been MIA for a few years on these boards and need current info for rentals /sales. Much has changed since 2009 so besides TUG marketplace what are your top 2 sites to post rentals. I understand about pricing it right . I rarely rent and have reviewed the rental contracts posted. Does anyone use ebay anymore and if it's a timeshare brand can you post that on VRBO? I posted on Redweek earlier before the holidays with no bites except a scammer and had used myresortnetwork way back in 2010.

Second question: Best sites to sell? My friend has an HGVC summer week and has never rented or sold but is thinking of doing so now. Is there a FROR for HGVC like Marriott had(has)?

What closing/transfer companies would you use?

Thanks for your input.

 

[theo]

I wish to post my Marriott HHI week to rent my booked May 2018 week. Because I have been MIA for a few years on these boards and need current info for rentals /sales. Much has changed since 2009 so besides TUG marketplace what are your top 2 sites to post rentals. I understand about pricing it right . I rarely rent and have reviewed the rental contracts posted. Does anyone use ebay anymore and if it's a timeshare brand can you post that on VRBO? I posted on Redweek earlier before the holidays with no bites except a scammer and had used myresortnetwork way back in 2010.

Second question: Best sites to sell? My friend has an HGVC summer week and has never rented or sold but is thinking of doing so now. Is there a FROR for HGVC like Marriott had(has)?

What closing/transfer companies would you use?

Thanks for your input.

I recommend RedWeek for advertising your rental (and / or your friend's sale) if not successful on TUG Marketplace.
I too rarely conduct rentals, but RedWeek has never failed me when I have had to advertise one (including very recent rental of several 2018 weeks). I also like the fact that while anyone can browse RedWeek ads, only paid RedWeek members can actually respond to RedWeek ads, a constraint which greatly reduces unwelcome and unproductive contacts from scammers, spammers and "tire kickers" (although you indicate having encountered a rare and unusual exception; very odd and unfortunate).

There is always Craigslist. Although free, I for one do not want to be bothered dealing with the aforementioned scammers, spammers and tire kickers, just to save a few bucks in advertising costs. No thank you. YMMV.

LT Transfers in Georgia is a very popular closing entity among Tuggers. Competent, affordable, nice people.
Have used them several times myself in recent years in the course of paring down our timeshare "portfolio".

Yes, HGVC has ROFR. Pertinent details and a "sticky" on the subject are available in TUG's HGVC-specific forum.

 

[pcgirl54]

Thank you Theo for the info. I was a little discouraged on Redweek it was a company who said they had a renter but when I asked questions about if they actually had one ready to submit payment the email stopped. I may have advertised it a little too early and its up to renew this month. What is LT in GA? I'll also check out the HGVC forum.

 

[theo]

Thank you Theo for the info. I was a little discouraged on Redweek it was a company who said they had a renter but when I asked questions about if they actually had one ready to submit payment the email stopped. I may have advertised it a little too early and its up to renew this month. What is LT in GA? I'll also check out the HGVC forum.

I'm sorry that you encountered the rare "flake" on RedWeek. I believe that your experience was an exception to the rule on that site. Since a RW rental ad can stay posted for up for 6 months (unless voluntarily deactivated sooner), it may be wise to post a rental ad six months before occupancy date; it can be removed as soon as a transaction is completed. That's what I do when I know we can't use one or more owned intervals in any given year for whatever reason.

LT Transfers is a small closing outfit located in Cleveland, GA. LTT is used and trusted by many TUG folks, among whom I gladly acknowledge being numbered. See http://www.lttransfers.com for details.

Resorts and / or "systems" impose their own widely varying transfer fees; I don't know HGVC transfer fee amount. Aside from the varying resort / system imposed fees, LTT closing costs generally total just under $200 for new deed prep and recording and resort notification. If escrow of transaction funds is involved or necessary, they use a local attorney for that (additional $50 fee). You just can't beat "competent, reliable and competitively priced" as small business attributes, IMO.

 

[PamMo]

Pcgirl54, consider giving RedWeek another try. People appear to be making plans closer to the reservation date, but they are still booking! I just rented out the last of my five Feb/March rentals today - all through Redweek. All for full asking price. I had one person who insisted on using the Redweek escrow services, but then he backed out at the last minute. I rented it within a week after that, thank goodness.

The key is having a good week at a fair price. There are brokers who scan Redweek listings (StayPC.com comes to mind) and I've had good experiences renting to them (for their clients).

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[pcgirl54]

Thanks very much I appreciate your feedback. I am having issues getting it posted in the TUG marketplace so I need good viable options.

 

[DeniseM]

may have advertised it a little too early and its up to renew this month.

It is never too early to post an Ad - the earlier you post it, the more people will see it. Also - you may have to talk to 10-20 people before you get a rental. This is completely normal. People shop around and respond to a lot of Ads before they commit to a rental. You can help yourself by making sure you have your rental terms figured out in advance, so that you can sound knowledgeable when you talk to people. It's helpful to write your terms up and same them as a file that you can send to potential renters when they ask.

I was a little discouraged on Redweek it was a company who said they had a renter but when I asked questions about if they actually had one ready to submit payment the email stopped.

Rental agents are shopping for the best deal - they may send out 10 inquiries to owners for the same rental. If they got a better deal from someone else than you were offering, they would just stop communicating with everyone else - this is normal, and doesn't mean they were scammers.

if it's a timeshare brand can you post that on VRBO?

IMNSHO, VRBO is way to much trouble to learn and set up for one rental - and I don't like their fees or terms.

 

[jlp879]

There is always Craigslist. Although free, I for one do not want to be bothered dealing with the aforementioned scammers, spammers and tire kickers, just to save a few bucks in advertising costs. No thank you. YMMV.

Unfortunately, Craigslist works both ways. I am trying to rent a February ski week from Whistler condo owners, and I am having a tough time finding legitimate owners on Craigslist. The vacation rental section that I have been perusing is rife with ads that are misleading and vague at best. No one I have contacted will give me details about their condo, no address, they can't refer to other happy renters and only seem to have one photo of their condo interior. Yet they are happy to have me wire them a deposit, no questions asked! They don't want to use a rental contract, and they all appear to live out of the country when I ask to arrange a meeting in person. I truly hope these scammers are not making a living swindling people from their money. I wish everyone was as savvy as us TUGgers.

 

[brianfox]

I recommend Redweek also. I further recommend when you post your week on Redweek, offer it for $100 less than anyone else. Constantly check the listings. If someone lowers their, stay $100 less yourself. You will get the first nibble.

The thing is, excluding view and size, price is the ONLY thing that makes your week more desirable than some one else's.

 

[1st Class]

I rent weeks occasionally, and Redweek works best for me. However, this year for the first time ever I had someone reply and sent a contract as requested. The person then continued to e-mail me saying that he was ready to proceed but never sent his personal information so I could send an invoice. After three such e-mails I terminated contact and haven't heard from him since. This was, however, a rare exception. All previous rentals went smoothly.

 

[pcgirl54]

I just wanted to say thank you for your advice I just rented my week through Redweek. I also used one of the rental contracts posted in the advice section and modified it. It was a pretty smooth transaction.

 

[brendazf]

I wish to post my Marriott HHI week to rent my booked May 2018 week. Because I have been MIA for a few years on these boards and need current info for rentals /sales. Much has changed since 2009 so besides TUG marketplace what are your top 2 sites to post rentals. I understand about pricing it right . I rarely rent and have reviewed the rental contracts posted. Does anyone use ebay anymore and if it's a timeshare brand can you post that on VRBO? I posted on Redweek earlier before the holidays with no bites except a scammer and had used myresortnetwork way back in 2010.

Second question: Best sites to sell? My friend has an HGVC summer week and has never rented or sold but is thinking of doing so now. Is there a FROR for HGVC like Marriott had(has)?

What closing/transfer companies would you use?

Thanks for your input.

The sites I use are redweek.com and vrbo.com VRBO has recently changed their model, requiring you to sign up for a payment method where the renter pays a service fee. Makes it convenient, but i really prefer PayPal. VRBO has also gotten quite expensive. You pay 8% or a subscription which is expensive. I seem to be getting more traffic from redweek the past few years. Good luck!

 

[pcgirl54]

Thank you Brenda. As a TS owner used to booking in advance I forgot not everyone plans that way. So when I posted in August last year it was too early for May 2018. When I reposted late January 2018 I started seeing interest in late February when thoughts turn to vacation for many. I used Paypal ,very simple with reasonable fees.

As for the HGVC Seaworld gold season my friend owns for a rental. Hilton was emphatic that they do not rent weeks when he called but if he allowed guests to use it there is a guest fee cert plus a fee to book your home week. Not being a HGVC owner I do not know what happens if you pick a week to rent thru Redweek and if it does not get rented soon enough what are the options? Can you deposit in RCI? He has always deposited thru RCI and does not stay at his resort. Is it better to rent in Redweek by season and pick a week the renter wants or book a good week and post that because I read a thread somewhere on TUG that said good weeks could be gone by advertising by season.

 

[sprentals100]

Pcgirl54, consider giving RedWeek another try. People appear to be making plans closer to the reservation date, but they are still booking! I just rented out the last of my five Feb/March rentals today - all through Redweek. All for full asking price. I had one person who insisted on using the Redweek escrow services, but then he backed out at the last minute. I rented it within a week after that, thank goodness.

The key is having a good week at a fair price. There are brokers who scan Redweek listings (StayPC.com comes to mind) and I've had good experiences renting to them (for their clients).

Hi PamMo.... you said that having a good week at a fair price is key. Where do you recommend i can see what a week is going for at a specific location? Guess, i can just scan RW like anyone else. OK, that is the obvious answer, but any other suggestions? Also, i believe that i can rent out less than one week, like even 3 days with Wyndham. Do you have experience with renting out days instead of weeks?

 

[PamMo]

Hi PamMo.... you said that having a good week at a fair price is key. Where do you recommend i can see what a week is going for at a specific location? Guess, i can just scan RW like anyone else. OK, that is the obvious answer, but any other suggestions? Also, i believe that i can rent out less than one week, like even 3 days with Wyndham. Do you have experience with renting out days instead of weeks?

You need to price competitively on the website you're posting on. If you're posting on Redweek, you need to know your competition. You'll have no luck if your price is higher than other weeks for the same unit/week. Week, view, type of unit ALL matter to someone looking for a rental. A prime holiday week in a 3BR oceanfront suite will rent for more than an off-season 3BR parking lot view suite at the same resort. Your price doesn't need to be lower than everyone else's (that might rent it quicker, though), but your ad needs to be clear, and you need to respond to inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

I don't have any experience renting partial weeks, but some other Tuggers do. Hopefully one of them can help with that.

 

[sprentals100]

Thank you PamMo.... i appreciate your reply and advice. Thank you for your time. So you mentioned about having a 3 BR oceanfront vs back alley facing the dumpster will affect the price. Obviously that is a big difference. The difference between amazing vs complete disappointment for the staying guest. So how can that be determined or ensured before hand which suite will be given? I called Wyndham just a few mins ago and the lady told me to call in a week before the stay date and make a request to see if they could accomadate me. Huh!!! But that is more than a bit risky, and wont always work out well. Any thoughts or suggestions on securing a great room vs the Hwy view for my guest? Someone gets the beach ocean view room? Any thoughts? Thank you again

 

[TXTortoise]

Also, see whether this might work for you.... https://vacationcandy.com

I used them for a February rental and was painless. Great customer service.

 

[DeniseM]

Any thoughts or suggestions on securing a great room vs the Hwy view for my guest? Someone gets the beach ocean view room? Any thoughts? Thank you again

When you make a Wyndham reservation at an ocean front resort, don't you select the view and pay more points for ocean front?

 

[sprentals100]

Thank you DeniseM.... i guess i am concerned if their view of ocean front view is the same as my guests. Do they include pictures or is there a way to narrow it down which unit i am getting? Or are they quite realistic about what a Ocean Front view is?

Thank you for everyone’s help.

 

[DeniseM]

At most resorts, you don't know what unit you are getting until you check-in. One solution is to provide a map of the resort that is marked with the various views. If there is a map available, you can usually find it online.

On my rental agreements I might write something like:

Ocean View: Bldg. 2, 3 or 4 - assigned by front desk at check-in.

 

[brianfox]

I vote for TUG Marketplace, Redweek, and VacationCandy.
Or even have Marriott rent it out for you but they will take a huge chunk of the rent.

Recommend staying away from all others.