VACATION RENTAL PROPERTY in SC — Photo by Tripadvisor

Over the years, marketing your vacation rental property has turned out to be a lucrative source of passive income and many businessmen and women have been trooping into this venture of late. A Chinese adage says "the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now" if you haven't considered this business opportunity, now is a good time to do so.

A major challenge faced by entrepreneurs venturing this road has always been the problem of marketing. How to get people to notice and rent the property has been a major stumbling block for most entrepreneurs. In this article, I'll be focusing on how to get your property noticed and also have your home been rented with ease.

The traditional idea of marketing your vacation rental property yourself although a good one is also laced with its problems which could range from spending countless hours posting and reposting your home on such sites as Craigslist without any luck and thereby wasting precious hours. Most people looking to rent a property hardly go to Craigslist, LinkedIn, etc. they rather go to websites that address their specific needs. So why would you bother yourself listing your property where they wouldn't get so much exposure when you can easily list it for free or a token where it can get maximum exposure.

Paying a low charge and having your home listed on various blogs and authority websites and have them do the promotion for you. The following are very reliable and effective online places where you can market your vacation rental home.

AIRBNB

If you reside in a city or a popular destination spot, Airbnb (Vacation Rentals, Homes, Apartments & Rooms for Rent - Airbnb) is your go-to solution for vacation home rental. The fact that there is no annual fee should spur you to list with them even if you didn't want to previously.

You can search your neighborhood on Airbnb and check for the number of vacation rentals and type of property being offered if it conforms with yours. A low number of listings show that there is the likelihood that not many people are looking to rent an apartment within the area.

VRBO

Unarguably the most popular vacation rental site in the US, listing your vacation rental home on VRBO is a superb idea. However, you tend to have a higher chance of success if your home is in a high-traffic area. Paying their annual fee is an economically wise decision because with a number of expected rentals, paying the annual fee is like taking a glass of water out of the Atlantic Ocean.

HOMEAWAY

Although co-owned by the parent company that owns VRBO, they still operate separate sites so it can be classified separately. By paying an addition fee on either of VRBO or HomeAway to allow you access their collective audience. I recommend sellers to do this to enable them to get a wider audience and speed up their rental chances.

RentLikeAChampion

Rent Like a Champion is a very good option if you reside in a college town, or a country area where big events take place (recall Sturgis, ND or Speedway, IN). They're based on commission and focus more on rentals for college football weekends. However, you can get rented for diverse events such as graduations or any local festival. Also, they also possess a $1 million insurance policy that rivals that been offered by Airbnb.