Vacation rentals Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

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Vacation rental sites are starting to look all the same. Which one do you use to find your perfect vacation home paradise? Which one do you use to list your vacation rental property on? Mexiconnection.com is a new and unique site that lets vacation rental owners in Mexico get their videos, pictures, articles, press releases and more of their Mexico property all on page one of Google first and see the results without ever having to pay anything up-front at all. They also have their own in-house marketing team that owners can speak to at any time and ask questions about marketing their vacation properties. Mexiconnection also gives away many books and courses to the owners that helps to teach them how to market on great sites like Twitter, StumbleUpon, etc., etc.

Vacationing in Mexico is something that many individuals, families, and couples do. If you are interested in or you are planning on visiting Mexico, you may have to find ways to travel. Unless you are staying at a beach resort, spa resort, or golf resort, it is likely that you will want to get out and see everything that Mexico has to offer. If you plan on traveling while on vacation in Mexico, you have a number of different options.

Perhaps, the most preferred method of travel is driving. Most individuals fly into Mexico; however, some drive. If you drive into Mexico, it is likely that you would want to use you own car to travel. Driving in Mexico is not as hard as many people expect. The main thing that you need to be concerned with is the documents and insurance that is needed to drive in Mexico.

If you are planning on using your car to travel in or around Mexico, you will have to file for a vehicle import permit. These permits can be obtained before you leave for Mexico or your can obtain them as soon as you arrive. Vehicle import permits are important because without one you could be incarcerated, fined, or have your vehicle impounded. When you book a vacation rental with an owner on Mexiconnection.com the professional consultants at Mexiconnection.com will give you FREE advice in these types of matters just for the asking.

In addition in acquiring a vehicle import permit, you will also need to have car insurance. Unfortunately, too many individuals believe that their current car insurance policy will cover their Mexico vacation. In most cases, this is not true. To obtain car insurance while in Mexico, you will have to find a Mexican auto insurance company or one that operates on an international level. When first scheduling your Mexico vacation, it is advised that you obtain auto insurance for your trip.

Read Your Contract Before Booking a Vacation Rental

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As more and more people become aware of the bargain vacations that are possible by booking a luxury vacation rental, vacation rentals have become increasingly more popular. As a result more and more vacation home owners have decided to add their vacation homes to the rental market.

However, many renters fail to read the contract they are required to sign, and make the mistake of signing a surprisingly one-sided contract that absolves the owner or rental agency of all liability. The renter signs away all rights to recourse if the property is inaccessible, when there is a power failure, or when vital appliances fail to work. Obviously, any one of these calamities could ruin a vacation, and renters should not have to buy expensive trip insurance to protect themselves.

Some rental contracts pressure the renter to buy breakage insurance in case something breaks during their stay. Of course all rental contracts state that the tenant is responsible for damage they have done to the property during their stay. However, we have been in business 16 years and have never had to charge a guests credit card for damages. That is because we know that some things such as furniture are prone to break from time to time. However, we always give the guest the benefit of the doubt and would not hold the guest responsible for any damage that was not intentional or malicious.

The guest is put in an extremely vulnerable position if the owner or rental agency cannot deliver on their part of the bargain, because often these contracts require that the full amount of the rental be paid at least 31 days in advance. Thus, owners are put in the unfair position of trying to get their money back after having signed away their rights in the vacation rental agreement.

A more reasonable contract would require 50% of the rental in advance and the rest upon arrival, as well as a willingness to give a full refund if the property is not habitable at the time the guest has reserved. Also, a good owner will be willing to hold that deposit and allow the guest to rebook if there is a family emergency that prevents the guests from arriving at the time they have reserved.

If the agreement is too one-sided, you should look elsewhere in booking a vacation rental.
Below are some important things to look for in reading your vacation rental agreement.

1)The contract pushes you toward purchasing trip insurance. If you are renting from a reputable owner or rental agency, you should not have to pay the added cost of trip insurance that will add 7% or more to your cost.
2)The contact pushes you toward purchasing yet another insurance, accidental damage insurance, by requiring a large deposit if you dont buy their insurance, or by holding you strictly accountable for any damage that might not even be your fault. As indicated above, we have never found it necessary to charge a guests credit card for damage because we felt that anything that was broken was not intentional. If it were intentional, the insurance policy would not cover it in any event.
3)The contract absolves the owner or rental agency of responsibility for having the property in habitable and accessible condition with all appliances working. You should avoid at all costs any property if the management refuses to take any responsibility for your not having the vacation that you have paid for.

As a final note, you should remember that the way the vacation rental agreement is written is a good indication of how you will be treated when you arrive at your destination. If you sign a one-sided agreement, you should not expect to be treated fairly if anything goes wrong. It has been our experience that sometimes things do go wrong. What separates good vacation rentals from bad ones is a good maintenance staff and a dedication by management to taking care of problems as soon as they happen.

Latest Craze Of The Vacation Homes At Top Destinations

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Holidays are the best days to chill out and spend the life with near and dear ones. People are getting bored out of their daily routine of hectic job schedule. There should be some enjoyment in life, which can be done by outing with friends and relatives. Huge numbers of visitors are opting for some of the best destinations in order to spend their holidays. Hotels are the common type of scene for accommodation of tourists. Each and every holiday destinations are crowded with some of the best kind of hotels for luxurious accommodation facilities. One must be able to plan for the exact kind of accommodation facilities. Vacation homes are the latest kinds of craze that people are opting in the present time. These accommodations are well furnished and maintained for the visitors.

People want some change in the accommodation facility provided in the vacation destination. There are lots of other options available for accommodation in these destinations. The idea of vacation houses has clicked as people are willing to use these kinds of accommodations facilities. One has to plan and take such kinds of services. There are lots of vacation homes for rent by owners provided at the right spot. This can help for availing the best facilities inside the home. These kinds of houses are generally constructed in tourist place. It leads to better benefits as the owner can charge more rent from the visitors. Huge numbers of tourists use to visit the place all round the year. Thus, the owner can impose good rent from the tourists and earn more. The idea of these homes has recently come to action as people desire for some change in the accommodation facility. The latest kinds of vacation homes for rent by owners are of various sizes and facilities. It depends on the owner to provide the level of service to the tenants.

The entire idea of providing the vacation homes is different. Here the visitors are provided with all kinds of facilities including kitchen facilities. They can cook or take the service for ordering some of their favorite dishes. There is independency in accessing such kinds of homes during holidays. Other interesting facilities can also impress the visitors and they will as if they are staying in their own houses.

Thus, vacations can be made unique by taking some of the best and latest vacation homes from respective owners.

My First Christmas Without My Dad

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My Father passed away in January of 2008 after a long struggle with respiratory issues which stemmed from years of smoking. He smoked when my sister and I were kids even when we begged him not to as we rode in the backseat of the car going on family vacations. He smoked when my Grandmother was in the hospital dying of breast cancer, from smoking. He smoked when he got up in the morning, when he cut the grass, after he ate dinner at night. It was hard to picture him at a time when he didn’t have a cigarette in his hand, up to his mouth or just lighting up another one – even though he had yet to finish the last.
My Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1982. We were on a family vacation to Ireland and England when he first got sick. Five years later, and after a quarter of his right lung had been removed, my Dad was declared cancer free. But, the years of smoking had taken it’s toll and would linger with him and cause many medical problems for the rest of his life.

The months after my Father passed were some of the most difficult of my life. Not only had my Father died, I had left a job I’d had for a dozen years, I had recently gotten divorced, and two of my beloved golden retrievers had died. Like most things in my life, when things get tough, I jump in and fight.

I needed a project — something to keep me busy. I think better when I’m busy. Buying and renovating my home with my fianc was probably what kept me sane during those difficult months after my Father’s death. After six months of work, we finally were able to move in and planned to invite both families to celebrate Christmas day in our new home.

I knew the first Christmas without my Dad would be tough. But, I didn’t really know exactly how I would feel or what would happen. All I knew was I was that fifteen people were coming for dinner and I was cooking.

Thoughts ran through my head. Christmas Day. A home my Father never lived to see. The hours of labor I had put into it with him looking down on me were over. Now it was time to celebrate the holiday, with my family. In the back of my head I kept expecting to see him, for him to just show up, to tell me Merry Christmas, and to say what a great job we did with the house. But, at the same time, I knew different.

As we opened the presents, my Mother handed me a box. Just something for the tree, she said. I unwrapped and opened the box and felt the tears start burning down my face.

My fianc had been in the other room. Walking in, he was startled to see me so upset standing in front of the tree with my Mother. What’s wrong? All I could do was to hand him the box.

Inside was an ornament with the words: Dad, January 13, 1928 – January 3, 2008.

My Mom had found a poem and had carefully typed out part of it on a small card and enclosed it with the holiday ornament. The card read: Have a Merry Christmas and Wipe away that tear…Remember, I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.

Top Six Tips For Making Your Vacation Home Profitable

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The vacation rental market is growing. More people are traveling nationally and internationally with each passing year. Hotels have this monotonous sort-of uninteresting feeling about them. Vacation rentals on the other hand have a personal touch to them and offer visitors more freedom than a hotel does. And, they are often cheaper. This could be a great business to get in. A recent report suggested that renting out vacation homes can be almost 90% more profitable than a regular home rental. However, it’s always about risk-reward, right? There are things you need to know to run your vacation home business right to avoid getting burned. The responses to the six questions listed below will provide some answers for those new to vacation home renting.

1.Rule Number 1 – Get the right insurance

Homeowner’s insurance for your vacation rental property is essential. There is no questioning that. But just like vehicle insurance or renter’s insurance, there really are quite a few options out there. Choosing the right one can save you a lot of headache in the long run. And money too. The balance between premium and benefit in insurance is always a hard one to find. Determining your insurance needs is best done by consulting a number of insurance agencies, but make sure to prepare a checklist of questions beforehand. Insuring a vacation home is much more involved than a regular home. You have a new vacationer every week. You must be prepared to handle lawsuits from irate vacationers. You really can’t make everyone happy however hard you try. Strong liability coverage will help you sleep well. Don’t just sign the insurance paper as if it’s a necessary evil. Understand what you are getting into. If disaster strikes, you should know what you can get away with and what you can’t.

2.Marketing: Do this right. You don’t really have a choice.

Any business, but especially a vacation home rental must advertise to be successful and remain competitive. Online advertising has proven to be a key way of reaching prospective renters. In other businesses, people still use yellow books and word of mouth heavily. In vacation homes, most people are not from the same area so they don’t usually have the yellow pages and also may not know anyone from that area to get a recommendation. So where do they go? Google, Yahoo, MSN or AOL. That’s who they search to find a nice vacation rental. That can be a good or a bad thing. To turn that into a favorable thing, market online. Consult with a good search engine marketing company. Get a website for your vacation rental if possible. Get your home listed on multiple sites. Use other techniques like radio/print/TV ads as well, but to a lesser extent perhaps. If done right, internet advertising can get you ten times better results than other techniques for a fraction of the price. You really need a good online marketing company though. There are too many out there that don’t know what they are doing. It will help if you know some basics about advertising on search engines or have a friend or family member who does that can negotiate with your online marketing company.

3.Rental Restrictions: Be smart about this and avoid headaches.

You can stipulate certain requirements that renters must meet to rent your property. However, be careful not to make these discriminatory restrictions based on race or other such factors. That can get you into a lawsuit faster than anything else and you are almost assured of a loss. You can however set age limits, animal/pet, or smoking restrictions, depending on the jurisdiction that your rental is at. However, to avoid running a foul of the law, check regulations governing certain types of rentals. You can also change these restrictions periodically. Research the norm in your area. Often times, copying what other renters do in the area can be a good start.

4.Security deposit: Handle them carefully.

For vacation rentals, it is often a good idea to get a portion of the pay upfront as a deposit. Non-refundable or non-refundable is a question that you are going to have to answer. I personally like to keep smaller non-refundable deposits that I can deduct from the total pay. Often people pay checks that bounce. With a visitor every week you don’t really have the time to go after people if there are problems. To avoid making a loss, always cask the security deposit check. That’s a good way to know whether your renter is likely to pay the full amount.

5.Be clear and upfront about refundable security deposits

Many people also keep a refundable security deposit. If you do, remember that are only allowed to keep back the cost of the damaged item plus any fees associated with replacing the item. You can’t just withhold the whole security deposit if damages don’t equal the deposit. Be clear and upfront about this and keep all bills and receipts to prove why a specific amount was withheld.

6.Keep it clean

If done right, you can actually make a profit from this. Offer multiple options to your renters. No cleaning, full cleaning, partial cleaning. Also let them pick the frequency. Then based on that, charge them a markup over what you pay to your cleaners. There you go, now you have a cleaning service that you offer for your vacation rental and make money from it.