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Are you thinking about selling your vacation home but maybe the timing isn't right? The news media is reporting that prices are down and the real estate market is overloaded with homes just like yours! However, you may be experiencing some financial problems. Your mortgage is high and the expenses are draining you. What should you do?

Here are your options:

1. You could make your property the most desirable property in your area, better than any other house on the market in the same price range and sell it.

2. You could hang on to your vacation home for a while and use it for short-term vacation rentals while preparing it for a future sale.

It is not easy to make the decision to sell your vacation home. It is a place where most families create a lot of great memories! This is where you gather around with your family and friends to share stories, play games and laugh together!

What should you do? Since you are the only person who can decide whether you should sell or rent your vacation home, here are some things to think about before you make that decision.

If you decide to sell, you need to learn as much about your competition as possible. Go to all the open houses in your price range in your area. Check out the size, location and condition of the houses that are for sale. How do they compare with yours? Once you find out what you are competing against, you will need to think about what you can do to make your house the best choice for your potential buyers. In other words, after they have seen your house, they should look no further!

Try to look at your house through the buyers eyes. Remember, whatever you see wrong with your house, your potential buyers will see as well. Make a list of everything that needs to be fixed or changed. It is important to take care of those items before you show your house. It helps to give your property a fresh coat of paint.

A lot of sellers are staging their homes in order to sell their property. For example: You could set your kitchen or dining room table with romantic settings. Add nicely scented candles on your counter. Outside your home, you could add a small fire pit with a couple of beach chairs around it to entice your buyers. You need to make your home more appealing than any other house on the market in your area! I used this technique to help my daughter sell her house and she sold it two days later.

Maybe you are not ready to sell but you do not know enough about being a landlord. Did you know that you can earn more income from short-term rentals than from annual rental properties? That is made possible when you make your property the most desirable vacation rental available in your area! You can design your home to earn maximum rental income!

If you have made the decision to keep your house and use it as a short- term vacation rental, there are some things you will need to know. Todays generation is willing to pay higher rental rates for quality and comfort. That is why it is important for you to take the necessary steps to make your vacation home the best rental available. If you provide your renters with more amenities and essentials than your competitors, your home will become the most desirable rental in your area. Your vacation home will warrant the highest rates! This will not only help you with your current financial situation, it can also provide you with a more valuable asset for a future sale. You may decide to keep it long term to maximize your benefits.

No matter what your decision is today, whether you sell or rent your vacation home, one thing remains the same. You will need to make your vacation home more desirable than your competitors in your area to gain the highest return. In doing so, you will increase your chances of reaching your goals.

Copyright 2006 Marie R. Ferguson

Marie R. Ferguson, author of Breaking all the Rules: How to Rent Your Vacation Home. A New, Innovative Tool on how to prepare, manage, advertise, screening, pricing and maintaining your vacation home rental. Free Welcome Book available. Free Advice Offer.

For more information go to Marie's Website: http://www.howtorentvacationhomes.com

Or contact Marie at info@howtorentvacationhomes.com