Thinking of using this service. Can anyone tell me their experiences?

We just spent a week in Vail staying at a condo I rented through vrbo. Everything was great, no problems. Of course it all depends on the specific owner, but I was very impressed with our experience.

We used them for Spain twice and they were great. We did have one problem the second time because when we arrived, they said we had too many people and would have to charge us extra per person. They didn't have the occupancy numbers on the website at the time.

Are there other such sites? I was hoping there would be more choices on the coast of Maine...

As stated above, renting via any of these sites requires you to be comfortable with the owner, not the site. I usually e-mail about my request. Then, if I like the response in terms of availability, price, deposit, cancellation policy, etc., I telephone and talk to the owner directly before making a reservation and sending money. We've done this two or three times.

Other sites (haven't checked that they are still there since our last use):
directrental.com
10kvacationrentals.com
skihomesandcondos.com
ownerdirect.com

I have used vrbo.com as well as other owner sites. I highly recommend renting direct from owners as you typically get a much better rate. As others have said it?s the specific unit that you need to investigate, ask for pictures, age of unit, proximity to the attraction, i.e. beach, mountain, lake. If older has it been redone at all?

I also have used www.valuevacationrentals.com and in Colorado www.summitnet.com

We have not used vrbo, but I have been on their website to look for rentals. What we have used is ResortQuest.com. We had good luck with them, and they rate their properties P=platinum, G=gold, etc.

We used vrbo to rent a villa in Orlando. It was a very positive experience and even though the owner lived in Scotland, he was quick to respond to all my emails and was incredibly pleasant to deal with.

I just used VRBO to get a condo at Myrtle Beach, SC and thought it was great. Why not cut out the middle man?

As mentioned, ask lots of questions, check the property/owner on the web, find out what is near by, etc.


Mike Honeycutt

We rented a condo in April in Sanibel and a house in Sedona in June and had a wonderful experience. Found it a much better experience than using a realtor. In both places the owners actually lived there for a good percentage of the year which in turn meant, well-stocked with everything from kitchen gadgets to books, videos, even beach chairs and sand toys. We will definitely continue to use VRBO.

Some "gotchas" that might be a problem for some people.

If I book a condo through a realtor, I have someone to complain to if things aren't right when I arrive at my vacation destination. Owners are frequently not near the rental proper.

The biggest hurdle for me was sending money to the owner based on what I read on the net and in a few emails.
The owners I've dealt with don't accept credit cards, so there is a large amount of trust involved in the transaction.

This is my third year of working directly with an owner and I have no complaints.

Mike Honeycutt