I have never rented a vacation home before. Some of the places on VRBO look quite nice. Can anyone offer any advice if I choose to go this route?

Syd, We are 4 for 4 with VBRO. We've done Montana, North (twice) and South Carolina and not one complaint or regret.

Hi Syd,

I've had really good luck with VRBO so far. Only one of the places could have been slightly cleaner, but it wasn't bad. Most of the places I have stayed at have been way, way better than I expected. And all of the owners I have rented from have been really wonderful too. In fact, I still keep in touch with a few of them.

The only thing I would say is know the area, ask a lot of questions, be wary of owners who want all the money up front and offer no contract, and most importantly, trust your instincts.

One of the posters here posted the vrbo number for locals to comment on - I thought that was a good idea also.

I remembered a post about VRBO I had read, and found it for you. Go to the "Other Topics" forum, then search "VRBO.. any experience with this?" Lots of good advice which you may find helpful.

We used VRBO for a June trip to Sonoma town. The house we rented was fabulous and perfect. The owners were very gracious and it was a great experience.

Let me know if you want the listing #. It was a 2-bedroom/2 bath house with a huge backyard. Private pool/hot tub, outdoor fireplace, gorgeous kitchen, about 1.5 miles to Sonoma town and about 1/4 mile to Fig Pantry.

Three words: communicate, communicate, communicate.

I've used VRBO nearly ten times and have only minor complaints. I have saved thousands of dollars, and generally pay between $50 and $75 a night for a condo/house.

Talk to the owner on the phone and by email. Get current pictures. Don't send money if things don't feel right.

My one complaint with VRBO is renters can't leave comments. This would be a big improvement and make a good site even better.

Mike Honeycutt

Mike, many VRBO's show comments from guests. Of course one doesn't know if alllll of them are shown.

FYI, I believe the VRBO owner can block guest comments. I've used it once and it was a good experience, though.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses.

Lovesadventure, can you share the listing number of the place in Sonoma?

I use vrbo.com probably 4-5 times every year & have never had a problem. For the area you are looking at, also check out Bodega Bay & Beyond. I don't have the web address handy.

It's listing #56952. Linda and Phil are the owners. Linda was able to send me additional photos of the bedrooms etc.

Really, we had a great time there.

However, it is not walking distance to town. That said, the cab company knows exactly where it is after our few days there...