There was a LOT of erosion on the ocean side beaches of Wellfleet this winter. Some, like LeCount Hollow, now have a HUGE vertical drop. Also, there’s damage to the parking lot, and a house now precariously hangs off the edge. What’s it going to be like this summer? Will some ocean beaches be closed off? If so, that might make the remaining ones more crowded. Over on the bay beaches – Mayo and Duck Harbor – I did not notice any change from last year. They still look great.

As a vacation rental property owner, you already know about the benefit of being listed on a vacation rental website.  And chances are good you’ve already joined one.  If you have, I have a recommendation for you. I’m going to suggest you join another. If you’re an owner of a vacation rental property, it’s worth the money to be listed in at least two directories.

Online vaction rental directories

But first, if you’re not already listed on one of the national or international vacation rental directories, here are the top 3 reasons why you should be:

1.  Number of inquiries. The big directories, which charge between $200 and $500 per year to list your property, spend big bucks on advertising.  The advertising gets the attention of Mrs. Prospective Vacationer, at just the right time– when she is formulating the summer vacation plans. Personally, as an owner, it’s worth the money for me to have my property listed on five different vacation rental sites.  From some I get 5 inquiries in a good week, and from some I might get one inquiry a week – it’s still worth the cost.

2. Quality of inquiries.  Theoretically, the ‘list your property for free’ sites should give you the same quality of inquiry as the pay-sites, but they don’t– not in my experience on Cape Cod. From the free sites, scam inquiries actually used to be rare.  Now, scam inquiries are a regular occurence.  Is “free” really free when you have to spend your valuable time screening prospects because something about their inquiry sounds ‘fishy,’ but you’re not really sure?

3.  Pics and videos.  At some point in the future (and maybe by the time you’ve finished reading this!),  you will need to have at least 20 good quality photos and a couple of videos of your property to compete with other owners that do, and to ‘close the sale’ with a vacationer online.  Make sure to list your property on a website that allows for this.

Benefits of listing in multiple directories

Now I’ll talk about how to choose a second vacation rental directory.

The big national and international directories promise to deliver lots of inquiries, and they do.  But no single directory gets EVERY vacationer inquiry, or even a majority of them. If you’re only listed in 1 directory, you’re missing out on LOTS of prospective vacationers.

Do you get a rental from every prospect?  Neither do I.  Not by a long shot. For my Wellfleet Cape Cod rental,  I need to get between 5 and 15 inquiries before I  get a deposit.  It depends on the week.  Shoulder season weeks – that’s the spring and fall in Cape Cod – are harder and need more internet exposure.  Summer weeks are easier to rent and need less exposure, so fewer inquiries are needed.  But the summer weeks are so valuable.  I’m more confident about raising prices when I’m getting more inquiries.  More inquiries can get you more income.

In evaluating whether it’s worth it to list your property on more than one rental directory, consider the possibility that an additional directory listing could result in one additional week or weekend rental. What’s your lowest priced week?  If it’s $600 or more, then you can see how it’s worth it.

Another reason to join an additional vacation rental directory even if you’re already listed in one is specialty.  Some directories specialize in a certain geographic area. For example, First Vacation Rental specializes in Wellfleet and Cape Cod and has a “Things to Do” section on their site.  Directories like this can enhance and emphasize the desirability of a specific location. This may add value to your individual vacation rental.

Lastly, another reason to join a second (or third or fourth) vacation rental directory: Customer Support.  Was it a hassle to list your property in your current directory?  I know what that’s like.  I’ve listed my vacation rental in about 12 different sites over the years.  What a pain.  But some of the new sites make it extremely easy.  Some will walk you through the process over the phone, use the pictures you already have, even come to your house and take high quality shots.  (High quality pics are VERY important, but that’s another topic.)  Look for a vacation rental directory that has a “Whatever it takes to earn your business” attitude.

Online vacation rental directories are a great tool to rent available weeks and to increase the inquiries you get for your popular weeks, giving you the confidence to raise prices. Because each directory has different strengths, you can often benefit by listing in two or more directories. Vacationers use one directory at a time, and if you’re not listed there then they won’t find your property. And a vacationer who becomes interested in your property could be a life-long customer.

1. It’s the Outer Cape. There are 15 towns on Cape Cod.  Driving over the Sagamore bridge, the Cape is a 75- mile long sand bar extending east and then north into the ocean. It gets narrower as you approach the tip.  The last 4 towns, where it’s the narrowest – Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown – are known collectively as the ‘Outer Cape.’  If you’re on the Outer Cape, you’re standing on a continually shifting strip of sand that separates Cape Cod Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.

Marconi Beach, Wellfleet

2. Cape Cod National Seashore. 40 miles of beach.  40,000 acres of land.  Most of it in Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown.  About half of all of Wellfleet is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. It’s a beautiful piece of protected land.

3. The Ponds. Wellfleet has a collection of rather unique ‘kettle’ ponds.  These are small round ponds with pristine water.  None allow motorboats, so they are quiet and great for swimming. They’re also good for beginning kayakers. Gull Pond has boat rentals; the others do not. Our family favorites are Long Pond and Duck Pond.  It’s a 10 minute walk down a dirt path to get to secluded Duck Pond.

4. The Ocean Beaches. Marconi,  White Crest, LeCount Hollow, Cahoon Hollow, and Newcomb Hollow.  All exquisite.  Go to Marconi and you can walk the adjacent Atlantic Cedar Swamp Trail. Also check out Marconi Station where Gugliermo Marconi  sent a wireless message to the King of England in 1903.  (“Can you hear me now?”) White Crest is the designated surfing beach.

5. The Bay Beaches. Slightly warmer water than the ocean beaches, less wind, and calmer waves make Wellfleet’s bay beaches a toddler’s paradise. Remember that it’s very tidal and every day there are 2 High Tides and 2 Low Tides.  You’ll benefit from a tide chart.  Around high tide is great for swimming.  Explore and collect seashells at low tide.  Wellfleet’s bay beaches are MADE for kayaking.  If you don’t own one, rent at Jack’s Boat Rental.  My favorite bay beach is Mayo, because right next to Mayo Beach are 3 restaurants, an ice cream/burger/fried clam counter,  fishing excursions, and Mac’s, a fresh seafood market.  Indian Neck is nice too for the sunsets and to walk out on the jetty.

6. Art Galleries. There are SO many art galleries in Wellfleet that it’s sometimes called the ‘Art gallery town.’  Most of the galleries are located on Main Street and E. Commercial Street.

7. The Town Center. Next door Truro doesn’t really have a town center and neither does Eastham.  Wellfleet’s town center still has the feel of an old fishing village.  It has some small  shops and restaurants but hasn’t been commercialized the way, say, Chatham has.

8. World famous oysters. You didn’t know that Wellfleet oysters are world famous?  Eat them fresh from Mac’s, dine at the Wicked Oyster restaurant, or eat on the front porch of the Bookstore and watch how they’re shucked.  You’ll be steps away from where the oysters were raised and harvested.

9. The Wellfleet Drive-in. A drive-in movie theatre may not be the best place for serious movie-watching, but if you or your family members have never experienced a drive-in, it’s a unique experience.

10. The W.H.A.T. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre.  Last year a 2^nd theatre was completed, which I haven’t been to. The original WHAT is at the Pier.  I’ve been to several shows there over the years. It’s such a small theatre that all the seats are close to the stage.  It can be intense.

If you use a  real estate agent or property manager to lease your vacation property, an important function they perform is to shield you from being defrauded, or scammed.  One way they do this is they have the vacationer make payment to an agent, and then you receive your money from the agent.  If payment to the agent was fraudulent – stolen credit card, bounced check -  the agent suffers the loss, not you.

Another important function the agent performs is the screening of the prospective renter.  I’ll explain how to efficiently perform these 2 functions, but allow me first to mention:  Having an agent is a double-edged sword.  Whether it’s a Real Estate Agent or a Managing Agent, an agent has a fiduciary responsibility to represent your best interests.  This is good for you… as long as they don’t screw up. If they do anything bad in relation to your property,  you will be held responsible.  Examples include:

• The agent accepts a deposit for a week that’s not available
• The agent promised that the fireplace works, but it doesn’t
• The agent fails to inform you of an unsafe condition and someone gets hurt

Your agent is your legal representative.  Choose wisely. If you choose not to have an agent, you need to  learn how to screen prospects and qualify people. (I’ll share my ‘broker’s secrets’ with you in another blog entry.)  If you don’t use an agent, here’s a few things you should know…

Bad checks,  phony money orders, and stolen credit cards

Stolen credit cards being used to pay for vacation rentals: I haven’t heard of specific cases of this happening, but I’d bet it does.  The last I checked, MasterCard, Visa,  and American Express do not process “rent” payments.  They do process fees, commissions, and of course, hotel room stays.  If you are interested in accepting credit cards, there are various places to go on the web. PayPal is an easy way to receive payment online by credit card. (PayPal is owned by eBay.)  To enable a vacationer to pay you using a credit card, you need a PayPal account.  Read their terms and conditions carefully.  I’ve heard  merchants’ claims of being “cheated” by PayPal.  For example, what happens in the case that a vacationer uses a stolen credit card?

There is a bank money order scam that goes like this:  You receive an inquiry that includes a request for the “total deposit” due or the “total payment” due, or something like that– a  how-much-should-I-send-you question.  ”Hmmm…” you should be thinking.  ”Isn’t the price listed?”  The inquiry doesn’t mention anything specific to your property.  That’s because it was mass mailed to property owners.  Odd - they didn’t ask any questions about the rental.  Just ‘how much should I send you.’

What happens next is you get a money order for some amount more than the amount you requested.  An explanation is given as to why this was done. You deposit the money order, and the vacationer requests a refund of the excess, which you’re happy to do.  Then your bank notifies you they’ve debited your account for the amount of the money order.  The money order was fake.  But you don’t receive the notification from your bank until possibly 4 weeks have gone by.  Same as a bounced check.

This is why it’s important to make sure full payment is received and deposited at least a month before check-in.  And if you receive, or are told you will receive,  a payment in excess of the amount due,  someone is attempting to scam you.  You can bank on it.

The Bookstore Restaurant is my favorite place to eat in Wellfleet, MA. Here are my reasons:

10. Boating possibilities. Before you dine, check out the various seafaring services at the pier. The Naviator, for example, offers half day fishing trips. I’ve gone on these 3 times – everyone lucks out with the fishing and kids have a blast. There are longer fishing excursions at the pier, and boat rentals. Check out the vessels, talk to the captains, and make plans to go to sea.

9. It’s not on Route 6.

8. The bookstore. Yes, there’s a bookstore at the Bookstore Restaurant. It’s around to the side where the parking is. There’s some weird and interesting stuff there.

7. The salads. My wife gets the Caesar lightly dressed – and she’s very fussy about ceasar salads. I get the green salad with the house dressing, which they make with cranberries. Did you know that cranberries grow in Cape Cod bogs?

6. It’s next to Wellfleet Pier. The Pier was recently renovated and armored with stone rivetments. There’s some nice architecture, a few fishing boats, and a foot path that takes 10 minutes to walk.

5. You can order Wellfleet’s world famous oysters and watch the man with the thick rubber gloves expertly crack them open. These oysters are “farm fresh” from the water you’re looking out on.

4. Mayo Beach is right across the road. How many restaurants are right across from a beach?

3. The swordfish. I’ve had the Bookstore’s swordfish so many times, and it’s never once come overcooked. Always cooked just right. I know I should get the cod – it’s local – but their swordfish… it’s like biting into a juicy steak.

2. It’s in Wellfleet, and Wellfleet is the coolest place on Cape Cod.

1. The view. Whether you’re on the outdoor patio, the porch, inside on the first floor, or inside on the second floor, you’ll have a view of the ocean. (Actually it’s the bay. But a bay is part of the ocean isn’t it? ACTUALLY, you’ll be looking south, at Wellfleet Harbor.)

Bonus reason 1: Art. A new art gallery recently opened a few houses away in the previously abandonded barn across from Mac’s Seafood.

Bonus reason 2: If it’s raining outside, vinyl curtains roll down to keep you dry while preserving the ambience.

Bon appetit.

Most vacation home owners have a maintenance person who “closes” the property for them this time of year. The hardest and most important part of winterizing a vacation house is draining the plumbing in such a way as to prevent damage from winter freezing. If you’d like to tackle this task yourself, or if you’re a new vacation homeowner, there are some tips at the end of this post.

But first, there are two things that should be done in addition to draining the pipes. Instruct your maintenance person or do it yourself.

1) Roof

Cape Cod home covered in snow

Checking your roof is the most important thing. Does your roof leak? Are you seeing brown water stains on the ceiling or walls? Get these leaks fixed before the spring rains come.

Roofers

A roofer actually replaces the roofing, not the whole roof. Most roofing consists of asphalt shingles. If you call a roofer, you will probably be told you need a new roof. Try to get a recommendation for a roofer. Their work will be hard to inspect, and they are not subject to licensing standards like plumbers are, for example.

Handymen

If you call a handyman, you may very well be told you don’t need a new roof, just a roof repair. Maybe you want to investigate and possibly make repairs yourself. Are you comfortable on a ladder and do you know how to set one up properly? If you do, you know that the scariest part of working off of a ladder is when you have to step off the roof and onto the ladder.

Shingles or flashing?

Now, a little secret I’ve learned from my experience as a vacation homeowner and a short stint as a roofer: Almost all roof leaks are due to failed flashing, not the shingles. Flashing is metal. There is flashing around all the things which protrude through your roof – the chimney, the vent pipe (called the stack), and if your roof has a valley, there is valley flashing. Check all your flashing and you will probably find your leak. To make repairs, there are various products that will work, but one that I find has multiple applications for maintenance and repairs is 100% silicone caulking.

2) Cleaning

Do you have a lot of carpeting? I’m not a big fan of carpeting, and some other time I’ll explain why I think you should get rid of most of your carpeting. But if you’re keeping your carpeting, it’s good to clean it now before the stains “set.” Use a chemical cleaner or steam clean. If you steam clean, make sure you leave time to dry the carpeting with fans or air conditioning, otherwise you may get a mold/mildew situation. And speaking of mildew: you can make your own mildew-killer by mixing 3 parts water with 1 part bleach.

Draining the pipes

Draining the water out of your plumbing system (to prevent pipes from bursting) is fairly complicated. I don’t recommend it to a do-it-yourself beginner. Have an experienced handyman or plumber come, and then observe what they do. You will notice that a complete job consists of using a plumber’s wrench to disconnect the water lines, removing the mixing valves, and then at the end, they “blow out” the pipes with compressed air.

We’re creating a new kind of directory for vacation rentals in Wellfleet, Cape Cod.