I recently started a new job working for HomeAway, a marketplace for the vacation rental industry. Other than staying in a gorgeous rental last year I really don't know much about the business of short term rentals. Asking around the office for books that would help educate me, several people suggested Vacation Rental Success so I picked it up. Turns out the author lives here in Austin as well and is very friendly with HomeAway, mentioning the company several times and having our CEO write the forward. So not too surprising it was recommended, but it was enlightening regardless.
The book is quite readable; I was expecting a dry manual talking about rental agreements, legal documents, and tax ramifications but instead found a thoughtful guide on how to get into the game and become successful. Rasmussen touches on a broad range of topics, but doesn't go into great detail on many of them. Where he lacks in detail, though, he makes up for by mentioning several companies that he uses to run his business, such as HomeAway, FlipKey, VacationRentalDesk.com, CSA Travel Protection, the Short Term Rental Advocacy Center, and (most interesting to me as I'm fascinated by home automation) Nexia Home Intelligence. At just over 100 pages this is a short but sweet introduction to the industry that now employs me. It is clear that I'm not interested in being an owner—Rasmussen makes it clear that to be successful you need to be an extroverted "people person" and that is not me—but I look forward to my next stay as a traveler!
If you're tossing around the idea of making a go at renting a second property, you might think that money considerations are your top priority.
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