will home owners play lets make a deal

[kim52265]

my familly of 5 and my brothers familly of 4 are coming down the first week in november for a 8 night stay now the question i have after looking at a ton of homes on vrbo and other web sight. so my question is can you bargain with these guys it does seam that most of the homes are sitting empty for the summer and isnt getting somthing better then getting nothing at all

 

[spiceycat]

depends - some home owners can afford to let their homes be empty - rather than take a loss.

if it cost more to rent to you than to let the home stay empty. It will be empty.

the newer homes have the higher costs.

you can always try.

some will definitely deal - others won't.

 

[isla bonita]

my familly of 5 and my brothers familly of 4 are coming down the first week in november for a 8 night stay now the question i have after looking at a ton of homes on vrbo and other web sight. so my question is can you bargain with these guys it does seam that most of the homes are sitting empty for the summer and isnt getting somthing better then getting nothing at all

Kim
All you can do is ask.
If you find a home you like ask the owner all they can say is no thank you.

 

[CarolA]

In this economy I would ask! Send an email saying "what's the best deal you can make" If they say take it or leave it you can always walk to someone willing to work with you.

I don't think that there are THAT many who can afford to let them sit empty. Last month I was in Orlando and picked up one of those glossy "home for sale" books. It was eye opening. There were numerous rentals being sold short or already in foreclosure!

 

[Janet Hill]

My worry would be that the ones who are in the most financial difficulty will be the ones most likely to cut the best deal and the home may be out of the owners control by the time you get there in November. Or you may get there and have no water or electricity.

 

[Frothy]

My worry would be that the ones who are in the most financial difficulty will be the ones most likely to cut the best deal and the home may be out of the owners control by the time you get there in November. Or you may get there and have no water or electricity.

That's my concern as well and that's why I'm happy renting the same house every year from the same company. I value my vacation first and don't want problems when I get there.

 

[disneysteve]

I started to post the same question yesterday but got interrupted before posting.

We're going in August. I've browsed vrbo and every house I looked at had nothing booked on the calendar. Seems to me they'd rather have paying customers in there than have it be vacant. They can't pay the mortgage with nothing. When I start looking seriously, I'll definitely ask if they can do any better than the posted rates.

 

[boakl]

that we rent through vrbo, and we have been cutting deals when asked. In the past, we have not cut deals as we have found that the ones who asked and received deals usually ended up being very high maintenance. Not sure why this is, but it held true many times. However, with the economy being what it is, we are willing to bend a little.

That being said, make sure you ask in the right way so that the homeowner feels that they are helping you out. Case in point:

We got a request for our house yesterday where the potential renters were " wondering if you can come down in price like other owners are offering." This kind of felt like a demand, gave us a poor impression of this group, and we decided not to deal with them. They were asking for a prime week that we will be able to rent at full price, to people who aren't as demanding.

I am not trying to discourage you, but want to give you a heads up on how not to ask for a discount. Most homeowners are probably dealing with very high overhead (mortgage, taxes, homeowners fees, upkeep) and make their money during the high seasons to tide them through the slower times.

If you do ask for a discount I would:

1. email the owner via vrbo,

2. Compliment them on their house (ie: their great pool, gorgeous kitchen, cool games room, etc) and mention how much your kids liked (the pool, the games room, a themed bedroom...). I am always a sucker when the kids like something about the house and am more willing to make a deal.

3.Tell them that it's a little out of your price range, but you thought you'd ask if there was a way to make it affordable and ....

4. Have a number to throw out (maybe figure out the price per night and subtract one night's stay. Ex: House rents for 1400 per week, that's 200.00 per night. Ask if they'd rent it to you for 1200.00)

5. Ask them to call you at their convenience or offer to call them to discuss this possibility and then follow up

6. If they agree to the price, make sure you pay as agreed and on time

7. Make sure you write a thank you on their website or guest book, but don't mention the discount, please! It only upsets those who didn't receive the discount and creates a headache for the homeowner!!


Hope this helps!

 

[beynac]

If you do ask for a discount I would:

1. email the owner via vrbo,

2. Compliment them on their house (ie: their great pool, gorgeous kitchen, cool games room, etc) and mention how much your kids liked (the pool, the games room, a themed bedroom...). I am always a sucker when the kids like something about the house and am more willing to make a deal.

3.Tell them that it's a little out of your price range, but you thought you'd ask if there was a way to make it affordable and ....

4. Have a number to throw out (maybe figure out the price per night and subtract one night's stay. Ex: House rents for 1400 per week, that's 200.00 per night. Ask if they'd rent it to you for 1200.00)

5. Ask them to call you at their convenience or offer to call them to discuss this possibility and then follow up

6. If they agree to the price, make sure you pay as agreed and on time

7. Make sure you write a thank you on their website or guest book, but don't mention the discount, please! It only upsets those who didn't receive the discount and creates a headache for the homeowner!!

Hope this helps!

This is extremely helpful advice! I have often wondered the best way to approach this.
Thank you!

 

[onajourney]

We had friends who were going to camp but decided at the last minute because of forecasted weather to find a house. They were going to arrive within 2 days and contacted a VRBO owner of a house they liked for location and # of bedrooms and offered $50 less a night . He just respectively told the owners of their sudden change of plans and what they were offering to pay and the owner took it. Since it was unlikely the owner would be renting it otherwise on such short notice, the owner was thrilled with the offer. I think it all comes down to timing and technique.

 

[Freaky]

My worry would be that the ones who are in the most financial difficulty will be the ones most likely to cut the best deal and the home may be out of the owners control by the time you get there in November. Or you may get there and have no water or electricity.

I would certainly echo these sentiments. There are many homes sitting empty and are going through to foreclosure even though they are still advertised for rentals. We would always steer clear of a home with a pretty empty calender - at least a home that has been taking regular rentals is more likely to be there when it comes to your vacation dates.

Any more recently built homes where bought at very high prices compared to todays market, so the owners will probably have substantial mortgage payments & taxes on top of the everyday costs - utilities, management & resort fees, cable etc. Quite often it is not worth taking an extremely low rate as an empty house has no utilities or wear and tear and no cleaning fee from their management company.

You may be more likely to get a cheap deal if it is a last minute booking but then you may not get the sort of home you are looking for

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Since you are going for 8 nights instead of the norm, which is 7, you might suggest getting the weekly price with that last night thrown in? We have done that successfully!

Like others said, it can't hurt to ask, but if you find a house you are set on, you have to be willing to take what they offer either way, I guess!

 

[horseshowmom]

Anytime I've rented from an owner, I've always gotten a discounted deal. I generally purposely wait until 4-6 weeks before I leave to book a property for that reason. I got a 4Br/3Ba house with a screened pool in a gaited community a couple of years ago for $480 on VRBO. I got a 2Br/2Ba condo at Bonnet Creek for this past Christmas-New Year's week for $90/night on eBay.

You can definitely negotiate with a lot of owners (but not all). In my case, I explain in a very polite way that I'm looking for a last minute, reduced price rate. I tell them that I'm interested in their property and if they would be interested in giving me a quote, I would love to look at it. If not, I thank them for their time anyway.

You can send out a group inquiry on www. windhamhillsrent.com based on the size unit/house you want. On eBay you can check to see what sellers are offering, ask them if they can get your dates, agree on a price, and have them list it for you as a Buy It Now auction (I would never buy outside of eBay though).

Good luck!

 

[spiceycat]

have you looked here

http://www.lastminutevillas.net/

 

[TnTWalter]

I asked for deals and got them on both my weeks at WDW and Anna Maria. I was offered $100 off no tax or cleaning fees from many WDW rentals. I simply said 'what's your best rate including all fees and taxes for this week'. or 'we're looking to spend $X total for the week, including all taxes and fees. thanks for your consideration'.

Some people said 'nope.' Not a problem.

Best of luck!

 

[MouseketeerOvaHere]

We just rented a home for a week in Davenport at a decent rate. We didn't ask for a discount only because we are bringing our pets and I've been finding it difficult to find properties that are either available or do not want to include cats in their pet friendly policy. It could just be a sales tactic but the seller included taxes/fee's in the total price rather than saying this much per month plus this, this and this extra. I like to know what I'm getting into up front rather than expecting one thing and getting another. We did check craigslist and there were a ton of deals for vacation homes. It just wouldn't be ideal for us to take a risk in waiting for the last minute deals since we are bringing our pets. Good luck in your search though.