Is There Still Time To Find a Vacation Rental?

You’ve probably had a vacation rental before. Maybe your parents dragged you off to a cabin in Maine every summer when you were growing up. Or perhaps you shared a place on the beach with friends in your college years, or you’ve gone the short-term rental route and stayed in super cool Airbnb’s.

Now you have a family and need to escape Dallas for a month, or maybe longer, and the cold hard fact is summer in Europe is still not an option. So, a vacation rental is an essential part of the summer picture this year.

But is it too late?

Almost. My advice is to book the moment you finish reading this post. We already have a case of slim pickin’s, but If you wait much longer, you’ll be enjoying another summer in your backyard.

Stacy Hamilton, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the popular luxury seaside community, Alys Beach in Florida’s Panhandle, told me June and July vacation rentals are almost full.

Hamilton said they noticed an uptick in vacation rentals the minute the governor lifted the ban on them for Memorial Day weekend last year. And this year is even busier.

“We are now experiencing peak holiday crowds in our shoulder season,” she said. “Traditionally, we have been a popular market to drive to, and with people reluctant to travel by plane, we see an increase we could never have anticipated.”

Although bookings are heavy, she recommends keeping an eye on the dates you want and checking back frequently because cancellations do happen.

I did a quick search two days ago and found availability in late July and August, but that can change instantly. A lovely three-bedroom, two-bath residence that sleeps seven is listed for $9,380 for a week. No, it’s not beachfront. A four-bedroom, four-bath courtyard house that sleeps 8 is a little over $11,000 for a week and was available at the end of July.

If you are thinking, well, I can work remotely now. I’ll just buy a property. Good luck with that. “We are out of inventory,” Hamilton said. “We had 138 sales in 2020 and [previously] were thinking it would be great if we had 45!”

Matthew Starbeck, a sales property specialist with Park Cities Vacation Rentals, advises not only getting your summer vacation rental squared away immediately but also booking your winter holiday rental now. The company has locations in Sedona and Austin as well as Park Cities.

“Business is booming right now,” Starbeck said. “We are having record months. People still don’t want to fly or stay in a hotel, and they want to bring their dogs along. Thirty to 60-day bookings are normal in Sedona. Our Austin locations are in Dripping Springs, and almost every weekend is booked. In Park Cities, we already see winter filling up.”

I hope your fingers are on the keyboard, and you are booking right now because if you are like me, you have already enjoyed every square inch of the backyard!