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Listing Reviews
Christine speaks with Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway Inc., about the newest feature—listing reviews. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Florida Sales Tax Regulations: Part 1
Christine Karpinski speaks with Belinda Watson of the Florida Department of Revenue about collecting sales taxes for vacation rental properties. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
How to Find a Reliable Housekeeper or Cleaning Service
Christine chats about how to find the perfect housekeeper, the importance of liability insurance, and why vacation rental owners should contact a lawyer before setting up an LLC. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Officer in IRAQ Fraud Update
Here is the response that is sent my the individual claiming to be an officer in Iraq, be careful! Aloha, Thanks for the update. I am kind of assured they will enjoy their stay. Due to orders placed on individual calls we have limited use of telephones for now over here, l would have preferred a direct call conversation with you. My home # 206-338-2503 though currently directed to an answering machine being that am not at home. I left instructions on a cashier check which contains a figure for the total of which your bill may come up to and more money, which I intended to use of in another arrangement for them on a trip to Hawaii but for less number of days, but since they are off their jobs they can spend more time together in your place. Upon receipt of the check payment deduct your rental fees $5975 tax/cleaning and turn over the balance to an agent who was recommended by a fellow comrade, to offset other logistics arrangements for the couples like flight tickets, car hire, sightseeing in the area, brief set up tours around, meals/chef and basket with wine/champagne/liquor for a pre-determined amount though the negotiation with the agent is not yet concluded, this is desired to make their honeymoon most memorable. Confirm this and send the Name whom the cashiers check payment should be made to, delivery address and phone number. As I write this,the agent is supposed to contact me through e-mail to assert his ability to take me up on the offer of logistics for the couple ,if not have a local agent contracted to do so for them that is if you don`t provide such services. Below is the guest information to prepare your rental agreement and forwarded to me through attachment which l will sign AFTER i have secured all my financial commitments. The guests informations are: Edward and Kimberly Moore 2 Duck End Lane, Maulden, Bedfordshire, England , MK45 2DL +44 - 7011120928 Regards, Petty Officer Justin Vincler 1110 N 193rd st. Seattle WA 98133
One-on-One with Destin, Florida Vacation Rental Owner, Gayla Berry
Christine talks with Destin owner, Gayla Berry, about how she came to buy her first vacation rental property and why she rents by owner. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
UK Travel Agency Scam
This is a great example of potential fraud for VACATION RENTAL OWNERS. Many vacation rental owners will get inquiries from foreign travel agencies (mostly claiming to be from London)…they send you an email inquiry and then correspond with you just like a legit reservation. However, in the end they will ask you to charge an amount greater than the cost of the reservation and then ask you to reimburse them via a wire transfer, this is a complete scam!!! Here is a copy of the email that was just sent to me from one of these scammers: Email: Thanks for the mail,I am glad to tell you that I have just concluded discussing the payment arrangement with the clients and i will be making the full payment of $3,000 to you. This will confirm the booking fully. The names of the clients are, Name:——— Mr $ Mrs Graveney Henshaw Address:—— 93 COWLEY ROAD RICHMOND UPON THAMES,LONDON SW148QD,UK. Name:————Dr & Mrs CLIVE E ADAMS Address:——- 20 BARKER ROAD,MIDDLESBROUGH TS5 5ES,UK. However, I am going to send you the Credit Card Information that will cover the cost of their accommodation, and the necessary arrangement for the clients. Moreover, I was able to make an arrangement with a traveling pre-paid car hiring agent who will supply the clients with cars and other necessary things they will use through out their stay with you. So in order not to share the credit card information with a third party, I have decided that only one person will have to handle the credit card information. So once you are on receipt of it, you are required to charge the credit card,confirm the amount of ($10,000), in your account then deduct the cost of your services ($3,000) and kindly send ($7,000) to the agent via SWIFT WIRE TRANSFER. Confirm this message and provide me with; (1) YOUR FULL NAME (2) FULL CONTACT ADDRESS (3) PHONE NUMBERS for office record. Please! remember that the integrity of our agency is involved, so this business requires prompt response. I also hope the stay of the clients will be made comfortable. Kind Regards Mark Lubin. Lubin Travels Ltd. 67 BRAMPTON ROAD BRENT, LONDON NW9 9DE,United Kingdom. Phone 011-44-703-192-4099
Go International- The Merits of Advertising Worldwide
Christine speaks with the HomeAway UK office about global advertising advantages, challenges and differences. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Listing Reviews
Christine speaks with Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway Inc., about the newest feature—listing reviews. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
The Business of Owning and Renting a Vacation Home
Christine talks about the business side of the vacation rental owner experience including why to write a business plan, how the real estate bubble is affecting vacation properties, and how to effectively advertise. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Fraud System Alerts and Reporting Update!
At VacationRentalDirect.com, we take all frauds and scams very seriously. They waste the time of the vacation rental owners and potentially put guests who wish to rent a vacation rental at risk of losing their deposits. To further limit fraud on our system we have implemented the following system checks: 1) No visitor can send more than 10 email inquiries per hour. We limit this by IP, Phone and Email. A spammer will have to get pretty creative now to bulk spam the vacation rental owners on this system. 2) Our system now flags all new listings placed from the UK and blocks all listings from Nigeria. Careful scrutiny is given to each new listing. 3) The creation of this fraud alerting system will allow our users and admins to report fraudulent emails and other scams as they occur. We’ve created an XML feed that vacation rental owners can use to monitor the latest frauds and scams as they occur. Thanks! Brent M. Kleinheksel Owner, VacationRentalDirect.com
UK Rental Scam - #1
—- Original Message —- From: Dr. Philip Neville To: info@losbohios.com Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 11:51 AM Subject: VacationRentalDirect.com Rental Inquiry Property Name: Luxury private villa overlooking the Caribbean on Name: Dr. Philip Neville Email: contact.drneville@yahoo.co.uk Phone: +447024015034 Start Date: 9/10/2007 End Date: 9/20/2007 Number of Adults: 2 Comments: Hello, Top of the day to you,i’m writting to inquire about your property placed for rent on the property rentals ad.,and after series of choices,me and my family chose your property for our very first visit to the United States. We think your property will be just perfect for our family’s first vacation outside the UK. We intend to rent your property for ten nights starting from ( 09/10/07) thru ( 09/20/07). Get back to me asap if your property will be available for rent for the above metioned period,so that we can proceed with rental modalities. Hope to hear from you soon. Warm Regards Dr.Philip Neville Home: +447024015034 Cell: +447024015789 Office: +447045722088
Florida Sales Tax Regulations: Part 2
Second half of Christine’s interview with Belinda Watson of the Florida Department of Revenue. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Ask Christine #4: What if Your Property Doesn’t Fit into the Break-Even Formula?
This week, Christine answers a question about buying a property that doesn’t work with standard the break-even formula. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Go International- The Merits of Advertising Worldwide
Christine speaks with the HomeAway UK office about global advertising advantages, challenges and differences. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
UK Travel Agency Scam
This is a great example of potential fraud for VACATION RENTAL OWNERS. Many vacation rental owners will get inquiries from foreign travel agencies (mostly claiming to be from London)…they send you an email inquiry and then correspond with you just like a legit reservation. However, in the end they will ask you to charge an amount greater than the cost of the reservation and then ask you to reimburse them via a wire transfer, this is a complete scam!!! Here is a copy of the email that was just sent to me from one of these scammers: Email: Thanks for the mail,I am glad to tell you that I have just concluded discussing the payment arrangement with the clients and i will be making the full payment of $3,000 to you. This will confirm the booking fully. The names of the clients are, Name:——— Mr $ Mrs Graveney Henshaw Address:—— 93 COWLEY ROAD RICHMOND UPON THAMES,LONDON SW148QD,UK. Name:————Dr & Mrs CLIVE E ADAMS Address:——- 20 BARKER ROAD,MIDDLESBROUGH TS5 5ES,UK. However, I am going to send you the Credit Card Information that will cover the cost of their accommodation, and the necessary arrangement for the clients. Moreover, I was able to make an arrangement with a traveling pre-paid car hiring agent who will supply the clients with cars and other necessary things they will use through out their stay with you. So in order not to share the credit card information with a third party, I have decided that only one person will have to handle the credit card information. So once you are on receipt of it, you are required to charge the credit card,confirm the amount of ($10,000), in your account then deduct the cost of your services ($3,000) and kindly send ($7,000) to the agent via SWIFT WIRE TRANSFER. Confirm this message and provide me with; (1) YOUR FULL NAME (2) FULL CONTACT ADDRESS (3) PHONE NUMBERS for office record. Please! remember that the integrity of our agency is involved, so this business requires prompt response. I also hope the stay of the clients will be made comfortable. Kind Regards Mark Lubin. Lubin Travels Ltd. 67 BRAMPTON ROAD BRENT, LONDON NW9 9DE,United Kingdom. Phone 011-44-703-192-4099
Buying an Investment Property in Montana
Christine talks with realtor, Dorothea about the Montana vacation home market. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Buying a Vacation Home with Friends or Family: Part 2
Second part of Christine’s interview with co-ownership expert and attorney, Andy Sirkin. For transcripts of the podcasts, as well as, tips and advice for second home owners, visit http://ownercommunity.homeaway.com. Have a question for Christine? Leave a message at (512)493-4340 and she’ll answer your question on the air.
Beware Wgen Renting in Manhattan!
We received some recent reports of fraudulent activity for a couple properties in the Manhattan area of New York! Please be careful. We’ve removed a couple of the properties that were causing the problems, but there may be more. Ask the property owner many questions both via phone and email. If they are pushy about demanding that you send them a cashiers check for the deposit, step away from the transaction!
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, 2 BD / 2 BA / Sleeps: 6 —- Oceanfront Condo Ocean Isle Beach, NC near Myrtle Beach, SC
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Source: www.perfectplaces.com
North Carolina Symphony To Perform 6th Annual Free Summer Concert At Roanoke Island Festival Park
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau is proud to once again host the 6th Annual Free Summer Concert Performance of the North Carolina Symphony at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo on Sunday, June 3rd. Resident Conductor William Henry Curry will lead the 64 member professional orchestra as they take the audience on a trip through the celestial sky, with performances of new classics like John Williams’ “Star Wars” and the march of “Superman.”Reserve your accommodations now! [an enfeedia.com feed]
Source: www.outerbanks.org
Bob Dylan Returns to Telluride — July 21
Telluride’s local not for profit, listener supported KOTO Radio Station announced the headliner for its much-anticipated annual July Doo-Dah concert: Bob Dylan will be returning to perform in Telluride Town Park on July 21, 2007. Tickets go on sale Saturday at KOTO or Telluride Ticket, or in town at the KOTO studios on Monday May 21, 2007. Lodging provided by Accommodations in Telluride.
Source: www.runawaygetaway.com
Experience Juneau’s most popular attraction is the mighty, magnificent Mendenhall Glacier.
Everything about the Mendenhall is massive: its face is 100 feet tall and 1.5 miles wide; its length is over 6 miles. Large as it is, the Mendenhall is just a tiny part of the Juneau Icefield, an expanse of interconnected glaciers that sits just behind the mountains next to Juneau. Contact Alaska Travelers Accommodations for your perfect Alaska getaway! [an enfeedia.com feed]
Source: www.traveljuneau.com
Don’t Miss Ruidoso’s 10th Annual Montain of Blues Festival on June 2, 2007
The Blues Fest line-up is unparalleled! Legendary Cajun Great Tab Benoit headlines the event backed up by five powerhouse blues acts! Visit the RunAway GetAway Alliance Ruidoso Destination page for last-minute accommodations.
Source: www.ruidosobluesfest.com
