HOW TO SAVE LOADS OF $$$ BOOKING DIRECT ( #BOOKDIRECT )

I don't know who to credit most of the following to.  This was originally a series of images that I ran across either on or thru facebook.  If you know who I should give credit to, please let me know!  

I have changed some of it up to better suit Garcia House and Glenn House but for the most part, it is left in tact.

HOW TO SAVE LOADS OF $$$ BOOKING DIRECT ( #BOOKDIRECT )

>  Do you use VRBO, HomeAway, AirBnB, TripAdvisor, Booking.com or Hotels.com?

>  These sites charge huge booking fees to either the traveler or the owner or both claiming to offer protection.

>  VRBO, HomeAway, AirBnB, TripAdvisor all charge travelers a fee but also charge the owners a fee.  With a 15% targeted take rate, aren't you paying a lot more?

>  For Booking.com and Hotels.com, the hotel or rental property pays a 15% to 20% fee.  Ever wonder why hotels give you a subpar room when you book through a third party site?

>  Do these sites really protect you?  VRBO, HomeAway, AirBnB, TripAdvisor claim that they do.

>  Book with Confidence?  Payment Protection?  In reality, they will ask you to do a chargeback if the rental does not exist or is uninhabitable.  You get that with a credit card anyway.

>  They claim they will find you another place.  This is not always possible in peak season or other properties are booked.  You may end up in a subpar property or miles away from your original destination.

>  How to book direct:

    >  Do a Google search for vacation rentals in the area you want to go to.  Get past all the "big boys" and paid ads and then past their unpaid ones.  
    >  When you search include some amenities you might like  i.e. pet-friendly, washing machine, two bedrooms, etc.  and or the locale i.e. midtown, near Reid Park, near 4th Avenue, etc.
    >  Do a facebook search for vacation rentals in the area you want to go to.  That can turn up quite a few!
    >  Contact the owner through facebook, their website or a no-fee listing site***
 
>  How to book safely:

    >  Do your homework.  Check reviews,  see where you can find them listed.
    >  Many counties allow online access to the County Assessor's Office.  Find them there and make sure you ARE dealing with the property owner or the property owner's appointed management company.
    >  Listen to your gut instinct.  Is it too good to be true?  
    >  Can the owners answer your questions?  Propose a friend doing a walk-thru of the rental even if you don't have anybody in town.  How did they react to that?  
     >  Actually SPEAK to them on the phone and get off of email!  Did you feel you were talking to the owner or manager or a scammer?  Do a reverse phone lookup.  Not always will that lead you someplace but I can tell you, you can find out stuff about us doing just that.
    >  Make sure there is a written agreement defining the rental period and rate and other pertinent information.  

End Result:

>  You save hundreds of $$$ that you can spend on enjoying your vacation doing something fun!

***"Fee Free" are sites that the property owner pays to list on but then the site allows for open communication between the traveler and owner/manager which includes contact info, website, social media sites, etc..  VRBO, HomeAway, AirBnB, etc. do NOT allow this as owners/travelers could then circumvent their fee structure.

Here's some Fee Free sites you can find us currently listed on. In all honesty, this is going to change over time trying some new ones and dropping ones that aren't working and I'm not likely to come back to an old blog and change them.  Please be aware if we're no longer listed on one, it's not that we've closed our doors!  If you're reading this blog, our website is up and running so our doors are open for business!

Houfy:  https://www.houfy.com/2007
Vacation.Rentals: https://www.vacation.rentals/tucson-arizona-garcia-house-vr-a-comfy-studio-apartment-in-the-heart-of-tucson-az/10157
FRBO:  https://www.vacationsfrbo.com/details.php?property_id=81191
HomeEscape:  https://www.homeescape.com/vacation-rental/46186832/
Alpu:  https://www.owner.rentals/properties/garcia-house-studio-apartment-in-the-heart-of-tucson-arizona/
Furnished Finder:  https://www.furnishedfinder.com/property/193902
Pet Friendly Tucsn:  http://petfriendlytucson.com/by-owner-rentals.html
AHRN:  https://www.ahrn.com/