The internet makes it easy to get started looking for rental vacation property. Simply enter the words " vacation" and "rental" into your favorite search engine. An alternate keyword combination is "villa" and "rental." The result will be millions of hits. The first few pages will be the most relevant ones. You'll find the web addresses of a large number of businesses dealing with vacation rental property.

Simply a Web Page

You may mistake several of the web sites for the homepage of a property owner/manager or the web page of a wholesaler. Instead, these are simply the host site for posted rental ads. There is no central agency to deal with. After you scour the web page for the ideal vacation home you must then contact the owner/manager of that property and conclude the negotiation.

These sorts of web pages make no claims on behalf of property/managers. Their appearance on the web page should not be mistaken as an endorsement. Little to nothing is done to investigate the history of the owner/manager and his property. That's your job.

Wholesalers

Other sites will be those of wholesalers. These brokers have agreements with the property owners to serve as the middle man. You deal only with the wholesaler, never with the owner. The wholesaler is responsible for rectifying any problems you encounter.

Owners

The remaining sites will be those of individual owners. These are usually small investors who are recent newcomers to the world of vacation rental. Their sites may offer as little as only one rental property.

Travel Magazines

Browsing the travel magazines will give you the names and web addresses of properties that have been reviewed by the magazine. Rental property reviews can easily be found in the travel magazines that cater to the wealthy and can also be found at the other end of the economic spectrum, in travel magazines for the budget conscious.

Travel Shows

Like their brethren the wedding expo and the home show, the travel show is big business in the United States. Check the calendar of your nearest civic center or exhibition hall for the next travel show scheduled for your area. Representatives of rental properties will be on hand to show you pictures of the properties and address any questions you have.