Webinar: Top 10 Ways to Market your Vacation Rental Properties – Sign Up Now!

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:46:52 +0000

In a joking manner, someone once said: “I think only about 1/2 of my marketing budget is effective….I just dont know which 1/2.”

To overcome this common plea , Once again LiveRez is putting together a webinar designed to help property mangers everywhere grow and increase their bookings! In today’s market everyone is looking for way to get the word out on the cheap. More Visibility for less bucks. Come and join this webinar and learn the TOP 10 ways to market your properties.

Our July webinar will cover a wide variety of topics including SEO, Craigslist, Google, Social Media and more. There are so many locations, markets and ways to market your properties, but which one are most effective and cost the least? Another good question is which avenues get the most traffic and visibility.

July 28th, 2010 – 12 PM MDT

1 Hour Long

Vacation Rental Accounting: Do it the Easy Way!

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:53:19 +0000

Over my years at LiveRez I have talked to thousands of Vacation Rental Property Managers who use all types of Vacation Rental Software, many of them talk about accounting as a main function of their business. We are proud of the way we do it at LiveRez. Our way is simple, plain, and seamless; A Direct Integration to QuickBooks. Many times, I think when it comes time to hire accountants or CPA’s or taxes what is the most recognizable, easy to use accounting platform? Quick Books.

The LiveRez QuickBooks trust account integration is designed to make accounting simple and save time. One of property managers said this “I love it because I get my accounting done faster and there are no human errors.” This is NOT an import or export this is a direct integration where your transactions load into QuickBooks in real time.

Come Learn more about the Nations Fastest Growing Vacation Rental Software, and find out how you can do your accounting in QuickBooks!

Tyler Hurst

www.LiveRez.com – 1.800.343.2891

Happy Independence Day from LiveRez

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:52:17 +0000

As we approach the 4th of July holiday here in the United States many of us have travel on our minds! I too have travel and vacations on my mind. Over the past few days we have been trying to decided where we want to go to celebrate Independence Day. It was the just the three of us my wife and daughter, now we have invited more family to come also. So when I look at accommodations, the Obvious choice to me is Vacation Rental. For 6 of us, hotels are to small and we want to be able to spend time together.

Although, space is nice, that is only part of the majesty of vacation homes. I have been fortunate enough to stay in vacation homes around the country and no matter where I stay I am impressed. From Idaho to Orlando I always leave finding myself wishing for a longer stay. My favorite part is the privacy of vacation rentals; the quiet evenings, private hot tub or simply a garage for my car. For some the value is proximity; for example consider ski on ski off or beach front vacation rentals.

Either way, we hope that you have a safe and fun 4th of July!

Thanks,

Tyler Hurst
www.LiveRez.com

BP did right by me in claims process

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:02:27 +0000

Guest Blog: Rick Scali, http://www.easystreetvacationrentals.com/

I am absolutely flabbergasted.

Not only did BP pay me for my claim for the month of May, they actually paid me extra toward future claims.

My claim was for $10,647 for loss of rents from April 21 to May 31, but I ended up walking out of the office with a check for $13,000. I want to think the extra money was because of my rugged good looks, but for all of you that know me, you know that couldn’t be the case.

What BP did was round up on each of my claims. They had me file a separate claim for each one of the five houses that my wife Debbie and I own, and a separate claim for the 15 houses that we manage for other people. Where the claim loss that I submitted was in the high teens, BP rounded up and paid me $2,500. They said I will obviously have additional claims for the coming months, so this amount will be toward those future claims.
I know we have all vilified BP, and certainly they deserve a lot of blame, but from my standpoint they have been very forthright.

I provided BP with my claims documentation on Tuesday, June 1, and received my check today, Monday, June 7. I also asked the representative how long will BP do this, and without hesitation he said for as long as necessary. “We are in this for the long run,” he said.

So if there is any good news out of all of this mess, financially we’ll do fine this year. And one other important point, I was not required to sign any document to receive my check that would limit my rights in any way.

We were all concerned about that issue. So there you have it, straight from first hand experience.
God bless the Gulf Coast!
Rick Scali is the owner of Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals in Destin Florida. Call 877.432.7978 or e-mail info@easystreet-rentals.com for more information

LiveRez to offer integrated Travel Insurance with CSA Travel Protection

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:00:15 +0000

Vacation Rental Bookings Solution Now Includes Insurance Option at Time of Reservation

LiveRez, Inc., redefining professional vacation rental property management solution, today announced LiveRez will integrate CSA Travel Protection (CSA) travel insurance plans into its tailored website and marketing solutions for rental managers.

CSA travel plans are now available at time of reservation, allowing for real-time connectivity and an additional revenue stream for vacation rental managers.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to work with such a trusted, up and coming name in the vacation rental market,” said Lee Hughes, CSA’s vice president, sales division. “Rental managers are looking for ease-of-use and additional revenue streams, and this combined solution delivers just that.”

“CSA’s track record and dedication to customer service make it an excellent partner for our valued customers,” said Tracy Lotz, CEO and founder of LiveRez. “We’re excited to offer rental managers a truly integrated, real-time solution for travel insurance. This is the first of what will be a set of added value services our partners will experience as part of the LiveRez network.”

Vacation rental managers working with LiveRez can conduct business with a professionally designed and hosted website that includes all the marketing and sales benefits required for success, including local guides and coupons. And now, they can offer travel insurance when customers call or book online in LiveRez to reserve their spot, ensuring the trip – and helping grow the rental managers bottom-line.

Vacation rental managers can find out more about integrated book solutions at www.liverez.com, and more about vacation rental insurance at www.vacationrentalinsurance.com.

About CSA Travel Protection

CSA Travel Protection (csatravelprotection.com) is dedicated to providing affordable travel insurance and emergency assistance services to protect travelers’ valuable investments and provide the peace of mind one deserves while traveling. Since its inception in 1991, CSA has developed a reputation for standing behind its customers and evolving products and services to meet their needs. Through superior customer service, extensive experience and industry-leading innovation, CSA is with its clients every step of the way, whenever and wherever they are needed.

About LiveRez

LiveRez Inc. is redefining the solutions available to professional vacation rental property managers. Our partnership approach aligns our success with the success of our customers, and allows property managers to take advantage of new technology and best-practices with a minimal upfront investment and risk.

New LiveRez Webinar: 8 SEO Tips and Tricks for Vacation Rental Managers

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:05:31 +0000

Sign Up Here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/479502131
Well, it’s 2010 and we are getting the webinar series all fired up again. We have planned a rousing round of webinars for 2010, that will embrace topics that are pertinent to Vacation Rental Managers Getting More Bookings. Our webinars will usually take place on the last Thursday of the month at 12pm Mountain Time.

January’s Webinar
The January 2010 Webinar will focus on SEO and 8 tips and tricks that vacation rental mangers can use to increase their page rank. Many property managers look for ways to increase bookings and revenue while keeping their marketing and advertising costs low. Search Engine Optimization is a brilliant way to do this. When you increase your page rank, you increase your page traffic, when you traffic goes up, you bookings should also go up.
During this webinar LiveRez will highlight 8 tips and tricks that property managers can do themselves to increase their page rank and get more visibility online.

One Free tip today:
Have you listed your home in the Google Map feature. Using the map will show up before the organic listings with a list of the applicable companies on the right.
As you see in the image below, www.RentHelen.com, is #1 in the map listings which drives tremendous traffic to her LiveRez.com site.

Google Map Listing for Helen, Ga

Please Attend the LiveRez webinar. January 28th @ 12Pm MDT

Thanks,

Tyler Hurst

Capitalizing at the Nation’s Capitol – VRMA Annual Conference 2009

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:41:31 +0000

We just returned home from another amazing VRMA Event at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC. First of all, let me take a moment to congratulate the newest members of the VRMA Board. We are glad to have you and look forward to learning from each one of you. In the same breath let me also thank and congratulate the other board members for a Tremendous Trade Show and Conference. Every time we attend a VRMA event they get better and better.

LiveRez at the VRMA in Washington DC

The speakers were wonderful and it is encouraging to see Discover Vacation Homes doing so well. Despite tough economic times this industry is growing! It was also amazing to meet so many great people including the vacation rental managers, vendors, and VRMA staff. Altogether, it was superb event.

LiveRez was again a huge hit as a vendor of Vacation Rental Software. We were able to connect and share our message with many property managers. One of the biggest take aways that we had from the show is that utilization of the Internet how it is the key to success now and in the future. By using LiveRez property managers around the world have amplified their bookings with use of our fully online reservation system that focuses on online bookings. LiveRez Partners enjoy the benefits of:

- Website Optimization

- Online Bookings

-Amazing Websites

- 3 Click Booking Process

All in all another Wonderful show! Thanks again to the VRMA!

VRMA Annual Conference – 25 Years in the making

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:40:49 +0000

On October 24th there is only one place to be if you are a Vacation Property Manager. The VRMA annual conference and Trade Show, which will be hosted this year in Washington DC at the Omni Shoreham Hotel This proves to be the most elaborate and spectacular event yet for the VRMA. This years VRMA show is jam packed with great activities and speakers from many industry wide experts and can be a great learning experience for all who attend.

COME SEE LiveRez!

LiveRez will be attending and talking about our Vacation Rental software and WHY we are the fastest growing vacation rental software in the industry! LiveRez has been very successful at helping property managers have a robust website with a strong and intuitive reservation system. Some of our greatest features include Pay for Performance Pricing, Integrated website without pop outs or domain changes, QuickBooks Integration and more. Learn about LiveRez by calling 208.854.7721 or visiting us online at www.LiveRez.com

Learn More about the VRMA and Upcoming Conference @ www.VRMA.com

Turning up the heat on SEO

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:25:07 +0000

These days as the internet becomes more and more of a tool to gain business, Search Engine Optimization becomes ever more crucial. On the left you see a Google Heat Map which shows the click patterns of users on a specific website search.

You see that the higher you rank on the page the better your clicks your clicks are, and in turn more business for you. The question that I always ask myself is; how do we fair? and how much better would we be if we were higher?

Although we also recognize that Pay-Per Click Campaigns are helpful and someday required or needed. That SEO will be helpful to reduce your advertising cost and increase your click-through rates. LiveRez vacation rental software allows all partners to edit their Meta Tags, and ALT Tags to images, and edit the on page HTML at anytime!

We put a lot of a stock in to helping you succuedd and gaining more business! Please learn more by talking to someone at LiveRez today

Thanks,

Tyler – 208.854.7721

I’m a Believer, Convert Me!!!

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:18:40 +0000

In a world that is becoming more and more “web-based” and tech savvy, more people are turning the web for business; Including Vacation Rentals. Now more then ever it’s crucial to put your business online. Is that enough? No. When it comes to the web there are 2 game to play: 1- Get People to your site, 2- Turn then into customers, or as we say “Turn Lookers into Bookers”.

I would like to spend a few minutes talking about website conversion. Everyone has a site, but now there are some basic rules that apply to convert web visitors to customers.

1 – Click Count

How many clicks does it take for someone to enter their Credit Card info? The optimal # would be 3 or 4. Thus giving the guest less opportunity to get lost or leave your site. With LiveRez a web guest can usually book within 3 or 4 Clicks.

2 – Find the info you need

When someone visits your vacation rental website can they find what they are looking for quickly and easily? When someone lands on your site it should be point blank for them where to go and what do do. Notice below the difference in where your eyes attact to and where you want to click first. Notice that on the first site, you dont know where to click.. on the Second you know right where to go to get the info you need.

Not a Good Example - Notice you don't know where to Click.

Notice that you know right where to Click - A LiveRez Site

____________________________________________________

3-Make a Pathway

One very common theme that we are seeing is website leading. Instead of just letting people land on your site and pick to do whatever they want, many people are creating pathway. They do this but getting the web guest to click on what they want and then leading them down a path, creating value and options for there product before eventually selling it. You can do this by using good site structure but also color colors and layout engineering. If you follow a LiveRez Built site, we put web guest in a path to give them all the info they need and eventually asking them for a booking!

Website conversion is not an easy task but is obtainable. Directing your guests into the right direction can really help increase your website conversion and also your sales. To learn more about online bookings visit our Vacation Rental Software site and see what LiveRez can do for you to Build you an amazing site with an amazing Reservation System

Thanks!

Tyler Hurst

http://www.LiveRez.com