Some people sift through the vacation rental sites searching for the right week and the right condo or house. While this is one way about doing it, there are other methods one could use to find the correct unit to rent for that perfect summer vacation in San Diego. For instance, if you are on vacation this summer in San Diego and you might happen to be in Mission Beach riding down the boardwalk or baywalk, take notepad and pen with you. Write down the units you like and the phone numbers. Then when you get back to your current condo, tuck that paper into your luggage and go on with your vacation. When you return home from your visit in San Diego, open that little piece of paper up and start making a few phone calls. Tell them that you walked by the unit and were interested for next year. Often, that will be a bit to early to book it. This will give the opportunity to build a relationship with the owner however. Ask them to keep your info and to give you a call in January of the next year. Most likely they won’t because they will have lost your number or forgot to call so it’s important that you contact them in January. That’s early enough in the year to reserve the unit, when it has availability.
Most vacationers look for condos for rent in mid January to February and March for the summer rentals. Often, if you look in the middle of Summer, you’re going to find that you’re out of luck. It’s also favorable for you to be flexible with your dates. Most vacation rentals in San Diego ask that renters stay from Saturday to Saturday. Keep that in mind when looking or calling.
Another good way to find that perfect rental is to call a vacation rental agency. There are several to choose from and it would be hard to find one that couldn’t assist you reserve the right vacation rental. Often these vacation rental agencies will try to place you in a unit that is managed by them. That is how they get paid and make a living. While this is not highly unusual, it won’t help you find a great price on that rental. This is where the websites come into play that help owners and renters connect. Keep in mind that many of the large, nation-wide and international vacation rental websites do not care who they sell ads to. This means you might find an ad on their sites from a property management company that will still charge you a rate of about $200 – $450 over what the vacation rental owner might have charged you. If you are looking for that price break, work directly with the owner by making sure the property is listed by the owner, not an agency.