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1. What is SkiGolfVacations.com
2. The Visitor Process
3. The Owner Process
4. Owner FAQ's
5. Proceed to Owner Sign-up!

1. What is SkiGolfVacations.com?

We are a unique information source and property referral service for ski and golf vacationers. We provide comparison charts for ski & golf resorts within North America only. Visitors can view mountain & golf course statistics, historical weather, event information, etc… all in a comparison chart format.

Visitors save many hours of time vs other sites which do not offer rental "Availability" calendar date searching. If a property is not available for a visitor's specific block of desired dates…then it simply is not displayed in the search results. This is a hugely unique & powerful feature. Visitors can also search & compare by resort, property type and location. Availability & pricing is controlled by each Owners unique availability calendar.

Why List Your Property With SkiGolfVacations?

Until now, there has been only two main options to renting your vacation condo property:

a) Use full service, exclusive property management companies that charge high commissions (often 40% or more).

b) Manage and rent the condo out yourself or via basic, low cost exposure services. This requires solo advertising and/or using multiple services to generate enough leads. Then, you screen all inquiries yourself…a time consuming exercise, especially during peak season when you get many inquiries for the same easily rented period.

Here's What We Offer:

We provide "confirmed" reservations, direct to property owners for only 10%!
We provide all the advertising, visitor traffic, web-site content, visitor search features and Owner Availability calendar. We field all the calls and emails. We deliver you a confirmed reservation (subject to your availability)…for 10% of the visitor reservation total.

You don't have to deal with "tire kickers" wasting your time. You don't have to deal with the hundreds of emails & calls at high season.

Marketing Support…
Increased visibility as part of our North American Ski-Golf focused marketing programs and professional web-site.

Online Availability & Pricing Calendar…
Allows custom visitor searches. Shows "exact" daily availability and pricing of your property. Yours to use for all your bookings and personal use…not just our site. Includes space for notes and reminders.

"Last Minute Club" Availability Specials…
We have a special "last minute" email club for "local" visitors wanting to rent on short notice at discount prices…subject to your availability. If you haven't rented your property for an upcoming period, you can list it on our Specials page. However, your nightly rate must truly be 25% below the previously advertised price for the exact same time period.

Summer Rental Income…
We focus on renting your property throughout the year, not just during the winter. Our name says it all… SkiGolfVacations. Aside from just golf, however, we actively promote general summer activities (fishing, hiking and biking vacations).

Increased Control…
Are you uneasy about your property being rented to anonymous strangers?
With our service, you have the final say on who rents your vacation home. You control authorization by speaking directly to the individual who will be renting your home.

Credit Card Service…
Many vacationers like to plan, book and pay for their vacation in real-time, by credit card. We offer this online secure service to you at a transaction fee rate of 4.0%. The transaction goes directly to your designated bank account via our Payment Distribution Service (PDS) system. We can deposit direct to any bank within North America.

Simple Online Ad Production…
Simply complete our online owner sign-up form, upload up to 5 photos of your property and your ad will be reviewed/posted within 1 business day. Your security coded owner web pages allow you to edit your property listing anytime. Change availability, pricing, ad text and photos…24 hours a day.

Security…
Your phone number, address or e-mail address is not available for public viewing. Thus you will not be dealing with annoying spam e-mails.

What are the costs?

There are no up-front costs!
Our annual membership fee is $100 (U$) or equivalent, but you don't pay until your first rental on our site. If we don't rent your home…you don't pay.

Our on-going rental referral fee is 10% of each reservation booking you approve.

We field all visitor calls and e-mails. We only call or e-mail you when we have a tentative booking. (The visitor has already viewed your property photos, amenities and calendar availability online). Once you re-confirm availability, we process the reservation deposit with the vacationer. The visitor pays the balance directly to the owner (or via our credit card service if the owner prefers).

Visitors (renters) come to our home page to "compare" general and/or detailed information about Ski & Golf resorts within North America. When they arrive, they choose to enter either our SKI, GOLF or SUMMER zones. Each Zone has two basic formats:

a) Compare Resorts

We supply detailed resort comparisons between top North American resorts. Ski resort comparison stats include… Skiable acres, elevation, vertical drop, number & type of lifts, skier capacity, skier visits, number & type of trails, ticket prices, etc.. Golf resort comparison stats are similar, but for golfing.

-Resort Weather comparison stats include…Daily forecasts and 5 year Historical (weekly) snow base/fall, temp, hours sunshine, etc..

-Resort event calendars compare weekly activities.

-Last Minute Specials on accommodation that are a minimum 25% less than prior week prices.

b) Search Accommodations

Visitors enter search criteria, then compare Availability, Pricing, Photos, etc.. Owners update. The process starts with the visitor selecting the resort(s), travel date(s), property type(s) and location(s); then selects the method of Display…by Price & Availability or by Photos & Info.

The Price & Availability display option compares only Available properties by resort & dates selected, property type (eg.1 Bedroom) and location (e.g. Ski In/Out). Search results are displayed in a 6 column format, allowing visitors to view 6 properties across the page, then scroll down to others displayed below. Visitors may click for more Property Details, including 5 photos for each property. Visitors may add/delete any property to their Favorites list for review later.

The Photos & Info option displays search results in a more visual format. Each property shows two photos, descriptive information, average price per night and location on Town Maps. Visitors may click for more Property Details (5 photos & details) or Add To Favorites.

Visitor's Favorite Properties

As the visitor views pages displayed, they may add/delete properties on a list of Favorites. At any time, the visitor may view Favorites and send up to 3 emails to owners for final availability confirmation. (At any time, visitors can also make a secure credit card reservation on-line…subject to property availability).

When owners respond with their final availability confirmation, our web-site compares against the visitor's request and advises the visitor of a match or not. For a match…our our site sends return emails to both the visitor & owner with contact details… all on-line, in the blink of an eye.

Owners begin by setting up their unique web page. They enter property description details on the owner set-up form, then upload 5 scanned photos of your property. Our easy to use "New Property Wizard" guides them through the process.

After an Owners web page is up and approved:

a) We only call and/or email the Owner for final availability confirmation of a visitor reservation request.

b) Upon an owner's final confirmation, the visitor pays a 10% reservation booking, and we email contact details to both owner & visitor. Owner & visitor then discuss final details and the visitor's 90% final payment. (You can always use our credit card service to make the booking easier for both you and the visitor.)

Cancellation of the "tentative reservation" by either the visitor or owner within the 48 hours will Void the reservations and the visitor's deposit is refunded.

Interested in joining our Owners Pool? Get started Today!

STEP 1 Set-up your email/password security then begin the New Property Wizard. This will create your unique account and property web pages.

STEP 2 Upload Property Info and up to 5 scanned Horizontal photos to your web page. Scan @ 72 dpi, jpeg format, RGB color. If you don't have your own scanner, our Owner's Resource Guide has contact info for services such as Kinko's (1-800-800-8899).

To begin the New Owner sign-up process, click here.

Q. Do I need to be living near my vacation property?

A. No. With phone, email and credit card damage deposits…there is little need to be close to your rental property. However, you should have trusted resources available for immediate care of your home. Our Owners Resource Guide provides management tips plus a resource list of local personnel for almost any kind of maintenance or repair.

Q. Can I use another property management company as well as SkiGolfVacations?

A. Yes. We are not an exclusive agency. We recommend that you use our service along with another for at least 6 mos before taking any service exclusively.

Q. My current property manager has worked well…why switch?

A. We suggest you don't switch now, but instead use both services and compare bottom line results. You will save big $ by using us during peak times…or anytime. With SkiGolfVacations you keep 90% of all rental income we refer.

Q. How much time is involved?

A. Very little! Rather than having to build your own web-site, solo advertise and/or screen the deluge of calls and emails (especially during peak season)…we are your only contact. We will simply ask you to confirm availability of a requested vacation date. We then process the renters 10% reservation fee and pass along the qualified renters for your final approval. We deal with all the "tire kickers" and send you only those visitors who have paid for a confirmed reservation.

Q. What if I have faqquestions or need help?

A. Call our toll free owner help line. We also have Online Help, FAQ's, and an Owners Resource Guide (maids, repairs, etc.)

Q. Do you have a check-in service for visitors (keys, maid service, etc.)?

A. Sometimes (depending on location). Custom services vary greatly,
so ask us for a custom quote.

Q. Your site is big... how will a visitor find my property?

A. We offer visitors a powerful search engine to find their exact home preference. We don't use property catalogues or bare bone web-sites that list hundreds of properties in scrolling order. Research shows that forcing visitors to search excessive inventories creates boredom, reduced decision making and shortens attention spans.

Our site allows both custom searches and easy comparison formats to save valuable visitor time. This offers visitors a more informed, comfortable decision making process.

Q. How soon can I have my ad page running on your site?

A. One business day after you complete the owner set-up form and upload photos.

Q. Can I lower my price for the upcoming weekend if it hasn't been rented?

A. Yes. You can change any elements of your web page, including price at any time.

More importantly, our site has a unique Last Minute Specials section.
This is particularly useful for local visitors who can make last minute decisions. Locals often monitor our snow report or receive our weekly "E-letter" of special events & promotions. To appear in our Last Minute Specials… your reduced $ price/night must be at least 25% below the exact same date/time period (as monitored by our site 7 days prior). This ensures that visitors will truly get a Last Minute Special.

Q. Do I have to accept a referral?

A. No. Our web system is designed for maximum owner control over the rental process. You always have final approval on every reservation. Although problems are rare, we suggest all owners speak directly to renters before accepting a firm reservation. Our Owners Resource Guide gives tips on screening renters. E.g. Emails with an ".edu" suffix, are often from a college email site.

Most full service agencies do not screen applicants carefully. Commissions are the priority and desk staff are often inexperienced. And, if damage or theft does occur…you will likely wait a long time to get compensated, if at all.

Q. Is there a minimum number of nights I must rent for?

A. Again…entirely up to you. Most owners prefer a minimum three day booking to amortize maid costs. Five day minimums are common during high season and holiday periods.

Some exclusive rental agencies have a maximum number of owner occupied nights, so as to maximize their rental commissions. With SkiGolfVacations, you can rent 1 day or 365 days…you decide. You control when to make your home available. And…since our fees are only 10%, you don't have to rent it out as often to pay for the mortgage. You get to use it more often.

Some clients rent out their property only during high rent peak periods like Christmas, New Years, Presidents week and Easter. This gives maximum revenue for minimum days and pays for a separate vacation elsewhere.

Q. How much does your service cost?

A. Our annual membership fee is $100 usd, but you don't pay until your first rental.
Our on-going rental referral fee is 10% of each reservation you approve.

Q. How much should I charge?

A. You are free to charge whatever you want, but you should be competitive with the product you are offering. Location, age, quality, amenities & reservation dates are all keys to how much a visitor will pay. Remember… that condo owners listed with full service agencies must charge +50% more to net the same bottom line rental revenue as an equivalent property listed with SkiGolfVacations. E.g. $200/nt - 40%= $120/nt vs $133/nt-10%=$120/nt. $200/$133=+50%.

Condo rental pricing is very sensitive to reservation date. High demand periods enable high rental prices. We provide a calendar of important holiday & rental dates. All this and more is located in our Owners Resource Guide, once you become a member.

Q. How do I add pictures to my site?

A. It is easy and fast. You can have up to 5 photos on your web page at any one time. Change them anytime you wish. You can scan and upload your own photos or have it done at a copy center like Kinko's (1200 stores in the USA). They charge about $25 for 5 scans. Phone: 1-800-800-8899. Denver: 303-298-8610.

Q. If the guest is dissatisfied, who is ultimately responsible?

A. The owner. SkiGolfVacations is a referral service only. All rental contract details are strictly between the owner and the visitor. All customer complaints to us are investigated. Owners with a record of more than 3 legitimate visitor complaints within 6 months will be de-listed without a refund.

Q. For processing rental fees…do I need a business and/or Visa/Master Card merchant account to accept credit cards?

A. No. We will take the initial 10% deposit (our total referral fee). You collect the remaining 90% by direct deposit or check from the renter. If the reservation is less than 30 days from the rental date (60 days in peak season), you may want to have payment by credit card. We provide this service by remitting owners the charge balance less 4.0%.

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To begin the New Owner sign-up process, click here.