Note: This is an edited transcript of Christine Karpinski's How To Rent Vacation Properties by Owner Not authorized to view the specified article 1694 .

Christine Karpinski: Today's question was submitted by Carla. She is unsure when to mark her calendar as booked during the inquiry and booking process.

Well, Carla, this is a question that many vacation home owners have. When should I mark my calendar as booked? Do I do it when someone commits and says, “yes, I'd like to book and I'll send you a check,” or do you do it once you actually received the check?

First and foremost, the best way to alleviate this ambiguity is to The specified article was not found.. When you accept credit cards, you can take their credit card payment right over the phone when they say they want to book it and you can charge it and mark the property as booked.

However, if you do not accept credit cards, you should probably wait until that rental check comes in. Require them to send it immediately, and once you receive the check, go ahead and mark it as booked.

In the meantime, just tell potential renters that call or inquire on that property that you do have a pending booking and that you will know in a few days whether or not that property is booked. Then just give them the courtesy of an email reply letting them know that you received the check and the booking is solidified.


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