Today I have the honor of interviewing Melinda DiPerna of Rent THIS Place. Every man or woman dreams of a vacation home-a place to escape the worries of the world and just relax. But affording such a dream is another story. When Melinda and her husband decided to stop letting life pass them buy, they purchased a vacation home. But when the payments became too much, instead of selling that vacation home, they came up with a solution...an extra stream of income. Discover how Melinda turned her love of marketing and her dream of owning two homes into a money making venture...

How did you get into renting vacation rentals by owners?

In 1999 my husband and I bought a "cottage" (really a run down fishing and hunting camp) in the mid-coast area of Maine. We dreamed of retiring and spending our summers there. The reality, however, meant five weeks of debris removal, remodeling, and furnishing so we could rent the place out to help pay the mortgage.

Over time, our children grew up and we've spent less and less time using the cottage; which meant renting it out more frequently.

I discovered that I was pretty good at marketing the cottage and I enjoyed hosting the vacationers so much that in 2005 we purchased two more vacation homes. This business combines two of my passions: travel and marketing and over time will help to fund my children's education and our retirement.

What has been your biggest struggle finding customers and how did you overcome that struggle?

The biggest trouble has been keeping up with a rapidly changing industry. In 1999 most people who rented private homes for vacation either used property managers (usually local realtors) or found the place via an ad in a regional publication. At that time there were few Internet portals listing vacation rentals; today there are dozens and the top performers are always shifting.

I've had to learn that what works at one location, or even for one season, may not work at another location or another season. I've also learned to stay on top of the changes, be willing to try new things, and perhaps most importantly to author and optimize my own website to help me become independent of the current changes in vacation rental advertising.

I entice new guests by offering more information and more value for their dollar and I try to build repeat business by keeping my customers happy.

If you could share just one tip with our readers about the value of persistence, what would it be?

Persistence is the quality that will make you successful when others are busy complaining or whining about the competitive marketplace, or slow down in your industry. If you work harder AND smarter AND never give up, your persistence will pay off as longevity and viability.

Visit Melinda at http://www.rentthisplace.net/ or http://vacation-mamma.blogspot.com/

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