By MADDY VITALE
Duane Watlington, the founder and owner of Vacation Rentals Jersey Shore, offers a way for families to search for vacation rentals without leaving the comfort of their home and to teach owners the advantages of renting direct.
“Gone are the days when families would trek to the shore on a weekend in February to go rental hunting. The internet has changed the way we shop for goods and services, including vacation rentals,” Watlington explained. “Just like email replaced the fax machine, online vacation rental listings are helping families find that perfect rental from the convenience of their computer, tablet, or smart phone.”
Watlington runs three websites and has seen how the way to discover rental properties has changed. His websites cover the Jersey Shore’s three largest rental markets, www.VRLBI.com for Long Beach Island, www.VRWW.com for Wildwood and www.VROCNJ.com for Ocean City.
And because of changes in the way people discover their getaway retreats, Watlington is offering free rental coaching to owners who want to learn how to leverage the power of the internet to rent direct, he said.
“For these families to find your rental, your rental needs to be online. If you are a rental owner who hasn’t made the switch online yet, we offer free rental coaching,” he noted.
Over the past five years, Watlington has helped over 2,000 Jersey Shore homeowners connect with families to fill not just their summer weeks, but also book up the rental properties through the shoulder season.
He not only has experience helping others in the world of renting, but he also owns rental properties.
“As a rental owner myself, I know how scary it can be to get started renting direct. I remember what I went through almost 10 years ago when I bought a duplex on LBI that had never been rented before,” he pointed out. “I wish I had a coach to show me the ropes.”
When owners advertise on VROCNJ, they have access to Watlington and his team seven days a week.
“We don’t want them to reinvent the wheel, so we share with them what we have learned as owners, and now marketers of vacation rentals along the shore,” he said.
From sample rental contracts, local photographers and cleaners to rate strategies to maximize nights rented, Watlington and his team partner with the owners who advertise with them to ensure their success.
And, for the month of March, VROCNJ is running a special for new owners to give them a try. Enter coupon code “daily” on checkout and receive $50 off any annual subscriptions.
“You can get started for just $249, so even if you only have shoulder weeks left, we can help you fill them and then also help you fill your 2023 weeks too. Your listing won’t expire until March 2023,” Watlington said.
In addition to their 5-star customer service reviews on Google, they have a six-figure advertising budget just for their Ocean City rentals.
“Have you seen our billboards, TV commercials, For Rent signs, or our planes in the summer? We are driving so much traffic to VROCNJ.com. About 93 percent of our owners were fully booked by the end of February,” Watlington said.
He added that VROCNJ is always at the top of the first page when renters search on Google and most of the time, they have the No. 1 spot.
Before launching his websites, Watlington owned a marketing agency near Princeton, N.J.
For 35 years, he collaborated with top online agencies to learn how to dominate page one in Google Search.
Watlington leverages this experience and contacts to get the best exposure for his owners, ranking higher in Google Search than Vrbo, Airbnb and local realtors for rentals in Ocean City, N.J.
“I love getting a call from a new owner who doesn’t know where to start,” Watlington said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t worry, for VROCNJ to be successful, you have to be successful, and I am here to make sure that happens.’”
To sign up visit www.VROCNJ.com or contact Duane Watlington at 609-391-2613 x13 or duane@VROCNJ.com.
