Competition

We provide this information as a convenience but cannot guarantee the accuracy as websites and rates may change over time. 

TOPICS

Great Service, moderate rates - $139 per year for the first listing
We have been asked how VillagersHomes4Rent.com stacks up against other rental websites.
Ours is a local business that focuses on properties in The Villages® to provide inexpensive Internet Classified advertising.  Every visitor to the site is a potential renter for your unit. 
We do not offer property management services, so our rates are low. 

We place great emphasis on helping our subscribers. When you call us you are speaking to a real (adult) person who is an owner of the business. We have the time to answer your questions, so don't be shy.

Our website allows 10+ photos and 5,000 word descriptions of your rental unit. We also provide a “private” listing on OurHome4Rent.com included in the fee.  Addional properties are discounted from current rates.

When you send in your photos we take the time to edit them for you so they look good. No other service we've found does that for you. Turnaround time can be as little as an hour but always within 24 hours.
Competing sites: Higher annual fees plus additional fees for "special" services
Most of these websites offer world-wide properties . Several of them are under the same ownership (we've grouped them below).  While they draw more renters, only a tiny percentage of them are seeking rentals in The Villages, Florida. At VillagersHomes4Rent, 100% of the renters are your target since they have already decided to visit The Villages®.

Many of these international sites have hidden fees for both owners and renters. They will also allow Property Managers (Real Estate Agents) to list rental homes, which puts you in direct competition with professionals with many homes to fill. We do not allow real estate professionals or unlicensed "property managers" here.

We've heard that some of these sites don't allow the owner to communicate with a renter prior to the renter booking through the website.  At VH4R, renter inquiries go directly to you so that you can personally screen renters and establish a raport before making a commitment to host them in your home. This gives both owners and renters a chance to discuss the agreement and get comfortable with the arrangments before any money changes hands.

Do your homework before you list! Here are a few rental websites - read carefully and judge for yourself.  Their rates are hard to find on their sites, but we've provided information below as accurately as we can.
Vacation Rentals By Owner (aka: VRBO) -  $499 subscription + 3% credit card fee; or 5% commission for pay-per-booking; there is a traveler (renter) fee of 4-9% added onto the rental rate.
TripAdvisor and FlipKey - 3% commission for pay-per-booking; there is a traveler (renter) fee of 5-15% added onto the rental rate.
AirB&B - 3% of rental rate as commission for pay-per-booking; there is a traveler (renter) fee of 6-12% added onto the rental rate.
Booking.com - 15% commission for pay-per-booking
Villas2000 - $109 per year standard, $145 per year premium.

All competitor fees as of 01-12-2023 except as noted.
Beware of commission-based sites offering Pay-per-Booking fees
Some vacation rental websites charge booking fees as a percentage of rental rates instead of a fixed advertising fee. While that may sound great, it will cost you far more to rent the same period with one of those sites than if you advertise with VH4R and collect the rent yourself. Also, because these sites are handling the rent collection, they often delay passing the rental fees to owners until the renter takes occupancy. (Basically they hold up your payment).