Contact: Jeff Talmadge
Phone: 888-281-8660
E-mail: jeff@weneedavacation.com
Website: www.weneedavacation.com
A soft economy is showing no effect on renting on the
And there is plenty of availability even in the most
desirable homes. Overall, barely half of
the available weeks in the heart of the summer are booked. While
waterfront and waterview properties are more booked than non-water properties,
many weeks in those homes remain available as well.
Because their clients are homeowners and realtors, the Talmadges have a keen
view of the market, one that stretches back to 1997, and accounts for more than
1.5 million visitors to the fully searchable web site. Simple to navigate and
pinpoint vacationers' individual requirements from a certain week, to an ocean
view, to romantic getaways or a compound for a family reunion,
www.weneedavacation.com has experienced an annual homeowner client growth rate
of over 60 percent.
The Talmadges measure "property views," or the number of times a
vacation home’s web page is seen. “That’s what our clients pay us to
accomplish for them,” says Jeff Talmadge.
There were 1.3 million views in 2001 alone, and judging by the traffic
to date, they expect more than 750,000 property views in Q1 of 2002, or an
average of over 380 views per month for each property listing.
"What our clients want to see is not only bookings, but a sense of the marketplace,"
says Jeff Talmadge who notes that 90 percent of his clients renew. "And,
in turn, we want to measure our clients' moods as well of results."
Focusing on the nine summer weeks which represent 90 percent of the traffic as
well as the main income base for homeowners, the Talmadges found that overall,
rental prices increased a robust eight percent, or three times the consumer
price index. "Clearly," says Joan Talmadge, "homeowners feel
they're in a sellers' market."
Prices took the biggest leap in
"Our homeowners appear to be a bit more cautious after banner years in
1999, 2000, and last season when prices soared," says Joan Talmadge.
"Still, homeowners are confident, with only three percent of our clients
lowering their price this summer."
The Talmadges also saw an increase in bookings, which represent the best
measure because they indicate actual business transactions. And while the
couple anticipated a substantial slowdown after Sept. 11, bookings jumped 63
percent during November and December.
January was up 24% percent over last year.
Finally, the Talmadges' data shows an impressive growth in the prices paid to
date for rental property on the
"While we don't pretend to be economic forecasters, our data certainly
bodes well for the upcoming season on the
For backup data, click here.
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www.weneedavacation.com was founded in December
1997 as a service to vacation homeowners and realtors in
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