How to Make Money on Vrbo | Vacasa (2024)

Vrbo is one of the largest vacation rental sites around, attracting 15.9 million worldwide visitors monthly.* However—since the platform is owned by the Expedia Group—the potential audience for bookings is even larger. Vrbo cross-posts some vacation home inventory on Expedia sister sites, like Expedia.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity. In total, homeowners who list on Vrbo have potential exposure to more than 750 million visits each month.

Needless to say, there’s money to be made on Vrbo—but you still have to stand out and be smart about driving bookings. We should know. We’ve helped tens of thousands of vacation home owners like you succeed on Vrbo (and many other vacation rental sites). Your earnings on Vrbo come down to this: a winning listing that’s built to boost bookings and garner consistently high reviews.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Invest in amenities guests want

The first component of a profitable vacation rental on Vrbo is knowing what travelers need and want while vacationing. First, cover their essentials. Shopping for these can be easy using a vacation rental inventory checklist. Then, consider investing in the most searched vacation rental amenities, like a hot tub (which can increase your revenue by 15–20%) and central A/C.

Vrbo markets heavily to parents planning family vacations. So, appeal to families with items like play pens, kid-friendly dinnerware and cutlery, and baby gates.

2. Only use professional photos

When capturing guests’ attention, looks do matter. In Vrbo search results, visitors see one main photo per vacation home (make sure this lead photo is attention grabbing), then can toggle through the rest of the images. From there, the formula is simple—the more people look at your listing, the more bookings you’ll get. Your photography needs to be compelling and showcase your vacation rental property in the best possible way. Here are some vacation rental photography tips:

  • Take the time to stage your vacation rental and prep it for a photoshoot.
  • Capture views and the room interiors in the same shot.
  • Show your home’s layout.
  • Turn off the flash. The light could otherwise flatten a photo.

If you work with Vacasa, we provide professional photography (and a 3D virtual tour) as part of our full-service vacation rental management. Our virtual tour alone can help set you apart. Travelers can filter their Vrbo searches to show vacation home listings with virtual tours, increasing Vacasa homeowners’ visibility.

How to Make Money on Vrbo | Vacasa (2024)

FAQs

How to Make Money on Vrbo | Vacasa? ›

On the other hand, the data collected by Airbnb and Vrbo suggests that vacation rental owners can make anything from about $11,000 to as much as $33,000 per year.

How much money can I make with Vrbo? ›

On the other hand, the data collected by Airbnb and Vrbo suggests that vacation rental owners can make anything from about $11,000 to as much as $33,000 per year.

Is it worth it to list on Vrbo? ›

Vrbo is excellent for owners who want to rent their entire home. Although many other vacation rental sites include renting suites or single rooms, if you intend to rent the property as a whole, Vrbo is a great way to find potential guests who are looking for a place they will have all to themselves.

What percentage does Vrbo take? ›

A 5% commission fee is charged on the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the traveler (such as cleaning, pet, and boat fees). Bookings that originate from our expanded distribution partners may have higher fees.

Can you make a living off vacation rentals? ›

Conclusions. Vacation rental investment is a great way to get some passive income if you do in-depth market research and come prepared. A vacation rental property that can generate enough rental income to pay for itself is a good place to start if you are interested in real estate investing.

How do I make my Vrbo successful? ›

Keep reading to learn our top 10 tips and tricks for owners listing on Vrbo.
  1. Enable instant bookings. ...
  2. Pen a catchy title. ...
  3. Write a killer description. ...
  4. Keep response times swift. ...
  5. Collect top traveler reviews. ...
  6. Publish perfect photos. ...
  7. Avoid cancellations at all costs. ...
  8. Include location information.

Is it worth listing on Airbnb and Vrbo? ›

As we've mentioned, Airbnb and Vrbo target different audiences and reach different traveler demographics. One guest who's searching on Airbnb may not be searching on Vrbo, and vice versa. So, if you want to maximize your occupancy and increase your bookings, you should get listed on both channels.

How often does VRBO pay hosts? ›

Your payouts are sent approximately one business day after your guest checks in. Depending on your bank's policies, the money will be available in your bank account approximately five to seven business days later.

Why do people use VRBO instead of Airbnb? ›

Vrbo's map looks a bit outdated by comparison. However, aesthetics aside, Vrbo offers far better filter and sort functionality than Airbnb. For example, Vrbo lets you filter by user reviews, including properties rated highly for cleanliness and properties rated 4 stars and above. Vrbo's filters are also more intuitive.

Are Airbnb fees higher than VRBO? ›

The customer care costs for Airbnb are often more costly than those for VRBO. On Airbnb, customer service charges range from 14.2% to 16%. Meanwhile, VRBO charges a reservation fee of 3% for handling payments and 5% for commission on the overall rental price. Taxes are not a part of these costs.

Does Vrbo report to IRS? ›

Vrbo is required by the IRS to send Form 1099-K if you are a U.S. person, and we processed more than 200 payment transactions with a gross amount exceeding $20,000 USD during the calendar year 2022.

Does Vrbo take a percentage of the cleaning fee? ›

As an owner, every time a guest books your property, you pay a small fee to Vrbo. Let us see what that is: 5% commission on the rental amount, cleaning fee, pet fee, or any additional payment. 3% payment processing fee on the total amount you receive from the guest, including taxes and refundable damage deposits.

How much does Vrbo charge hosts per booking? ›

What percentage does Vrbo charge owners? Vrbo fees to owners are typically 8% per booking. This is made up of a 5% Vrbo manager fee and a 3% Vrbo payment processing fee.

Is it profitable to own a vrbo? ›

Vacation rental platforms (like Airbnb or VRBO) are a great way to generate income from a short-term lease, and if your property is in high demand, you will see even greater profits. The tax benefits associated with vacation rentals are also available to take advantage of.

How do I make my vacation rental pay for itself? ›

6 Tips To Make Your Vacation Home Pay For Itself
  1. Rent your property short term. ...
  2. Handle your rentals yourself. ...
  3. Tax deductions. ...
  4. Buy your vacation home with your IRA or retirement account. ...
  5. Rent seasonally or long term instead of short term. ...
  6. Trade for services.

How much profit should you make on a vacation rental property? ›

Vacation rental owners should look to make no less than a 10% return on their investment. That means your income minus expenses (net operating costs including any mortgage payment) should be no less than 10% of your initial investment per year. This is expressed at the Capitalization (or Cap) Rate.

Does Vrbo report rental income? ›

The rule is simple: you don't have to report rental income if you stay within the 14-day rule. However, because of reporting laws, companies like Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO may report to the IRS all income you receive from short-term rentals, even if you rent for less than two weeks.

How quickly does Vrbo pay owners? ›

Your payouts are sent approximately one business day after your guest checks in. Depending on your bank's policies, the money will be available in your bank account approximately five to seven business days later.

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