What to Consider When Choosing a Website to List your Maui Vacation Rental

Hale Pau Hana in South Kihei, Maui

If you’re one of the lucky people to own a vacation rental property on Maui, you will have a number of tough decisions to make. First and foremost, do you want to self-manage your property or hire a management company? If you choose the former, here are some tips in making your decision for which website(s) to list your Maui vacation rental.

Mana Kai resort in South Kihei on Keawakapu beach, Maui

There are a number of websites you can use to manage your Maui vacation rental: VRBO.co, AirBNB.com, and HomeAway.com are the names of a few. Check out as many as you can to weigh the pros and cons of each. A good tip is to see how many rentals pop up on each. That will tell you what most people are using which can be an indicator of which site most visitors are searching on. I think you will find here on Maui, VRBO is the top site people tend to use. Utilize one, or choose as many as you’d like; you never know where travelers will start their search.

Kihei Kai Nani in South Kihei across from Kamaole Beach II, Maui

It’s important to know that not all websites will work with each other, which can be confusing. If you list on more than one site, you’ll have to pay close attention to your bookings to make sure you don’t have any double bookings. There are also ways to share calendars between websites to avoid this problem. It’s all up to you how much time and effort you have to commit to your rental. There are many people who can stay well booked with just one website when marketing their Maui vacation rental. Sometimes it’s all in the pricing.

Kaanapali Alii resort in West Maui

Some of the websites listed above will have recommended pricing. You should know that their algorithms are mostly built to keep your unit full and are often times well below the average renting price for that type of unit. These websites aren’t paying your mortgage or trying to get you the best return on investment so be sure to run your numbers to see what will make you money in the end. Looking at prices of similar units is helpful to gauge your price point but that too can be flawed. Along with those using the suggested lower pricing, there are the ambitious owners who list their Maui vacation rental for as much as they think they can possibly get. Don’t let your pride get in the way of your pricing; usually, the best approach is somewhere in the middle. Your goal should be to keep the place occupied as many nights as possible. Just think, the more people that stay in your unit, the more people there will be to return to your unit. Happy renting!