Importance of Research

**luvthebeach57** · 02-21-2008, 01:03 PM

I'm a new member of the message board. One thing I realize is the importance of researching your vacation options thoroughly. The more you know ahead of time, the fewer surprises you will have on your vacation. Obviously, other renters on the message board feel the same way.

Don't always believe everything the owner or rental management tells you. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions or request additional photos of the property.

I want to give two examples I've come across during this process. One rental management company claimed that a house was "one block to the beach." Well, after checking the distance using Google Earth, I determined that it was a half mile trek to the beach and it was about 5-6 blocks. I told them that I felt this was very misleading to prospective renters. They didn't change the information on their web site.

Here's another example. A Destin house has a golf cart that the rental management company said you can drive to the beach and park there. Well, it turns out that there is now a law that does not allow you to drive golf carts on public roads or sidewalks. You are also not allowed to park your cart at the beach. When I challenged this, they said they didn't know anything about it. I e-mailed the information to them. They have not changed anything on their web site to reflect this.

In both cases, an unsuspecting renter would end up very disappointed due to misleading information provided to them.

**buster** · 02-21-2008, 01:46 PM

It seems distances to the beach are almost always exaggerated - saying it's one block when it's 5 is inexcusable. Golf carts should never be mentioned, ort even offered unless it's allowed. Make sure you don't plan so much you don't have room for good surprises.

**Rather B Paddlin** · 02-21-2008, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by luvthebeach57

I'm a new member of the message board. One thing I realize is the importance of researching your vacation options thoroughly. The more you know ahead of time, the fewer surprises you will have on your vacation. Obviously, other renters on the message board feel the same way.

Don't always believe everything the owner or rental management tells you. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions or request additional photos of the property.

I want to give two examples I've come across during this process. One rental management company claimed that a house was "one block to the beach." Well, after checking the distance using Google Earth, I determined that it was a half mile trek to the beach and it was about 5-6 blocks. I told them that I felt this was very misleading to prospective renters. They didn't change the information on their web site.

Here's another example. A Destin house has a golf cart that the rental management company said you can drive to the beach and park there. Well, it turns out that there is now a law that does not allow you to drive golf carts on public roads or sidewalks. You are also not allowed to park your cart at the beach. When I challenged this, they said they didn't know anything about it. I e-mailed the information to them. They have not changed anything on their web site to reflect this.

In both cases, an unsuspecting renter would end up very disappointed due to misleading information provided to them.

Good points. Athough some addresses especially those in private developments do not always appear correctly or even at all.

Other specific questions to ask:

How many cars exactly could be parked at the rental house. Many driveways at large homes only have room for 2 cars and the guests have to park the rest of the caravan at the rental office lot miles away.

How long is the walk to the beach access? Not how far is the house from the beach as the bird flies. There are times the walk to the beach access is not a straight walk and may involve much added walking distance.

What are the exact dimension of the pool?

Is the pool heater natural gas or a heat pump? A natural gas heater will raise the pool temperature to a comfortable level no matter what the ambiant temperature maybe.

Ask the agent at the rental office have they ever been in the rental home?

Is the grill charcoal, lp, or natural gas? Natural gas grills do not run out of fuel. You maybe responsible to buy more charcoal or lp gas.

Do I have to come to the rental office to wait in line for hours to pick up keys at check in time? Been there, done that. Does the condo/house have an electronic key system for direct check in?

Good Topic.......

**scooterbug44** · 02-21-2008, 01:53 PM

Very good advice! Trust but verify!

Always remember that you are hearing a sales pitch and that you should always take phrases like "close to the beach, near Seaside, near Rosemary, etc" with a grain (or shaker) of salt!

**luvthebeach57** · 02-21-2008, 01:56 PM

I'm always very suspicious of rentals with few or no photos at all. If I request additional photos and I'm told there are none, I won't even consider renting it. With digital cameras, there's no excuse not to have plenty of photos available to prospective renters. As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words."

You can use Google Earth to measure exactly how far it is to walk to the beach by using the measuring tool. It also allows you to see what else is in the vicinity of the home/condo. I've discovered huge condo developments that I didn't know were even there which I want to avoid.

**dunelover** · 02-21-2008, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by luvthebeach57

I want to give two examples I've come across during this process. One rental management company claimed that a house was "one block to the beach." Well, after checking the distance using Google Earth, I determined that it was a half mile trek to the beach and it was about 5-6 blocks. I told them that I felt this was very misleading to prospective renters. They didn't change the information on their web site.
.

Yes, we have experienced the same thing. Make sure to ask "how far to beach access" and then unfortunately you may want to know if it is private deeded or public acess.

**luvthebeach57** · 02-21-2008, 02:00 PM

Another good question to ask is what is their cancellation policy. One owner told me that I would not receive any refund whatsoever once I made the reservation. Yikes!

**BeachSiO2** · 02-21-2008, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by dunelover

Yes, we have experienced the same thing. Make sure to ask "how far to beach access" and then unfortunately you may want to know if it is private deeded or public acess.

Good point. Here is a link to all County/TDC-maintained accesses that might be helpful.

http://www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com/accesses.asp

**luvthebeach57** · 02-21-2008, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by scooterbug44

Very good advice! Trust but verify!

Always remember that you are hearing a sales pitch and that you should always take phrases like "close to the beach, near Seaside, near Rosemary, etc" with a grain (or shaker) of salt!

Sometimes you will get conflicting information. The owner of a condo that was one of the furthest units from the beach told me to be aware of the units in the same development that are near the beach because of "road noise." When I expressed concern about noise from the pool which was right next to her condo, her reply was that the condos are soundproof and I wouldn't hear anything with the doors and windows closed. So the condos will block out screaming kids at the pool but not passing cars?

**SWGB** · 02-21-2008, 02:45 PM

Distances are interesting. The two most common listings are as follows:

Distance to beach access: The distance from the property to the beginning of the beach access. In laymans terms, the distance from the property to the beginning of the path/boardwalk to then go over and get to the beach.

Distance to beach: The distance from the property to the actual beach.

Obviously some people may stretch the truth, I've seen some properties that were 1/2 mile from the beach described as "a short walk to the beach". This may seem short to walk, but factor in kids, chairs, coolers, etc. and it becomes a death march.

The best bet is to find out where the actual unit is and measure on google earth. Don't go by the address as it does sometimes get those way off. As in the house is on such and such a street and is the third one in.

**luvthebeach57** · 02-21-2008, 03:49 PM

Years ago when I was researching a beach rental in the Outer Banks, I came across a rental management company that actually listed the walking distance from each house to the beach access. It was measured in exact yards. They hired someone who used a measuring wheel to walk from each house to the beach. They had hundreds of rental listings. That person put some mileage on their feet! I was very impressed.