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? ›

VRBO has about 48 million users as of 2022, from a variety of countries across the globe. How Much Do VRBO Owners Make? VRBO hosts can earn an average of $33,000 per year, according to a study that was done in 2017 on vacation rental companies and short term rental data.

How to be successful at Vrbo? ›

Try these helpful tips for owners listing on Vrbo.
  1. Enable instant bookings. ...
  2. Create a catchy title. ...
  3. Write a killer description. ...
  4. Respond to guests quickly. ...
  5. Ask for traveler reviews. ...
  6. Publish perfect photos. ...
  7. Avoid cancellations at all costs. ...
  8. Include location information.

How much does the average Vrbo owner make? ›

VRBO has about 48 million users as of 2022, from a variety of countries across the globe. How Much Do VRBO Owners Make? VRBO hosts can earn an average of $33,000 per year, according to a study that was done in 2017 on vacation rental companies and short term rental data.

How do I make my Vrbo stand out? ›

In conclusion. Making your vacation rental stand out on Vrbo requires a combination of factors, including high-quality photos, accurate and detailed descriptions, highlighting key amenities, correct pricing, location information, and responding promptly to inquiries.

How do I maximize my Vrbo listing? ›

How to Get More Vrbo bookings | Optimizing Your Listing for Vrbo
  1. Allow Instant Bookings.
  2. Accept Bookings Faster.
  3. Accept More Bookings.
  4. Optimize for Search Filters.
  5. Make your Listing Attractive.
  6. Get Good Reviews.
  7. Don't Cancel.
  8. Update your Calendar.

Is it worth it to list on Vrbo? ›

Is hosting on Vrbo worth it? Listing your property on Vrbo is a great way to drive traffic to your property listing, as it will be displayed not only on Vrbo but on various affiliate sites, such as Expedia, Trivago, and KAYAK, giving it plenty of exposure.

What percentage does Vrbo take from the owner? ›

As the name implies, with Vrbo's pay-per-booking fee, you pay a set percentage each time you get a booking on one of your listings. The booking fee totals 8%, broken down into a 3% payment processing fee and a 5% commission fee.

Can I really make money on Vrbo? ›

Yes, listing your vacation home on Vrbo is a good way to make money. Not only is it one of the most popular vacation rental sites in the world (attracting 15.9 million visitors each month), Vrbo also cross posts its properties to fellow Expedia-owned sites.

Do you make more money on Vrbo or Airbnb? ›

The amount vacation rentals earn in Airbnb and VRBO can vary greatly depending on location, season, and the type of property. According to a study by Priceonomics, the average Airbnb rental earns about $924 per month, while the average VRBO rental earns about $1,733 per month.

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.

Why am I not getting Vrbo bookings? ›

Your listing might be hidden because:

The listing has 3 or more expired reservation requests for the last 90 days. We've temporarily hidden your property to prevent more declines from affecting your listing performance. You have a low listing acceptance rate.

How do you not get ripped off on Vrbo? ›

Tips to avoid Vrbo scams
  1. Use the Vrbo payment platform. ...
  2. Watch for spelling and grammar that seems “off.” When a listing has too many usage errors or if an email has a lot of typos, that's usually a warning sign of a scam.
  3. Don't “refund” overpayment. ...
  4. Check other listings. ...
  5. Be wary if there aren't many reviews.
Feb 29, 2024

How hard is it to list on Vrbo? ›

Log in or create an account. Select List your Property at the top of the homepage. Enter your property's room and location details to review its earning potential, then select Next. A checklist appears to guide you through your listing setup.

What is fast start on Vrbo? ›

The Fast Start program was created to make the transition of adding your listing to Vrbo smoother. Fast Start eliminates what is referred to as a “cold start”. A cold start is when you list your home on a platform for the first time with no guest reviews or ratings.

How do I increase my cleaning fee on Vrbo? ›

To add or edit fees:
  1. Log in to your account.
  2. Select the listing if you have more than one rental property.
  3. Select Calendar.
  4. Select Settings, then Fees.
  5. Under Standard Fees, select up to three appropriate fees.
  6. Select Fee type.
  7. Enter amount.
  8. Add custom fees details, if needed. You can select up to 3 custom fees.

How long does it take for your Vrbo listing to go live? ›

STEP 9: Publish your listing

It takes between 24 and 48 hours from publishing a new listing to it being visible in search.

How much money can you make on a Vrbo? ›

Homeowners who offer short-term rentals through VRBO earn an average of $33,000 per year. Of course, those earnings aren't guaranteed. Factors like location, property size, and occupancy rate influence how much you can earn on VRBO.

Do Vrbo owners rate their guests? ›

You can rate your guests when they book your property paying through our sites. When a guest submits a booking request and they've been rated by previous owners, their rating will display within the conversation for the owner. On checkout day, a marketplace feed card will display in your account to review your guest.

Why doesn t my listing show up on Vrbo? ›

Your listing might be hidden because:

You hid the listing in your account. The listing has 3 or more expired reservation requests for the last 90 days. We've temporarily hidden your property to prevent more declines from affecting your listing performance. You have a low listing acceptance rate.

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