Early ski season helps vacation rental reservations

The snowstorms that arrived in early to mid-November are not only a blessing for the environment they are also a positive sign for the ski industry and vacation rental properties.

Normally, vacation rentals are very slow during November and early December as we are in between the season for summer activities and the wintertime onslaught of skiers and snowboarders.

The last few years the lack of snow really put a damper on vacation rentals outside of the usual peak holiday periods during Christmas, New Year’s and Presidents’ Day.

However, skiers, snowboarders and winter sports enthusiasts of all types are excited to have a big year and get some good use of their equipment that has been sitting in the closet for most of the last three winter seasons.

Since only a tiny fraction of wintertime visitors to Lake Tahoe actually own a property up here, anyone who wishes to stay overnight needs some type of accommodations.

While vacationers during summer have the option of camping at one of the many campgrounds around the lake or backpacking into the wilderness, that is not a viable alternative with snow covering the ground for all but the heartiest back-country travelers.

Consequently, we anticipate that vacation rental properties of all types will see an uptick in activity between now and the bustling holiday season.

With almost all of the major ski resorts opening at least some of their runs in mid-November, there is sure to be a rush of vacation renters to Lake Tahoe. Visitors have many options to choose from including traditional vacation rentals managed by local firms, AirBnB properties and places rented by property owners on VRBO.com and other websites.

Anyone considering booking a vacation rental property during the time period from December 15 through Jan. 3 would do well to make reservations now before the inventory of available properties disappears completely. You generally pay a premium for renting a house or condo during that time frame since there is so much demand during the prime holiday season. But the extra cost is well worth it if you wish to enjoy a traditional white Christmas with friends and family.

On a separate topic, Don Kanare recently received an award from RE/MAX corporate headquarters for being No. 1 in real estate sales among RE/MAX agents in the Southwest region (which encompasses Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico) during the month of September. What makes this accomplishment even more noteworthy is that Don sells real estate only in Incline Village and Crystal Bay, which is one of the smallest markets in the entire Southwest region. A special thanks goes out to his business partner Sabrina Belleci and administrative assistant Macayla Mischler for their support in helping Don achieve a level of superior sales and along with it the recognition from RE/MAX HQ as the top agent in the Southwest Region.

Don Kanare and Sabrina Belleci are the owners of RE/MAX North Lake. Read their blog and find weekly stats on their Web site at www.InsideIncline.com.