Please note: This article focuses on timeshare rentals. If you want to read more about how to sell your timeshare, you can find out more by visiting our home page or try the following article on timehare resales.

You want to rent your timeshare, but are trying to understand if it is worth your time. "Can I make money in the process?" Or maybe you just want to cover your expenses and break even buy having the rental income cover your costs for the year. You may even be a seasoned timeshare owner and want to make your job a little easier every year as you rent one or more of the units you own throughout the year.
Timeshare rentals are a growing concept, but you're competing with huge marketing engines like Hotels.com and Travelocity, that show up everytime you do a search for some place to stay. Timeshare rentals offer outstanding value as a result of the quality of the resorts and amenities offered in each unit (far exceeding what hotel rooms can offer), but getting the word out about timeshare is a bigger challenge than most realize. We offer the following tips and advice in hopes of making the process and your decision to rent your timeshare a little easier.
Start your process by submitting a few searches on MSN or Google, or whatever "your" favorite search is. Keep in mind that not everyone will search the same way you do, and perhaps not use the same search engine. As a result, don't settle on a single website that shows up under a single search term or single search engine. Try the three top search engines and various search terms. You'll find there are quite a few websites vying for your attention.
Don't choose a site that showed up at the top of your search results as the only place to consider for your ad; you could be coming up

• Exposure is paramount - Don't settle on a single search engine or website as your solution. Consider using multiple search engines to perform your research, and choose mulitple websites as a way to increase the exposure you need to rent your timeshare.
• Consider taking advantage of every opportunity that doesn't cost you money to expand your presence, both on and off the Internet. Other than TimeshareGateway.com, which offers a way to increase your exposure with no additional up-front costs, there are a few other sites that you should take advantage of if you want to minimize your advertising and marketing costs while expanding your advertising presence. We've listed a few for you here to help you get started.
• Hotdeeds.com currently offers a free ad on its website. There is no indication when this might change, but it is certainly worth your consideration and a few minutes of your time to put your ad online there.
• Timesahreparadise.com offers a free ad, too.
• There are a number of discussion forums that also allow you to place a classifieds ad. They aren't much better than the others if they charge a fee for their ad up-front. Even if they claim to be non-profit, there is plenty of money to be made if they get all of ther members to pay not only their yearly membership fee, but also a fee to place an ad.
• Something to keep in mind with any website that offers completely FREE services is that there is some basis for them to generate revenue, or the site wouldn't exist. Google Adwords is probably the most popular means for websites to bolster their revenue with the least amount of effort or additional cost. Keep this in mind when you visit any website. If you see the term "Ads by Gooooogle" near a section of links with enticing tid bits encouraging you to click on them, you will be re-directed to other websites.
  Some websites that charge a fee even display Google Adwords because they believe that letting you see what the competion has to offer will bring you back. Our advice is to visit every website you can, know your possibilities, and take advantage of the ones that do not require any payment up-front. Don't think that just because a website is number one on certain search terms that it's going to solve your problems; the search terms your potential customer is going to use may not be the ones you use. Widen your reach by taking advantage of as many of these sites as possible.
• Always consider your privacy when on the internet. If you find a website that offers FREE advertising, be thoughtful of how much information is "required" in order to place your ad. If you have to fill out a form with your personal information and a means to contact you (other than email which offers you a safe buffer), be very careful. Some sites suggest that you can place a free ad on their site, but you are then directed to a lengthy form to complete and submit. All you are doing is inviting a sales person to call you to sell you on their program. If you are looking for no pressure ways to advertise, avoid filling out long forms that also require your personal contact information.
  TimeshareGateway.com and the sites noted above all allow you to complete your registration online, and place your ad without lengthy forms, and without requiring you to reveal your personal contact information.
• Last, but not least, pricing your timeshare rental reasonbly is paramount for your success. The right range is somewhere between your maintenance fee and a price that matches a high end hotel (so long as your unit touts similar amenities and accommodation). The lower your price, the sooner you will find a vacationer that is interested in dealing with you. Rember, checking into a hotel is quite simple. Your process is a bit more involved and must offer some incentive, i.e. nicer amenities at a similar price, in order to attract potential customers.