Consumer

3 On Your Side: Last Minute Shore Deals

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― If you haven't booked your shore rental yet, you're in luck believe it or not. You don't have to dial up a realtor hoping for a last minute arrangement. 3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan shows you how you can find last minute shore deals.

Picture yourself on vacation and getting the best price possible for a beach house rental.

"My guess is things are tight right now, so you have a good shot a negotiating," said one vacationer.

And he's right.

There are last minute specials on hundreds of places -- priced to go -- online, where nearly a third of people have booked already.

"I rented a house in Bethany off of cyberrentals.com," Rachel Galaher of Havertown, Pa.

Rachel found her Ocean City bungalow on-line.

"We were looking around, hotels were too expensive, we got it for $700, thought it was pretty reasonable," Rachel said.

Susan Beshaw is trying to sell her Ocean City shore house, but for now she's listed the Asbury Avenue property as a weekly rental on craigslist.org.

"They're all looking for a deal," Susan said.

She knocked off $150 off on her house, just blocks away from the beach.

"I'm asking $2,000 and I do have some weeks with that but now I've lowered it, we have a week at the end of August and we have September on," Susan said.

And as more and more home owners become flexible on price, others are throwing in perks like tickets to amusements or they'll even pay for your gas.

A West Cape May homeowner is offering $100 to fill your tank, and is dropping $200 off a late August rental.

The online ads include "last minute" rentals for under $1,000.

And discounts starting at 10 percent off.

Remember whether you deal with the owner, or a 3rd party, you still need to do your homework.

"You want to get in writing what all the different fees will be, from cleaning fees to utility charges," travel agent Pauline Frommer said.

Good advice, also visit the rental in advance if you can, and check out photos as well as satellite and street maps on Google to see what the neighborhood looks like.


RELATED LINKS:

Craigslist - Jersey Shore Vacation Rentals
Shore Summer Rentals

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