Posted on 4/15/2009

The Martha's Vineyard Vacation Rentals Market, 2009

Have you ever noticed how we all get caught up in what the news media is telling us and forget to check in with what's actually happening? In the case of the current vacation rental market on Martha's Vineyard, the truth is much brighter than the fiction. Yes, there was some fall off in rental sales last fall, immediately following the stock market's dive. This made perfect sense as the world paused to regroup and figure things out - especially in light of the close presidential race. But when 2009 began and the Steamship Authority, our wonderful car/passenger ferry service opened up their summer reservations, we saw a jump in activity. Dollar for dollar and rental for rental, it hasn't been quite as busy as last year, but our year-to-date is pretty comparable. For example, if you looked at the years side by side and had no idea that there was a recession in progress, you wouldn't say, 'Whoah, what happened here!' I'm predicting a lot of last minute activity and strong rental season. We're expecting a 15% price reduction from our home owners and, you know, when the sun comes out...no one can resist a little Martha's Vineyard sand 'tween their toes! Image by Clearly Ambiguous