Earlier the better when it comes to renting down the shore

OCEAN CITY, NJ (WPVI) — Presidents Day weekend used to be a busy time for people to take a trip up the coast and scout out potential summer rentals.

But times seem to have changed.

“Like every year, people are booking their vacations earlier,” said Frank Shoemaker, a broker at Berger Realty.

Earlier than last year.

“Before the first year, we already had the most rental apartments that we had ever booked. In my opinion, because of our smartphones and our ability to book vacations relatively quickly, people tend to do so during the week and leave their weekends to spend time with their families,” Shoemaker said.

But don’t worry: if you haven’t booked yet, there are still options.

“There are always rental offers. There is always inventory. You have your peak weeks, which are going to be full. So if you’re looking to rent something, and you know, late July or early August, you really need to get going and asap,” Shoemaker said.

And Shoemaker recommends that you choose carefully how you rent. Although rare on the coast, scams can occur.

“We’re going to have people saying, ‘I rented this online, not through a real estate company,’ and they’re going to show up at our door and say, ‘You know the property isn’t even there.’ We listen to what people need and can really put you in the right place. And when you’re on vacation, if there’s a problem or something comes up, we’ll do our best to help you as best we can,” said Schuhmacher.

And like most things these days, rental housing isn’t immune to rising costs, but Shoemaker says they’re seeing price leveling out in recent years.

“Everyone needs vacations, and everyone wants vacations, so you might adjust your vacation plans, but I think a lot of people aren’t going to give up their vacations,” Shoemaker said.

So bottom line: if you’re still looking, don’t wait.

“We get new properties throughout the year. So they will come. But if they’re really nice objects, they also book very quickly,” said Shoemaker.