Imagine the ideal beach house for your vacation. How many bedrooms and bathrooms does it have? How many people can it sleep? Does it have laundry facilities? What kinds of amenities are included: a pool, a jacuzzi, a fireplace, an outdoor deck with a grill, sports or play equipment? How close is it to the beach (or anywhere else you'd like to go)? Can your beloved dog Rover come with you if you'd like him to?
Make two lists: one that includes the services or features you can't do without, and another for extras that would be nice, but aren't absolutely necessary. Your goal is to find a house that offers everything on the first list, and as many items as possible from the second one.
Decide your length of stay and your budget. Most beach houses in South Haven require a one-week stay during peak summer season, though some shorter stays can be arranged. Prices vary widely--from hundreds to thousands of dollars a week. Solidify your price range before looking at properties, so you don't go over budget.
Research South Haven beach houses that are available for rent. The easiest and most informative way to do this is to search online. Enter "South Haven beach houses for rent" into your browser's search engine, or check out the sites listed in the Resources section. You can find detailed descriptions of available properties and their amenities, as well as their rates. Photos are helpful--after all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Write down any properties that interest you, along with phone numbers to call.
Check availability. Most properties have online availability calendars, but if that feature isn't available, contact the owner via email or phone to ask about specific dates. If your schedule is flexible, your choices will be much wider than if you're limited to a specific time frame. The more limited you are, the earlier you should begin your search.
Contact the property owner to ask any remaining questions. At this time, also confirm your reservation. Get information on all rental and payment policies before confirming. Questions to ask: check-in and check-out times; how much cleaning you're expected to do versus cleaning services provided; forms of payment accepted; how much of a deposit is required and by when; whether any of your deposit is nonrefundable; when the remaining payment is due; cancellation policy; parking; and any rules the owner may enforce.
Make any required payments. Verify that your payments have been received. Don't send cash by mail.
Call or email to confirm your reservation one last time approximately two weeks prior to your anticipated arrival.
Enjoy your beach house vacation!
