You probably think it’s far too late to book a vacation on the coast for the week of July 4 — in other words, next week.
think again. Believe it or not, rental options remain available near the ocean or lake on both the North and South shores — and even on Cape Cod.
Denise Schroeck, operations coordinator for Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty’s vacation rentals department on Cape Cod, said there are still a vast number of rentals available for the week of July 4 and availability seems to be greater than in the past few years on the Cape and elsewhere in Massachusetts.
”In my opinion, the amount of properties available is more of a reflection of the increase in vacation rental properties,” she said.
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She also said there are many people who are now flying to destinations, which was not the case during or immediately after the pandemic.
A search conducted Friday for homes near a beach or lake in Massachusetts (outside Cape Cod) on Airbnb resulted in 91 homes still available July 1-8, including three beachfront homes in Winthrop, Salem and Scituate ranging from $243 per night to $1,914 per night .
If Cape Cod is your preference, there are still 294 homes available on Airbnb, including 24 beachfront properties, ranging from $315 per night for a water view studio in Provincetown to a six-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home in Chilmark for $10,000 per night.
Also as of Friday, there were still two properties listed on VRBO in Gloucester, ranging from $481 to $943 per night. According to a poll of 3,000 families by Family Destination Guide, Gloucester is 2023’s 21st favorite affordable destination.
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At No. 74, Revere also made the Family Destination Guide’s list of favorite affordable destinations. As of Friday, there were two properties there available on VRBO, one going for $267 per night and the other for 436 per night.
Stacia Boynton, who rents three two-bedroom guest suites on the second floor of her family’s business, Creating the Space, in Humarock, still has a suite available for July 1-8 for $365 per night. She said she was surprised it’s still available.
“Humarock is typically sold out every week in the summer and guests tend to come for the same week every year for decades,” said Boynton. Humarock is a peninsula that’s part of Scituate but can only be accessed from Marshfield.
Boynton said the listing came on the market late in the season. She’s just getting the word out now, so she’s elemental whether it’s the timing or a market change.
Stacia’s mother, Suzanne, who owns the building and the Transitions Training studio on the first floor, believes the vacancies are due to people being able to work remotely, which makes it easier for them to travel to destinations that are further than Humarock.
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Schroeck said he has not seen much of a change in repeat guests’ bookings.
“We are seeing guests shop around before they commit to booking a property and they have a lot more options and are also trying to negotiate rates,” she said.
Advice to last-minute renters
Schroeck said those who are looking for a last-minute rental should be wary of rental scams.
“We would advise guests to book with an agency that has a local brick-and-mortar presence and be wary of bookings if communication during the inquiry stage is a struggle,” she said. “Keep in mind, that if it appears you are getting the deal of a lifetime and if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.”
She said Gibson lists many of its rental properties on VRBO as well as WeNeedAVacation.com.
“We feel that both of these sites are a great way to advertise and help us connect with hopeful renters of our inventory and drive additional bookings,” said Schroeck.