"Last minute" discount question

[NewUrbanGirl]

Howdy y'all.
We don't normally discount, as we feel we offer a dandy value for the money with our property. But this year isn't very normal (understatement of the year).
A lot of renters seem to be waiting until the last minute to plan trips.

I was wondering what, if any, discounts are offered for a "last minute" rental at your places?

Oh, and what constitutes "last minute"? A week out?

If you are a renter reading this, what would you consider a reasonable discount for a "last minute" rental?

Thanks in advance for your $.02.

 

[RiverOtter]

I've gotten a ton of these.

 

[AtTheBeach]

I have a reputation amongst my buddies of being the "last minute vacation deal" queen.

The most incredible deals I have gotten have been on really high end places for 1/2 price or less, booked less than a week out.

In almost every case, the discount was offered by the owner, not me.

In the case of VRBO, I suspect that many owners think their property is priced well and don't respond well to lowball offers. The majority of my successful rentals usually starts with a lower rate for a specific time frame advertised by the owner that I bite on, or sometimes if I ask if they are running any specials. In my best experiences, my request is followed by a phone call from the owner in an attempt to get the unit booked ASAP.

I think a week out is a good last minute time frame if you have an efficient means of collecting your rent. But it depends on how much you want to rent your place. 1 - 4 weeks might give you more wiggle room to give less of a discount or get the unit rented if you would rather it not sit empty. I'm ballsy, and I will often hold out until the day of arrival for the best deal from an agency - I have yet to sleep in my car!

In past "normal" rental seasons in Florida during this time period, I would look for agencies that offered the fall rates for the first week of August, which was as much as 40 - 50% back then. This was my favorite time to go to Florida for the kids last hurrah before school started.

As a renter, I don't feel comfortable with low ball offers initiated by me. I do not want to rent from a hostile owner who felt they were giving their property away for less than they thought it deserved. The best experience for me has been when the owner and I are both satisfied with the deal.

I've also had tremendous success at Orbitz and Priceline (just last night) for other areas of the country, but that is a whole other topic~