You've decided you think you want to find this year's vacation rental online or even By Owner instead of using the local realtor.  The only thing you're a little unsure of is where to start. The problem is there are 1000's of websites that offer vacation home rentals.   Most of the larger sites like Vacation Rentals By Owner and Home Away offer the best selections. 

If among these sites you still can't find a suitable vacation home then you could start working your way through the smaller ones but usually the inventory of homes on these sites is spread too thin.  If they have a couple thousand listings throughout the whole globe, how many can be in one area?  Usually sticking to the larger, more well known companies, yield the best homes. 

People with multi-million dollar ocean front homes need to rent their weeks and the Internet is a good place to attract more people.  This can also mean a great deal on a home for you.  We suggest you make alot of inquiries and find out exactly what each home comes equipped with.  Not all homes are the same.  For example you can have two 4 bedroom homes side by side built in the same year, but depending on upkeep and owner add-ons it could mean the difference between a dump and a home with a pool and hot tub.   We suggest that you email the individual homeowners to find out what their home offers like are sheets and towels provided?  Is there a cleaning fee?  What is the cancellation policy?  Learning all that will make your vacation much easier and you more comfortable with the home you decided upon.