Our VR property is a one-bedroom cottage in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (www.buckscountycottage.com). When we bought the property, it was occupied by a couple who had been leasing it on a yearly basis. They were quiet tenants who never asked for any maintenance or repairs from us or the previous owners, undoubtedly for fear of having their rent raised. When they had a baby and bought a place of their own, we discovered that we were going to have to spend some money on the cottage before we could hope to rent it again.

The year was 1990, and our dilemma was whether to spend a minimum of $20,000 to $30,000 for repairs and upgrades, or to spend considerably more completely redoing the place. We were writing computer books at the time, and the times were good. We took the cottage down to its studs and re-did it completely, adding a second (unfinished) floor and rebuilding everything as an authentic Colonial Williamsburg cottage, including a fireplace with a wonderful exterior brick chimney.

We created a very special place that we called "Alfred and Emily's Folly." Some friends agreed, saying that we should have invested our money in the stock market instead. Well, 2008 proved to be our best vacation-rental year ever. While the stock market... er, the less said the better.

One of the most important bits of "wisdom" I would share with my fellow property owners is this: List on as few Web sites as necessary to get the number of bookings you need.  

There are and almost always have been hundreds of "free" listing sites out there. And, amazingly, in light of the HomeAway industry roll-up, more free sites seem to appear every day. (What are they thinking?)

The simple fact is that the vast majority of free sites are a time trap. We know of people who are listed on 15 to 20 or more free sites. Can you imagine the time and effort involved when they want to update their rates, their availability calendars, or their photos? On 20 different sites, each of which might attract only a few thousand unique visitors each month?

I hate to aid and abet HomeAway's virtual monopolization of the industry, but the fact is that, for reasons detailed elsewhere on this site, all property owners should still start with VRBO and the HomeAway network, supplemented with one or two regionally-focused sites as needed.

To put it another way, whenever you are tempted by a "free" site, ask yourself, "What's my time worth?"

I adore Netflix in general and Netflix's Roku in particular. The Roku box that plugs into one of your TV's auxiliary outlets costs $100. You also need a $10/month Netflix subscription. (As of mid-February, 2009, Roku will offer a link to Amazon Movies On-Demand as well. I can't wait!)

I am also passionate about the Aubrey/Maturin novels of the late Patrick O'Brian. And the penumbra of supporting books—like A Sea of Words—that has been generated around them. Advice: Start with Master and Commander, the first in the series. Then view the movie of the same name, starring  Russell Crowe. If you're not hooked by then, you probably never will be.