July and August are prime times for most shoreline vacations along the Northeast coast, so if you’re looking to rent during that period, expect to pay prime time prices.
Have to have a cottage right on the beach? Ca-ching, your costs just increased again.
“Prime season and proximity to water drive up rental costs,” says Elizabeth Weedon of WeNeedAVacation.com, a vacation rental agency specializing in Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. “If you’re willing to rent earlier or later in the season and forego that waterfront property, you’re going to save money.”
Rent a three-bedroom, beachfront home on Cape Cod or the Islands for a week during prime season and you can expect to pay anywhere from $3,650 to $5,560. Opt for something a half-mile or more from the beach and those prices drop to $2,160 to $4,178, says Weedon. Consider pond or lakefront properties and you’ll save as well.
Head to Maine during peak season and you’ll pay top dollar for a rental.
“The busiest time of the vacation season runs from mid-July until school goes back into session later in August,” says Justin Ford, owner of vacation rental company On The Water In Maine. “That five-week time-period is when everyone wants to vacation in Maine, which means that’s when prices are the highest.”
The average cost for a two-bedroom cottage on the water during peak season in Maine is $2,300. Prices are higher in Camden, Boothbay Harbor, Kennebunkport, Bar Harbor and other tourist spots. Expand your location parameters or vacation in June or September, and you’ll save significantly.
“Pick a town next door to popular destinations and your rental cost could drop as much as half,” advises Ford.
On the Jersey shore, weekly three- or four-bedroom condo rentals from mid-July to mid-August can run from $3,000 to as much as $20,000, depending on location and beach access. Rent off-season, from May through mid-July, or the end of August through September and prices can drop to an average of $2,000 to $4,000.
“The good news is that there’s still plenty of inventory and prices are about the same as last year,” says Deedra Bowen, rental manager for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors.
