Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Choosing the Best Software for Flea Markets, Marinas, Campgrounds and RV Parks

Managing a flea market, marina, resort, RV park or a campground could be tedious if you are not using rental management software specifically designed for the job. Keeping track of income and expenses, short term rentals, long term tenant payments, and managing repair work orders are just some of the many things that modern software can help you with.

In this article, we will help you determine what space rental management software is a fit for you. If you are looking for short AND long term space management software you should carefully read this article.

First, you must know your needs. What are you looking for in a space management software tool? What are the functions, abilities or features that you are looking for? Second, do you need a desktop application or a web-based program? Third, is the software user-friendly? Fourth, how affordable is the space rental property software?

Common features of space rental software applications are:
* Check for availability and make reservations including the arrival date, departure date and manage multiple rental rates.
* Generate confirmation notices and payment receipts.
* Record important information on all of your rental units
* Process Online payments
* An easy-to-use database that tracks all the information about your tenants, especially payments
* Record all your expense payments and deductions. View deposits and debits for any number of expense reporting accounts.
* Keep track of rent payments for long term tenants which include utilities and other charges such as late charges. Accept partial payments and government subsidies.
* A way to add misc. charges and record full and partial rent payments and print rent receipts.
* Keep track of deposits, payments to accounts, and other income sources. Generate registers for your income reporting accounts
* Track of all your income and tax deductible expenses and generate tax form reports.

Some campground software will also keep track of schedules, generate form letters to be mailed or emailed, and provide other tools to help you streamline your business. Consider these additional features:
* Send promotional materials or other form letters to all of your guests, vendors, family, friends or any other contacts
* Keep track of all the appliances, furniture, etc. that are included with your rental units.
* Display your appointments, deadlines and other important events in Daily, Weekly or Monthly Calendar formats.
* Create Work Orders for any repairs or maintenance, track vendors, schedules, work completed and amounts paid.
* Create To Do Lists with room for notes, deadlines, priorities, etc. with project management software.

The best space rental program software also includes tools which allow you to look up where area codes are, calculate time zone differences, and has a universal calculator that adds or subtracts numbers, dates and times, converts length, volume and weight measurements, computes discounts, sales tax, foreign money exchanges and loan payment amounts.

One major thing to consider is, should it be a desktop application or a web-based application? Here are some differences between the two:
* A web-based application, which includes any software you log on to a web site to access, requires a fast, reliable internet connection. A desktop application is an application that runs without the need of an internet connection.
* If you do not have a very fast internet connection, it could take you several times longer to get the same amount of work done. Desktop software is generally much faster and easier to use than web-based software.
* If your web connection goes down, or the company’s website were to go down, or the company went out of business, you will no longer have access to your data if using web-based applications. A desktop application, if backed-up regularly, is more secure and reliable than a web-based application.
* With desktop applications, you generally pay just once, and technical support is often included. With web-based applications you rent the software, paying monthly fees and often get only email support.

The next thing to consider is how easy is the software to use? Is it easy to understand? Are you comfortable using the software? Can you get technical support easily and quickly, both by phone and by email? Does that support cost extra?

The final question is, how much are you willing to spend for this software? Would you rather pay less on a monthly basis for web-based software, which will add up to much more over time, or pay one reasonable amount up front and get the features, speed and reliability of a desktop application?

As a small business owner, I’m sure you would rather find ways to save money and at the same time have the features and capabilities you are looking for in campground software?

With these things in mind, you can now determine what would be the best resort software for your need. The best campground management software in my opinion is Space Rental Tracker Plus. It is a reasonably priced desktop application that is easy to use and is available for most Mac and Windows computers.

To better appreciate its ease-of-use, how it can make you more productive, and to download a free trial of Space Rental Tracker Plus today, visit http://www.productivity-software.com/space/ 

Garth Catterall has been creating productivity software for self-employed professionals and rental property managers since 2002. Download your free trial for Mac or Windows at http://productivity-software.com. You may reprint this article only in its entirety with this bio. ©2015 Garth Catterall

Keywords:flea market software, space rental program, marina software, reservations software, campground software, vacation rental management software, resort management software, vacation rental property software, camp management software, reservation software, resort software, campground management software

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