Below follows are some steps vacation-home owners have taken to make the rental season last well beyond the peaks, increasing their income and lightening their mortgage loads.

If business is slow, owners might also consider calling or emailing repeat guests with discounted "VIP" off-season stays. These could be customized as celebratory weekend specials if an owner knows the regulars have a birthday or anniversary coming up.

For example, while owners of bayfront and oceanfront real estate in San Diego can find renters year-round with no problem, properties a block or so off the waterfront are a bit more of a challenge.  Owners of such properties have found a solution.

Vacation properties that accept pets can increase their occupancy by 10% to 50%, Ms. Karpinski says. A woman she spoke with, for example, had a nice cabin in the mountains in Colorado, but rentals were slow. Though the cabin was within driving distance of three ski resorts, it was not close enough to advertise that fact, Ms. Karpinski says. Once the woman began accepting pets, though, the bookings flowed in.

Improving your house with creative amenities that help visitors wile away the time in the quiet off-season can make the difference between a cranky, bored guest and a satisfied one, experts say.

Off-season in Maine, fireplaces are a big draw, and visitors will choose a house that has a washer and dryer over a comparable house that doesn't, says Seaside Vacation's Ms. Regan.

Whether to manage a vacation property yourself or hire a management company is one of the biggest decisions an owner faces. Vacation-home owners live an average of 220 miles from their property, and 34% live more than 500 miles away, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors. That can make maintaining a home and responding to emergencies difficult, if not impossible, especially in the off-season when travel can be dangerous in some areas.

Edwina Baniqued