🔑 Martha's Vineyard Real Estate Roundup

Who you can buy + rent from, FAQ's

Aug 9, 2022

If you’ve come for a short trip to the island, we bet you’d like to come and stay for longer, but this time in a home. There are thousands of homes for rent on MV each season, and hundreds for sale (if you’re ready for that commitment!) In this post, we try to do a better job than Google at breaking down - who are the realtors on island (if you want to buy!)? Who also does weekly or summer-long rentals? And if you’re not using a local agency, what national organizations can you look to to rent from? Plus, of course, we’ll end with some FAQ’s :)

A home overlooking the water on East Chop Drive

Sales and Rentals

The following is an exhaustive list of the local realtors who you can connect with - these agencies all do sales AND rentals.

Sales Only

MV Buyer Agents
Landmarks Today Real Estate (formerly Coldwell Banker)
SplitRock Real Estate, LLC (Buyers Agent)
Portfolio Properties Martha’s Vineyard
Carroll and Vincent Real Estate

Websites

Some websites allow more of a “for rent by owner” as opposed to the traditional rental agency options above. Owners are charged a flat fee or a commission to list their property on the website. Some websites handle the payment transaction but others require you work with the owner to arrange payment.

Local

MV Camp Meeting Association
1. 15 Cottages in Oak Bluffs advertise on the central site. They are all privately rented, not owned by the MVCMA
Vacation Rental MV
1. They fit into the niche between the traditional Realtor and the 3rd party OTA (Online Travel Agency) - you can book directly from island homeowners on this site.
Cape Cod Vacation Rentals
1. Owners list their property, handle payment and rental agreement. No service fee for renter (Host is charged annual fee to list)
We Need A Vacation
1. Owners list their property, handle payment and rental agreement. No service fee for renter (Host is charged annual fee to list)

National

The platform collects and pays taxes for owners and provides renter with customer service if there is an issue with host or property. Guests pay a service fee (12-15%)

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Homes within MV Camp Meeting Association are available for rent by owner, but must register with the MVCMA and abide by camp meeting rules

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a full-service property manager?

A: Companies like Vacasa and Evolve manage all aspects of renting the properties - they handle marketing, pricing, bookings, housekeeping and maintenance (if owner requests), and all customer support for guests. Owners are charged a management fee of approximately 10% of booking income. These management companies list properties on VRBO, AirBNB, Booking.com and Google. They provide property and liability insurance, and if you rent one of these listings you are interacting with the company and not the individual property owner.

Q: How many short-term rentals are in each town?

Edgartown = 934
Oak Bluffs = 590
Tisbury = 439
West Tisbury = 221
Chilmark = 275
Aquinnah = 93

*As of March 8, 2022 per Vineyard Gazette

Q: What are the short term rental taxes?

A: If you rent for fewer than 31 days, the MA charges a state tax of 5.7%, however towns on the Vineyard can add up to 6%. Three island towns charge 6% Tax - Tisbury, West Tisbury & OB. The rest charge 4%. These are paid by the renter.

Q: If I rent short-term, does my home reservation come with beach permits or ferry reservations?

A: Sometimes! You have to read the fine print, because sometimes you can get both :) But most of the time, you get neither.

Q: How do I decide where to stay on MV?

This post guides you through the hotel, camping and hostel experiences on the island!

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