Absolutely terrible experience -- DO NOT rent from Sandcastle Realty…read more After years of wonderful vacations in Bethany Beach, our family's trust in this company has been completely shattered. We've rented from Sandcastle for many years, always taking pride in leaving every home spotless and following every checkout instruction. Yet in recent years, we've faced repeated problems getting our security deposits back -- endless delays, vague accusations, and outright lies about the condition of the properties. This past summer was the final straw. After a storm from Hurricane Erin, we reached out several times to have the pool cleaned. We were ignored for most of the week, leaving the pool filthy and unusable for our kids. Still, we cleaned the house thoroughly before leaving -- wiped surfaces, swept floors, scrubbed bathrooms, and made sure everything was in better shape than when we arrived. We even took photos and video as proof. Months later, we were told we wouldn't be getting our security deposit back because the house was supposedly left a "mess." That claim is completely false -- and honestly insulting. Our family includes members with health conditions that made us extra careful about cleanliness. The whole experience has felt dishonest and exploitative. After decades of happy memories in Bethany Beach, it's heartbreaking that Sandcastle Realty has made it stressful to come here. Based on how they've handled our last few rentals, it feels like the owner, Doug, is running a scam -- taking people's deposits under false pretenses and violating Delaware law. To anyone thinking of renting from this company: beware. The home might look lovely online, but the peace of mind and trust that make a vacation special are long gone. What a sad way to end so many years of family tradition.

We have rented from Sandcastle Realty for many years and unfortunately experienced unethical…read morebusiness practices our last couple rentals. Despite taking pride in how we leave the properties in accordance with the check-out instructions and leaving it in immaculate condition we have experienced difficulty getting our security deposit back the last few years. Too many delays and lies on why the security deposit was not refunded has resulted in our conclusion that the owner Doug is running a scam operation taking tenants security deposit based on false allegations and in violation of Delaware law. To those reading this review and considering renting a house from this business ... BEWARE! The security deposit you pay is most likely to become a donation to Doug unless you want to retain an attorney and file suit to get it back.

The fridge finally was repaired the following Monday, 8 days after we checked in. We has to throw…read moreaway 90% of the food. Vacasa said they will refund us $20 per day for not having a fridge. It cost us 5x that amount to eat out every day, which we did not account for. Their communication was horrible They said the supervisor for the area was going to call me to discuss the issue. They never called. I called everyday to check on the status of the repair of the fridge. Every day I asked that the supervisor call me. Still waiting for a call !!! Side note, the AC in the unit we are in will not go below 72. We set it at 68 and a few minutes later it changes back to 72. I think the owners control it remotely. Not cool !!!! We rented in Bayville Shores DE. DO NOT USE VACASA. If you use VRBO, check the lister and make sure it is not VACASA. Recommend Long & Foster. Friends of our use them for the same area and they have never had an issue.

Do NOT sign a contract with Vacasa to have them manage your rental property!!! I had a horrible…read moreexperience with this company! All they ever did was lie to me over and over again! My darling lake house was NEVER taken care of!! The renters they let use it destroyed everything and every nice thing in the home was stolen! I believe the local property manager is the thief, but the company failed to even Che k on his criminal activities! It was a lose/lose situation for me!!! No one from Vacassa is ever available to speak to me about my stolen furniture, lawn care equipment, tools, linens, lamps, electric bike that was supposed to be n a locked owners closet... My house is in Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, AR.

Unfortunately our multi family West Coast/East Coast vacation was not as wonderful as it could have…read morebeen due to the poor customer service we received by Bethany Beach Home Rentals. Arriving in the lovely 6 bedroom home we were disappointed to find no books, toys or games that were clearly included in the listing. Worse yet, when contacting the rental agent (5 phone calls total) the situation was not resolved. First call had all of us searching for the basement where the toys etc. were located. This home had NO basement... Expecting one of the several calls later that were interrupting our valuable time spent with grandchildren from the opposite coast, disappointment once again. No resolution. Nothing dropped off to satisfy the listed items. I was told to use the toys 15 min. walk away in the Coastal Clubhouse. Could I check them out? NO - they had to be used on the premises. So my son-in-law resolved the situation with a trip to Walmart. The Coastal Club "community" is apparently a community for owners ONLY. Renters are definitely not part of this as we are photographed and reported on by neighbors. As a retired school teacher, I carefully read all rules and regulations (which were many) and shared them with my family. Parking was especially challenging. We had 4 vehicles for 5 families. Seeing the listing for a double garage we expected to be able to put 1 compact car inside. Surprisingly, we found half the garage filled by a golf cart which we could not use. Two cars in the driveway worked, as long as NO part of the car touched the sidewalk. Street parking worked, as long as NO other car parked opposite you on the street. Visitors to our rental, not realizing the parking rules, resulted in phone calls and text messages from Steve, the property manager. (This was the first I heard from him, as his assistant handled previous calls.) HOA had arrived minutes after our guests threatening a ticket but our guests were leaving (15 min. later). Walking in the development we encountered many with dogs and many were friendly. As all of us are pet owners we knew pets were no allowed, so we all had made arrangements for ours. I personally had a housesitter for my puppy awaiting surgery for hip displasia, spending $700 for the week. The week at Coastal Club continued and our extended family, staying at 2 other Bethany Beach rentals, had varying issues with the "community". Leaving the house vacuumed, each bedroom tidy, garbage and recycling outside as rules dictated, we all said our goodbyes. So I was surprised to hear from Steve on Sunday evening. Hoping to discuss monetary compensation for the missing items, it was surprising to hear him ask about a DOG. Apparently a neighbor had heard a barking dog and insisted it came from our house last week. They called the owner and Steve was checking it out. The phone call, lasting 18 min., was nothing less than an interrogation. "Did you have a dog?" "Did anyone in the house have a dog?" "Did any guests bring a dog?" Repeatedly answering NO to each, I was baffled by this questioning! How does one prove that there was no dog? Renters cannot have dogs, but we were surrounded by property owners, who clearly CAN have dogs. Were there photos of any of us walking a dog? My children flying from California clearly did not bring their dogs. Steve was threatening a $500 extra cleaning fee for shampooing carpets and furniture! For my nonexistent dog! So now that my honesty and integrity was questioned and threatened, I was done. Steve was not, however. He requested that I send a note promising that I did not, nor did any of my family or guests, have a dog... This was met with a refusal and disconnection. This property manager needs re-training with his customer service skills. This so called "community" is threatening and possibly racist. We will certainly never be back and advise anyone else to think twice.

From the owner: More than seventeen years of experience buying, selling, managing and marketing vacation homes, 2nd…read morehomes and investment homes in Coastal Delaware resort communities. Through our company, BethanyBeachHomeRentals dot com, we’ve provided enjoyable vacation home experiences to thousands of vacationers. “I’ve learned a great deal over the years and I’d like to help exchange ideas with you and help you to reach your goals.” For Buyers: We are unique because, in addition to helping you find the best investment properties and second homes for you, we also offer you an option to assist in the management and marketing of your 2nd home. After all, just because you have a 2nd home doesn’t mean that you have to take on a 2nd job! For Sellers: We’ll collect information about your home and how it compares to other homes in the area. We’ll show you how to position your home for a quick sale at the best price possible and help determine what smart and inexpensive fixes can be made to make your home as appealing as possible.

Property Management by Wilgus: Basically Made of Amazing…read more I love my HOA and my Property Management by Wilgus Associates. This is a phrase or a sentence that I never could imagine typing...or even thinking, much less feeling. But since moving into the Savannah's Landing community in Ocean View I have encountered such an amazing HOA experience like none ever....in any of the several communities I've lived in before... at twice the price! Our neighborhood is carefully groomed, enjoys pristine open space areas, generously and frequently mulched, enjoys lush plantings, white picket fences (which are being replaced this year), sparkly community pool, refreshed tennis and pickleball courts, and they even arrange to have our delightfully nostalgic antique streetlamps hand cleaned! So, I am guessing it's a fine partnership with amazing HOA leadership team combined with the diligence and professionalism of Wilgus...but truly, truly, admire and appreciate how they have created a delightful community like no other....and kept HOA fees reasonable, too! Thank you!

If I could choose zero stars, I would. Our experience with this brokerage was nothing short of…read moreoutrageous. They completely mishandled our vacation rental and treated us with a level of disrespect I've never encountered from any professional service. Without warning, they sent a contractor to the property to begin major construction--in the area where our infant children were sleeping. We received no advance notice and were expected to accommodate loud, disruptive work during what was supposed to be a peaceful family vacation. When we rightfully refused to allow invasive construction during our stay--especially around our babies--we were met with an appalling response: the brokerage told us the homeowner wanted us out of the house immediately. Their communication was last-minute and chaotic, their management of the situation was unprofessional, and their complete disregard for our family's safety and basic decency was stunning. This company clearly prioritizes the homeowner and their own convenience over guest wellbeing. I would strongly advise anyone considering booking through them to look elsewhere--unless you're comfortable being blindsided, disrespected, and kicked out mid-stay for protecting your children. Absolutely disgraceful.

My husband and I worked with Jennifer to purchase our first house, and she was such a joy to work…read morewith. She took the time to get to know us and our priorities in a house. We were pretty set on Takoma Park when we met her, but she encouraged us to consider other areas. Ultimately, we did buy in TKPK, but we felt so much better about this decision after taking the time to compare it to other communities. When we did find the house we wanted, Jennifer was great about building a relationship with the selling agent and then helping us crank out an offer letter that Sunday night we saw the house. She kept good track of everything during the closing process and her charming personality helped smooth over the few bumps in the road we had. Her husband is an expert on fixer-uppers, so while our house was move-in ready, he was a great resource as well. She came highly recommended to us by an agent a co-worker had raved about, and we were not disappointed!

From the owner: Jennifer & Mike specialize in helping buyers and sellers across all market types—including luxury…read morehomes. With extensive experience in the competitive Washington, DC market from 2006 to 2019, they bring deep knowledge and a strong work ethic to Bethany Beach, DE, where they have served clients since 2019. Whether you’re searching for a vacation home or preparing to sell, Jennifer & Mike provide expert guidance tailored to your unique goals.

I understand that South Bethany beach is awesome because I've been renting houses here for years…read more The problem is the companies who manage the rental properties. They would make you think that the home owners of the properties they manage are terrible people that have no interest in maintaining their own homes. In just over two weeks of staying in the same house this summer they didn't repair a broken toilet, bring the appropriate light bulbs for the bathroom, offer any compensation for a bedroom that flooded twice during our trip rendering it unusable for days, replace an empty gas tank for the grill, or repair dangerous bunk beds in the unusable swamp room. There maintenance staff is a full blown clown show that doesn't have an effectively communicating manager. How do I know this? I know this because every time some comes to the house they don't know why they have been dispatched to the house. The bottom line is try and find a house rented by the owner directly so if you have a problem you can contact someone who cares, not resort quest who has a ton of properties and don't care if you ever rent from them again.

Booked this resort May and wanted to cancel because of Covid shelter in place…read more No changes were made to their cancellation policy. It stays the same. If you move your reservation to a later date- high season- you have to pay the rates instead of them just working with you. Many times in the case of a declaration of emergencies, rentals will move you to a later date without charging you extra. This organisation only cares about the bottom dollar.

Do not rent any place from Diane Holoka She does know or care about…read moreCustomer service. She left out very important detail about the Sea Colony Condo resort. That you had to pay $40 per person for resort fee and parking pass.

We rented a house that was advertised as 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It only had one bathroom…read more There was no AC in the bedroom with three beds (you needed to put the two window units in the other bedrooms on max 24 hrs to cool house and bedroom without AC). Musty smell though out the house and it needs a good cleaning under/over/behind. I felt ripped off by Long and Foster who I have used for years for beach rentals.

This place looks like it was chic in 1990…read more The condo smelled very strongly of dog. It was a 2 bedroom unit, however, the toilet in one of the bathrooms over flowed and went into one of the bedrooms so we couldn't use it. For a week. They do not respond to requests for maintenance and do not refund. You get your crappy rental, but then you have to pay extra to use anything like the pool. Do not rent here. Just dont. These aren't good people and the property is shitty

Come here a lot usually pretty good but our last time her, there was a giant mold loaf in the…read morecloset in our room.

Annette Batista at Coldwell Banker in Bethany Beach is a top-notch real estate agent. She patiently…read moreworked with me for seven months in my quest to find the perfect home that supported both my needs for a simpler lifestyle, as well as something that supported my retirement hobbies. She strongly steered me away from properties I initially liked but that would not have been good long term picks for me. And she held my hand throughout the entire buying process, working closely with my mortgage broker, my attorney, the home inspection pros, and the seller's agent. I have never had the level of support Annette provided.

Had a terrible experience when buying a home through them. The agent steered us to an awful finance…read moreperson, did nothing to shepherd the process and pretty much left us to find our way. The closing was a mess but thanks to the attorneys office, it happened. Turns out one of the forms she gave us to sign paid her an extra $450 at our expense. She told us-- by mistake- that it was required. I'd never use them again, for sure!