Earlier the better when it comes to renting down the shore

OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Presidents Day weekend used to be a busy time for people to take a trip down the shore and scout out potential summer rentals.

But it appears times have changed.

"As every year goes on and on, people are booking their vacations earlier," said Frank Shoemaker, a broker with Berger Realty.

Earlier as in... the previous year.

"We had the most rentals we had ever booked prior to the first of the year already. In my opinion, I think people tend to, because of our smartphones, and our ability to book vacations relatively quickly, tend to do it during the week and leave their weekends to spend time with their families," said Shoemaker.

But don't worry: if you haven't booked yet, there are still options.

"There's always rentals available. There's always inventory. You have your peak weeks that are going to be full. So, if you're looking to rent something, and you know, end of July or early August, you really need to get on top of that as soon as possible," said Shoemaker.

And Shoemaker says to make sure you carefully choose how you are renting. Though rare at the shore, scams can happen.

"We will have people that said 'I rented this online, not through a real estate company,' and they'll show up at our door to say, 'you know the property isn't even there.' We listen to what people need and can really put you in the right place. And when you're on vacation, if there is any issue or anything comes up, we'll do our best to try to help you out the best we can," said Shoemaker.

And like most things nowadays, rentals are not immune to rising costs, but Shoemaker says they are seeing a leveling of prices from the last few years.

"Everybody needs a vacation, and everybody wants a vacation, so you may adjust your vacation plans, but I think a lot of people will not forego their vacation," said Shoemaker.

So the bottom line: if you're still looking, don't wait.

"We get new properties throughout the course of the year. So they will come. But if they're really nice properties, they also book really quickly," said Shoemaker.