The shifting sands underlying this summer's rentals

A few advertisements for Cape Cod summer homes posted online recently tempt potential renters with such teases as "adorable," "Town Neck Cutie!," and "Falmouth Harbor beauty" and more telling signs of these troubled times: "Reduced" and "Priced Right!"

Another ad, for two adjoining cottages in New Seabury that together have eight bedrooms and rent for $3,000 a week, was more blunt: "Beat the recession."

"My place can sleep up to 20 people," owner Don Gracy said of his two-cottage offer. "This is the year people want to get together. They don't want to give up their vacation. And this is a good solution . . . because they can split the costs."

Indeed, vacation rentals, which have long been considered bargains because you have a whole house, often for less per night than the price of nearby hotels, seem a particularly tempting option this year. In New England, rental agents say the mid-market units - those that rent for about $1,200-$2,000 a week - are so far slower to book for upcoming summer months than in years past.

"It's the people who are worried about losing their jobs who want to hold off. Their friends have been laid off, or their neighbors," said Audrey Miller, who for 16 years has rented homes and cottages in midcoast Maine through her business, Cottage Connection of Maine.

Miller is confident that bookings will be strong by later this spring, but others already are seeing signs that owners are nervous, and willing to bargain.

"A lot of people are panicking, and they are giving away those weeks," said Carol Coholan, of Cape Cod USA Real Estate, who listed several ads promoting discounted prices.

The vacation rental market, though, is vast and varied, and whether deals are available will depend on what type of rental you want, and where. Some segments, particularly more expensive homes and those in the most desired spots, are still booking strongly, and often at prices higher than last year.

David Boyce, of Westborough, said his house in Chatham is rented for all but two late-summer weeks, for $1,800 a week, slightly more than last year.

"We had no price pressure," Boyce said.

Yet Jillian Hansen of Long Island is trying to speed business along with the property she and her family rent out in Brewster. She dropped the price to $1,600 a week, down a couple of hundred from last year, and is willing to deal if needed.

"I still think that in June we could put it on Craigslist at $1,200 a week and get somebody to rent it," Hansen said.

Bob Barnes, CEO of Zonder, which handles rental bookings for Orbitz and other companies, said that some New England rental owners benefited this ski season from the economic downturn. With people less willing to fly to Colorado and other Western spots, they sought accommodations in the Northeast. That same trend should increase rental interest in New England this summer, Zonder said. At the same time, though, there are more properties available to rent. Many national agencies Zonder works with are offering as many as 10 or 20 percent more property listings, as homeowners who normally keep second homes for their own use are trying to make money during difficult times.

Kathy Harris, of Century 21 Lakes Region Vacation Rentals, in New Hampshire, said the soft home sales market there has left owners holding those homes longer than they had expected.

"We have people renting their homes for two to four weeks just to pay some bills," Harris said.

Ted Widmayer, an owner of two wooded rental properties near Boothbay Harbor in Maine that are booked through Cottage Connection, pointed out that the Internet has accelerated the booking of properties, and that even a decade ago most cottages weren't listed for rent until weeks before summer. "We wouldn't start advertising until Memorial Day," Widmayer said.

Widmayer's properties are already booked for 12 summer weeks, and he is confident the rest will fill easily.

Even Hansen, who has discounted her asking price in Brewster, said none of the renters answering her ad have asked for a discount. But that's a tactic she plans to try herself in the coming weeks, when she looks for a house to rent on Fire Island for a bachelorette party with friends.

"I'm going to call all the places on VRBO and offer less money," Hansen said. "It doesn't hurt to ask."

So log on and find a wide selection at such sites as VRBO.com and homeaway.com. At Craigslist, there are up to 70 new listings daily for the Cape alone.

Rental agents say they are confident that as summer nears, people will decide it is worth spending precious dollars to get away.

"Our customers who come up here, they need this vacation. Serious downtime with loved ones," said Miller. "When it comes down to it, I think people will book it."

Or, as Coholan puts it: "A vacation is cheaper than a psychiatrist."

Tom Haines can be reached at thaines@globe.com.