There are many reasons that second homes in recreational areas can be difficult to sell "by owner." Sometimes it's a lack of access - the home is behind a gated community and it's difficult for would-be buyers to get in. Other times financing can be tough (although it's getting easier) requiring owners to carry back some mortgage paper.

The biggest problem, however, is usually the difficulty in contacting good prospects and showing them the property. After all whether you're 50 or 500 miles away from your second home, it's not like you can shoot down there and open it up for every buyer who calls.

In the last few years, however, a new opportunity for sellers of second homes has opened up. It involves a new technology and a variety of websites. The new technology is digital imaging and the websites are online listers as well as sites that allow you to post images.

Here's how it works.

You use your digital camera (units perfect for Internet image-taking are now available for under $100) to take numerous shots of your home and its recreational area. You take exteriors and interiors. You shoot vistas of the mountain, lake or other amenity that makes it such a wonderful place. You have shots of snow in winter, boating in summer, bar-be-cuing in the late afternoon, sunrises, sunsets and so on. Then you post ALL these images on a website such as www.Kodakgallery.com or www.shutterfly.com or any of hundreds of similar sites. Many of these sites will let you post 50 or more of your own images.

Now, you list on a good "by owner" website such as Owners.com and you pick out the five BEST shots of your property and its surroundings. You post these as well as a thorough description of your property and its specs. You get a sign (which any good "by owner" listing site should provide) and you place it on the property. (The sign should refer would-be buyers to the listing website.)

In addition you do the usual things to help generate interest in the property such as advertising in both local (to the property) newspapers as well as those in distant cities where second-home buyers might reside.

Finally, when someone calls or emails you for more information about your home, you refer them to the site where you have all of those wonderful images. If a single picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what 50 or a 100 pictures are worth!

This technique has saved sellers from having to move into their second homes for a few months in order to sell them. It has saved them from having to list with an agent in order to show every wannabe buyer the property. It has helped them to make contact with solid purchasers.

Once the would-be buyer has seen all the images and now wants to look at the property, you can make arrangements to show it. After all, you should now have a solid, even likely-to-buy, prospect.