Thursday, October 16, 2014
What makes a GREAT vacation rental?
The Difference Between good and GREAT Vacation Rentals
According to design and architecture magazine, Freshome’s
article How
to Create a Great Vacation Rental Property, there are two types of
vacation rental properties. “Those that are used by the owners, and
those that are not. Often those used by the owners are favored as they tend to
be kept cleaner, more up to date and feel more like a home away from home.” We believe this truly makes a difference
between what is a good rental that rents but maybe isn’t booked solid and one
that is GREAT and is booked two years out.
When you own a house
by the shore or in the mountains for that matter, many times to afford
this second home you must rent it out.
Or maybe you purchased it solely as an investment property and a rental
opportunity and don’t plan to use it yourself.
Regardless of the circumstance both owners have one goal in mind – to maximize
bookings. In order to do this you need
more than a good rental – you need a GREAT one.
The
Basics of GREAT Vacation Rentals
No one wants to rent a vacation home that looks like it could be
your grandmother’s house. It is
Wear and Tear
 |
| Coastal Girl's Bedroom |
It is a fact that wear and tear
will happen. Spills happen, things will
get broken and worn down. These things
happen at home and you can be sure they will happen in a vacation rental as
well. Owners need to accept this and
prepare for it. Purchasing quality
furniture will hold up longer and be a better investment in the end. For one thing the quality is there so it is
going to last longer but also, it is going to look better which will appeal to
renters.
While white and neutral colors may look great, keep in mind they
aren’t so great for stains. Using color
and pattern can help with this in your upholstery. Also people tend to expect to see color in
vacation homes. The color and pattern
creates warmth and that homey atmosphere.
You want your potential renters to feel like their family and friends
will be comfortable in the home.
Stage It
You will be marketing this
home. Just like realtors recommend
staging a home you have on the market to sale you need to approach your rental
in this way as well. Be sure you have
wall décor artfully arranged. Keep
family photos to a bare minimum if out at all.
Add throw pillows to the sofa and beds.
And take pictures, lots and lots of pictures.
If you’re not handy with a
camera then consider hiring a professional to come in and shoot the home. Lighting is important here and the pro will
be able to make every room look fantastic with extra lighting. We know this seems like it may be expensive
but remember, how are people going to rent your home? More than likely it is going to be posted on
a website and pictures will be uploaded.
The more photos you have the more confident potential renters will feel
about booking.
Stage the photos. Have a
cutting board on the kitchen counter with fresh fruit and vegetables ready to
Keep it CLEAN!
This is imperative in getting
repeat bookings. Potential renters may
not see less than perfect paint or grimy countertops in photos online but you
can bet they will notice them when they enter the home. Be sure the first impression is a good
one! Keep paint and caulk fresh and all appliances in good shape. Check up on the cleaning company
you hire to take care of your rental and be sure they’re doing a good job.
Market It
There are a couple of points
here. One you need to remember that you
are not only competing with all the other vacation homes in the area but the
condos and hotels. Your vacation home
has to stand out to get the booking and the way it will is by having a great
looking vacation home and providing great service. By great service we mean managing bookings
and responding quickly to inquiries and any repair issues that might arrive
while the guest is in the home.
You have to sell it. Your listing needs to be written in a manner
that will attract bookings. According to
a blog post by Evolve Vacation Rental – 6
Vacation Rental Marketing Tips to Increase Bookings, “a study by FlipKey found that travelers are
83% more likely to inquire about property listings that contain over 20 photos.” It makes the potential renter feel
comfortable in renting a space they’ve never been to before and all those
photos are going to help you rank higher on vacation rental sites. Be descriptive and back up what you say with
photos of your beautiful vacation home. Don’t
forget to show the view the house has but be honest! Renters will not be happy if the view photo
turns out to have been taken from somewhere else or with a super duper
telephoto lens.
Follow up. Send a quick
thank you to renters after their stay and ask if you can reserve their space
for next year. Book them while they’re
still feeling all relaxed and happy from the stay and ask them for a review of
the property.
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