Fill your vacation home bookings!

If you own a investment vacation home in Florida, Hilton Head, or some other coastal vacation spot, you are probably taking a serious look at your availability calendar right about now. By this time most vacationers have long since booked with their "usual place," and you are down to those who are looking for a change or who have decided on a whim to take a vacation this spring break or summer. This is the perfect opportunity for you to win over some new folks. Here are a few things you can do to woo your new "regular."

1. Refresh your the space

Giving your investment vacation home a fresh look can fit into any budget you set. Depending on your needs, you could go simple and replace some lamps and rugs, or you could go all out and really give your beach house a makeover. You don't have to go for the whole thing ... just a few changes like these owners made can create a huge difference!

Source

2. Stage it for vacationers

Take a page from the book of professional Realtors, who have long known the benefits of staging a home for selling. Some of the pre-work associated with the staging is perhaps the most beneficial: decluttering, deep cleaning, and adding light to the space. Just because you're not selling doesn't mean you aren't "selling" your home ... your customer is simply purchasing your home for a shorter period of time. Check out this link for a list of benefits to staging your home.

3. Update photos on your websites

Take a good, hard look at how you advertise your beach home. Many, many vacation rental websites have outdated software and photos, and they may be a reflection on your beach rental. At least update them with larger, hi resolution depictions of a vacation home (your vacation home) that will promise them a stay in a freshly updated home that will truly feel like the luxury vacation home they are searching for.

Vacation Rentals by Owner - Don't do this!

I told you I would do a post on what not to do if you are on the deed side of a vacation rental by owner, because its important for beach home owners to get feedback from those who rent. All to often, renters will simply find a better place to stay next time around instead of complaining, and beach home owners are left scratching their heads as to why they don't get repeat customers and their calendar is turning whiter and whiter as the "available" slots seem to multiply.

 Truth is, all the little touches in the world can not make up for these  egregious mistakes. Experience has taught me that simply owning a beach home does not necessarily make one good at it. Here is a list of 7 things you want to avoid doing after you check the listings of beach homes for sale.


1. Don't fail to make repairs/updates on an older home. Be assured that beach vacationers have many, many choices and most folks want to stay on a place that is nicer than the home they left, with at least the same amenities. Make sure the showers are running properly, the sliding doors open easily, and the televisions are flat. Don't make your guests feel that they've downgraded, or every single day will feel like a punishment because they do not have the things they are accustomed to.




2. Don't assume your management company (if you have one) is going to continuously do a good job unless you check up on them. If you cannot make it to the property yourself occasionally, have a neighbor check in for you, or solicit feedback from your most recent guests. Some management companies have a fantastic reputation and work hard to keep it, but some companies fall victim to human nature of laziness when it comes to repairs and cleaning, and unless you speak to the guests or have some other way of checking, you will only know something is wrong when its too late.

3. Don't falsely advertise your home. I kid you not when I tell you that we once stayed in this one floor home with broken sliding doors out to the pool (we had a toddler) and old fashioned, poorly working televisions described in the listing as a mansion. The entire house was a disappointment for many reasons, the first of which was because I was expecting so much in the first place. The description had the opposite effect the owner intended. If only they had told us we were getting a modest home on the gulf, I could have overlooked so many flaws and focused instead in the great location.

The "Mansion"

4. Don't fail to update the decor. Be prepared to spend a little money on some new sofas, lighting bedding, and rugs.  Like Don't #1, you need to remember that your guests are looking to stay in a place that feels new, upgraded, posh, and even luxurious. If your guests sleep in a bed that squeaks with a comforter that looks like it came from Goodwill, you can guarantee they will be staying elsewhere next year. It's worth the investment. This room could really look fabulous with a few stylish pieces to update the décor.

Why settle for this?

When it could be this?

5. Don't forget that you are in the customer service department.  If you or your management company are slow to respond to requests or complaints, or have otherwise poor customer service, you might not only lose your current client, but you also turn away all the potential clients that they could send your way. People talk; and I know I would gladly recommend a beach home to my many friends looking for something new if I, myself, enjoyed the stay.

6. Don't neglect the outdoors. Upgrade your patio furniture to standards commensurate with your interior furnishings. Clean up your landscaping. Add to your usable square footage by improving your "outdoor rooms" both visually and functionally. This plain, ordinary patio could feel like an extra amenity with a rug and some outdoor bar furniture. Check out our Pinterest Board called Outdoor Rooms for some inspiration.

7. Don't forget you are in the sales/marketing department. Consider how you can set yourself above everyone else; package your beach home rental in beautiful packaging, and tie it with a bow. You are selling an experience. Show that in your descriptions, your photos, your small touches. Don't expect your guests to know the gem you have created if you can't communicate it effectively.  I have a feeling, based on the updated furniture and décor, that this condo it actually quite stylish, but the photos don't do it justice at all!  It looks dark and small and not the chic space this owner has created and wants his/her potential clients to salivate over.

This tip is last because once you follow all my advice above, you'll want to convey it to your potential clients and see the bookings start rolling in.  Let StylishBeachHome.com help you!

Vacation Rentals by Owner: What to DO

This is for the folks that own beach houses for rent.

Far too often, when my own family takes a vacation to a beach, we are disappointed with what we can find in the way of luxurious beach homes.  Either pickings are slim in the first place, or the photos and description are deceiving.  Since we like to try new places every time we vacation, finding new beaches, the process has become a little bit of trial and error, hit and miss.

This post is an example of what to DO.  (DON'T is coming in a few days, as well as a checklist of things your guests wish you would stock in your beach house).

Owner: Robert Melton  Photos Courtesy of Home Away.  See the full listing here.

I feel pretty confident that this one looks great in the photos AND in real life. 

Wouldn't you be pretty optimistic at this point?

It's the perfect place for my large family, and it would be the perfect place for several families to meet on vacation because there is room to move. What impresses me about this home is that they clearly put in a lot of effort to make it attractive.  They have kept it updated.  I can even respect how they have mixed a rustic look with a bit of a cape cod style here.

Kitchens are important, and should be treated as such. This, sadly, is not always the case.  See the new appliances; the beautiful light fixtures?  This owner has hit the mark!

Ahh the Master Bedroom.  This is the retreat your guests will be searching for when not at the beach.

I am certainly paying attention when I see the details here -- claw foot tub, sconces.  They even went the extra mile with the faucets.


Perhaps if this were the home you lived in all year round, you might fill it a little more. But if you rent it out all year, it's the right amount of "stuff." Your guests will feel that you made an effort to warm the place up a bit, but without clutter. There is still plenty of room for all those suitcases and extra things that will come with the guests.

Now come down the hall this way ...

Because I have another bedroom with a bathroom to show you.  Orange!  I love orange.  I love that they picked something bright to show off their beach house.  It doesn't all have to be light blues and seashells.

I really love the sconces in this bathroom.

Another well-done bath/shower combination, probably on the first level.

 Another brightly done room!

Are you ready to go outside?  Well, this is semi-outside.  This sunroom gives you all the benefits of outside without the bugs and heat.  It even has a hammock.  It's an easy way to make your sunroom unique without breaking the bank.

And now the grand finale ... the pool.  This owner has provided comfortable furniture in a spectacular setting, with plants and ...

An outdoor shower!  I can't quite place where this is from the photos (perhaps down the stairs and around), but it's clearly outdoors.  It's clearly a well-done shower.  I'm impressed.

This set up will convince your guests to come back often, stay longer, and bring friends.

Pride of ownership really shines through in this home, and I predict as long as the owners keep this up, they will have not problem keeping it rented.  Many people own beach homes to vacation in them a few times a year, but face it -- the renting pays the bills and makes it an investment.  DON'T shoot yourself in the foot by expecting your guests to keep returning to a sub-par place.  DO fill it with beautiful things and thoughtful touches.  It will pay off.