Green Shag Carpet - Renter Must Rake Daily!
Posted in Vacation Rentals and Furnished Homes By John Foxworthy, Tuesday, May 6, 2008.“You never mentioned Green Shag Carpet!” - “You never asked!”
Vacation homeowners and managers remember that our guests are on VACATION and property descriptions need to be accurate. Some people vacation once a month while others save enough to vacation one time annually or once in a lifetime. No matter the frequency of travel it is imperative that expectations are set up front as to the vacation accommodations and experience to be had at an advertised vacation home. You can set the expectations of those visiting your vacation rental and prevent a lot of heartache for everyone.
How can you set the expectations? First - keep it real. If you have a condo in the heart of the city next to rail road tracks it’s not appropriate to advertise “rural getaway, peaceful and quiet”. Don’t advertise your kitchen as a “chefs delight” or “cook up a storm” if it you would be lucky to find a pan to boil water. Do you really have a vacation rental for people seeking a quiet location or a those looking to prepare gourmet meals?
It is tempting for owners and managers to embellish advertising. Don’t do it! It will only create heartache and grief for everyone. Vacationers will arrive to take in the incredible views you have described only to find that their dream vacation rental is tucked in the middle of a highrise condo development and the only view to be had is if you stand on your tippy toes in the guest bathroom. Not acceptable. You will get phone calls to complain about your advertising, lose repeat business and worse yet - receive bad press. If travelers like your vacation condo they will tell a few friends. If they are not happy with your exaggerated claims they will tell many people about how misleading your ad is.
Put yourself in the shoes of the vacationer. Many have planned for a long time to find the perfect vacation getaway - Yours. They have searched vacation rental websites for days on end, clicking on the photos of your rental ad many times and imagining how great it will be to stay at your place. Most guests have traveled many miles, they are tired, hungry and in no mood for surprises. If your cleaning crew has properly prepared the home, it smells fresh, a light is on in the home, and a small welcome snack or gift is waiting for your weary vacationers then you will be off to a great start with your guests. Even better if there are no trains rattling the house at 2 a.m. Accurate descriptions and a small unexpected perk can go a long way in successful vacation rental management.
Respond quickly to email inquiries and phone inquiries with accurate information. Most owners and managers are excited to talk about their vacation rentals and provide excellent descriptions and great area tips. Owners and managers should be asking good questions and listening. ”What is the purpose of your visit? Vacation or business? What is most important for your stay - Views? Heated Pool? Wireless internet? The Kitchen? King beds? and the list goes on. Ask good questions and tell it like it is!
It works both ways - A few words to vacationers and travelers. You have responsibilities too. Ask good questions, make clear requests, have realistic expectations and listen. For example if the listing has a check mark in the box next to “Pool Available” don’t just assume the home has the pool you have been dreaming about -You should be asking “is it heated, is it private or community, heated to what temperature (some like it like bath water and some like it refreshing), in ground or above ground, gated, alarmed, suited for children, is there a spa too, scheduled pool service and….” The same goes for renting a budget vacation rental. Don’t expect to have daily maid service, polished shoes, a personal chef and a daily massage.
Own a beach house that is located on miles of private white sandy beaches? By all means you toot your horn and let everyone know that the beach house is….yes, located on miles of private white sandy beaches. If your vacation condo has green shag carpet and is a bit out dated then say so and price it accordingly. The expectations will be set, the price will be right and everyone will get what they expect.
Vacation Rental Listing -“Cozy retro condo, furnished, enjoy lush Green Shag Carpet - renters must agree to rake daily!” Expectations are set.
Renters Reaction, “Honey, I love the Green Shag Carpet! It’s so retro!” Hey, if the price is right and my wife expects Green Shag Carpet - then it’s all good! ”Where’s the rake?”
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Submitted by John Foxworthy on May 7, 2008 - 4:56pm.
We are witnessing a fairly dramatic increase in the market place for vacation rentals by owner. Just take a peek at some of the "Big Boy" vacation rental by owner sites and you will see a surge in the number of "vacation rentals" that are now coming to market.
Reality check has arrived for many owners - Two common phrases that we hear almost daily - "this place is not going to sell" or "I'm not selling at that price!" Many owners have opted to not only rent out their properties, but to rent them out as vacation rentals. We have seen the number of VRBO listings in our city go from about 50 to over 250! There will be price pressure to be sure.
All the more reason for vacation rental owners to bring your A game! Of course some of us will need to slice and dice rental rates or offer bigger incentives to keep vacancies to a minimum. So what does "bringing your A Game" look like in the world of furnished home rentals?
Let's revisit why you even need an "A Game" anyway. Just take note of the VRBO vacation rentals by owner website. It's big and has done a great job over the years branding itself. Now take a look at San Diego by itself! Not including all the outlying areas in San Diego County with nearly 30 more cities, the San Diego vacation rental listings total about 250. Chances are the owners are paying about $300 on average annually for their listing on VRBO. You had better bring your A Game or you are going to get lost in the maze!
The A game will get you better results and does not take a huge leap in effort. #1 Perhaps the most important factor is great photos! Remember that visitors are searching and if the images are blurry or worse yet not there it is game over. So no matter where you have your property listed - including your personal website - upload great photos.
Tip of the day - here is where we see the biggest errors owners make in uploading images. The image files are TOO SMALL - many times owners are in a mad dash to copy and paste info from their personal site to a vacation rental directory.
A common rule that you really need to be aware of when it comes to uploading images to websites. The webmaster can always make a big image smaller and more clear - he or she can't make a small image bigger and more clear. Digital images can go from big to small but not small to big. You control the quality of the images!
Often image files that we see are blurry because they are copies and even 2nd or 3rd generation copies such as thumbnails or small images from a personal website. If you want great photos - use BIG image files. It takes a few seconds more to do but it helps separate you from the competition and remember the competition is coming on strong! At Furnishedhomes.com you can email us bigger files if you do not like the way photos appear.
#2 Update your rates, your availability calendars and descriptions. With increased competition it may even be a necessary move to expand your "slow-season" rates. For example, if you are in the desert Southwest it is getting warmer earlier this year and more people are vacation rental landlords this year - you may want to adjust your slow season to include the month of May and September too? If you are in your peak season and see a slow down in reservations you may need to adjust your price to make it compelling for visitors. Make rates competitive - "Wow that place looks great and at that price I don't care how much GAS is - I am going on vacation!" (a bit of drama for affect)
#3 Respond quickly to your inquiries. Perhaps the demand is still fantastic in your area, however, with the vacation rental markets getting more crowded it may be that you need to get back to inquiries quickly. Some of us may have had the luxury of sitting on a lead for a couple of days and now that has changed a bit. Make it easy for visitors to contact you - phone numbers, contact owner forms and personal website links.
#4 Advertise, advertise and advertise- take advantage of quality sites that will present your property in a professional manner at reasonable rates. Some very good vacation rentals sites are available for $50 to $99 annual.
Short story - It's a vacationer and travelers market for accommodations. Owners present your properties and market them effectively. Travelers enjoy some great savings on great destinations and vacation rentals! Down go the sales and up go the rentals!
Submitted by John Foxworthy on May 7, 2008 - 5:03pm.
Internet Access - Come on! We're on Vacation! You can do without the internet for a week - Can't You?
Not according to vacationers and travelers who, like most of us, are ADDICTED to being ONLINE. A week without the internet can be an eternity for some. Many of us can't go through a 24 hour period without logging on to at least check our email. We tap the internet for banking, news, email, business, booking airline tickets and rental cars, stock prices, Google Maps and finding vacation rentals.
If you do not offer internet access to your guests, someone else will. Most of us are not willing to go without the internet on vacation and neither are your potential renters. Yes, there are vacation rentals that offer that "unplugged" experience. Even in these remote areas you will still find a traveler who is urgently trying to find a "hotspot" and tap in to the internet. Just like the Robin William's character in the movie R.V. The sales executive who desperately needs to send a file from his laptop. This character will do anything to find a strong enough signal to use his wireless card. Even to a point of risking injury, standing atop a roof and on one foot to try to dial in the elusive internet signal.
Internet access is no longer a luxury amenity but a standard feature. You can secure more reservations for your rentals by offering direct internet access. Many travelers and vacationers will skip over vacation rental listings that do not offer internet access. In addition, many guests require a wireless connection. Often this is done with a wireless router and allows multiple visitors to access the internet with laptops from anywhere in the home. Here are some very simple instructions for setting up a wireless router in your vacation rentals.
Are you missing out on reservations because you do not offer internet access. YES! Travelers have become accustomed to hotels, coffee shops, libraries and malls that offer free internet access. The internet connection will cost you about $30 to $50 per month more, however, increased bookings can more than make up for the cost. You may want to build the extra fees into your rates. Internet Access - Come on! You can do without it for week? Oh, Really? - Just try it!