Often, renting a vacation home to tourists is the only way owners can afford to purchase and enjoy it themselves. Maintaining and marketing a property for rental requires a higher level of commitment that just having family members enjoy it. Whether you’ve listed your property with a real estate agency for vacation rentals, an online website for direct rental or depend on referrals for rentals, take the extras steps as recommended by real estate professionals to ramp up the volume of rentals.
Take a critical assessment of the condition of your property. Address all deferred maintenance items before putting it on the rental market. Take advantage of the awesome deals offered by Groupon coupons and head to Home Depot to purchase items on your list to complete necessary repairs. Ensure that the property has been professionally cleaned. Give special attention to bathrooms and the kitchen. Actually sleep in each of the beds. Quality mattresses are critical if you hope to have repeat rentals. If you offer extra amenities such as grills, beach chairs or bicycles, ensure that these are in proper working condition. Either hire a landscaping company to maintain the lawn and gardens, or commit to doing this on a weekly basis during the rental season.
Take multiple photos of the property on the interior as well as the exterior. Many websites and rental agencies have questionnaires for home owners to complete to ensure accurate descriptions of amenities, bedroom counts an configurations. If possible, include additional content describing the unique benefits of this home, its proximity to the beach, ski lifts or city center. Ensure that all of your contact information is correct and commit to responding to inquiries as timely as possible. Often when prospective renters are looking for a property, they’ll make several selections and commit to the first owner that responds to their inquiry.
Following these suggestions will increase the odds of multiple rentals throughout the rental season. You might just enjoy your vacation more knowing the tourists are helping pay for your home. Best of luck to you!