One often overlooked aspect of a successful short-term vacation rental model is listing management.
What does that mean exactly?
In short, the definition is quite wide in meaning, yet very narrow in results.
Finding success within online travel agency (OTA) listings such as AirBNB, begins with a parallel perspective having the same information, including photos, contact information and so on. Variance in platforms, even social media creates skepticism and lower bookings, or higher vacancies. However you choose to look at it.
Secondly, managing the vacation rentals as a part-time basis (insert the term “side hustle”) isn’t a bad thing. it becomes a nightmare answering guest inquiries, during stay questions, pre/post stay messaging, photography, staging, and cleaning itself deserves a separate and clearly defined article.
Essentially, this side hustle can quickly turn into a full time job where your head is endlessly spinning, and the warm fuzzies of hosting begin the first chapters of an overwhelming nightmare leading to exiting the STR game, or meeting with a realtor.
The solution.
Rather than create a passion project that fails to meet your desired expectation as the owner, hire an expert who takes control over all aspects of your listing, excluding actual ownership.
Property management truly begins with managing owner expectations, filling in the gap as a problem solver, yet your personal guide to find your weekly guests.
Yes, as an added expense, it’s worthy of tax credits with all the pressure off the actual listing taken off the owners mind knowing that the manager has what it takes to boost listings, online presence, and all the little elements that make your property stand out from the competition.
This type of role is often overlooked due to the property owners simply keeping quiet about how, and where they’ve found success in their vacation rental dreams. If this sound all too familiar for you, maybe it’s time for you to look further into having your property managed by someone who knows, and has your best interest at heart as well.
Do you need insight, opinion on the above mentioned elements that create recurring guests? If so, contact us today. We’ll be very respectful of privacy concerns, and will take the needed time to direct an educational process that simple to understand, and easy to implement.