Marie R. Ferguson, author of "Breaking all the Rules: How to Rent Your Vacation Home". An expert landlord of vacation rentals with over twenty years of experience in the financial and real estate industry. For more tips and Marie's book visit http://www.howtorentvacationhomes.com
Check out these seven tips to help vacation rental homeowners:
Tip 1: Check your blankets, pillows, towels and linens. Is it time to replace the sheets, bath towels and dish towels? If so, throw out the "tired" ones and replace them with soft and "fluffy" towels. As for sheets, better quality usually means longer use. Check the pillows for yellowing and stains. Yellowed or stained pillows could indicate bacteria and should be replaced. Be sure to clean the blankets often and leave extra blankets and pillows, linens and towels for your guests to use if needed.
Tip 2: Take a walk around your property to see if it needs any painting. Try new colors to give it a special uplift! You and your guests will enjoy the newness of freshly painted rooms. And, don't forget the outside. Check for peeling paint and rotted wood. It is always good to take care of our property, not just for today's enjoyment but for future value as well.
Tip 3: Create new business cards for your rental property. Hand them out to everyone you come in contact with. For friends and relatives, ask them if they would be kind enough to give them out to their friends and business contacts. Give out referral fees to encourage bookings.
Tip 4: When screening your renters, find out if they will be celebrating a special occasion during their stay at your vacation home. If so, write it down on your calendar as a reminder for when they arrive. Upon arrival, have a bottle of champagne waiting for anniversaries, a candy or fruit basket for a birthday or free tickets to a local fair for any celebration. These are just suggestions, but my point is, be thoughtful and kind to your renters and they will become repeaters year after year. If you have repeat renters each year, you will save your time and money trying to get a different party to rent your vacation home. My advice is to keep your renters happy! Good luck!
Tip 5: Create an online property listing. If you have one already, you may want to give it a face-lift.
Tip 6: Before your guests arrive, check your notes to see if they are bringing along any children. Find out their ages and look for pamphlets in your area for that age group. Leave the appropriate ones out on your counter with a friendly note saying: "Here are some fun things to do in the area. Enjoy Your Stay!" and sign your name as owner. Your guests will not only appreciate having the pamphlets but will also remember how you took a personal interest in them to do such a nice thing. And, they will go home and talk about you and your vacation rental to their family and friends. This is a great way to get repeat guests and referrals.
Tip 7: Take time to go through your rental properties to make sure everything is working correctly. Check batteries: smoke detectors, clock. radio, flashlights, hand held remotes (tv, dvd player, play station etc.) Check kitchen appliances to make sure they are all in good working order. For more tips http://www.howtorentvacationhomes.com
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