Furnishing a Vacation Rental
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After you close on your property and decide you want to make it a rental the next step is to furnish it correctly. Choosing the correct bedding and furnishings goes a lot further than you would think. Owner properties that put thought and effort into the décor have the highest amount of repeat visitors. If a family chooses your home or condo as its annual vacation destination than that is less effort and money needed to fill it for future years. We also find repeat guests create an emotional bond with properties and tend to treat the home as their own, that translates to less wear and tear. When furnishing a vacation rental there are multiple options. The best thing you can do is know your market and study your competition.
After you close on your property and decide you want to make it a rental the next step is to furnish it correctly. Choosing the correct bedding and furnishings goes a lot further than you would think. Owner properties that put thought and effort into the décor have the highest amount of repeat visitors. If a family chooses your home or condo as its annual vacation destination than that is less effort and money needed to fill it for future years. We also find repeat guests create an emotional bond with properties and tend to treat the home as their own, that translates to less wear and tear. When furnishing a vacation rental there are multiple options. The best thing you can do is know your market and study your competition.
Hire an Interior Designer
_ If you are in a high-end destination with a luxury property than you
may want to go with an interior designer. This is obviously the most
costly option and finding the right designer is key. If you know a
local designer that you know and trust you may want to offer to put them
up in your rental. If you do not know any designers you may want to
walk into a few quality furniture stores in your market. If they do not
have an interior designer on staff they will have one to refer you
too. Lastly you can also take to the web and seek them out on your
own. This is the most risky option since you will not know exactly what
you are getting.
Furnish on your Own
If cost is an issue or you have a passion for design you can always choose to furnish your owner rental property on your own. This option is slightly riskier than hiring an Interior Designer but for the most part is much more affordable. Here are a few key things to keep in mind when selecting your furniture and decor. A rental property is a business and you MUST remove yourself from developing any personal attachment. Select mid-grade furnishing with neural colors and consider the durability. Plan on repainting annually and be sure to add a little charter to each bedroom. Generally vacation home rentals are rented by multiple families or small groups. Everyone wants to have an emotional connection to your property and most guest will choose a room prior to arriving. Why not make it easy? At the very minimum consider painting each room a separate color. Lastly this property does not have to reflect you private home and individual style. Make sure your guest can get excited about staying at your property. With a little homework you can secure more bookings and many more repeat guests, ultimately leading to more revenue.
Time for a Remodel?
Maybe you purchased the home furnished? In major rental markets it's not uncommon for rental properties to be sold to new owners wanting to continue renting the home or condo. A majority of the time the previous owner will exaggerate on how successful they have been. Their first goal is to sell you the property, helping to cash in on the investment is not even remotely on their mind. Just because they told you something works doesn't make it fact. When you first visit the rental pretend you are renting it for yourself. What is missing? What would you like to see? A majority of time you will find room for improvement immediately. Something simple that is often missed when upgrading a rental property is electronics. Even discount hotel chains offers free internet and flat screen televisions. If you do not have these, you are leaving money on the table. We are not telling you to run out and remodel your kitchen or anything drastic. Study the basics and plan on spending a portion of your take every year on maintaining your rental property.
Go Above and Beyond
So now you know the basics. The information above is enough to help point you in the direction of successfully furnishing your vacation rental. If you are reading this as a review or are wanting to earn the most money possible, then you will want to consider going the extra mile- and this is that mile! We briefly touched on electronics above but can not stress how something so simple is so important. Flat screen televisions have never been so affordable. Make sure every common area and bedroom is equipped with a cable or satellite connected flat screen TV. Also you will want to consider adding a blue ray or streaming Netflix to the main living area television. You must also market your vacation rental with these amenities. Having them and not telling potential guests is a waste. Internet is required and if you do not have it you are loosing on both potential and repeat guest
