Marketing and Maintaining Your Whistler Properties: Direct-Rentals
By: Devon OMalley | Posted: 30th November 2006
Owning a Whistler rental property: it’s about realizing a dream. But it’s also about sustaining yourself long enough to enjoy the dream. While some relish the idea of relinquishing control of their real estate investment and letting someone else do the dirty work, others prefer to take matters in to their own hands.
In our last article, we assessed the pros and cons of using a rental manager to handle the ins and outs of renting out your Whistler vacation home. We discussed marketing, emergencies, reservations and commissioned nightly rentals. Of course, using a rental manager is not the only option.
Today, we’ll hit the other end of the spectrum and discuss the parameters of direct-rentals.
Whistler Direct-Rentals: Breaking Down the Expensive Wall Between Owners and Guests
Owner-direct rentals are exactly what they sound like: owners renting their properties directly to Whistler guests. Instead of using a rental manager to entice customers, owners undertake the task themselves. They advertise their property, screen guests, update their reservation calendars, collect payments and are completely responsible for the guests’ experiences in their home.
Owners have complete control over how often a guest rents their property and must employ their own resourcefulness to advertise their vacancies and maintain their property.
The Pros of Trying Direct-Rentals
Many of the pros associated with trying direct-rentals have to do with asserting control over your Whistler property.
- Control over guest screening and enhanced peace of mind
- No fees to pay to a rental manager
- Personalized calendar—only rent when you want to or need to
- Multiple advertising options (unregulated by a strict rental management companies—who often demand your participation with them be exclusive)
- Charge whatever you’d like, and receive 100% of the profits
The Cons of Trying Direct-Rentals
Much like any project undertaken without external support, doing direct-rentals in Whistler can be overwhelming:
- Complete control means more tasks to accomplish and duties to juggle
- Responsibility to process payments, refund damage deposits and field complaints
- Process of attracting and screening guest
- Organizing cleaning rotations, emergency contacts and maintenance
Where Do Homeowners Advertise Their Whistler Properties?
Doing direct-rentals does not necessarily mean relying on word of mouth or community bulletin boards to communicate the availability of your Whistler property. Many owners use online directories to help with the marketing of their properties, and others employ online software to manage their administrative tasks. An example of online directories that support owner-direct rentals include:
- Owner Direct Vacations
- AlluraDirect.com
- Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO)
- Home Away
Each business varies in its commitment to customer service for both Whistler property owners and those looking to book Whistler accommodations. It’s up to you to decide if owner-direct rentals are for you, and whether you’ll need an external business to turn your money making potential into a profitable real estate venture.
Be sure to read our third and final article about Whistler property management, where we outline the pros and cons of owner-assistant rentals in Whistler.
Cory Olsen-Miller is a staff writer with AlluraDirect.com, a vacation-rentals website offering powerful search results and instant booking features for guests and property owners. If you’re a Whistler homeowner, check out our Whistler property management resources and our all-inclusive Whistler vacation rental program.
This article is free for republishing
Printed From: http://www.articlealley.com/article_108992_29.html
Back to the original article
Tags: parameters, pros and cons, profits, complete control, ins and outs, calendars, peace of mind, participation, relish, vacancies, real estate investment, emergencies, spectrum, rental property, vacation home, resourcefulness, dirty work