If you’re thinking about purchasing an investment property in Sunriver or you already have, you’re probably wondering how you can recoup your investment and make your new home-away-from-home stand out to potential guests.
There are many things that you can do to make sure your space is vacation-worthy to strangers and maximize your investment. We’ve whittled it down to the six most important tips for those starting out on this journey.
1. Make sure everything is in working order
This is the first and most important step to take before opening your property up to potential guests. If anything is broken, malfunctioning, or just plain ugly, your first guests won’t hesitate to write a scathing review and leave future travelers wary. It can be an uphill battle to remedy the situation and then solicit enough reviews to push the negative ones down the list. Even if you’re able to, your average will still suffer in the long term.
2. Professionally decorate
Unless you’re a professional decorator yourself, you’re going to want to hire one. Vacationers often book rentals based on the aesthetic alone, and by bypassing this important step, you’re automatically positioning yourself with the lower performing half of rental properties.
We recommend browsing Houzz or Pinterest for ideas to get a sense of your own taste before reaching out to a local decorating company. That said, Sohie and Saba, the famous professional decorating sibling duo, recommend considering your guests’ needs and desires over your own personal preferences.
Additionally, if the house has a unique feature, or you have eclectic decorating, you might have the potential to make your property stand out or even garner media attention.
3. Don’t skimp on professional photos
If this checklist is starting to sound expensive, that’s because it is. Investing in a new property is no small feat. If it’s not done properly, you risk it taking longer to see a return on your investment. So, we cannot emphasize this enough: immediately hire a professional photographer if you don’t want to catapult your property to the bottom half of search results. We recommend booking one well in advance to avoid delays in getting your rental property online.
4. Stock the kitchen
Besides broken amenities, nothing will irritate your guests quicker than realizing that they don’t have the tools they need to cook a proper meal. Because their brains are in vacation mode, they will likely hit the store for their ingredients before double-checking that your kitchen is well-appointed enough to cook their entrées. Don’t let them down with sparse utensils or supplies!
5. Upgrade your entertainment
While this could be categorized as optional, planning for your guests’ entertainment will quickly win them over. Here are a few suggestions: Add surround sound stereo, get a large TVwith HDMI cables and hook them up to the latest apps, and stock the cupboards with games.
6. Hire the right team
As a property management company, we cannot stress enough the importance of hiring the right team. When it comes to your guests, they expect a flawlessly clean property with well-functioning amenities, as well as prompt service if any issues do arise. The right property management company will help guide you through the above steps, advertise your property on all the right platforms, and make sure your guests are well taken care of, often with 24/7 service.
Don’t leave your investment to chance! Hire a good property manager right away.