Tourism brings in around $3 billion per year in Brevard County.
If you own a residential property on the Space Coast, these kinds of numbers should pique your interest. Renting out your home to vacationers is one of the easiest and best ways to make extra income. When you do it right, you may even be able to turn your property into a lucrative investment.
It does require a lot of work to pull off, however. In today's post, we'll help you out by giving you some home sharing tips. Keep reading and you'll know exactly what you need to do to turn your home into an attractive vacation property.
Prep Your Home
When you're renting out your property to vacationers, the first thing to do is prepare the space. The goal is to secure a steady stream of guests, but it'll be hard to do that if the home looks lived in.
Remove all personal items and family photos from the house. This will make guests feel more comfortable and that the space is theirs while they're renting it.
You should also think about what amenities your guests might like. It doesn't have to be anything drastic, even stocking the pantry with locally sourced goods can make guests feel welcomed.
Take Property Marketing Seriously
Learning how to attract guests takes time. When you're starting, you'll be up against dozens of established vacation properties with lots of guest reviews.
It's important to take property marketing seriously. Take lots of professional-quality real estate photos of the unit and write a detailed listing that describes the home, as well as the local area.
Armed with a great listing, post it on the rental platform of your choosing. If need be, you can even invest in things like SEO and paid ads to put your listing in front of more people.
Set Competitive Prices
Another way to attract guests at first is to offer competitive pricing. Research the competition and make sure you set reasonable nightly rates in comparison.
A good rule of thumb is to use sliding scale pricing. Brevard County is always busy with tourists, but there are slower and busier seasons. Lower your rates when it's slow and bring them up when it's busy to keep vacancies down.
The Guest Experience
Securing guests is only one part of your job. Once they're in the unit, the other part of your job is to make sure the guest experience is on point.
Be communicative with your guests before they check in to make that process as seamless as possible. Make sure they know you're available for questions throughout the stay, but don't be overbearing.
Lastly, when happy guests check out, make sure they leave you a positive review. Having lots of good reviews will make it easier to secure guests in the future.
Home Sharing Tips That Work
These are home sharing tips that work. As you secure more and more guests, however, running the rental will be more like a full-time job. In this scenario, the best thing to do is hire a vacation rental manager.
At PMI Brevard, we're among the top vacation rental management firms in the state. We can help you with everything from marketing to guest management, so contact us today to find out more.
