You spent a perfect weekend in the north Georgia mountain cabin. You and your family loved the nearby beautiful hiking trails. The wineries were a delightful surprise as was the quaint town of Helen, GA. You loaded your smartphone with photos of beautiful memories.
After much consideration, you decided to buy a cabin with a breathtaking view of the mountains. You enjoyed vacations and family holidays but now the kids are grown, and life is more complicated for many getaways.
It’s time to think about renting the cabin and getting some of the financial investment back. However, the vacation-rental business is not as simple or easy as one might think. Based on our extensive experience renting Georgia mountain cabins we’ve created a list of tips on how to turn your cabin into a rental property.
How To Turn Your Mountain Cabin Into A Vacation Rental Property
1. Internet presence. A website is a must. There are many options available from creating your cabin website to piggybacking on sites that include thousands of other vacation rental properties. Is the website based on ‘responsive design’ that shows well on mobile? Search engine optimization is also critical.
2. Photos & Videos. People will rent your cabin based on many considerations including location, price and cabin features. What will close or end the deal, before it begins, are the photos and videos of your property. You’ll need photos of the exterior and the interior and any unique features like a pool table, sauna, or hot tub.
3. Maintenance and cleaning. Both exterior and interior are important. Chances are if you don’t live in the area, you’ll hire a company. We’d suggest a periodic spot check to ensure your cabin is always picture perfect. It’s so easy for a guest to snap a photo with a smartphone and post on their social media or a review site.
4. Customer Care. Determine who will be responsible for unexpected fixes. What happens if the drain backs up or a swarm of bees builds a hive on the porch? And, just as important, who is the person who talks with guests to create a personal experience.
5. Promotion. You’re competing with not only other cabins in the area but hotels and favorite Bed & Breakfasts. Think about creating ads placed on Google and social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. An active presence on social media can be a strategic way to build awareness. Be prepared to spend several hours a week creating content, responding to questions and reviewing analytics. Don’t forget tracking reviews on Yelp, Google+ and other sites.
6. Reservation System. You have guests who love your cabin and want to rent from you. Now what? There are many vacation rental booking software solutions. Here’s a list of some.
Bonus Tip!
As you can see, rent from owner can be a challenging undertaking. Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals’ local-based property management division handles all of the above plus more! We lower the risk of turning your cabin into a vacation rental property.
We’d love to discuss how we could partner and help turn your mountain cabin into a profitable vacation-rental property. If you’re interested and you own a property in the Helen or Hiawassee area, please click this link and fill out the form with your contact information.
