Smart Vacation Rental Owner Tips for Improving Landscape and Exterior Quality

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When looking at ways to improve the exterior and landscaping quality of a property, smart vacation rental owners know to match outdoor dÃ©cor with the actual product - the features the entire property has to offer plus what attractions are available in the immediate area.

When remodeling or updating a property, think carefully about your decisions. The type of customer attracted to a property is in direct correlation to your business practices and the property presented. For example, a property filled with "vintage" contents can expect to attract "vintage" customers. The definitions of "vintage" that could be used in this context are:

1. Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.
2. Old or outmoded.
3.
a. Of the best: played songs that were vintage Cole Porter.
b. Of the most distinctive: "Fatalism has coexisted with vintage American overconfidence" (Thomas Oliphant).

Be sure it is very clear which definition of "vintage" your property is portraying. You could be attracting "old or outmoded" customers. If that is your ideal customer, you're on the right track.

Again, think carefully when making decisions about your property.

The Yard

Choose features for the yard of a property which reflect the character of the house's interior and area attractions. If the house interior is Mediterranean-style dÃ©cor, reflect that charm on the outside with an ornate stone fireplace to warm the patio.

A beachfront home with a seawall may hardly require any landscaping at all. Often alternate surfaces like riverbed stone are appealing, never need to be mowed, and only require an occasional bit of weed pulling. The downside, refilling every four years, though how frequently depends on the amount of sand in the soil and the size of the area.

The House

Going back to the example of a Mediterranean interior dÃ©cor, if the house wasn't originally built in Mediterranean style, choose a few key accents from that style to bring the inside out. For patios or courtyards next to the house, install a portcullis or a roof to create a covered veranda. If the shingles need replacing, go with a clay tile roof instead. Consult with a licensed contractor and a professional landscaper for expert ideas and advice on exterior additions and landscaping options.

The Parking

Off-street parking is always a plus for a vacation rental owner and should be used to promote the property whenever such a feature is in demand such as fair and festival weeks, etc. When off-street parking is not available, or if limited to only one space, communicate to prospective renters the proximity of non-metered off-street options right away in your rental listings to avoid the immediate turn-off to multi-family customers who may plan on bringing more than one car.

As with any aspect of a rental property, the smart vacation rental owner maintains their property on a regular basis by adding upgrades and ensuring all items and features available for use are clean and in good repair. Showing a genuine interest in a customer's comfort plus providing a quality experience both play a large part in offering a great product.