Like building a house, before an owner sets out on the journey to Rental Mastery, it is absolutely critical to get the foundation right.

You have to get these things right first:

• List on the best listing sites
• Excellent photos
• Calendar and Pricing accurate
• Description around target customers
• Excellent cleaning process

When you sign up to the Holiday Rental Mastery newsletter, you get free information on how you can do this easily.

This website assumes that you are an owner that already has a good rental property, well presented to suit your target market.

List on the best listing sites

You need to be acutely aware of the best few places to list for your target market.  A free listing site that never brings you an enquiry, is a waste of your time.  A good site that has a modest cost can be a very good investment if it brings in lots of enquiries. There are simple ways to find out the important few listing locations for your market.  Start by thinking like a customer – what do you find on Google?

 Excellent Photos

You must have excellent photos on your listing.  The photograph helps you get through the gate of the customer’s mind.

Poor photos = poor enquiry rate. If you have average photography skills, you should employ a professional, pay the $500, or whatever, but make sure they are wow photos.   If you want to save a few dollars and do it on the cheap, you had better have damn good photography skills.

Calendar and Pricing Accurate

My advice is to keep your calendar and pricing 100% accurate, at least on your top listing sites, and certainly on your own site if you have one.

In lots of experiments over  the years, I have found that enquirers will pass over a property if they think it may waste their time.
No pricing or inaccurate availability wastes their time.  If your information is accurate, you will get enquiries that other owners will not get.  It isn’t easy but it is important.

Description around target customers

Your property description should evoke an experience tailored to your target customers.  Ask your guests as they leave what they liked.  Carefully note the words they use and use them in your description.  You should know more about your guests then they do themselves.

Excellent Cleaning Process

In many ways the holiday rental / vacation rental business is a cleaning business.

The property must present well, on time, every time.  It must be spotless.  If something isn’t working, you need to know now, so you can have it fixed.

Some owners treat their cleaner as an enemy who has to be beaten down on price.  Your cleaner is your partner.  If they succeed, they help you succeed.  I have spent hours with my cleaners, finding ways to make their life easy.  After four failed attempts in my Melbourne rental, I found the most wonderful cleaner, and would do anything to keep her happy. (Within reason)

When you sign up to the Holiday Rental Mastery newsletter, you get free information on how you can get the Rental Basics right.
You also get our free eBook revealing my secret method for achieving amazing conversion rates.