I’ve Been Encouraged!
Yesterday I had an opportunity to view the lovely honeymoon cabin that Vladimir & Miki own in Pigeon Forge. Unlike many vacation home owners, they are committed to keeping their cabin in excellent condition and they add new features regularly. On this trip, they are having an artist carve a wooden tree that will be attached to the door and back (away from the view) windows in a very creative fashion. This carving will add even more appeal to their already very attractive Smoky Mountain home.
Here’s the exciting part and the reason that I have been so encouraged. Their cabin rented over 20 days a month from May through the end of 2006. In case that isn’t remarkable enough, they rented 20 days in January and their home has continued to produce excellent results since. In a time when some home owners here are complaining about rentals being off these cabin owners are setting the world on fire! Their goal for 2007 is 22 days per month which will if they succeed be 264 nights booked. To add the last fantastic part of this accomplishment, they have done this without discounting much at all. Their cabin is very photogenic, has a superb view, lots of curb appeal, and is in a good location near Dollywood and the other attractions of Pigeon Forge.
I’m certain that these owners could do the same thing with a cabin in Gatlinburg because the location isn’t the key. The primary reason for their success is their steadfast commitment to keeping their log cabin at the top of the rental market. As the old saying says, you have to spend money to make money but even more importantly you have to have a “can do” attitude about your investment. If you have heard folks say (like I have) that there is no way to make a cabin pay for itself Vladimir and Miki prove this wrong. They don’t own a rental company, they only have one house, and it isn’t something that other folks can’t replicate.
If you are looking for the right real estate investment in the Smoky Mountains we will be glad to assist! Please email me at Jeff@GatlinburgHomes.com for all of the details.
Jeff you forgot the most impressive thing about Vladimir and Miki’s property. It is a 1BR home. I know there are hundreds of units with only 1 BR, but beautifully decorated, and close to Pigeon Forge. They have parlayed all of the important things into a very nice place.
I am a Realtor in the mountains of Colorado, and we have lots of clients with vacation rental property near Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain. I own a condo at Copper myself, and I rent it myself, doing just what your clients do. I keep it in tip top shape, and put recent photos online that make it look its very best. I also make sure I add comments (both good and bad, but there are few bad) to the online guest book. I can tell by the count for that page that people do read it. My prices are slightly higher than other, similar units, but not a lot. It does work! I have put some of my tips and tricks on my bog at http://www.mountainlivingblog.com and there will be more to follow. Good to meet you online Jeff! I will add you to my blogroll.
Joanne