Chances are, if you're the owner of a vacation home in the area of Hiawassee, Young Harris or Blairsville, GA, and you're reading this, you may have already decided to look into putting your home into a rental / management program. And given the vicissitudes of the real estate market, especially in today's economy, it is very wise to consider other options if selling your second home is taking too long or if you've decided to try to recoup some of the costs by renting it out. If the whole idea of allowing strangers to use your beloved home is keeping you from making the call, perhaps reading what some of our satisfied clients and guests have to say will help to put your mind at ease.
"We have been delighted with Vacation Rental Services. Marylou and her team take care of our home as if it were their own and our booking pace and rental income have been excellent." - Pam & Dave Heath, Owners: 'Antler Ridge'
"We can’t say enough about Vacation Rental Service. Marylou and her team are always there when we need them. Marylou takes such good care of everything, from booking rentals to scheduling (and overseeing) repairs. We do so little, that we almost forget that we even have a rental property (until our monthly owners statement comes in). Our rental incomes have increased significantly since Vacation Rental Services has been managing our properties. Marylou is one of the most trustworthy people we have done business with”. Linda and Dave Gray – Owner: “As Good As It Gets”
"Vacation Rental Services-Marylou has been so wonderful to work with. Her professionalism and her care of our property has been exemplary. She takes a personal interest in our cabin and takes care of it ,as if it is her own. She also takes care of the renters in the same professional manner. Her dedication to service for all is incredible. Her motto is "Results not excuses". We take great pride in telling others about Marylou and her company and would highly recommend her services to anyone. Ron and Elaine Woods-Baker, Owners: "Mystic Ridge"
"Truly an A+ accommodation. The home is very nicely appointed with everything a renter could need or want. Marylou is very personable, yet professional. We had no problems to report, but if we had I'm sure she would have been very responsive." - Heidi Jansen, Dallas, GA
"Girls weekend out and we found this treasure on the vrbo website. The pictures were enticing and Mystic Ridge lived up to those photos (which is so often NOT the case), and exceeded our expectations. The house is impeccably clean, the kitchen is stocked to the hilt, and the outdoor living spaces were so numerous that the 4 of us could all have privacy if we wanted it. Lots of great space to be together and have some alone time, too. The house is decorated beautifully and has most every creature comfort. The view was spectacular (lots of birds to watch!) and we loved the quiet of the place - close enough to Young Harris to get to "town" and attractions quickly but plenty of peace and quiet at the end of the day.
Also, Marylou, who we booked our reservation with, was incredibly helpful, professional, informed, and personable.
I have previously been in the property management business for 15 years and this place was one of the nicest and best managed I've ever experienced. We'll definitely be back, we'll be telling our friends about it, and we highly recommend this place for families, couples, friends...anyone!" - Jan L. - Bryson City, NC
"The cabin was even more beautiful in person - we have stayed in many different cabins and this is by far the best decorated, equipped and comfortable. Marylou is delightful to work with." - Melissa White - Bufford, GA
"My family has been renting cabins in the North Georgia mountains for the past twenty-five years. After renting through Vacation Rental Services this year, we can't imagine ever renting from anyone else. Not only was the cabin beautiful and extremely clean, Marylou and her team added all the extras to make sure our stay was perfect. I highly recommend Vacation Rental Services! " Pam Jones, Savannah, GA
Undeniably, the current trend in marketing has shifted to the interactive or “by-owner” websites; Since more internet savvy customers are being automatically directed to these sites first, it doesn’t make sense to try to compete for position on the search engines or pay an "optimizer" to do it for you. We take the photos, write the ad copy and post the ads on as many or as few of the websites as the owner chooses, thus they control the scope of marketing for their property without the task of having to handle all of the inquires & bookings. The vast majority of our inquiries come to us from these various sites and most often they are directed to this, our home site, where they may view a full page devoted to each listing with unlimited space and photos. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the listings on those sites, potential guests are able to focus on their objectives and view only the carefully selected properties chosen to be in our program.
We've managed to keep our commission rate lower than the others, primarily by working as a home-based business and thus minimizing the overhead. This also provides easy accessibility for potential guests, who may not be able to call during the normal 9 to 5 business day. Guests may call any time from 9AM up to 10 PM and their email inquiries are responded to immediately. The guests pay for the housekeeping fees and taxes, we handle all the bookings, answer questions, process the lease agreement, post payments to the guests' credit card and are there every step of the way. This kind of thoughtful, considerate service doesn't stop once the money has been paid either. Prior to their check-in, guests receive a welcome letter informing them of emergency numbers and the after-hours phone, directions to the property and access code to the lockbox (which is not put on the property until the day of their arrival & is removed and returned to us by our housekeepers following their departure). We always speak with a guest rather than rely on email or "online bookings", which lends a personal touch to each booking and allows us the opportunity to ask definitive questions prior to the booking to be sure the guests are over the age of 21 and are not planning to utilize the property for anything other than approved purposes. Guests provide a damage waiver to cover up to $200 worth of unintentional damage and pre-authorize us to charge their credit card for any damage over that amount.
Owners receive monthly statements itemizing the bookings for the previous month and an end of the year 1099 form for their taxes. In addition to recognizing an income from their vacation home, the owner is free to block out any time they wish to reserve for their own use. This formula works for all, especially with the cooperation of the owner who allows the property to be rented at peak times and/or holidays, reserving off-peak times for their own use.
For more information, please send us an email inquiry or call for a comprehensive brochure describing our terms and services. We look forward to hearing from you!