Vacasa feedback and other options?

Question

We recently signed up for Vacasa for what we were hoping would be a turnkey type approach to managing a new Short Term Rental.  The communication has been terrible and part of it may be their ongoing turnover of the local owner relations manager...I think we've had 3 in 2 months and still waiting to hear from the new person who has missed scheduled calls with me.

At this point, I'm thinking this is typical of Vacasa...any others with different experiences?  Any other recommendations for companies or individuals that we could locate to help manage this property?  Or how to go about finding and coordinating with cleaning crews, etc. which would be the biggest need other than handyman, etc.  Note - this is an out of state property in Surprise, AZ - so I'm not close enough to do the turnovers between renters, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Marshall Leipprandt · Answer

@Eric Goodman You can do it without a property manager if you invest some time on the front end to set some systems up and make good connections. Being in Suprise, you shouldn't have any issues finding the components you need to run a successful STR. In that area, the main things you'll need are as follows:

-Professional Cleaning Company: automatically syncs w/ your calendars, have experience and have been around for years, quality cleaning. If you have an experienced cleaning company, your interaction with them for turnovers should be relatively minimal.

-Handyman/Contractor: for when guests break doors, appliances go out, and everything else that happens in a home. Someone who can get there within 24 hours is ideal.

-HVAC on Speed Dial: you NEED this. Don't want AC out on an August day and have guests asking you for refunds. When this happens, you lose 2x as much since you not only have to refund if you choose, but also have to pay for repairs. Have the AC folks come out twice a year to service your equipment.

-Landscaper/Gardner: Even with a zero-scaped yard, someone coming by every couple weeks to clean things up gives the home better curb appeal when guests arrive.

I've self-managed some STRs from 2,000 miles away for 18 months and counting. It is doable as long as you're able to visit the property 2-3 times per year at a minimum to get eyes on.

Some other helpful suggestions. Get keypad doors so guests can check themselves in, use IGMS or similar service to automate messages and sync calendars across Airbnb and VRBO. You'll come to realize that if you put in the time and create the systems, you can say goodbye to Vacasa and get your property up to peak performance.

Luke Carl · Answer

Most folks here will recommend doing it yourself. Would be less hassle than what you’re dealing with

Kenneth Garrett · Answer

@Eric Goodman

I self managed my STR 1000 miles away.  What I did do was I went there for closing and set up my team of cleaners, maintenance man and other systems.  Ring door bell, Schlage encode for automatic keyless entry.  Slight renovations during that time and furnished it.  It was a lot in 3 weeks, but then it was all set up.

Lucie Tighe · Answer

A lot of people are unhappy with Vacasa. Many great other options for full time PM :)

Collin Hays · Answer

VACASA represents themselves as a discount property manager.  The truth is, they neither manage your property, nor are they inexpensive.  Their proposals indicate a management fee of between 10 and 20 percent.  Sounds like a bargain, but it is essentially a bait-and-switch operation, through a play on words and terms:

"We only charge 20 percent of your rents."  And while that technically may be true, VACASA loads the reservation down with lots of expensive fees, which they do not share with the homeowner client.  In order to make the grand total palatable for a guest, they have to keep your nightly rental rate down.  That is what I call "rent shifting".  It's moving money from rents to fees, so that they don't have to share them.

If you count the fees as part of rents, which they should be, VACASA is charging homeowners from 35 to 40 percent of rents, for little to no management.

Not to worry.  As soon as you figure it out and move on, there will be someone else right behind you to sign up for the whole charade.

Eric Goodman · Answer

Thanks @Lucie Tighe!

Andrew Steffens · Answer

@Eric Goodman We are in FL and a lot of people switch from Vacasa to us (50+ units).  I would recommend finding a medium size local PM over Vacasa.  That way you will not just be a number, but you will not be with such a small company that you will not have any reach beyond Airbnb.  I hope that helps!

Leslie Anne Morris · Answer

Self manage is probably the better option over Vacasa - but if you truly want to scale hire a new property manager.  Negotiate your rate and term.

Drew Sygit · Answer

You get what you pay for!

They obviously use VA's that barely know about real estate.

Joshua Messinger · Answer

Hey @Eric Goodman!

I would really take into consideration what @Collin H. is saying as this is exactly what Vacasa does. At our property management company at BespokeStay, we have taken this into consideration and have made a property management company that takes care of all of the overall operations such as taking caring of coordinating with housekeepers, guest communications, etc...

You could completely do this all yourself though if you really wanted to learn the operations and systems that go into making and operating your Short-term rental business. But, it's all up to your objectives!

I hope this helps, and please reach out if you ever need anything!

-

Josh

Vacasa feedback and other options?

Most Popular Reply