Vacation rental management in Wisconsin

[Matthew Filtz]

I’m looking at purchasing a vacation rental in northern Wisconsin and plan to use a management company to take care of the property. I live 3hours from there so it’s a must! Does anyone have suggestions on a good management company for vacation rentals in the minocqua/eagle river area?

[Eric Meinnert]

John brings up a good point about giving away money that you don't need to if you're completely removed. My wife and I run a STR, but we are in the area and do all the work associated with it. That stated, there are property management organizations that strictly do cleaning and likely provide handyman type services as well for STRs. I don't know what companies are in that area, but I'd encourage you to call a handful of them and ask about cleaning and handyman services exclusively. In my experience though, self managing the pricing structure, guest experience, and messages are things I want to control and don't need to pay someone else to do.

Additionally, a lot of people look to do the STR business completely passively, but the guest experience will clearly tell someone if you're an absent owner or involved. Being involved gets better reviews as you care more about your business than your cleaners, so I'd encourage you to at least walk through the property once or twice every month or two being within driving distance. It's a commitment, but I'd argue your reviews and future business depend on it.