All Forum Posts by: Stacy Edwards

TLDR: Can anyone provide input that supports my theory that discontinuing management with Vacasa won't hurt the booking rate/may actually help the booking rate?

Hello!

I am a vacation rental assistant and help owners with a variety of tasks related to their rentals but generally don't take on the full manager role. 

I have worked with a handful of rentals - mostly in tandem with the owners - to do random things, respond to messages, provide in-person support for people who live out of town, etc. 

I had a client last year who used Evolve and I thought it was pretty terrible. Though they say that they're amazing at SEO, I didn't really see any benefit of using them - in fact, I think the fact that the process was so depersonalized may have hurt the booking rate rather than helped it.

I currently have a client who is using Vacasa and is considering switching to self-management, which I would assist with. Their main concern is not being able to get bookings without Vacasa, however, if it were me, I wouldn't be concerned with that for a variety of reasons:

1. Because Vacasa is a company, the experience is depersonalized and people don't feel as connected, which may result in lower reviews. As I understand, the big part of getting bookings is having good reviews.

2. Vacasa isn't always as responsive as they should be, which would, again, affect reviews.

3. The listing could go on AirBnB and because we would have more control, it would be easier to make changes and tweak things to improve upon them as time went on and we learned what works and what doesn't.

4. If bookings on AirBnB weren't enough, the property could be listed on VRBO as well.

5. Some renters may actually avoid Vacasa properties because of their reputation

My question is: can anyone else provide input that supports my theory that discontinuing work with Vacasa won't hurt the booking rate/may actually help the booking rate?

Thanks!

Yes! This is the smart way to think. As a parent I would definitely want a dining area AND at least two bedrooms so I can sleep and feed the kid. But - every person is going to have different needs. 

Personally I think a dining area down the hall is weird - but depending on who stays there it might not be weird. Hard to say.

I'm not an agent, but have had small businesses and have used real estate agents to buy two homes.

My advice would be to get out there and network in person. The internet is great and I love it, but getting acquainted with potential referral partners out in the "real world" is worth it's weight in gold when it comes to business networking, especially in something like real estate. 

I chose my first agent solely because he showed me a house and I liked his vibe (he was just chill and down to earth.) My second agent was going to be someone in a referral group that I was in a long time, but he had a personal matter, so he referred me to another agent that I actually knew and had lots of experience selling in my building. 

I feel like there are SO many real estate agents right now and some seem to try way too hard. Be yourself, be friendly, and don't be pushy (doesn't sound like you are!) Be helpful to whoever you come across (within reason) whether they're a potential client or not, because you never know who you will make an impression on. 

Hi Scott,

Do you respond to guest promptly/in a professional but personal manner? 

I'm working with a property right now as an assistant, but they're using a company that seems very...impersonal. I'm wondering if it is hurting our bookings. 

I agree what was said above about getting reviews. That will definitely help! 

I do virtual assistance for this kind of thing. Let me know if you'd like to talk - almost everything could be done virtually and then you could be available for last-minute things since you're in town. 

I think it all depends what your priorities are. 

1. How much time do you have to put into managing? If you're short on time, it may be worth it to hire out. 

2. What are your strengths? Are you detail oriented? Communicative? Do you enjoy organizing and tracking information? If yes, then you might enjoy self-managing. 

3. Do you feel confident that a property management company would manage things in a way that would work for you, or are you particular about how things are run?

I think a good place to start is to determine what you like doing and what's important to you and then go from there.

I found lots of cleaning recommendations on NextDoor for my area. 

 Thank you! I ended up doing that. Trying to figure out if I have to pay separately for every area. Or if I can just pay for one area and keep switching. I'll have to play around with it. 

I currently work with an owner who uses Evolve. Evolve does all the booking-ish stuff and I coordinate cleaners, respond to guests, etc.

If you do go with them, make sure you have someone to respond to guest problems locally. The Evolve listings in my area all have bad reviews from guests who had problems and couldn't get a hold of anyone. 

In my limited experience I definitely see VRBO used more among older people. 

Not sure if I'm considered old or not yet at 38, but I'd probably lean toward using AirBnB myself, I like the "user experience" better.