What To Look For When Hiring A Vacation Manager
As a vacation rental owner, you're likely juggling the responsibilities of marketing your property as well as managing any issues that arise from guests. This can be a tough task for those who are responsible for working full-time jobs or attending to kids at home. Hiring a manager can help.
But what should you look for in a vacation manager? Let's take a look at some important skills.
Understanding of the Vacation Industry
Don't hire just any property manager or rental manager. Hiring an experienced manager is crucial for success as they will understand your unique business model and provide guidance on how to manage your property. You want someone who can offer the same caliber of service that you would provide if you were on-site, which means hiring someone with prior vacation rental experience is ideal.
Local Knowledge
If your property is in a popular destination area, it's crucial to have an on-site manager available during busy seasons and holidays. When selecting a manager, choose one who understands the local culture, laws, customs, and travel patterns. Your guests are going to be asking them for advice about just about everything, so you'll need them prepared to answer.
Strong Negotiation Skills
Being able to negotiate with guests and subcontractors is a critical skill. Most vacation rental managers will request a percentage of the rental income to cover costs associated with managing the property, such as marketing fees, cleaning supplies, maintenance workers, and repairs. In addition, they may ask for funds to pay for travel between properties or accommodations when working away from home.
Communication Skills
One of the most important qualities of a good manager is strong communication skills. A solid understanding of written and verbal communication will allow managers to explain procedures and expectations to guests and subcontractors, while encouraging open lines of communication to ask questions, offer suggestions and resolve issues.
Handiness
Often, a vacation rental manager will be called upon to fix things themselves. They may need to make minor repairs or renovations. You should consider that when hiring. While they don't have to be repairmen, they should at least be handy enough to be able to diagnose a problem and hire the right person.
By hiring a vacation rental manager, you'll be able to reduce the amount of time you need to spend on-site. You could even move across the country. And then you can reap the benefits of owning a property without the work.
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