Anyone use Evolve Vacation Management Co.?

Anyone use Evolve Vacation Management Co.?

Greenville, SC · Member since 2017 · 3 posts · 2 votes

We have a farm in the NC mountains with 4 vacation rental cabins. Our local rental management company take 25% and we pay for all listings on VRBO/Homeaway/TripAdvisor/Flipkey, photos, videos, etc. They only take 10% and list on all major sites for free. They take photos for free as well. They will email the cleaning agency of my choosing each time there is a booking ot change. They seem to have a good system in place. My worry with leaving the local agency is the personal attention that guests receive when they call. Is the market for vacation rental management moving in this direction?  Has anyone had any experience with Evolve Vacation Rental management? 

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Real Estate Investor · Tempe, AZ · Member since 2012 · 874 posts · 648 votes
9y
@Jennifer M. We looked into it and chose to stay local and full-service. We weren't nuts about the fact that guests would be hosted by a company and not a personal name. They list/host under "Evolve Vacation Rentals" (or something like that) as opposed "Dan S.". Airbnb in particular, as a sharing economy-platform, feels more natural with a person's name attached, rather than a corporate name. Personal preference, perhaps. Their 10% fee only covers listing and follow up. Now, that is an enormous burden off of the owners shoulders, but cleaning, maintenance, etc, is still left to the owner. It's not "hands off." I will say that they were very pleasant and extremely friendly and helpful. They were Lant positioned to add the particular value we sought, so we decided against them, but each owner's situation is different.
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  • Member since 2021 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    2y

    Disappointed Property Owner: Avoid Evolve Short-Term Rental
    As a property owner, my experience with Evolve Short-Term Rental has been nothing short of disappointing. Firstly, they deactivated my account before the agreed-upon deadline, resulting in the loss of all my hard-earned reviews. This lack of consideration for their partners is unacceptable.

    Evolve's promise of listing your property on multiple platforms comes with little benefit. 99% of the bookings actually come from Airbnb, contrary to what is advertised. Moreover, their failure to respond to guest reviews without the owner's intervention adds an unnecessary burden to property management.

    Their supposed 90-day stay requirement is another hurdle. They make it nearly impossible to leave without incurring penalties, trapping property owners in unfavorable agreements. Even after meeting their demands, they still find ways to nickel-and-dime you, such as charging exorbitant fees for retaining property photos.

    To add insult to injury, their customer service is subpar. I recently received a survey, only to find my access revoked the next day. This lack of transparency and accountability speaks volumes about their professionalism.

    In conclusion, I strongly advise property owners to steer clear of Evolve Short Term Rental. Their business practices are exploitative and their promises often fall short. Protect your investment and reputation by choosing a more reliable and respectful partner.

    Avoid Evolve at all costs.

  • Member since 2021 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    2y
  • Residential Real Estate Broker · Sedona, AZ · Member since 2017 · 754 posts · 504 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Oscar Garzon:

    Disappointed Property Owner: Avoid Evolve Short-Term Rental
    As a property owner, my experience with Evolve Short-Term Rental has been nothing short of disappointing. Firstly, they deactivated my account before the agreed-upon deadline, resulting in the loss of all my hard-earned reviews. This lack of consideration for their partners is unacceptable.

    Evolve's promise of listing your property on multiple platforms comes with little benefit. 99% of the bookings actually come from Airbnb, contrary to what is advertised. Moreover, their failure to respond to guest reviews without the owner's intervention adds an unnecessary burden to property management.

    Their supposed 90-day stay requirement is another hurdle. They make it nearly impossible to leave without incurring penalties, trapping property owners in unfavorable agreements. Even after meeting their demands, they still find ways to nickel-and-dime you, such as charging exorbitant fees for retaining property photos.

    To add insult to injury, their customer service is subpar. I recently received a survey, only to find my access revoked the next day. This lack of transparency and accountability speaks volumes about their professionalism.

    In conclusion, I strongly advise property owners to steer clear of Evolve Short Term Rental. Their business practices are exploitative and their promises often fall short. Protect your investment and reputation by choosing a more reliable and respectful partner.

    Avoid Evolve at all costs.

    Yep. The high cost of buying cheap.

    Thank you for sharing this. It's good for people to be aware.

    In all fairness, I have seen a few posts from investors saying their experience with Evolve was fine. But the majority of people, myself, my clients, and BP posters, have been disappointed and financially harmed by working with them.

  • Member since 2024 · 1 post · 0 votes
    2y

    I don’t know whether to be flattered or flabbergasted. Evolve set my rental at $10,820/night!!! (Should be maybe 125/night). When I called customer service, they said it was “just a placeholder” but no one removed the placeholder. And oh yes, they have no idea how long it will take to fix the error. And then the solution was to block my unit off as owner-booked, or to “resign the listing.” Unbelievable!!! Apparently, you either have to take their atrocious incompetence, or leave it. BEWARE!!!!

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