All Forum Posts by: Lisa Graesser

@Luke R yes, I have 3 in The Villages, FL. I soak up as much info as I can listening to podcasts 

Vaction Rental Success with Heather Bayer, Short Term Rental Revenue , Vacation Rental Revenue, STR Success Stories, Sarah and T the profesional Rental Managers podcast, Unlocked with Matt Landau, Short Term Rental Riches

@Paul sandhu ..you have quite the fan club...lol! 

I also pay a set rate based on size of home. My cleaner recently sent a message saying the linens were taking longer than usual because the guests used every available towel and some extra linens. I offered to pay her for the additional time spent, she replied, no additional charge because sometimes they come in and the cleaning is easy other times it takes more time and it all evens out. I would ask the cleaners if they would like extra compensation for their time, if the house was such a mess it could interfere with their next scheduled cleaning
for the day.

This what I have been doing- If it is a cancellation related to them not wanting to travel to Florida due to Covid, then I would give them a full refund. I know a lot of people have been letting people reschedule and that just doesn't make sense to me, you either lose now or possibly lose more later. (Blocking calendar for dates you may have been able to fill at a higher rate). 

VRBO is giving you equal to a 5 star rating  for every cancellation related to Covid that you refund the guest. ( and giving you equal to a 1 star rating if you do not refund or reschedule) 

If it is a cancellation not related to being able to travel due to Covid I would stick to my cancellation policy.

In addition to other options. Put your listing on Houfy.com, it's free for hosts and guests. You can take your bookings and credit card payments on the site through square or stripe. They do not promote or advertise, simply word of mouth and you do your own promoting to steer guest to book on the site. But I think this is just as good as having your own website.

Join and search for a similar post or  put a post on "Nextdoor", I have found that you can get many recommendations from those local to that area. Also if there is a local face book group you could try that. 

My cleaner is my backbone, she is someone I rely on and appreciate. I run my STR from 1000 miles away and trust that she will show up when needed.
I do give her holiday and birthday cash. And if she does something extra than the general cleaning she is compensated for it.

You are looking for a prime property in prime time, if you are looking for a deal then you should look elsewhere