Turning your second home into a vacation rental is a great investment for any homeowner. Who doesn’t like making extra money, especially on something they already own. If this interests you, check out this guide on how to turn your second home into a vacation rental.
Paint
One of the first steps in turning your second home into a vacation rental is to give it a paint job. A fresh coat of paint can add life and brightens any room. While you can go with any color, we recommend sticking to bright, light colors like white or creams. However, if you are going with a themed home, feel free to add paint colors that match the ambiance.
Install New Flooring
Since you have loads of foot traffic, you want to have durable yet easily maintained floors. Before uploading your property online, we recommend installing new flooring throughout the home. If you have a listing that allows animals or pets, we recommend floors that can withstand them, like luxury vinyl or waterproof flooring. If you have a listing that holds parties or large groups, we recommend skipping carpet and sticking with hardwood or laminate. If you need help installing new floors, give us a call. We have been installing floors in the area for over 25 years.
Accommodate for Disabilities or Children
The more people you accommodate, the more bookings you will have. Many houses do not always have accommodations for people with disabilities or vacationers with children. As the homeowner, it is your responsibility to adjust to these guests. For example, you can create ramps if your property has stairs. Or you can have a few child-friendly things in the home, like an extra playpen or babyproofing.
Include Entertainment
People will not want to stay at your house if you do not have some sort of entertainment. The bare minimum is at least a TV. However, if they only wanted a television, then they could have easily booked a room at a hotel or motel. Instead, entice potential stayers with more entertainment options. Great ways to keep them entertained are with games (board, card, video, arcade, etc.), movie center, stereo, pool, hot tub, etc.
Take Down Family Photos
While you want to add personality to a home, you don’t want to place your family photos. You do not want strangers to see who is in your family, and on the flip side, strangers will most likely not want to view the owner of the house’s family everywhere they walk. Instead, stick with basic photos or paintings. If you want to add a small personal touch, you can add photos of your pets.
Have the Essentials
Anytime you have anyone over at your house, whether it is your home or your vacation rental, you want to make sure your guests have the essentials. A big mistake new vacation rental owners forget is the small essentials like cooking utensils, pen, paper, tuber ware, pots, pans, blankets, take-out menus, towels, sheets, etc.
Add Bookings
Now that everything is good to go, you need to have some sort of platform where people can see your house and book it. Luckily, there are many different ways you can do so. Many vacation rental websites like Airbnb and VRBO make it easy for homeowners to place their vacation rentals online. If you want to skip using different platforms, you can create your website or work on social media.
Are you ready to turn your second home into a vacation rental? Then, let Valor Home Services help with any of your remodel or renovation needs. We are the experts in flooring, hardwood floor refinishing, bathroom and kitchen remodeling and handyman/small carpentry projects. For more information, feel free to call us today.
