Please mention The Gers Local when responding to adverts
commission charged and whether you can also let your own house while you are listed with an agent. These fears are usually unfounded and while commission may be charged, that is what the agent is working for and that is actually the key, they do not get paid unless they let your property. For an example of a well-known firm dealing with properties in this region - see the advert for Kingfisher on p.3 of this magazine.
Having a good website of your own is probably your most important investment. Any further advertising should then refer to your website. You only need to keep the details on your website current rather than worrying about outdated information circulating.
Websites need to be found by search engines and so if you do not know how to increase your ‘visibility’ on the main search engines (such as google) then you need to get your website designed or managed by someone who does.
The best business is ‘repeat business’ - so what are guests looking for and where do they go back to?
Long gone are the days when it was possible to successfully let out converted outbuildings which may have been described as more ‘shabby’ than ‘chic’. Holiday makers like properties in similar condition to their own homes, which means efficient kitchen and laundry facilities, comfortable seating and good quality
beds and linen. Most importantly they require properties to be clean and in a good state of repair.
Ongoing property maintenance, during a busy summer
season, can be a real challenge for absent property owners. However, holiday-makers want to know that there is someone around incase of problems and owners need to know that their property is equipped and functional for the end of the season as well as at the very start. This is where it’s invaluable to make sure property is not only thoroughly cleaned, but are also checked and looked after by a reliable local caretaker/manager.
What to do about the dreadful guests that are enough to put you off letting out your property ever again?
Many property owners are faced each year with the family or if they are really unlucky the ‘families from hell’. These are the people that turn up with badly behaved children and an underlying belief that they have purchased your property out-right and can do with it what they like.
Often this group will arrive early and fail to leave the property on time. Once they have gone you will find that ‘little Johnny’ has either left you with a damp mattress, felt-tipped on your duvet covers or at the very least stuffed his half-eaten toast under your sofa cushions. Johnny’s parents will have left an over-flowing bin (often with no bin-liner), stubbed out cigarettes in your flower pots, left sausages on the bbq and if you are very lucky
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