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One house in our neighborhood is a vacation rental. It's usually rented out about 1 week a month on average, I would guess. Two things I have observed, the house is well maintained (we actually rented it last Thanksgiving for family since both my dad's house and our house combined were not big enough for everyone) and in speaking with the owner, she's never mentioned it being trashed or damaged. Renters do love to run the A/C though! I walk by every morning with my dogs and when there is a renter, the A/C is going. We've never turned our air conditioning on since we moved up here, our mornings are between 59-63 degrees all summer long. I guess they figure if they are paying to rent, then they should be able to run the A/C as much as they want.
Second is that the house is rented all year long (on average 1 week a month). We've had winter, spring, summer and fall visitors there. I mean, we even rented it in November. Yes, during the dead of winter, it may not rent if we have snow, but if we don't, it's still rented out throughout the winter months.
I dont think you've really gotten a grip on the seasonalness of mountain rentals
Was this comment directed toward me? If so, what I have found from my research is that vacation mountain houses rent solidly from late spring through the whole summer. Fall is a particularly strong time for that area, and then winter is strong due to skiers, and high demand for Christmas. A few of the places that I have looked at have an additional small cabin or two on the land which might be popular with hunters and fisherman as well as younger folks with less to spend on their vacations.
My wife and I go to the mountains mainly during the winter, and we always have a difficult time finding a place to stay. Even cheap motels are filled. I think there is, as you say, a "seasonalness" to the mountains, I just don't think everybody has the same preferences, or enjoys doing the same things. So, your season for the mountains might not be the same as mine. We used to rent a lake house in western MD, and that area certainly had high and low seasons as far as vacation rental demand. I just don't think it is the same for mountain houses.
One house in our neighborhood is a vacation rental. It's usually rented out about 1 week a month on average, I would guess. Two things I have observed, the house is well maintained (we actually rented it last Thanksgiving for family since both my dad's house and our house combined were not big enough for everyone) and in speaking with the owner, she's never mentioned it being trashed or damaged. Renters do love to run the A/C though! I walk by every morning with my dogs and when there is a renter, the A/C is going. We've never turned our air conditioning on since we moved up here, our mornings are between 59-63 degrees all summer long. I guess they figure if they are paying to rent, then they should be able to run the A/C as much as they want.
Second is that the house is rented all year long (on average 1 week a month). We've had winter, spring, summer and fall visitors there. I mean, we even rented it in November. Yes, during the dead of winter, it may not rent if we have snow, but if we don't, it's still rented out throughout the winter months.
Thanks for the post! As I thought, mountain rentals should rent just fine all year long. Like I wrote in another post, my wife and I spend most of our time in the mountains during the winter, and we often have a difficult time finding places to stay. Different people like going to the mountains during different times of the year. Thanks again.
But that's the thing - are you going to screen every group that spends a week at your vacation home? Nope, you're going to rely on a management company, and they definitely don't care.
I think you've been lucky thus far with your other rentals, but maybe I'm wrong.
Thanks for your reply. I would have to depend on the experience of others with PM companies to choose the best one possible. If they don't care, then they will not remain in my employ. They can't all be bad
As far as being lucky with my other rentals ... maybe I have enjoyed a little luck. Then again, maybe my good experience has come as a result of thorough screening, smart landlording, and strong lease agreements. My properties are in multiple states, and I can't imagine quitting anytime soon. I far prefer that source of income to my job!! Thanks again.
I dont think you've really gotten a grip on the seasonalness of mountain rentals
No offense, but you don't know what you are talking about in regard to mountain rentals. I own a ton of rentals, both here in the Triangle (traditional year lease tenants), oceanfront beach rentals in Topsail (week to week tenants), and mountain rentals in Sugar Mountain/Seven Devils (week to week tenants). There are much more year round bookings in my mountain rentals than at the beach. People love the dead of winter for snowtubing/skiing/snowboarding of course, but then just as much all summer to avoid the humidity and heat that is everywhere in NC but at the high elevations in the mountains. Then you have all the people coming for the fall for leaves, and just as many in the spring when leaves come back.
But that's the thing - are you going to screen every group that spends a week at your vacation home? Nope, you're going to rely on a management company, and they definitely don't care.
I think you've been lucky thus far with your other rentals, but maybe I'm wrong.
Your wrong. You don't have enough hands on experience to know. The original poste and myself do. I manage over 50 tenants at my properties (and that is not including the beach or mountain week to week tenants). There is no "luck" involved. Sure, sometimes things come up in people's personal lives and things turn for them, but 99% of the time you screen well and place correct tenants and have your properties in good shape it is very minimal work each month. Literally probably less than 8 hours of work a month, and that is for me managing over 30 rentals.
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