What makes a successful vacation rental home?  Is it the location? Is it the size? Really that is not as hard of a question to answer as one might think.  Many Outer Banks homeowners are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase their rental income and decrease their expenses (just like any self respecting business owner).  One good thing about sitting in a position to see a range of different properties, from large to small, from westside to oceanfront, is you can see a commonality in the homes that outperform in their respective categories. 

 Now, there are some guidelines or “rules” to what a home can command in the market due to their physical location.  However, it is all relative depending on when and for how much you purchased your home.  Let’s run down some common traits among some of the better performing Outer Banks vacation rental homes:

 1)      Clean and Updated Carpets – I know this sounds boring, but if your carpet is more than 7 years old, it is a safe bet you need to replace it.  No matter how good a cleaner is, it’s hard to hide such a dominating feature in your home.

2)      A Well Stocked Kitchen – This doesn’t mean raid your old junk from home to bring down to the beach.  Yes, I know things go missing or get broken every year, but think about it, only one pot to cook spaghetti in for a crowd of 12?  Check out some of the deals on WalMart.com for cookware and utensils.

3)      Ample (and good condition) Deck Furniture – This is a must for any vacation rental home.  I’ll bet before you were and Outer Banks Homeowner, you were a vacationer!  Put yourself in their shoes and imagine being on the deck with the salt air blowing off the ocean while sitting in a relaxing Adirondack Chair.  Now imagine that same scene sitting on half a bar stool that is falling apart!  Check out Carolina Casual located in Point Harbor, NC about 2 minutes from the Outer Banks.

4)      Wireless Internet– This is a no-brainer now-a-days.  Check out Silicon Travel as they have a support line that your guests can call directly and monthly rates starting as low as $30.

5)      TV’s in the Bedrooms – This may sound a little overkill to the seasoned Outer Banks homeowners that have been in the Vacation Rental game for a while, but having TV’s in all the bedrooms (as well as the living room!) creates a sense of privacy for your guests when they need to get away from the crowd they are staying with.  I know I couldn’t vacation with my entire family for a week without having to have some downtime.  Again, WalMart.com has some great deals on flat screens to fit any room.

 These are the first 5 in a series of small things that can lead to big results.  Stay tuned for our next post that will highlight 5 more ways to stand out from the Outer Banks crowd.  Until next time.