Beautify Your Vacation Rental With 5 Renovation Tips
Renovating Your Rental the Right Way
Renovating your vacation rental can be a major project, especially if you're planning a whole-home overhaul to get your property ready for the short-term rental market. While it may seem daunting, keeping your property updated is crucial to addressing wear and tear, and ensuring appliances and electronics are in top condition. To help you manage your renovations effectively, here are 5 tips to guide your decision-making and budget allocation.
#1: Updates before Upgrades
When you’re planning out your renovations, the most important consideration that you should keep in mind is that you want to update your space before you upgrade it. This means that before you think about making big upgrades like installing smart home software or purchasing solar panels, update your space first to be as modern as possible to match.
Look at your appliances and decor–are they a bit outdated and falling flat in photos? How about your furniture–does it look like it’s stuck in the 90s? Prioritize updates before you even think about jumping into big upgrades and overhauls. Not only will this ensure that your property is a cohesive space that flows well for guests, but it will also help you save on big-budget projects while still keeping up with the times and having the modern look that guests want to see.
#2: Prioritize Durable Materials
During vacation home renovations, many owners only look at cost. It’s a wise move, as many have strict budgets to keep to, but it’s also short-sighted. Instead, when you’re choosing materials and furniture for your short-term rental renovations, think about durability first. Ideally, your property should be getting lots of use, which means that anything made using cheap materials will wear down even more quickly in a rental than it would in a normal home.
Overall, it’s more cost-effective over the long term to invest in durable materials, since items like flooring and furniture that see a lot of traffic will last much longer. Although it makes sense to go with cheaper materials when your budget calls for it, try to see if there’s a more durable option that is within your price range before you make big purchases.
#3: Don’t Forget About Guest Experience
It’s vital to think about guest experience when you are renovating your short-term rental–otherwise, what’s the point of updating the space if the end result only looks good in photos? Rather than trying to make your vacation rental look like one of those perfect spaces you’d find in the pages of Architectural Digest, take some time to put yourself in the shoes of your guests and update the property with them in mind.
To find ways to enhance guest experience through renovations, comb through your reviews and pinpoint what complaints guests had about the space. Was the dishwasher hard to open? Maybe it’s time to think about purchasing a new one. Is the hot water in your shower taking too long to heat up? Perhaps it’s time to replace your hot water heater. Take things like this into consideration when you’re planning out your renovations and your future guests will thank you, not only in reviews but also by returning to your rental, again and again.
#4: Think About Going Smart
While it might not be a good idea to turn your whole house into a smart home if you haven’t finished updating and repairing all the basics yet, many short-term rental owners are jumping feet-first into the smart home revolution, and it might be a good idea for you as well.
There’s tons of smart home technology available on the market, including everything from smart thermostats to smart fridges, but one of the most helpful tools you can add to your vacation rental is keyless entry.
While you’re renovating, be sure to look into smart home technology to see how it can help you run your short-term rental business more easily and efficiently.
#5: Offer Comfortable and Cozy Touches
The final aspect to think about when undertaking renovations for your short-term rental is how to add comfortable and cozy touches for guests. It’s one thing to replace all of the furniture in a living space to create a room that photographs well and looks like it came out of a magazine, but it’s another thing entirely for guests to sit on that furniture and be comfortable.
Instead of ordering everything sight unseen from the Internet, test things out before you buy them to make sure they will be comfortable and inviting for guests. An easy way to ensure that your guests will be cozy in the space is to do a test run and stay at your rental for a night. This makes it easy to see if the furniture and appliances you’ve replaced are easy-to-use and will function well, and it will also give you a good idea if you need to make some returns.
Vacation Rental Renovations Made Easy
It may not be simple to renovate your vacation rental, but it doesn’t have to be a tedious and laborious process, especially if you follow any of the above tips. Inject some of your own creativity into your renovations and your guests will thank you.
Looking for more ways to become a rock star in the vacation rental industry? Check out our blog on questions to ask before choosing your property management company or take a look at our breakdown of the best vacation rental distribution sites.