As you sign on the bottom line and take the keys to the Port Aransas beach vacation property you purchased, you are probably already thinking about all the ways this investment is going to change your financial life. Knowing that the real work starts now, however, you sit down and make a list of all the things you must do to get this property ready and you may start to cross through one of the most important items on the list, that of teaming up with a vacation property management company. We at On Island Time understand the temptation, especially as it may appear that the costs involved will just harm your bottom line, but first, let’s discuss the pros and cons of self- managing your Port Aransas rental.
Pro: Obviously You Will Spend Less Money
As much as we love our jobs, we do have to charge for our services, having families to support ourselves, and we understand how it can seem that because you are paying out less, your income will be more. This means that financial security is certainly going to happen even sooner than you originally planned and you can sleep better at night.
Con: But Will You Spend Less Money?
When you add up the dollars and cents going out versus what is coming in, it certainly appears that self-managing is a wise financial decision, but is it really? When you pay for a property management service, you aren’t just paying for the work we do, and there’s a lot of work involved. You are paying for our knowledge of the business, for our expertise in protecting your investment, and for our dedication to making you the highest return on your investment.
Pro: You Will Know About Every Potential Expense Before Spending Any Money
A lot of times a vacation property management company will take care of the problem, fixing it before it becomes an issue and billing you at the end of the month, but if you self-manage, you can determine whether it truly is a problem and how much you are willing to throw at the problem to solve it, if there really is an issue.
Con: Those Middle of the Night Emergency Phone Calls Aren’t Going to Answer Themselves
Advance knowledge is wonderful, but no matter how carefully you maintain the property you have invested in, there are going to be emergencies that arise. Storm damage, electricity outages, or something as simple as a guest forgetting the keycode to get into the rental almost always happens in the middle of the night, and your guests will expect someone to be on the other end of the line when they call to get their issue resolved, meaning that without a property management company, that duty will fall on you.
Pro: You Will Have Total Control Over Aspect of the Business
It can be hard to hand over control of something you spent so much money on, and if you self-manage, you won’t have to. You will have total control over every aspect of owning a vacation rental, ensuring that you don’t spend too much money on repairs, design, or décor, and you will always know that every bill was paid on time. You won’t have to be reliant on the time management skills of others to ensure that everything is done promptly.
Con: Do You Really Have the Time to Deal with Every Detail?
Total control is wonderful, but unless you make this rental your full-time job, are you really going to have the time to deal with all the nitty gritty details? From vetting potential guests to maintaining air conditioners, answering middle of the night phone calls, and paying the mortgage, the HOA fees, even the taxes that may or may not be due at the end of every year, there is so much more that goes into managing a vacation rental than you originally realized, and without a property management company, you will be handling it all yourself.
Con: Do you Know the Laws, the Rules, or the Regulations Regarding Short Term Rentals?
As the police will always tell you, ignorance of the law (rules or regulations too) is no excuse, and if you make a wrong move, there can be financial penalties that will hurt the bottom line you are so worried about.
Con: Housekeeping and Maintenance
There aren’t enough hours in a day to be both maintenance worker and housekeeping, and if you can’t do it all, who will? You can hire your own teams, but finding trustworthy and committed maintenance workers and housekeepers is a lot tougher than it looks, especially in a small town like Port Aransas.
For Every Pro, There Are Many Cons
As you can see, self-managing a vacation rental business may end up costing you more than you realize, and for many of the pros, On Island Time has solutions that will work for all parties. Give us a call today and let’s work together to find a management policy that works best for you and your investment!
Gone are the days when we looked at vacation rentals as nothing more than a place to rest our heads between adventures. Today, we demand more from the spaces we choose, wanting to feel relaxed, luxurious, and spoiled. Travel is exhausting, and we need that time to recuperate every night, and if it happens to come along with some extra amenities, all the better! We at On Island Time Vacation Rentals want to take you—our past, current, and future guests—on a tour of the top amenities you will find in our Port Aransas vacation rentals, giving you a sneak peek into a vacation experience filled with all the comforts of home and the all the luxury amenities we think you deserve!
Comfortable Furnishings
First, and perhaps most importantly, guests want furniture to not just be clean and in good condition, they want it to be comfortable as well. For everyone who has ever stayed in a place that offered hard sofas topped with scratchy materials, lumpy beds topped with scratchy linens, and chairs that are so hard they make your posterior numb, our comfy furnishings will be much appreciated. Naps will be taken on plush sofas, extra games will be played when seated in the chairs that surround our dining room tables, and sleep will be deep in our cozy beds, ensuring you wake up every morning feeling rested and ready for new Texas adventures.
Modern Conveniences
Chances are you are going to spend at least a few hours at home in your Port A sanctuary, and during that time, if you choose to cook a meal, the appliances will be quality models in excellent working order. If you need to work from our homes, high-speed internet will make virtual meetings practically glitch free, and when you need some downtime, our state of the art televisions will be in the bedrooms as well as the living rooms, so there’s no need to fight over the channel. Laundry rooms will allow you to pack light, and multiple bathrooms also alleviate most of the need to share, with each offering updated fixtures, and some providing steam showers and deep soaking tubs.
Fun Matters
Hotels are not known for their fun amenities, but On Island Time Vacation Rentals sure is, and when you want to play, you don’t have to leave the boundaries of your property if you don’t want to. Swimming pools invite you to enjoy a different type of water fun, while hot tubs can help ease some of the aches and pains associated with travel while also offering a touch of romance. Grilling your catch of the day on charcoal grills and then dining on your meal at picnic tables will make you wish you could enjoy every meal al fresco, and outdoor showers will help keep beach sand outside where it belongs.
Inside, we have already discussed those state of the art televisions, but some of our escapes may offer video game consoles that can be hooked up to the televisions, giving guests hours of entertainment options. Some escapes will be equipped with board games—there is nothing like a beach vacation to bring back the joy of living life unplugged—and you may also find puzzles that you can spend many an hour working together to complete. Bookshelves and cabinet may be lined with books, movies, and the games and puzzles we just mentioned, ensuring that guests can play in all the ways that they like most!
Of Course, There Is More
The views you can enjoy from our balconies on our beachfront retreats might be the amenity that you remember most fondly when it is time to return to real life. Sitting with a frothy margarita in hand watching the sun set over blue waters or waking early in the morning to watch the world awaken around you while you sip that first cup of coffee of the day. Coffee bars and wet bars will ensure that you stay well hydrated during your Port Aransas adventures as well as saving you a bit of money from not having to go out every time you want to sip. And although we aren’t quite sure that you can consider a serene vibe and tranquil ambience an amenity, we do know that they are both more reasons to be happy that you chose On Island Time Vacation Rentals for your Texas sanctuary!
Come Home to On Island Time
Not every retreat that we offer will provide all the amenities we have listed here, but the important ones WILL be found in each and every one. Reserve your favorite On Island Time Vacation Rentals accommodations in Port Aransas today and discover how every day in Texas will be your favorite day on earth!
As an owner of a vacation rental in Port Aransas, you have the responsibility to ensure that your tenants deserve the dream-come-true vacation they have always wanted, especially as the summer months arrive. There is a magic to beach life, and that magic doesn’t have to end at the front door leading into their escapes, it should continue on inside, and at On Island Time, we know how to make our spaces as pleasing, serene, and magical as the white sand beaches that frame turquoise waters and we want to share our secrets with you. This guide to preparing your Port Aransas property to enjoy maximum bookings during the peak summer months will help you learn the magic of our ways.
Make Sure your Air Conditioner is Running in Top Form
Obviously, this tip should be taken care of before the season starts, and we generally schedule maintenance in the spring months, giving us time to get any repairs made before the crowds begin flocking to our doorstep. As you well know, summers are hot and muggy in this part of the world, and if your guests can stay nice and chill in the interim moments, the reviews on your home will be good ones!
Consider Adding a Blender and Wine Refrigerator to your Amenities
Staying hydrated is important in the summer months, and we aren’t just talking about water. There’s a certain pleasure that comes from watching the sunset from the balcony with a glass of chilled wine in hand, but for some, that pleasure is multiplied if the beverage in hand is a frothy margarita! Guests appreciate the extras, and when they find joy in the vacation retreat they are renting, they will remember yours when it is time for a return visit.
Provide a Local Guidebook
The first thing we do when checking into our own vacation rentals (after picking our bedrooms), is search out the local guidebook that offers important information about the area and the space we have rented. Knowing this, we ensure that every place we manage is equipped with one that we keep updated with current festivals and special events that may be taking place in the area during the time they are going to be in town.
Offer a Closet Filled with Beach Supplies
As owners of vacation properties, many offering a community or private pool, we often remember to provide beach towels and floats, but what about adding some supplies for a day spent at the beach? No one is going to want to travel cross country with a wagon, beach chairs, and beach umbrella in their luggage, nor are they going to want to lug a cooler with them on the plane either, and for a relatively small initial cost, you can make your guest’s vacation experience one they won’t ever want to end. Amazon sells a selection of collapsible beach wagons with prices that start at $50, and beach umbrellas starting costs are about the same. A beach umbrella can take up a lot of space in said closet, and can be bulky and hard to handle, so you might want to consider a shibumi beach shade, which costs a little more, but can be rolled up into a tight roll and take up far less space in your closet. Include a bag of plastic toys, a couple of boogie boards, some frisbees, and maybe even some floaties for the kids’ safety, and your guests can enjoy the complete day at the beach experience, one they will remember for years to come.
Board Games, Puzzles, Movies, and Books
It’s a Port Aransas fact of life that in every summer vacation, a little (or a lot) of rain will fall, and although there are plenty of things guests can do in town during a rainy day, rainy nights are best enjoyed in the cozy spaces of home. Stocking your vacation rental with a selection of board games, puzzles, movies, and books will give every guest a little something extra to enjoy when the rain falls and dark clouds block out the moon and stars. Encouraging guests to stay in and enjoy the amenities of home will tip the scales in your favor, and as they fall even deeper in love with your rental, you can bet that when they return home they will be telling their friends, their family members, their coworkers and bosses about all the comfortable adventures they enjoyed during their stay in your rental. And you can watch the bookings roll in, just as YOU have always dreamed they would.
Happy Guests are the Least Expensive Form of Advertising
Happy guests are the least expensive form of advertising, something we at On Island Time learned long ago. We put a lot of work into ensuring that guests enjoy the best vacation of their lives, and if you have been thinking about finding someone to help you manage your Port Aransas escape, we would like to apply for the job. Give us a call today and let’s discuss all the ways we can share the work of keeping your property rented and your guests happy.
In the last few years, the world has learned the importance of shopping local. The economy thrives when local businesses do and fails miserably when they don’t. And that list of why shopping local grows even larger when you start the search for a Port Aransas property management company for your vacation rental, especially when you yourself do not live in the area. You want someone local, someone who knows the area, even someone who provides services that come from local sources as well, and when you want all of that and so much more, On Island Time is the first place you should look. This guide will show you all the reasons our company is exactly what your vacation rental investment needs to succeed.
We Treat Your Property as If It Were Our Own
It can be easy to forget the big picture in this business, focusing on the bottom line only, and while we want to ensure that you are obtaining a maximum return on your investment, we also want to make sure that your investment is protected and treasured. We vet potential renters to the best of our ability, ensuring that they are a good fit for your spaces, and we keep an eye out to ensure they are following the rules: no parties, no extra guests, no smoking, no pets (unless you choose to make your property pet friendly). We understand that this may be the largest investment you will make, and we work harder to make it work for you.
We Do the Hard Work Of Port Aransas Property Management
Port Aransas is a popular tourist destination, and as such, there are a plethora of vacation rental property management companies in the area. If your guests aren’t satisfied with what you have to offer, they can easily turn somewhere else, something we work hard to avoid. Our local housekeeping team is trained to keep your place in pristine condition, cleaning before, after, and sometimes during, your guest’s stay. And while they are cleaning, they are also noticing when something needs to be maintained or repaired, and our local maintenance team will be on the spot, making sure your dishwasher continues to wash dishes, your air conditioner continues to cool, and that any damage that may have arisen from a particularly ugly storm will be repaired in record time. Guests want clean and well run, and On Island Time ensures they get both.
We Know Numbers
The vacation rental business is a fluid one with nightly rates rising and lowering depending on the national economic tides and we do the research, constantly monitoring the market to keep your rental rates competitive and your occupancy rates at a maximum. We also encourage longer stays, understanding that guests who are able to stay for longer periods tend to be more careful with their accommodations and how the lower amount of foot traffic can ease the wear and tear on your property. And when the numbers add up correctly (with On Island Time, they always will), you can sit back and watch your ROI grow, easing you ever closer to financial success and prosperity.
We Take Care of Your Guests
If you spend any time at all on social media, you have probably seen more than your fair share of vacation rental horror stories on both sides of the equation, such as guests who were not delivered what they were promised and owners who got more than they bargained for by renting to the wrong people. We walk that fine line of ensuring that your guests treat your property carefully and that they feel comfortable and valued when they choose your rental for their holiday hideaways. We know the area, so we can provide concierge services of a sort, directing them to the tastiest restaurants, the safest fishing charters, and the cutest shops, and if something does go wrong with the property, we are the calm voice on the other end of the line, offering reassurance and solutions, no matter what time of the day or night it may be. Taking care of your guests also leads to repeat business, which is the cheapest type of advertising, so by taking care of your guests, we are taking care of your financial portfolio as well.
We Handle All The Details Port Aransas Property Management
If this is your first investment property, what you don’t know about the details of running a vacation rental may frighten you, and if you have invested before, knowing those details ahead of time may bring you pause when it comes time to sign on the dotted line. But when you partner with On Island Time, hiring us to be your Port Aransas property management company, you are hiring us to deal with those details, leaving you free to live your life. Contact us today and let’s work together to help your Port Aransas vacation rental live up to its full potential!
Check out our Seascape villas if you want to stay in a luxurious accommodation!