Property Management
We are the property managers for a large vacation home in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. The home sleeps 14 and we often get large groups and families. The owners live out of state, therefore we handle all of the home upkeep, cleaning, check in/out details as well as the VRBO, Airbnb listing, and website & social media marketing. As we move towards retirement, we are looking to use our skills as a team as vacation home property managers - and hope to become owners in the near future!
Julia Easton
A little bit about Julia - I am a communication professional and have been working as a web developer and digital marketer for 20+ years. I have a bachelors and masters in mass communication and am extremely organized and detailed.
Jeff Easton
A little bit about Jeff - I am also a communication professional with a bachelor in mass communication and am very handy with household maintenance and upkeep, handyman work, home remodeling, and vacation home management.
Refuge on the Rock Vacation Home
The owners bought the home to be used solely as a vacation home the end of July 2021. We were able to get it all furnished and ready for renters for the first week in August. During the first 10 months of operations, we have rented it to 21 groups totaling 107/282 days!
We initially began with digital ad campaigns to build our first few guest bookings. Once the momentum began, we were able to remove some of our paid advertising as the season organically filled up. As events and holidays take place, we do targeted messaging and ads for a geotargeted and demographics based on the audience we are trying to reach.
In 2021 we hosted 11 groups totaling 60 days. So far, in 2022 we have hosted 10 groups totaling 47 days with 61 adults and 25 children and 3 pets. Our summer is already pre-booked with a few dates still available and the busy season begins now!
We have a website setup for the guests, which includes a welcome message and information on the home.
Here are a few of the links that we send each guests:
Attention to Details
We take pride in making sure the guests have a great vacation and we excel on the home preparation and cleanliness. We enjoy reaching out to the guests and try to make a connection to improve their stay. We also collect guest book feedback and take their suggestions to continuously improve the guest experience. We also provide our guests with materials such as vacation guides, maps, brochures and suggest day trips.
Property Manager and Owner Board - Project Management
We like to stay transparent with the owners and have a property manager and owner Trello board that keeps both parties up-to-date on the overall project management of the home. We use this board to communicate and complete specific tasks.
Shopping and Inventory List
We have a Shopping List Trello board that keeps the property manager and owner connected on items needed for the home.
Cleaning Calendar
We have a Cleaning Calendar Google Calendar that is connected with vrbo and airbnb to arrange the cleaning schedule for the home. We manage all the house cleaning, but arrange a cleaner(s) on same day check in/out - as our cleaning time is reduced to 5 hours for these shorter turnarounds. We also use this calendar to arrange our laundry service, but have two sets of sheets per bed and double the amount of towels needed.
Cleaning and House Maintenance List
We have a detailed cleaning list per room for the house and can easily print this off for our cleaning team. This helps us ensure that each guest comes into a clean home.
Vacation Home Listing Links
Here are the listings on airbnb and vrbo - you can take a look at the calendars to see the future bookings. We are 'Premiere Host' status with five star ratings! https://www.vrbo.com/2402120 and https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/51234972
