The importance of Social Media

Whether you are marketing a home for holiday let or for sale, the power of social media should not be underestimated.

Reach out to the massive audience that use social media in their day to day and entice them with why they should want to stay in/purchase your property and visit the area.

Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram offer a great opportunity to engage with people in a real way.  A focussed campaign making good use of the audience targeting options available combined with great content can increase your audience and drives sales.

What is important is to understand who your audience is and what interests people.  Ensure that you use quality images and engaging written content. 

Milly & Martha offer social media packages that will suit all budgets.  Get in touch now to find out more and don’t forget to follow us on social media!

The changing ways of Holiday Lettings

Whether you are new to the business or it’s old hat, you will realise that these days, things move fast in the world of holiday lettings.

Talking to new clients got me thinking about days gone by when bookings were taken in the post and a relationship was built with the person wishing to stay in your property.  These days, more people book last minute, many don’t wish, or expect, to see an owner or agent. iI problems do arise, they require the solution to be found promptly.  Self catering expectations are more akin to stays in hotels these days.

This is no bad thing and it is absolutely possible to move with the times and keep up with the pace.  There are ways to make the fast moving rentals feel ‘slower’ and ways to impart a more personable touch.  Even with instant bookings, last minute breaks, shorter stays, there are many ways to adopt this trend and ensure that a nurturing hospitality is felt in the lead up and during guests stay.

Embrace the change and enjoy what opportunities it may provide.

Utilise the ways of different advertising platforms and keep up with any changes they make to stay ahead of the game.  Sign up to forums, keep checking in with the platform being used to ensure that your listing stays at the top.

Let us know what you think and how things have or haven’t changed for you.

Brexit and tourism in Cornwall

Have you been wondering whether Brexit or indeed a ‘no deal’ Brexit will impact tourism here in Cornwall. 

People are worried about possible passport issues with a no deal Brexit, leaving people anxious about travel problems in the EU.  There may be potential flight disruptions due to air space agreement arrangements and other licensing agreements likely leading to an increase in airfares.

 

Driving in the EU might require an International driving permits and there are certainly huge possibility that future exchange rates will lead to holidaying in the EU becoming more expensive following a no deal Brexit, as well as increased insurance costs possibly if we lose the European Health Insurance scheme.  

Largely, in reality we probably won’t notice the effects immediately as the transition period is in place to smooth this out.  But uncertainty is unsettling and when it comes to holidays, people don’t want to feel unsettled.  Inevitably all of this uncertainty will lead to an increase in ‘staycations’ and Cornwall could perhaps be the solution to the perfect place for an interim holiday. 

All of this is worth considering in your current marketing push, especially in the lead up to Easter and pre peak season periods.

The Rise of Airbnb in Cornwall

When starting out in the holiday letting business in Cornwall, one of our USPs was to offer home owners the flexibility to let out their homes from 1 week to the whole year.  This flexible approach was at the time somewhat unique and appealed to Cornish and 2^nd home owners alike.  It was great to see the number of locals taking us up on this offer and offering a means to bring in an extra income by renting out their home for a short period each year.

 

Moving on 7 years, the rise and influence of Airbnb has brought this idea to more and more people due to its large audience, flexibility and money generating potential.  Airbnb has helped to open up Cornwall to a more international audience as well as people looking for more places to stay closer to home. 

 

According to Visit Cornwall figures, there were around 200,000 visitors a day to Cornwall in August 2018 and 10% had stayed in Airbnb accommodation.  ­

 

Martha says, ‘We believe that the Airbnb trend will settle down in Cornwall going forward and we won’t continue to see the massive growth noticed in the last couple of years. Airbnb offers a great way for people to be more independent in the competitive letting market.   Local home owners looking for an extra income stream, who strive for the best standards and follow the industry regulations correctly, can thrive, achieve longevity in the market place and make use of the large audience that Airbnb has to offer.’

Has Cornwall reached saturation in the peak season?

This summer, I took a drive to my secret summer hideaway beach.  When I got there I shook my head… what…wait a minute….the car park was full.  Is there an event on? Perhaps a triathlon?  As it turns out there wasn’t, but my secret beach was apparently trending on social media!

The great weather, social media selfies, the rise of Airbnb and impeding Brexit contributed to one of the busiest summers in Cornwall.  Visit Cornwall states that there were 200,000 visitors a day in August 2018.  Does this mean Cornwall has reached tipping point?  Certainly there are a fair few beaches, Watergate Bay, Polzeath and even Porthcurno right down in the West, to name a few, where the wind breaks create a little city of people to meander around in the peak weeks.  The remote lanes, often single track, leading to many of the beaches found it hard to cope with the number of cars at the beginning and end of the day.

Whilst all this is true.  Cornwall did cope.  Businesses thrived, letting agencies were full and Airbnb-ers happy.  With the way that the current UK schooling system works, Cornwall will continue to have these few peak weeks where its resources are pushed to its limits but a happy influx of people will continue to arrive to get there Cornish fix. 

However, there will always be some people who be deterred from returning perhaps due to a long, slow journey back at the end of their stay and others will seek to find other new places to holiday at home but most will continue to make their annual pilgrimage south west.  As long as there are places to stay and the staycation trend continues, we believe that there will always be a balance on the edge of full capacity for the peak weeks and the Cornish people will continue to make the most of the influx of spenders.  The increased exposure along with the continuing variety of things on offer to do and see in Cornwall in the off peak times and the desire for people to visit without the crowds will help to drive an increase visitor numbers year round.

Starter’s Guide to Holiday Letting without an Agent

Are you considering holiday letting your property without an agent?  Here’s a bit of advice.

What type of holiday property owner are you?

2nd home owner / investment?

Letting your primary residence for part of the year?

Letting an annex / apartment / part of your primary residence?

What is your aim?

Investment?

To help finance a holiday home that you / your family will enjoy part of the year?

To earn a bit of extra income from renting out your primary residence for part of the year?

It’s important to establish out what your end goal actually is.

Is your property ready to let?  What needs to be done?

Do you need to furnish the property?

What equipment should you provide?

What should you take out / leave in a home that you are renting seasonally renting?

Do you need a spring clean and property refresh?

Have you got linen & towels sorted?

How to begin?

Have you thought about recycling and refuse collection?

Ask a professional, do some research or perhaps make a start and ask a trusted friend to view your property for things that you may have missed.  Having another input to the process can make a huge difference. 

What are all the rules and regs?

It is so important to understand what your legal requirements are when operating a holiday let.  Too many people can let this essential part of letting fall to the wayside as it is currently under regulated.  We believe this will and has to change.

If in doubt seek professional advice or do your research.

Are there tax implications?

Find out if your property qualifies as a ‘Furnished Holiday Let’ and ensure you are aware of the tax rules and implications on council tax /  business rates.

Do I have the right insurance?

Ensure that you have the correct holiday home insurance even if only renting your home out for a few weeks a year to avoid costly mistakes. 

There are many brokers who specialise in home insurance for this scenario.

Phew, now… where/how should I advertise?

There are many options or roads you could take.  Do you want to go the journey alone? Should you have a website, which online portal should you choose? Where should you advertise? Do you need a booking system?  How do you manage your diary?

These questions should be considered and every owner and property is different.  It certainly isn’t one size fits all and that is the way it should be.

What should I provide?

Right, now you are ready to roll, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  What on earth, should you include?  A well kitted out property can stand one property miles apart from the next.  A good and well monitored inventory of items can be the difference between guests returning year on year or booking the apartment next door.

Now - you need a great housekeeper.

If you are managing the property yourself, a great housekeeper is like gold dust.  A clean and well managed property is an absolute must.

Check out our downloadable cleaning checklist coming soon.

Sit back and relax???!

Depending on the route you choose perhaps you can to some extent!  If you are choosing a more hands on affair, then with the right preparation holiday letting can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.  Yes, there can be headaches at times but everything can be overcome if your approach is right.