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LinkedIn: Join EBR on LinkedIn to Discuss Vacation Rental Property Management

We have created the Myrtle Beach & North Myrtle Beach Property Owners Group to serve as an open forum to discuss any topics relating to vacation rentals along the Grand Strand.

Please feel free to share your ideas, thoughts or concerns, what works or doesn’t, discuss rental incomes, and any other topic pertaining to the vacation rental industry in the North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach area. Join the Myrtle Beach & North Myrtle Beach Property Owners Group on LinkedIn for the latest discussions!

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January 7, 2015
NEW SERIES: OWNERSHIP 101

For 2015 we are starting a new vacation rental ownership series called Ownership 101! We will cover all of the current trends and strategies in the vacation rental market.

Today’s topic covers the importance of having a professional photographer shoot your property. When it comes to a vacation rental, a picture speaks more than a thousand words.

http://blog.evolvevacationrental.com/how-professional-photos-generate-bookings-and-income/

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November 13, 2014
Hot Topic Thursday – Pinterest for Business
Today’s Hot Topic is Pinterest for Business. Do you have a Pinterest account for your vacation property? Elliott Beach Rentals uses Pinterest to show off our beautiful rentals, highlight activities in the Myrtle Beach area, and suggest beach-themed recipes and crafts. This article recommends focusing your pins on the holidays and holiday shopping. Pinterest cites a study that 21 percent of Pinterest users bought a product they discovered on Pinterest in-store. Why not create a wish list of vacation-related items for your rental property? We plan to focus our marketing on the holidays. How do you use Pinterest? Let us know in the comments!https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/7-ways-reach-holiday-shoppers-pinterest?utm_campaign=partner_20141106_newsletter&utm_medium=2023&utm_source=31&e_t_s=cta

                                                                                                                          

November 6, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Outdoor Amenities that Help Attract Guests

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

http://blog.myvr.com/

What’s On the Outside Counts Too! blog.myvr.com

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October 30, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Instant Gratification

When you’re trying to rent your vacation property, your first priority is to attract interested renters — and to do that, you need features that will catch people’s attention when they’re searching online. Some of the most important are outdoor…

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Instant Gratification. Guests have many expectations of your vacation property. They expect it to be clean, fully furnished with updated décor, and that all maintenance issues are addressed immediately. Realistically, a vacation rental may not offer all the amenities a guest anticipates, such as a hair dryer or free linens. An appliance may break or the wireless Internet may go out as it can in your own home. This article by Heather Bayer of Cottage Blogger offers great advice on how to prepare guests for these unexpected snafus. How do you balance a guests’ need for the perfect vacation rental with the reality of everyday mishaps?http://www.cottageblogger.com/instant-gratification-and-other-guest-expectations-how-the-vacation-rental-business-is-changing/

Instant Gratification and Other Guest Expectations – How the Vacation Rental Business is…cottageblogger.com

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October 23, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Decorating Your Vacation Rental Property

Today’s Hot Topic Thursday series considers the importance of how you furnish and maintain your vacation rental property. Furnishing a vacation rental property is very different from furnishing a home. Take a moment to picture your rental unit. Would you bring your family there and happily pay the asking price? Are you providing your renters with a place they will want to return to?

Read the article from A Summer Home : http://www.asummerhome.com/tips.htm

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October 16, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Social Sharing Opportunities

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Social Sharing Opportunities. How are you making it easy for guests to share their vacation experience at your property on social media? This article recommends creating a “selfie station” – a backdrop with your logo where people can take pictures. Do you have a selfie station at your vacation property? What are you doing to encourage guests to mention your business on social media?

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20141010164932-71154937-create-a-selfie-station-at-your-hotel

Create A “Selfie Station” At Your Hotel linkedin.com

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October 9, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Repeat Renters

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s Hot Topic is Repeat Renters. Repeat guests are among the best forms of advertisement for your vacation rental. They know and love your property, and will tell their friends and family about their wonderful experience. How do you foster repeat business? Let us know what strategies you use in the comments section!

http://www.vrma.com/blog_home.asp?Display=98

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October 2, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – 7 Tips to Rent Your Vacation Home in the Off-Season

We are back with another hot topic! Sorry we are one day late; it’s been a busy week! Today’s Hot Topic features seven tips to rent your vacation home in the off-season. I’m sure that we can all agree that off-season income is wonderful! The off-season is the perfect time to introduce your home to potential summer guests. Check out these seven tips for increasing your off-season income from bankrate.com.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/7-tips-rent-your-vacation-home-off-season-1.aspx

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September 25, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Many Business Travelers Prefer Private Homes

Today’s Hot Topic Thursday post considers the needs of an often over looked traveler, the business traveler. In the past most business travelers have preferred the predictability of a hotel over a private vacation rental, but recent trends are leaning towards the use of private homes on the road. Check out this article from USAToday and consider what additions or updates you can make to your rental property to make it more business traveler friendly.

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September 18, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Beyond the Tourist Trap

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Beyond the Tourist Trap. As residents of an area so dependent upon the tourism industry, we often forget why we chose to live here. Yes, there are a lot of neat attractions in Myrtle Beach. But did you move here for the themed restaurants, Boardwalk, or specialty shops? Probably not. Ask yourself what brought you to the area. Ask your vacation rental owners the same. The answer to this question may lead to a new way of marketing your vacation rental and the region, or lead you to a new guest demographic to pursue. Read more here http://www.barefoot.com/blog/bid/395260/Using-Your-Vacation-Rental-Owners-to-Engage-New-Tenants and let us know why you purchased a property in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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September 11, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Last Minute Bookings

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Last Minute Reservations. Have you seen a rise in last minute bookings this year? According to a survey by HotelTonight, guests are becoming more comfortable making reservations at the very last minute. The results of the survey are available here:http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/hoteltonight_releases_the_last_minute_booking_report .

How does your organization promote last minute reservations? We created a last minute website to promote our discounted rental properties. Check it out at http://www.myrtlebeachlastminutevacation.com/ and let us know how you get last minute bookings.

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September 4, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Should Your Rental Property Have a Welcome Book?

It is Hot Topic Thursday again and today we are discussing the necessity of a Welcome Book at your property. Are you getting too many phone calls with simple questions from your guests? Do they often think that the refrigerator isn’t working when they have just packed it full of groceries? Take a look at these suggestions for the addition of a Welcome Book at your property from Vacation Rental Times and Cottage Blogger and you will be on your way to blissful rental home ownership!

Cottage Blogger – http://bit.ly/CBWelcomeBook
Vacation Rental Times – http://bit.ly/VRTWelcomeBook

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August 28, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Realistic Expectations

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today we are discussing how you visually advertise your vacation rental. Are your photos realistic or misleading? Did you shoot the photos at an angle that makes your pool appear Olympic-sized, when it is actually the size of a hot tub? Cleanliness and amenities stand out in photographs. Guests will certainly feel misled and disappointed if the vacation rental does not match your photos. Are your photos an honest representation of your property? As the property manager, do you feel it is your responsibility to match guest expectations?

http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/info/owner/managing-your-vacation-rental/managing-guest-expectations.html

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August 21, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Using Video to Market Your Vacation Rental

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is video marketing. I have to brag on the Marketing Department here at Elliott Beach Rentals. They were recently recognized by Paveya for their excellent social media presence and use of video as a marketing tool. We use video to convey the beauty of our rental properties, introduce our employees and services, and to demonstrate the many things to do in the Myrtle Beach area. How are you using video to market your vacation rental? Let us know in the comments!

http://www.paveya.com/4-vacation-rental-companies-rocking-youtube/?utm_content=7026629&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin

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August 14, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Luxury Look at Discount Prices

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Luxury Look at Discount Prices – Outfitting your vacation rental to meet guest’s designer tastes and not-so-deep pocketbooks. At Elliott Beach Rentals, we manage vacation rentals at every price range. Every guest wants to feel like he or she is enjoying a luxury retreat – whether they are paying $100 a night or $1,000 a night. Below, Mercedes of One Chic Retreat argues that even lower priced rental properties need high quality furnishings and amenities to make guests feel pampered. Do you agree? Do you plan on updating the furnishings in your vacation property in the upcoming off-season?

http://1chicretreat.com/2014/06/27/the-decorating-technique-you-should-have-been-using-all-along-in-your-vacation-rental/

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August 7, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Renters as Neighbors

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Renters as Neighbors. Maintaining a good relationship with the neighbors who reside by your vacation rental property is critical to the upkeep and success of your rental business. Neighbors can help keep your property in tip-top shape by alerting you to renter damages and maintenance problems. Inconvenience your neighbors with unruly renters and you may be hearing from the HOA or local authorities. Issues such as noise and disrespect for others are sure to upset your neighbors and potentially hurt your vacation rental income. Here’s some tips on how to stay on the good side of your neighbors. What else would you add to this list?

http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/info/owner/getting-started-with-vacation-rentals/keeping-on-the-good-side-of-your-neighbors.html

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July 31, 2014

Hot Topic Thursday – Vacation Rental Ownership as a Business

The Hot Topic Thursday series will cover many topics related to the vacation rental industry. From purchasing a vacation property to selecting a property management company, we want to offer advice and hear your thoughts. Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Today’s topic is Vacation Rental Ownership as a Business. Is vacation rental ownership the correct business opportunity for you? If you know what amenities you are buying, understand the maintenance costs associated with owning a rental property, and are prepared to manage your property even from afar, your vacation rental will be a prosperous business venture.

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/488/business_and_finance/is_vacation_rental_ownership_your_business_opportunity.html

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March 31, 2014

Vacation Rental MANAGEMENT MONDAY Series – Does your social status stack up?

Everywhere you turn on marketing blogs, in your business email, and maybe even your personal social media feeds you can see people and companies touting the importance of your presence in the online community. Promoting your rental property to a web audience takes skill to reach potential customers in the farthest corners of the internet. 

The list of social networking website grows longer every day and just using the top two, Twitter and Facebook, will not cut it in today’s competitive market. To get your property in front of the most potential customers and keep it there, your online presence needs to tower over the competitions. Flickr, Pinterest, tumblr, foursquare, YouTube, Instagram, Google+, and Vine are just a few. 

When you enlist the help of a qualified property management company, you take the guess work out of navigating the social scene. Elliott Beach Rentals has a full staff that wrangles the online world for you and allows your property to get the most exposure in the most locations without you lifting a single finger to the keyboard. 

But wait right there… maybe you are thinking that you do a good job of this yourself. Social networking sites are not the end. 

Once you have placed your property in front of potential customers, moved them to action and they book your property, how do you follow up with them to make sure they enjoyed their stay? We ask each guest to complete a survey at the completion of their vacation. There are equally as many review websites as social networking sites. Yelp, Yahoo! Local, TripAdvisor, Bing, 411, Citysearch, Cricket, Superpages, Whitepages, and Merchant Circle are just a few sites where your guests can post their honest opinions of your property and share it with the entire webverse! Don’t stress, we have it all covered. We monitor online reputation and respond to reviews that mention our company or any specific units we manage. We do all we can to turn a dissatisfied customer into a repeat guest, from following up via phone or email to offering them a discount on their next stay. 

All that said, what are your thoughts on social networking and online reputation management from an owner’s perspective? Do you think an owner has a responsibility to promote their property online even if they use a property management company? Share your thoughts with us. 

For more details on Property Management through Elliott Beach Rentals visit:http://www.northmyrtlebeachtravel.com/live/vacationpropertymanagement.html 

(Written by Hilary Johnson)

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March 24, 2014

Vacation Rental MANAGEMENT MONDAY Series – Building a Relationship with your Property Manager

Owning two properties is quite an achievement. You probably spent many extra hours at the office to afford your vacation home or condominium. You may have missed your daughter’s art show on Friday night or your son’s soccer game on Saturday morning to meet with a client and close a deal. You answered work phone calls while you were on vacation with your family and saved every spare penny. When you could finally afford your second home, you remodeled and carefully chose furnishings. This vacation property represents years of hard work and sacrifice, and you should be proud of it.

When you decide to rent out your second home or condominium, it is important that you work with people you trust. After all, it took a lot of effort to purchase and decorate the place. Rather than go through the hassle of renting your vacation property yourself and living in fear of disorderly renters, allow Elliott Beach Rentals to manage your property. Our Homeowner Services team is here to handle all of your questions and concerns regarding revenue, reservations, marketing and more. 

Over the past 50 years, we have fine-tuned our approach to renting and managing property so as to be most profitable to our homeowners while giving your guests reason to return year after year. We know how to achieve high occupancy rates for a wide range of vacation properties – from golf course town homes and second-row condos to oceanfront beach houses. We are always accepting new business, and will gladly calculate your potential rental income. The Homeowner Services department will guide you through each step of the management process, from signing up to preparing your property for rentals to keeping your vacation rental booked year-round. They are here to make you feel comfortable and confident in your decision to allow Elliott Beach Rentals to manage your property.

Our business depends on your property being rented throughout the year, so we do all we can to make sure that happens while maximizing your profit. Trust your vacation rental to the experts – the Homeowner Services department at Elliott Beach Rentals. (Written by Morgan Nirenstein)

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March 17, 2014

Vacation Rental MANAGEMENT MONDAY Series – Nurturing Leads and Booking Reservations

It’s 3 a.m. and your phone is ringing. You jolt awake and answer in a panic, thinking a relative is sick or a friend is in trouble. Your foggy, sleepy mind, doesn’t recognize the voice on the other end. Turns out it is a prospective guest, calling from another time zone to inquire about your rental property. He found your phone number on a rent by owner website. 

Do not put your private phone number online where anyone can find it. You risk your number falling in the hands of countless hackers, scammers and solicitors. Customers need a phone number to reach you in case of an emergency or to work through last minute details. Rather than sharing your personal phone number with everyone on the Internet, let a professional vacation rental management company take your calls. 

When you allow Elliott Beach Rentals to manage your vacation property, you remove the risk of sharing private data online. Our reservations staff consists of highly skilled, friendly customer service professionals. Our phone lines are open from 8:30 a.m. through 10 p.m., and there is an after-hours phone line in case of emergencies. Our reservationists take calls and respond to online inquiries generated from our websites and third-party listing sites such as VRBO. We handle all aspects of the booking process. Whether a customer calls in to inquire about a specific property or needs help finding his or her dream vacation property, our knowledgeable staff is happy to help.

As it becomes increasingly popular to book a vacation rental online, Elliott Beach Rentals has found ways to meet this demand. Guests may book online through our websites or submit an email inquiry about one of our listings on a third-party site such as HomeAway. Our reservations team responds to these emails within a day. Plus, we promise to never share a homeowner’s name or contact information with a guest for any reason. The only phone calls or emails you will receive about your property will be from a member of the Elliott Beach Rentals staff.

Why risk sharing your private phone number and email address with the world? Allow the reservations staff at Elliott Beach Rentals to manage your bookings. (Written by Morgan Nirenstein)

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March 10, 2014

Vacation Rental MANAGEMENT MONDAY Series – Perfecting the Marketing of Your Rental Property

In the age of smart phones, everyone feels like a marketing genius. You can snap photos of your vacation rental and upload them directly to Facebook from your phone. You can reply to inquiry emails and manage your booking calendar through apps. You deserve to be at the top of web searches, with relevant content and high-quality photos reaching your target audience. How will you get there? Allow Elliott Beach Rentals to manage your property. Our marketing department will happily incorporate your property into our comprehensive advertising plan.

Break through the white noise of endless pages of vacation rental listings online. Elliott Beach Rentals manages multiple websites designed for search engine optimization. Our web content is rewritten frequently, so it is always up to date. We offer our homeowners a variety of ways to visually showcase their property, including photographs by a professional photographer, mouse on house interactive floor plans and 360 degree virtual tours. 

Elliott Beach Rentals maintains a strong web presence by actively monitoring analytics and trends, as well as responding to online reviews and inquiries. Social media is important to us as well, and we frequently showcase new properties on our accounts. We also list our properties on third party sites. Because we post so many vacation rentals on other sites, we receive discounted rates and rank higher in search pages.

Our marketing department is not limited to web. We have on-going postcard campaigns and print and television advertisements in strategic markets. We know where our guests are coming from, so we bring our name (and your property) to their attention. 

Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to market your vacation property. Allow experts to manage your vacation rental so it can receive the marketing it needs to gain attention and reservations in this competitive marketplace. (Written by Morgan Nirenstein)

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March 3, 2014

Vacation Rental MANAGEMENT MONDAY Series – Professional Housekeeping and Property Management

Be honest – do you enjoy cleaning your home? Does waking up early on a Saturday morning to scrub toilets and vacuum sound like your idea of a fun weekend? Can you take out the trash without saying, “Gross!” at least once? Probably not.

If you avoid cleaning your house, why would you want to clean your rental property? You worked hard to buy this condo. Do you really want to walk through the door and see eight bags of trash and a grease stain on the kitchen counter? Your rental property will not be left tidy if you advertised “departure cleaning included.” Do not scare yourself by entering your dirty rental.

Save yourself a few nightmares. Allow a professional rental company to manage your property. Elliott Beach Rentals is a full service rental management company. We provide departure maid service and/or inspect each unit on our rental program between check out and the next check in. Our housekeepers work in pairs and follow a detailed checklist to ensure each unit is clean and free of damages. The housekeepers notify the property services department of any missing or broken items so they can be replaced in a timely manner for the next guest.

In addition to the housekeeping and property services departments, Elliott Beach Rentals also has a marketing, homeowner services and reservations departments. Owning a rental property should not be a dirty job. Leave the housekeeping and management of your North Myrtle Beach rental property to Elliott Beach Rentals. (Written by Morgan Nirenstein)

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