The 3 "C"s to Making Your Vacation Home More Attractive

Guests re-book vacation homes because of the location, amenities, and the "look and feel" of the home. Is your lawn overrun with weeds? Has it been over a year since you last repainted? Are personal affects scattered throughout your home? If so, you vacation home may be giving off a bad impression, leading to fewer repeat bookings.  Follow ROVH's 3 "C"s to improve the attractiveness of your vacation home:

1. Curb Appeal. The front of your vacation home and lawn give your guests their first impression of your home - make sure it's a positive one! Keep landscaping trimmed and weed-free. Purchase a new welcome mat every few months and add a fresh coat of paint to the front door at least once a year. Check that the outside lights are working and bugs are cleared from the porch lights. If your property management company or HOA doesn't already offer landscaping services, ask them to start or to recommend a reliable company.

2. Colors. If it's been more than a year, your rooms are ready for a repainting. When repainting, use semi or gloss VOC low odor latex paint because it dries quicker, has little odor, and is washable. Use cream, beige, and yellow hues, with bright green, blue, red, or pink accents. Your accents can come from throw pillows, picture frames, furniture or linens, and rugs. Include a black accent for each room to ground the colors.  (Check out these ROVH homes which had recent upgrades: Disney Hero Haven, Secret Key Cove Villa, & Next2Disney!)

3. Clean it up! Dirty rooms, furniture, and towels should be immediately cleaned or replaced.  Look for scuff marks on the floors and walls, along with worn and ripped carpet, which should be cleaned, repaired, or replaced.  Chipped dishes and glasses should be replaced, but ensure you have a matching set of dishes.  Keep two additional sets per the number of guests in your home.  Clutter also detracts from the clean feeling in your vacation home. Remove nick-knacks, personal photographs, and silk plants (because they're hard to keep clean).

Don't forget to update your photo gallery when you make improvements and touch-ups to your vacation home!  If you're getting ready to do a photo shoot of your updated vacation home, read ROVH's tips first!