Owner:  Joseph Scavona

Location:  Myrtle Beach, SC

How did you get into the vacation rental business?

In March 2006, my wife and I got together with two other families and purchased a couple of condos at the Caravelle Resort in Myrtle Beach.  The condos were originally intended to be for personal use and as a real estate investment – but we decided to share it with other guests while it wasn’t in use.  At first, we used a property management company to rent the condos out – but decided to begin renting the units out on our own to provide more personalized customer service to our guests.

What makes Myrtle Beach a great destination to visit?  Why did you decide to buy in Myrtle Beach?

There were a number of reasons why we decided to buy in Myrtle Beach.  It’s a very family oriented beach location that’s very fairly priced and affordable for families.  This was a big selling point for us.  The beaches are huge and are not as crowded as other beach areas on the East Coast and there are lots of activities that appeal to a wide variety of interests – fishing excursions, bike riding, great restaurants, etc.  It’s a great place to get away and just relax in a very laid back atmosphere.  It’s also accessible from lots of areas as you can fly directly into Myrtle Beach.

What would be your advice to vacation homeowners considering renting out their home?

My first piece of advice would be not to underestimate the time involved to do it right – as guest interactions, rental contacts, advertising, and pricing your property takes extra time & patience to get it right.

Beyond that, I would say it’s absolutely critical to really know your place and the area as you’ll get lots of questions, some of which you won’t necessarily expect.  It’s also really important to be honest and set proper expectations – this has really helped me drive repeat visitors and referrals.  For instance, my property is more low-key and secluded than other locations in Myrtle Beach so I want to make sure my guests know that going in so there are no surprises.

For out of town renters like myself, I can’t stress how important finding a housekeeper and maintenance person you can trust.  They are your eyes and ears on the ground.  I use Spic-N-Span Cleaning & Linen Rental and they have been lifesavers for me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a vacation rental owner?

The follow-up emails I’ve received from guests after their vacation have been a tremendous source of pride for me.  I don’t like our units to go unused and it’s great to be able to provide a great vacation for people coming to Myrtle Beach, sometimes for the first time.

What are the most common mistakes that vacation rental owners make?

My advice would be to price your property fairly and avoid “going for the big fish” by overpricing your property, which some owners can be guilty of.  It’s counterproductive as you end up failing to meet expectations and create a lot of unnecessary ill will between you and the guest.

What is the biggest challenge to marketing a vacation rental property online?

The main challenges for me are differentiating my property since many listing sites have become very saturated and getting people to trust me, particularly when I had no history.

How did you learn about FlipKey?  What attracted you to the ‘Verified Owner’ program?

I originally learned about FlipKey on TripAdvisor.  I was on TripAdvisor looking at hotels – saw vacation rentals – and ended up learning about FlipKey’s program for owners like myself.  I liked the fact that it was $1.99 per month to start, tied to a well-known brand, and the verification program.  Most importantly, I liked the guest reviews and the fact that the reviews are real (meaning that as an owner, I can’t simply delete negative reviews), which creates a level playing field and allows consumers to trust them.  Having the ability to share reviews from guests online, which I was already collecting prior to FlipKey via my follow-up emails, with other prospective guests is helping me generate bookings.

What results have you seen from the program to-date?

It’s only been a couple of weeks – but the results have been great so far.  I’ve received 75 inquiries plus 10 to 12 calls – and already 6 bookings, with one taking two weeks.  I’ve also been pointing prospective guests that come in from other channels to my FlipKey page so they can see reviews from past guests.  So, not only am I getting results from people viewing my listing on FlipKey & TripAdvisor – but I’m also able to help convert other people as well with the reviews.

What have you found are the secrets/best practices to success on FlipKey?

The most important thing to do is collect reviews.  I’ve been really proactive with my guests asking them to leave reviews and then thanking them if they are able to do so.  It’s a time investment – but well worth it.

What new features/improvements would like to see FlipKey make going forward?

While the program has been great for me so far, there’s a number of improvements that can be made that will make it even better.  The system needs to handle overlapping rates better and it would be great if there was an area to explain what the rate actually includes.  This is really important so that people can compare properties on an apples-to-apples basis since rates from other owners may not include other fees & taxes.  I’d also like longer character limits, particularly for the property title, and want it to be more obvious to people to send an email inquiry when they are looking at my property.  Finally, it would be great if the system emailed me when a new review was left so I can comment on the review or thank the guest for leaving a review.

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