This week, we are excited to feature Alan Agoado, founder of Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes and an OwnerRez user for over five years. After getting his start in vacation rentals in 2009, Alan has built a successful vacation rental business along Florida's Gulf Coast, where he focuses on building strong relationships with both his guests and owners.

Can you tell us a little bit about your history and background?

I fell into the short-term rental business back in January 2009 after being laid off from my previous job. At the time, I wasn’t working, and a friend of mine owned a cleaning business, so I started helping her find cleaning jobs. Around the same time, my cousin (who is in the picture and is now my partner) told me that a company he did maintenance work for was looking for cleaners and also needed help with reservations.

For the first year, I worked with my friend on the cleaning side while doing reservations part-time. After about a year, I decided to step away from cleaning and focus on reservations. About a year later, the person I was working with left, and I became the only person handling reservations. Over the years, I built a lot of great relationships with both guests and owners. Eventually, I felt like I had built enough experience and relationships to go out on my own. In 2021, I took that leap and started my own company, Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes. It has been an amazing journey ever since, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the relationships, experiences, and opportunities that have come along the way.

Were you always in vacation rentals or property management? If not, what did you do before?

This was the first real career that I had. Prior to getting into short-term rentals, I was just working basic jobs in retail to get by.

Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located, or did you move there later?

Yes, I was born and raised in Dunedin, and I focus on rentals from Indian Rocks Beach to Hernando Beach.

What do you love most about the vacation rental business?

Meeting all kinds of people from around the world. I have built great relationships with guests who will now only rent with me.

What do you dislike the most about it?

The entitlement of some people.

How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?

OwnerRez is used to keep everything organized. When I change something on my listings, it syncs super fast, and I don’t have to keep checking to make sure it synced. My owners also like the new owner statements.

What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?

I like the automated emails and the ease of use. The company I used previously was very confusing. I also love the reports and how quickly everything works. It's very easy to keep track of the total rents for the year, occupancy, and where my bookings are coming from. I also never have any double bookings, like I see with other softwares.

Alan has built a successful vacation rental business by focusing on great service and lasting relationships. We look forward to seeing Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes continue to grow!