This week, we are featuring Meredith Tracy, owner of Pineapple Properties of the Florida Keys and an OwnerRez user for over five years. After years of visiting the Keys with her family, Meredith and her husband made the move and have built a thriving vacation rental business, now managing 19 properties along the coastline.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history?
I'm a 5th-generation Floridian and grew up in Ocala. My first trip to the Florida Keys was when I was 18 years old. I've always loved the beach and being by the ocean, but I had never fished before and had never seen anything like the Florida Keys, with its blue and turquoise waters and special island experiences. I was enamored and wanted to return. So, I continued to visit with my husband and our children when we could over the years.
As the area where we raised our family became busier and more populated, we wanted to move to a small town. We decided we wanted to be by the water and where it is mostly warm all year round, so we chose the Florida Keys. At the time, I was a loan originator and could work from anywhere. When we moved, my husband started his real estate career.
What is your background?
My husband was an entrepreneur, and I helped him with his companies part-time while raising our 3 children. At 40, I became a loan originator and worked in that industry for 15 years.
Were you always in vacation rentals or property management, or is this a second or third career?
I guess you could say it is a 3rd career: Mom, Loan Originator, and now Vacation Rental Company Owner.
What do you love most about the vacation rental business?
Helping people make happy memories that they will take home with them and enjoy for a lifetime! I have guests who return year after year; it has become a tradition in their family!
What do you dislike the most about it?
Managing difficult guests who break things and don't leave the property the way they found it. I also find that more and more guests have such high expectations, and it can be difficult to please them.
How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?
I look at OwnerRez as the "hub" of my "airline"; almost everything goes out from it. It allows me to do almost everything I need to do in one place. It is also like having an assistant for much less money!
What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?
For me, the most useful aspect of OwnerRez is the ability to send check-in information effortlessly once it is set up. Specifically, the ability to automatically send guests helpful and important information about the property (including their personal one-time code) to (hopefully) facilitate a smooth check-in. Sometimes the trick is getting them to read it.
Meredith has done an excellent job of building a vacation rental business that creates lasting memories for guests. We’re excited to see Pineapple Properties of the Florida Keys continue to grow and to keep building tools that give Meredith more time to enjoy the Keys!
