This week, we’re featuring Justine Emerick, founder of Vacation In Rocky Point and an OwnerRez user since 2020. What started as “casually managing” quickly grew into a thriving business, and today Justine manages 13 homes and counting in Rocky Point with OwnerRez as the backbone of her operations.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history?
I’ve been managing my personal vacation rentals in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, also known as Rocky Point, for about eight years. What started as managing my own properties slowly grew into something much bigger as other foreign owners began asking me to manage for them as well. I discovered OwnerRez and signed on in September 2020, and that’s when my business truly leveled up.
Were you always in vacation rentals or property management, or is this a 2nd/3rd career?
Property management is actually my third career. I started out in corporate America working in IT. Eventually, I left the corporate world to build an eBay business, which evolved into a successful retail operation where I sold on Zulily for many years. When COVID brought my retail business to an end, I pivoted fully into vacation rental management, something I had already been doing on a smaller scale for my own properties. What began as “casually managing” quickly turned into a thriving business as owners saw how I operated and wanted the same systems and professionalism for their properties.
Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located, or did you move there later?
I’m not originally from Puerto Peñasco, but we made the move there in 2018. We fell in love with the relaxed, laid-back, “vacation every day” atmosphere. Life moves at a slower pace here. Instead of spending hours commuting just to end up exhausted on the couch, our days include beach walks and sunsets over the Sea of Cortez. It’s hard to beat living where other people come to escape. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to live at the beach?
What do you love the most about the vacation rental business?
I love the flexibility and the ability to design my life around something I enjoy. I also genuinely love being part of people’s vacation experiences. We meet guests from all over the world, and it’s rewarding to know we help create the backdrop for family memories, celebrations, and getaways.
What do you dislike the most about it?
It’s a 24-hour business. You’re always “on” in some capacity. It can be hard to fully disconnect when guests are checking in, checking out, or traveling at all hours. That’s where strong systems and automation become essential.
How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?
OwnerRez is the backbone of my operation. I use it for both my personally owned properties and the portfolio I manage for other owners. It allows me to automate an incredible amount of communication, from inquiries and booking confirmations to check-in instructions and follow-ups, which gives me back time while still delivering a professional, consistent guest experience. Everything syncs in real time across channels, which is critical in a fast-moving market. I collect payments through my own processors, generate quotes easily, manage security deposits, and run detailed reports without juggling multiple systems. On the owner side, it gives my clients transparency. They can log in to see their calendars, view financials, and run reports anytime they want. That level of visibility builds trust and makes scaling possible. And when I need help, OwnerRez support is responsive and knowledgeable, which matters when your business runs 24/7.
What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?
It’s honestly hard to pick just one because the power is in how everything works together. The real-time channel syncing alone is invaluable. Add in automated messaging, integrated payment processing, easy quote generation, security deposit handling, a seamless direct booking site, and detailed reporting, and you have a complete ecosystem. Before OwnerRez, I was piecing together multiple tools. Now everything lives in one place. That’s what allowed me to grow from managing my own properties to running a full-service property management business for other owners. I genuinely would not be able to operate at this level without OwnerRez. It gives me structure, automation, professionalism, and scalability, while still allowing me to run my business my way.
Justine has built a thriving vacation rental management business in Rocky Point through strong systems and a commitment to professionalism. We look forward to continuing to support her vision and seeing Vacation In Rocky Point continue to grow.