We just built & opened our rental Sept ‘24. We are truly unique, in an underserved area. AB&B drove me nuts trying to get its dippy AI to recognize that the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal is an ACTUAL NATIONAL PARK, as is Antietam National Battlefield. Hoping to broaden our reach with OR. It’s been slow, we’ve only rented two weekends in July, & the first & 2nd week of August. Is that normal, for new offerings, or is the economic uncertainty & Federal job losses on the E coast more of a factor? Interested in what y’all are seeing. (I’m originally from Austin, Texas, have lived in Indianapolis, Bavaria (the one in Germany) & Frederick MD. We live essentially next door to our rental in Sharpsburg. -Chuck & Emily Gordon
Howdy, and welcome to OwnerRez! I hope you find some other owners who can chime in on your questions.
I own 5 properties in two different markets (Gulf Shores, AL and Broken Bow, OK), so I'm not in your area, which sounds lovely, btw.
My impression is this year has been different and required more effort from me. In my experience, people are still vacationing. They may be vacationing in different places and for different stay lengths, but they haven't stopped, at least in my locations. I did a couple of needed updates to freshen up, had new listing photos taken, and worked with a revenue manager to learn some new tricks.
My booking window was definitely smaller in my markets this summer, which is my high season. By paying attention to my listing, pricing, and minimum stay profiles, I've been able to keep my bookings up to where I've set my bar for the year. In some cases, my bar was just keep it at the same place as last year. On some properties I've been able to dramatically increase my occupancy and earnings.
My takeaways from this year so far - keep experimenting until you find your sweet spots!
Thank you, we just have one, & this is our “first rodeo”. Experimenting, using social media, schmoozing.
All of our skills in previous lives, from graphic design to editing & media relations, are coming in handy.
We are in an under-served area, so I think we just need to gain rep & get known.
thanks!
Emily DG
antietamdome.com
