Why you should use a professional management company for your short term rental

Colton Maher
July 12, 2023

We hear it daily… “People self-manage their rentals all the time, how hard could it be?” Or, “Management companies charge fees, wouldn’t it be cheaper if I just did it on my own?”

Don’t get us wrong, there may be instances where self-managing is the right option for you. Some people have ample free time, live in close proximity to the property, or have prior short-term rental experience. Maybe renting it is a temporary solution for a few months or, some people may be a glutton for punishment. Regardless, we’ve learned that self-managing simply isn’t a viable long-term solution for most owners. We know because our clients tell us!

When you partner with a professional management company you’re getting a trusted partner, a “boots-on-the-ground” presence to ensure your property is maintained and in guest-ready condition when you or your next guest arrives. As a professional property management company in the Brainerd Lakes Area, we’re the experts in our field and can help you avoid costly mistakes.

Now, the second big misnomer is that “every property management company is the same and offers the same services” and this couldn’t be further from the truth.

When it comes to renting your home on the Whitefish Chain or Gull Lake Chain, or other lakes throughout the Crosslake/Nisswa areas of Minnesota, we generally summarize your options as either a full-service management company, offering white-glove service from start to finish and simply sending owners a check at the end of the month. On the other hand, there are “bargain” management companies where you’re offered a la carte options so you can pick which services you’d like the manager to handle and which ones you’ll do yourself. Our caution to everyone when navigating this conversation is you really do get what you pay for! It’s our experience that the self-managers or the discount management companies both result in homeowners feeling exhausted and defeated by their short-term rental. Our reminder is, it doesn’t need to be so difficult.

Woods to Water Vacation Homes is a full-service management company and has a team that handles every aspect of your short-term rental from local licensing to guest-ready staging, guest communications to vendor management, and property turnovers to monthly accounting. We handle it all, so you don’t have to. And let’s be honest, you don’t have the time to!

If you’re considering (or maybe you already are) renting out your home as a short-term rental on Airbnb or VRBO, give us a call and let us take care of the heavy lifting! If your property happens to fall outside of the Brainerd Lakes Area, we’d be more than happy to put you in touch with our vast sphere of Property Management Companies across Minnesota, the Midwest, and throughout the entire United States.

Have more questions on what professional property management could look like for you? Reach out!