List My Property

How to Rent My Home

Management

Initial set up process includes: ​

  • ​Offering staging advice to make the property as attractive as possible to potential renters
  • Photographing the property to be sure prospective renters get a genuine sense of the features the property offers
  • Loading your listing into AirBNB, VRBO, and www.mivacationrentals.net
  • Developing a complete inventory of contents to ensure renters understand what’s included and what they may need to provide
  • A full marketing campaign focused on exposing your property to as many potential guests as possible. This includes targeted social media distribution, networking with our broad network of area REALTORS and business owners, and a variety of online resources to ensure anyone interested in enjoying time in your area considers your property for their vacation.​

Gaining rental clients is the first step in ensuring an exceptional experience.  We’ll take on the necessary tasks to ensure your guests have a memorable stay and leave with fond memories of their experiences in northern Michigan.  We balance this while recognizing it’s also your home or cottage and should be treated as a personal property.  Here’s how:

  • Set up and coordination of cleaning and maintenance personnel
  • Correspondence with renters during booking, check-in, check-out, and all inquiries throughout the rental process
  • Train support staff to ensure they meet your high standards of care
  • Follow up with renters to turn them into regular customers
  • Communicate effectively with property owners to be sure they can continue to enjoy the property when desired, and that it’s producing positive income when not in use

We can manage everything from one room, a whole house, a basement, a camper, a docked boat, a cabin in the woods or a mansion on the bay.  Just let us know your thoughts and we’ll help find the best route, if possible, to make it a successful venture.

There has been a recent push from many local municipalities to limit or prohibit short term rentals.  We’ll assist in determining if rentals are allowed in your area and make sure any local requirements are met before the first renter arrives.  Please contact us for information on the eligibility of your property.

Marketing

VRBO AND AIRBNB

Airbnb and VRBO are the most versatile and most visited vacation rental platforms on the internet. Each platform has its pros and cons, and we stay up to speed on current technology and primarily use these platforms to properly vet all potential renters, correspond with incoming and outgoing guests, handle all transactions, and do whatever is necessary to continue to receive excellent reviews.  
Liability and property insurance are built into these platforms, providing additional protection on top of primary home insurance.

SOCIAL MEDIA

At MI Vacation Rentals we use social media to keep the public informed of places to stay in northern Michigan along with sharing other useful local information an events.  We keep our rental homes at the top of the search engines with interesting, practical content and excellent reviews.  It’s easy to share a fantastic place to stay in northern Michigan!

NETWORKING

At MI Vacation Rentals we have a well established stake in the community. We love it that most of our business comes from glowing guest reviews and referrals from well-known partners.  We are trusted in the greater Grand Traverse region and continue to receive word-of-mouth referrals because of networking.  We have of a history of integrity, conscientious execution, and treating clients’ homes like we would our own.

THE MONEY MATTERS

Our clients hire us because we help their investment property be profitable in both the long and short term.  We work with each client to provide regular reporting of any deposits, upcoming rentals, and year to date gross and net revenue for each property we manage.  A detailed report is generated monthly.  We also provide an owners portal to make certain our clients have everything they need to use their property and have detailed analytics. 

MONITOR THE MARKET

Rental rates have been swaying dramatically in recent years depending on location and the amenities offered in any given property.  It’s essential to continually revisit rates so we can continue to maximize the income potential of the property while hitting our occupancy goals.  This includes creating effective seasonal rate schedules as well as being aware of local festivals, events, and conditions that might allow for brief windows of heightened rate structures.

GETTING PAID

We work with each client and their own unique circumstances to develop a pay out schedule that meets their needs.  Usually this means a payout which follows each monthly report. Our fees are deducted from rental revenue and are some of the most competitive in the region.

Care

YOUR HOME AS OUR HOME

We subscribe to the mentality that we ought to treat our clients’ properties as if they were our own.  Every property needs routine maintenance to avoid larger scale repairs down the road.  Part of our service includes routinely surveying the property and either scheduling maintenance ourselves and informing our clients of what likely needs to be done.  This can include actual physical problems with the property as well as helpful suggestions that will ensure guests enjoy their stay as much as possible.

AVOIDING UNWANTED GUESTS

The most certain way to suffer physical damage to a property and poor experiences for guests is to allow the wrong people into the property to begin with.  We want to know that the property is well suited to the guests’ intended purpose, so we screen those who are interested before entering a contract.  It’s essential they understand the expectations of behavior and care of the property BEFORE executing a rental agreement.  We make it crystal clear that we are an attentive company that takes our role as rental managers seriously on behalf of our clients.

KEEPING HAPPY NEIGHBORS

With some negative perceptions about rental properties out there, we work diligently with neighbors to ensure their privacy and that of our guests is respected.  Making sure to rent only to responsible parties and immediately responding to any potential issues the moment we’re made aware of them goes a long way toward staying in the good graces of nearby property owners.  When it’s necessary, our role is also to work with our clients to develop strategies for handling difficult neighbors who may not be open to the idea of short term rentals.  Balancing our clients’ right to rent their property while ensuring the neighbors’ quiet enjoyment of their own property sometimes requires extra effort.

Contact Todd Haulenbeek to inquire about getting your property listed with us!  (231) 715-1376 and todd@mivacationrentals.net