How to Create a Top-Notch Listing for Vacation Houses in Hawaii

How to Create a Top-Notch Listing for Vacation Houses in Hawaii


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Investing in vacation houses in Hawaii is an excellent way to spearhead a career in real estate investing. Managing vacation houses in Hawaii not only offers amazing prospects for generating income; it’s also an excellent platform for beginners. A new crop of short-term tenants on a regular basis provides plenty of opportunities for trial and error.

In this day and age, most people are choosing to list vacation houses in Hawaii through Airbnb and other rental services. If you are looking to rent out vacation houses in Hawaii, you want to ensure that you are listing your property in a favorable way. Below we explore the essential tips and tricks necessary for creating a killer listing for vacation houses in Hawaii.

Listing 101

If you are listing vacation houses in Hawaii through a service like Airbnb, you will, of course, need to provide relevant photos of and information about your rental. You want to be sure that you are describing your rental in such a way that attracts prospective renters and highlights the advantages of your property over other vacation houses in Hawaii. Be sure to review your listing on a monthly basis to make updates and revise errors.

Describe Your Rental Favorably

Your listing shouldn’t be a novel. But prospective renters want details. An effective listing provides a brief, 2 or 3-sentence description of the rental. It then moves on to bulleted lists of amenities, stipulations, and fees.

Be sure to use descriptive language in those introductory sentences that highlights: the feel of the interior space (i.e. rustic, cozy, luxurious, pristine); the size of the property (square footage, number of rooms and bathrooms, number of people accommodated); and the location of the property (i.e. in lush forests or the bustle of the city).

Language is important in your list of amenities, too. Listing services like Wifi and meals as “complimentary” or “on the house” will make your rental seem like a bargain. Scoping out other rental properties in your area will help you determine what niche you can fill, what your competitive advantage is, and what services to highlight. If you are surrounded by upscale, expensive rentals and provide a homey, B&B style operation, for example, be sure to emphasize the uniqueness of the experience your rental can provide.

Be Honest

Some people try to increase the attractiveness of vacation houses in Hawaii by adding or omitting certain information in their listings. Doing so is a horrible idea. It creates a set of expectations that are bound to be unmet upon your renters’ arrival. So, while you don’t want to put too much emphasis on the services that you do not provide, you do want to mention them. If you don’t have Wifi or Internet access, in particular, be sure to say so. Most renters have now come to expect Wifi access everywhere they go. They are often sorely let down if it is not available.

It is also important to note how far you are from the nearest town center. Far too often, people don’t research the precise location of their rental in relation to the sights they want to see. That can land suburbanites in the thick of the jungle or retreat-seekers too close to highways and cities. If you are in a remote location, be honest. While that might deter some vacationers, it is more likely to attract the right vacationers—the ones who will enjoy the escape and leave you positive reviews.

Select the Right Photos

You might think that a quick snapshot on your cellphone would get the job done. But you would be surprised how far a professional photograph can take you!

Phone cameras are becoming evermore refined. Still, there is a substantial difference between a professional photo and a picture taken on a phone or cheap camera. A professional photo might not really show any more of your rental than a camera photo. But it does suggest that you take your rental operation seriously and treat it like a business. And that will lead prospective renters to expect a higher quality rental than someone who uses photos from a phone. That’s true even if his or her property is just as nice as yours. The implication is subliminal: a quality photo suggests your rental operation is satisfactory and therefore profitable enough to cover professional photography.

With photos, too, it’s important to be honest. Don’t excessively edit photos to make your property look larger or nicer. In so doing, you are creating expectations that you cannot meet—meaning greater likelihood of a negative review. There’s nothing wrong with adjusting the lighting in a photo, but don’t get too excited about re-touching.

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