Vacasa helps brothers-in-law achieve their dreams in Panama City Beach

The goal: Retire early.

It’s a dream Patrick M. and his brother-in-law resolved to invest in—and they decided to start with a vacation rental property that would help pay for itself (and become an income stream down the line).

But there was a catch: They had their sights set on Panama City Beach, Florida, a five-hour drive from their homes in Georgia. Renting from a distance meant finding a local vacation rental manager they could trust.

“We thought that if we went with a big company, there was a good chance we’d get lost in the mix,” Patrick tells us. “They'd be too big to give you the attention that you need and rent your place the way you want it rented.”

But months of mismanagement from a small company changed their minds. Soon, they looked into Vacasa.

“We were able to use our place the way we wanted to—there was no queue-based system, or anything like that—so we decided to give Vacasa a try,” he says.

And the difference has been night and day.

“When we first started renting, we were very hands-on about the day-to-day things,” Patrick begins. “But after we got started with Vacasa, anytime we’d talk about the condo we’d realize that it was getting rented out—and we hadn’t had to do a thing.”

“Now, we're essentially sitting back and collecting a check—with the occasional upgrade, of course," he continues. “And you know what? It’s really nice."

It takes a team

Patrick says that his local Vacasa team has a can-do attitude. It means they have an advocate on the ground in potentially frustrating situations, like the time they bought a new sofa and arranged its delivery.

“The communication was good all the way through. I was never left thinking, ‘What's going on?’ he says. “And that's just one example. If I text or I call, I'm not just left hanging.”

“Communication is my number one thing,” he adds. “Problems are going to happen, that's inevitable, but I want to know what's going on. With Vacasa, there's always a response.”

In addition to speaking with his stellar local management team, Patrick uses the Vacasa app and online Homeowner Account to keep an eye on his condo.

“I'll see what the calendar is looking like, and how many bookings we have in the future. The Homeowner app makes it very simple to book a day to come down to the condo if we need to,” he says.

Dreaming big

Sure, management with Vacasa has been good to Patrick and his brother-in-law—but has Vacasa helped them make progress toward their goal? Patrick says “Yes.”

“Our condo is paying for itself, plus some. We can even upgrade it here and there, which is all that we ask out of having a property,” he tells us. “So far, working with Vacasa has helped us reach exactly the result that we want for an investment property.”

For homeowners with goals of their own, Patrick thinks checking out vacation rental management with Vacasa is worth the time.

“I can vouch for Vacasa’s Panama City Beach team—and if you can have a team like mine, then Vacasa is absolutely a good choice for your investment.”