How one family found the perfect local management team to run their first vacation home

Ken S. and his wife didn't intend to buy a vacation home in Cape Cod, nor had they ever owned a second home. But an opportunity surfaced during a trip to Brewster, Massachusetts, that found them returning to a place they had visited since childhood.

"Our intention wasn't to buy a house, but my wife and I have always had a love affair with Cape Cod. So while we were there, just on a lark, we arranged to visit some houses with a realtor," Ken shares.

If you're new to Brewster, it's a town nestled among Massachusetts' best coastal scenery in Lower Cape Cod. It's a popular destination for families and couples because it offers everything you want from a New England vacation destination. In fact, Travel & Leisure listed Brewster in their 2022 list of the 10 Best Cape Cod Towns to Visit This Summer.

But finding the ideal home in Brewster’s competitive real estate market meant they had to jump on fresh opportunities. Soon, Ken and his wife discovered what would later become the Cozy Charming Cottage. Still, to complete their dreams, they realized they needed a partner who could care for their home while they lived 500 miles away.

Partnership meets opportunity

Vacation homeowners need the peace of mind of knowing their property is always cared for, particularly during transitional periods or if they live out of state.

Ken and his wife originally signed with TurnKey Vacation Rentals. However, they later transitioned to Vacasa in 2021 after TurnKey was acquired by Vacasa. Since then, Ken’s home has seen increased reservations and he’s established a better professional relationship with his local Vacasa team. The additional income meant he could even make interior upgrades to the home.

“Everything that Vacasa promised turned out to be true. We’ve been very pleased with the staff and their attention to our house. The contractual obligations, the financials—everything has been smooth,” Ken says.

The smooth transition to Vacasa surfaced even greater potential for Ken’s vacation home. Ken had access to more resources and an expanded local team he could reach immediately. In turn, those resources made a massive difference to his bottom line and elevated the guest experience at his home.

Optimized for growth

Helping homeowners increase the return on their investment is at the heart of what Vacasa does. And Ken saw first-hand how personalized advice from his expert team could help unlock his home’s potential.

Early in his relationship with Vacasa, Ken contacted his local rates expert to discuss pricing strategies for optimizing both bookings and returns based on his personal revenue needs. During the conversation, they also discussed the benefits of allowing single-night reservations, pivoting away from the two-night stay minimum Ken had in place.

After covering all options, they settled on a competitive rate and opened the calendar to accept single-night bookings with Vacasa’s guidance.

"Based on the Vacasa rate expert’s recommendation, we decided to rent the house to guests for one night. And since then, we've had several one-night rentals—we've made hundreds of dollars just from that small decision,” Ken explains.

Long-term local connections

When it comes to the health of any vacation rental, sustaining revenue is key, along with expert home care and attention to detail in overall maintenance keeping the home spotless between guest stays.

That’s why Ken sees having the support of a local team, treating his family’s home as if it were their own, as another advantage to working with Vacasa.

“Let me start with the staff. Vacasa has been incredibly attentive to the smallest of details. They've even been highly responsive and get back to us very quickly,” Ken tells us.

Vacasa’s shared sense of urgency and attention to detail helped establish trust between Ken as a homeowner and the Vacasa team. He knows the local team can improve the guest experience by responding quickly to maintenance requests, if needed. In contrast, Vacasa’s central support staff are quick to aid him with professional advice on rate setting or ways to increase bookings.

“The business people at Vacasa that I've talked to have been very prompt in responding,” he tells us. “I tend to be very attentive to detail and expect the people in this business will have the same eye. Vacasa gets it right and they follow up—even when we talk about the smallest of things.”