This couple thought of selling their underperforming condo—then they partnered with Vacasa

Richard and Donna L. weren’t sure if renting their condo at Sterling Shores in Destin, FL was still worth it.

After a small property manager’s spotty service—including a mysterious paint job in their home neither they nor their manager had requested—the pair of homeowners were thinking of selling.

But when Vacasa took over management of Sterling Shores Resort, Richard and Donna thought they’d give us a shot.

“Honestly, when you came in, we were nervous. We thought, ‘Vacasa’s a big company—if it doesn’t go well, we will just sell,’” Richard admits. “But you guys have taken care of everything. We’re so happy we decided to partner with Vacasa.”

Local is everything

Richard and Donna are no strangers to investing in rental real estate. With experience owning in Vail, Colorado and the Florida Keys, Richard knows what he needs out of a manager.

And number one on his list?

“We live just north of Atlanta, so the most important thing was onsite rental management,” he says.

“And over the years, we've experienced a plethora of different managers—but Vacasa is by far the best,” Donna adds.

Both Donna and Richard say that their happiness with Vacasa’s management is largely thanks to their local team.

“If there is an issue, they always contact me right away and we work together to resolve it,” Donna tells us. “The whole local Vacasa team is awesome.”

It’s the little things that make the difference, Donna says.

“Once, we were visiting and forgot our phone charger. The front desk person—who is excellent, by the way—just gave us one. It saved me an errand, which was so thoughtful,” Donna explains.

“Things like that are why I think the number one thing Vacasa provides is peace of mind,” she continues. “The housekeeping and maintenance of our home is very good, and when something needs replacing, they let me know. We implicitly trust the Vacasa team to have our interests in mind. And that’s crucial when you manage from a distance, like us.”

Success made simple

But it’s not just an outstanding local team that keeps Richard and Donna renting with Vacasa.

“We're getting better revenue with Vacasa,” Richard says. “In the past, we’ve had enough trouble with mismanagement that we decided to rent the condo ourselves just to get the occupancy numbers up.”

“But with Vacasa we don’t need to worry—you do a great job getting us bookings,” he continues. “I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but if I were to compare previous years’ occupancy vs. what we’ve done with Vacasa, I’m sure we’d see a 20-30% increase in reservations.”

“It’s a relief to know that our mortgage is being paid,” Donna adds. “Before Vacasa, owning this condo used to cost us—now, we even make money off it.”

It’s easier to keep tabs on what’s going on in Destin from their Georgia home now too, thanks to Vacasa’s handy Homeowner Account.

“I used to build user interfaces for large companies, so I am very critical of the experience,” Richard says. “Vacasa’s Homeowner Account is fantastic: It's very informative, easy to navigate, and makes it simple to track the condo’s performance. Vacasa has invested in the homeowner experience online—and it shows.”

Now that they’ve partnered with Vacasa, Richard and Donna can relax and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren at Destin’s beautiful beaches (without the worries and what-ifs that come with owning a vacation rental).

“Compared to the managers I’ve worked with before Vacasa, if I could give my team six stars out of five, I would. I think they're awesome,” Donna says.

“Much of our goal for this rental property is to not have to do anything,” Richard continues. “And our team has been doing a great job—we couldn’t be happier with Vacasa than we are right now.”