You’ve just purchased a small condominium. Congratulations!
The plan is to rent it! When it is not occupied you will use it as a second home. So, how do you furnish it?
Ask yourself, “How important is the rental?” If the income from rental is of primary concern, be sure your condo is the one most renters will want to book first. Figure out what renters want and expect. If they are traveling half way around the world to Hawaii, they don’t expect it to be just like home or Florida. They will have an idea of what Hawaii is like and they are paying for that experience.
Think Hawaii! When most visitors think of Hawaii they think of palm trees, sandy beaches and blue water. They imagine luau, grass skirts, exotic flowers and Aloha shirts. They believe there will be fruit trees, tropical flowers and pineapples and coconuts. They think of surfing, canoes and snorkeling. Vacationers expect to hear the sound of surf, Hawaiian chants and Brudda Iz. If you want them to come, give them what they expect to find. Put the sound of surf and a palm tree on your web site and ukulele music in the CD.
Pretend your aunt is coming! This is your mother’s favorite sister and she is picky. If you mess up, you’ll hear about it. She’ll expect everything to be spotless and working properly. Most important, the bed should be as big as possible, extremely comfortable and made with fresh linens. Always use clean mattress pads to protect the mattress from stains and odors. The moment the door opens your rental should smell fresh and clean but not heavy with perfume. Put big thirsty towels in the bathrooms. Never use ragged or stiff towels. Relocate those to the lowest shelf of the linen closet so a rag will be available when needed. Buy bath mats that lend themselves to being washed along with the towels. No one wants to stand on a soiled bathmat.
Vacation is a special time! Most people work all year for those few special weeks when they get to live like royalty. Throughout your vacation rental the furnishings should be attractive; but more important; clean, comfortable and serviceable. Suppose you have a one bedroom condo but plan furnishing with a sleeper sofa so you can advertise it sleeps 4. You need to seat 4 people at the dining table and 4 comfortably in the living area too. Futons and rattan chairs don’t tend to be comfortable. A nice sofa, even if it is small, is called for. Sofa throws and soft throw pillows will add years to the life of your furnishings. Two comfortable chairs are required. One chair might do double duty in the bedroom. When I have a sleeper, I like to use a big chest instead of a coffee table. It makes a great place to store all the linens and pillows for the sleeper sofa. You can put a cushion on it and use it as an ottoman. Top that with a try and it serves as a coffee table too.
Double-duty is the name of the game. Most rentals are not a large as a home. In Hawaii the lanai is usable living space and often serves as the dining area. TV trays will serve multiple uses. If space is very limited and indoor dining is a must – think booth. Bar stools are seldom used if they turn your back to the view. Use the back of the bar as an opportunity to create a booth instead. The lower portion of the seat becomes storage. You can even screw it shut and store your personal items there while your second home is rented.
Nick-Nacs can be useful tools! Need lamps? Look for Hula girl lamps? Six pack sized coolers come in Hawaiian prints. Set one on the bar with some beach necessities as a greeting. Got shelving units to decorate – store your extra glasses for all to see. Be sure they shine. Buy more dishes than you need and display the extras too. If you buy a set of 4 and one breaks you probably won’t be able to match them next year. Buy sets of 8 or 12 and you’ll be good for years. Note the same is true of towels. Use pot hangers instead of precious cabinet space. Hang a shelf instead of a picture. Mug holders look great on the counter. Pot holders and dish towels with Hawaiian prints or themes can dress up the kitchen. Buy matching small kitchen appliances and show them off.
Discard – Discard – Discard! Discard is to rentals what location is in real estate. Please discard everything ruined, rusted, stained, broken, baked on, scratched, smelly, torn, stiff, melted and beyond being cleaned. Baking pans rust and Teflon coated pans seldom last more than a year or two. Who knows what happens to bed pillows but $5 fiberfill and $50 down pillows both look disgusting at the end of a year. Don’t go to a yard sale. If another man’s junk is your treasure – you’re treasure is apt to be your renter’s junk. I cannot tell you how many prospective renters say, “I don’t want a rental furnished from flee markets and yard sales.”
Buy smart – easy to maintain items. A little additional cost of front can become big savings over the long run. Buying two relatively inexpensive bed-in-a-bag sets are better than one more expensive spread. With 2 you can rest a clean spread by hanging it in the closet. If there are matching items on the windows or in the bath , two can keep you from re-decorating for years. Put a good vacuum where there is carpet on the floor. Provide a good mop, broom and cleaning bucket. Buy a few cheap towels for the beach and put them on a separate shelf with some beach toys. While towels can be bleached. Some housekeeper will throw a little bleach in your pretty “Hotel Collection” colored towels and make you wish you’d bought lots of moderately priced white or beige towels.
Always offer something special! People will go out of their way to try to rent the condo with the telescope, the Wolf range, grass bed skirt, bamboo 4 poster bed, matching recliners, jacuzzi tub, plasma TV, travertine floors, yellow kitchen, blue bedroom or view of the cruise ships. When selecting a rental most people pour through the Internet and look at dozens of photos. One property will stand out in their minds. Very often they recall one special item so give them something to remember. I always spend a little extra on some signature item or effect. I once spent $200 for an inexpensive telescope. I got my money back over and over again because people requested the unit with the telescope. Lets say you spent $500 on two large framed Kim Taylor Reese prints. The first time you catch a week rental that would have been vacant, you’ve paid for the prints.
Let’s recap please. Clean – Comfortable – Fresh Smelling – New or Like New – Working Properly – Plentiful.
This post is for several clients currently purchasing condos. I’ve worked in Resort areas since 1983, managed and furnished several hundred rentals including my own. These are the basics. There is much more to add and it would have been great fun to show photos of what pots and pans shouldn’t look like, but it is time to wrap this up. If anyone has a specific question, please ask. We are interested in every comments and suggestion. Please share your rental experiences as well.
Joyce Murphy, Realtor Broker BIC
Hawaiian Isle Real Estate LLC
Luxury Real Estate Florida, Inc.
In Real Estate, Experience Counts
808-443-4302 / 808-327-1155
More Kona Real Estate Information at:
www.LuxuryRealEstateHI.com
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