I think our cottage my exchange in the next few weeks! Very excited after a delay as the mortgage company wanted a second Mundic test. Which was clear!
We live a long way off, but can go down for a week, during which we need to get it photo ready, so we can hopefully get at least Christmas and New year bookings, having lost out on September due to our delay. I have a number of questions.
We need to get beds and mattresses delivered during that week. I am not sure how to go about the timing aspect.
We are having an en suite put in, and a wood burning stove. The current fireplace is hideous! Again, a timing issue with the stove. We could I suppose book them in advance to fit it that week, but they wouldn't be able to visit before we are there to do a quote etc.
I was thinking of just furnishing it, and getting it on the agency website, but without the en suite and stove advertised. Then we could have the work done in November if we can, then change the photos and listing.
Is this realistic? If not, what should we do?
Thanks in advance.
Starting out and feeling a bit worried.
Speaking for myself, I wouldn't dare advertise in advance without knowing things are going to be ready. So putting it on without the ensuite and stove advertised would seem like a good idea. Easy enough to change text and photos later.
But when you do have the work done (which would be a nice surprise for people who have booked not knowing that!), allow plenty of time, and then some. We had a new shower room put in in November that was going to take a week. It was over a month because of problems, in the end (not least a leak in the new pipe, underneath the newly laid tiled floor). Fortunately, we had blocked out the whole of November to have a rest ourselves anyway and when I saw things going downhill, I blocked half of December out as well. It was finally ready the first week of December but I did not have the nightmare of having to cancel people. That is what you want to avoid, at all costs.
But when you do have the work done (which would be a nice surprise for people who have booked not knowing that!), allow plenty of time, and then some. We had a new shower room put in in November that was going to take a week. It was over a month because of problems, in the end (not least a leak in the new pipe, underneath the newly laid tiled floor). Fortunately, we had blocked out the whole of November to have a rest ourselves anyway and when I saw things going downhill, I blocked half of December out as well. It was finally ready the first week of December but I did not have the nightmare of having to cancel people. That is what you want to avoid, at all costs.
I advertised the minute certain of my rooms were 'photo ready'. My aim was to get my listing up and running (this was June 2014) to capture the rentals market for summer 2015. People do book a long way ahead - for 'sunshine' holidays anyway - so I thought it would be a sound tactic to gain an early presence. I think you can do that, no problem, but do not take bookings for periods unless you know beyond doubt that your place will be fit for purpose or you are begging to kick off your rentals career with a raft of negative reviews. As it happens for me I received immediate enquiries for immediate bookings so what I did was explain that I was not yet good to go, but offered the possibility of a discounted booking for the inconvenience of a not-quite-finished rental property plus some constructive feedback as to what was good, bad and indifferent, i.e. consumer testing. People have very different expectations when a) they are getting a bargain, and b) they are being asked for input into what the might shape the future of your rental. Good luck! 
EDIT: As a PS I should put the above into context. When my first guests arrived I had ripped out the bug screens, and in July in Andalucía sleeping with no air con and no bug screens is a licence to get bitten to bu99ery by mozzies. My guests said they were cool with this, and they were. Second guests were there when the builders were battering the hell out of my house to fit new rejas (ornate metalwork across windows and doors) and this was messy, noisy and disruptive. I also had the wasp man around spraying the huge number of nests so there were dead wasps ankle deep! The guests coped because they were told what to expect. Both of the above families left me fantastic reviews. It's about expectation.
EDIT: As a PS I should put the above into context. When my first guests arrived I had ripped out the bug screens, and in July in Andalucía sleeping with no air con and no bug screens is a licence to get bitten to bu99ery by mozzies. My guests said they were cool with this, and they were. Second guests were there when the builders were battering the hell out of my house to fit new rejas (ornate metalwork across windows and doors) and this was messy, noisy and disruptive. I also had the wasp man around spraying the huge number of nests so there were dead wasps ankle deep! The guests coped because they were told what to expect. Both of the above families left me fantastic reviews. It's about expectation.
Last edited by Casscat on Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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French Cricket
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Yes, it's definitely all about expectations, and in particular about managing them.
If you exceed a guest's expectations by providing something above and beyond what they think they're going to get, they'll be delighted.
If you don't meet their expectations - perhaps by not having finished work that you've advertised as being finished, or not yet providing something that you've described as available, they'll be unhappy.
I know what I'd prefer!
If you exceed a guest's expectations by providing something above and beyond what they think they're going to get, they'll be delighted.
If you don't meet their expectations - perhaps by not having finished work that you've advertised as being finished, or not yet providing something that you've described as available, they'll be unhappy.
I know what I'd prefer!
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akwe-xavante
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We're in a similar position, delays waiting for the sale to go through and then it'll be a mad dash to get everything done! We're over an hr away from our property so it'll be a lot of commuting, working around school pick ups and one of us staying over. It'll be more than a week for us cos it needs re-flooring and decorating throughout before it can be furnished and photographed. We've a full storage unit and our home is jam packed with stuff! Website is done except for internal photos. Still have a massive to-buy list but have the majority of things. Our website is going live as soon as we get the keys and we'll accept bookings straight away with a start date that leaves loads of time for the work to be finished.
I can't afford to wait until Easter for bookings. There is a mortgage to pay, so getting at least New Year is very necessary! The cottage is in Cornwall, and the area gets lots of winter short breaks, so I am hoping for a few of those as well.
We are planning on going for 2 weeks, getting it photographed and on the agency website, and giving the keys to the builder. He is going to put an en suite in but we will have to let him do it when he has a slot free.
We are hoping to get a wood burning stove put in while we are there for 2 weeks. There seems to be so much to think about!
We are planning on going for 2 weeks, getting it photographed and on the agency website, and giving the keys to the builder. He is going to put an en suite in but we will have to let him do it when he has a slot free.
We are hoping to get a wood burning stove put in while we are there for 2 weeks. There seems to be so much to think about!
It took me 6 weeks working flat out to get the cottage ready to let and that was without any building work. Just decorating, furnishing and making sure that we complied with the legal things.
It included a week for friends to beta test it for us. I would thoroughly recommend doing that - they mentioned things I hadn't considered and made sure the instructions we left for the heating etc made sense to someone unfamiliar with the system.
It included a week for friends to beta test it for us. I would thoroughly recommend doing that - they mentioned things I hadn't considered and made sure the instructions we left for the heating etc made sense to someone unfamiliar with the system.
We are in Cornwall as well, whereabouts are you? We bought our place last Dec and I was keen to get it on the listing sites as soon as poss to capture some Easter bookings. We had to paint through and replace a few items of furniture, but managed to do that and get some photos on the listings in mid January. Then...nothing, no bookings at all for the first 6 weeks. I was feeling seriously fed up when I discovered LMH and posted for advice, which I got in abundance, so thanks all 
. At the same time I managed to take some better pictures in the Spring sunshine and that same weekend I took 6 bookings! Within a month I was fully booked all summer. I guess what I'm saying is, don't underestimate the value of really good photos, which can be difficult in the winter light and when you're in a rush. But I'm guessing as you're putting in a log burner you can sell it as a cosy winter retreat and may well get some winter bookings. Good luck!
. At the same time I managed to take some better pictures in the Spring sunshine and that same weekend I took 6 bookings! Within a month I was fully booked all summer. I guess what I'm saying is, don't underestimate the value of really good photos, which can be difficult in the winter light and when you're in a rush. But I'm guessing as you're putting in a log burner you can sell it as a cosy winter retreat and may well get some winter bookings. Good luck!Ah, Mundic tests! I am in Cornwall too! Polperro to be precise.
My other half thinks I'm crazy waiting around all day for the time at which there will be maximum sunlight on the front wall of the property and I can capture the picture. Especially in the English weather.
Quick, everybody off the balcony! Go get a bottle of wine and two glasses! The sun's come out and I need to get the camera NOW!!
As jenster says, getting the most flattering pictures is a big step in getting people to see the attraction of the property when they get to your page. You do sometimes need to be very patient (especially in Cornwall!). I am constantly updating the pictures when I think I am being presented with the opportunity to get a better shot than an existing photo.
Use a photo editor (I use snapseed) to make the rooms look a bit lighter! Cheating? Nah..... it's called visual enhancement!!
My other half thinks I'm crazy waiting around all day for the time at which there will be maximum sunlight on the front wall of the property and I can capture the picture. Especially in the English weather.
Quick, everybody off the balcony! Go get a bottle of wine and two glasses! The sun's come out and I need to get the camera NOW!!
As jenster says, getting the most flattering pictures is a big step in getting people to see the attraction of the property when they get to your page. You do sometimes need to be very patient (especially in Cornwall!). I am constantly updating the pictures when I think I am being presented with the opportunity to get a better shot than an existing photo.
Use a photo editor (I use snapseed) to make the rooms look a bit lighter! Cheating? Nah..... it's called visual enhancement!!
Thanks! We are in Polperro. If you know it you will also know there is a huge issue getting things delivered, as it's traffic free! I am glad yours is going well, I am worrying about getting no bookings all of a sudden. We don't have a spectacular view as many in Polperro do. We do have a garden though, with a view of the river, and there are plenty of cottages with no view and no garden that get booked solid!
Initially the agency will do the photos, and hopefully that will be at the beginning of October.
I think the headache will be getting the sofas and beds delivered in that 2 week period, as we can't really order them until we at least exchange.
This should have gone through weeks ago, had a surveyor not made a mistake by not mundic testing one small piece of wall! The timing is now pretty bad, as I have a weeks work trip just as we should complete, so we are having to delay until after that.
I am trying to be sanguine about how many potential weeks we have lost because of the delay!
Initially the agency will do the photos, and hopefully that will be at the beginning of October.
I think the headache will be getting the sofas and beds delivered in that 2 week period, as we can't really order them until we at least exchange.
This should have gone through weeks ago, had a surveyor not made a mistake by not mundic testing one small piece of wall! The timing is now pretty bad, as I have a weeks work trip just as we should complete, so we are having to delay until after that.
I am trying to be sanguine about how many potential weeks we have lost because of the delay!
The delivery thing is an issue! The tips I have to give to delivery men! I try to use local suppliers wherever I can as they usually know all about it in advance and make provisions.
Is the furniture in bits? Or is Alan Butters available with his quad bike and trailer? I have his contact details if you need them.
The view doesn't seem to be a hindrance to the bookings, although you can charge a bit more if you do have a nice view. You don't have to say which agency you're with (one of the two main Polperro ones?) but they will get bookings for you.
You couldn't have picked a better village!! But then, I'm biased. If you need any help at all just PM me.
Is the furniture in bits? Or is Alan Butters available with his quad bike and trailer? I have his contact details if you need them.
The view doesn't seem to be a hindrance to the bookings, although you can charge a bit more if you do have a nice view. You don't have to say which agency you're with (one of the two main Polperro ones?) but they will get bookings for you.
You couldn't have picked a better village!! But then, I'm biased. If you need any help at all just PM me.
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akwe-xavante
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It's important not to under estimate how much time works takes / getting work done, as tradesmen all too often let you down. The weather gets in the way too.
If you think a job is going to take you 3 weeks it usually takes twice as long in the end.
If the plumber says "It'll take me 2 days to do that" it wont it'll be 4 days and I all probability he'll let you down and wont be able to it when he promised because of some lame reason then 3 weeks later it'll get done and you'll then have to spend another week tidying up after him and completing work you and the plumber hadn't thought of.
Cleaning up afterwards and repairing unforeseen damages and works afterwards takes twice as long as the actual job did in itself.
Waiting for tradesmen who have made promises, "Don't worry i'll make sure its done before then" often go wrong.
People, tradesmen and so on can always be guaranteed to let you down at some point.
If you think a job is going to take you 3 weeks it usually takes twice as long in the end.
If the plumber says "It'll take me 2 days to do that" it wont it'll be 4 days and I all probability he'll let you down and wont be able to it when he promised because of some lame reason then 3 weeks later it'll get done and you'll then have to spend another week tidying up after him and completing work you and the plumber hadn't thought of.
Cleaning up afterwards and repairing unforeseen damages and works afterwards takes twice as long as the actual job did in itself.
Waiting for tradesmen who have made promises, "Don't worry i'll make sure its done before then" often go wrong.
People, tradesmen and so on can always be guaranteed to let you down at some point.
I cross posted with you Manx. I adore your cottage, one of the best in Polperro I reckon!
May I ask if you live there too? We are thinking of moving down, and have all sorts of worries, one of them being the weather as we are both sun worshippers! We love Polperro, but have never been in the summer strangely.
I hope you won't feel bombarded with questions, but... How did you get your furniture delivered? I read somewhere that there is a specialist company that does it, but I am thinking along the lines of us bringing a van full of things from home, or John Lewis delivering a sofa.
Thanks, and great to meet a fellow Polperro owner.
May I ask if you live there too? We are thinking of moving down, and have all sorts of worries, one of them being the weather as we are both sun worshippers! We love Polperro, but have never been in the summer strangely.
I hope you won't feel bombarded with questions, but... How did you get your furniture delivered? I read somewhere that there is a specialist company that does it, but I am thinking along the lines of us bringing a van full of things from home, or John Lewis delivering a sofa.
Thanks, and great to meet a fellow Polperro owner.