No bookings or enquiries

Get some feedback on your site or ad from other rental owners and techies. Also a library of online resources so you can make DIY improvements to your web presence.
olive
Posts: 1588
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 7:50 am

Post by olive »

Wild life is a fantastic selling point: try to make the most of it, with lots of photos. Our visitors are just thrilled when they see a wild boar - a squirrel fell into one of the (inside) loos a few days ago and this thrilled them too. (A kitchen cloth was used to extract it gently.)
User avatar
Ju
Posts: 1949
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:56 pm
Location: Vendee, France
Contact:

Post by Ju »

Pelly wrote:and somthing else which looks like a giant guinea pig .
Sounds like this could be a coypu - Radegonde in French. Common in canels and ditches - apparently they were introduced to France due to the fur trade, then they all escaped/were let free. They are treated as vermin round here, but that doen't make them any less interesting.
User avatar
Lesblancs
Posts: 867
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:08 am
Location: Morbihan, Bretagne

Post by Lesblancs »

Sounds like this could be a coypu - Radegonde in French.
A big problem here. The local chasseurs are paid for each Ragondin caught.
The Vendee ones are our southern & distant cousins 8) :wink:

Bobby
A-two
Posts: 2091
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:05 am
Location: USA

Post by A-two »

olive wrote:Wild life is a fantastic selling point:
I completely agree with this. We were rather embarrassed by our (lack of) landscaping and dirt driveway when we first started, especially as were aiming high. High end Vacation rentals were supposed to have manicured lawns we thought, whereas we had tree branches scattered where they fall, no tubs, no annuals, no perennials, no flower beds even, not even proper grass, only wild olive trees, wild roses, fragmites, all manner of creepers and climbers as overgrowth and prickly pear cactus, which we viewed as hazards. By the end of the first season we realized that people were attracted to the place because of this, not despite it. So we started playing it up as "a very natural setting" and have never looked back, receiving only compliments, even when the driveway is 6 inches deep in mud! We market it as if it's a wildlife sanctuary, which it is really (it helps to believe in your own spin!). I don't see why this couldn't work equally well for Pelly's property. Our bird book is the most well thumbed (make sure you have at least one local one available for guests to use), with recommended walks, hiking and biking trails. The children in particular are enchanted by even fairly common species - deer, geese and rabbits, - and this aspect is frequently commented upon positively in the guest reviews.

Although it's only natural to feel excitement at interest, any interest, when first starting out, there are threads here which discuss the pros and cons of longer term rentals. For us, we know now from the school of hard knocks that it's not worth us doing it, but equally, we know this works very well for others here, Alan for example. It's best to read all the experiences, then decide for yourself what works best for you. If Pelly were in this location (which she is not), I would look very carefully at the quality of the people proposing to rent, and their ability to pay rent on time, and most important, not to squat, but to leave when I want the higher rents. If I was convinced that will leave when they say they are going to leave, that they have somewhere else to go at the end of the winter and that they were not going to wreck the joint in the meantime, in her shoes, I would take it. This means that I could then at least cover immediate bills while building up for next summer at higher rents. Since bookings for 2009 start next month, it's not a bad idea to have it occupied till the Spring. However, it is highly unlikely that we would entertain such an offer here, but that decision is largely based in location specific issues, which may have limited relevance to Pelly's decision.

Good Luck!
User avatar
Alan Knighting
Posts: 4120
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France

Post by Alan Knighting »

Joanna,

I do take longer term rentals and will probably continue to do so but now that my tenant has left and I am back in the hustle and bustle of holiday lettings I am reminded how personally rewarding it can be. Meeting and getting to know new people every week or two. Seeing them appreciate their holiday home, enjoying the area and having fun with their children around the pool give one a feeling of pride and satisfaction. Even bringing the premises up to pristine condition each week and making sure the pool is immaculate has real meaning once more. We live on site so these things are immediate for Joan and me.

Alan
Pelly
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:03 pm
Location: South west France
Contact:

Post by Pelly »

The people who came yesterday for long term let and come back today; paid a weeks money and are moving in!
I used to have money now I have horses; cats;dogs & chickens; not forgetting 2 daughters!
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Terrific news Pelly. Delighted!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
Post Reply