Advertising a place that's still being renovated?

[Dean]

Firstly - I should say "hello" as a long time lurker and admirer of the site. About time I started posting (in between posting on several motorbike and climbing sites!) and why not start a thread?

We are in the process of a large restoration project in order to make 9 apartments. We already have 2 apartments that rented for 42 weeks between them last year, and we had such overwhelming demand to provide more, that we went and did it!

The tricky thing is how to advertise and accurately describe a place that is not yet finished?

I'm sure it'll be finished - we are on schedule after 7 months of work, have given ourselves 2 months of leeway, have a written "planning", have penalty clauses with the appropriate artisans and are generally happy with the way it is progressing.

However, despite getting a lot of visitors to our site www.francesw.com we are largely booked for our established apartments but can see an (understandable) reluctance to book our new place.

I guess the people who book early are the types who are looking for the right place with certainty and they are not likely to book something that is (in their minds at least) uncertain.
We have budgeted on a slowish season to start with and we have a certain number of bookings and enquiries, considering I only started taking bookings just before Christmas. However, it doesn't mean I'm not going to try my hardest to get the maximum number of bookings!

I have thought about giving a "deposit return if unsatisfied with progress" offer, but that just highlights a thought of uncertainty with those that hadn't thought of it before.

My plan is to try and write some more attractive copy, add photos as and when they come available (I have some to add tonight of the exterior of the first building), and try my utmost to get at least one apartment fully finished ASAP so as to have something more concrete to show.

Any advice or ideas gratefully appreciated.

[alexia s.]

Welcome, Dean!
(New quote - whose is it?)

The site is one of the most agreeable I've seen, although I don't like the flash I get when I click on various (not all) links. I would be strongly motivated to book a holiday if I were going to the area so I don't know why others aren't.

(I'm not sure that I would put my children on a site.)

You'll probably get enquiries starting to pour in shortly - good luck.

ps There's dangerous dreaming & dangerous dreaming: I wouldn't be sure of anything in the building trade until I saw it.

[paolo]

Welcome to the forum, Dean.

A couple of people have posted here about trying to get bookings before a place is finished, and at least one of them did have success - but my memory deserts me and I can't remember who. Anyone else remember?

One was posting regular photo updates on her website of the construction site that would be her apartment. Personally I would not book a place that wasn't finished, but luckily I am not everyone.

[la vache!]

I think it was HelenB??

viewtopic.php?t=714&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

[Dean]

Welcome, Dean!
(New quote - whose is it?)

The site is one of the most agreeable I've seen, although I don't like the flash I get when I click on various (not all) links. I would be strongly motivated to book a holiday if I were going to the area so I don't know why others aren't.

(I'm not sure that I would put my children on a site.)

You'll probably get enquiries starting to pour in shortly - good luck.

ps There's dangerous dreaming & dangerous dreaming: I wouldn't be sure of anything in the building trade until I saw it.

Thank you Alexia - I have seen many of your posts - so thanks for the welcome and your advice.

It's interesting that you get a flash - could you give me an example and tell me what browser you are using. I have to make some adjustments to the site - there are some minor visual errors in Firefox though interestingly enough they never appear in IE. I also have to upload the photos for the photo page!

I bought a template for my site and spent a lot of time converting it to my needs - but the presentation and colour thought you get from a template makes it easily worth the money.

I've thought about putting my children on the site - but, my reasoning is that there are millions of blogs with peoples kids out there, and millions of schools where those kind of people can hang out - anyway, I'm 6'7" and played 2nd row for Saracens so there must be easier targets!

The quote is T.E.Lawrence from "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom".

Thanks - Dean.

[la vache!]

I'm 6'7" and played 2nd row for Saracens so there must be easier targets!

I might have seen you play, I used to live near Bath and supported their (once great) rugby team and spent a lot of Saturdays at the Recreation ground in the late eighties.
Good luck with the new construction project, I can't believe the size of your new pool, I wish ours was that big!

[Dean]

I'm 6'7" and played 2nd row for Saracens so there must be easier targets!

I might have seen you play, I used to live near Bath and supported their (once great) rugby team and spent a lot of Saturdays at the Recreation ground in the late eighties.
Good luck with the new construction project, I can't believe the size of your new pool, I wish ours was that big!

Ah I have great memories of the Rec and their great team. I played as a very young 22 year old in 1988 behind an even younger Jason Leonard - we lost narrowly, but had a wonderful evening with Gareth Chilcott etc educating us in the "old ways"!

Sounds like an idea for another thread!

The pool is going to be big but I think it's a big selling point - big cost as well!

[alexia s.]

It's only with IE that I get the flash - I tried both Safari & Camino & they were perfect.
With IE, if I click on, say, "prices", there is a flash like a bulb: short, sharp & unpleasant.
I use mac OS X 10.2.1

[Hells Bells]

Hi, it was indeed me who set up the site during the buildings construction, this was at the requestof some of my far-flung friends who wanted to see how things were progressing. As I had started on the rental website, I combined the two, just to test out the market. No problem as long as your honest with potential renters, and are confident your work will be completed in time. I am now renting out this week to my first guests, have most of February booked, and some enquiries for March (it's in a ski resort).
Helen

[Dean]

It's only with IE that I get the flash - I tried both Safari & Camino & they were perfect.
With IE, if I click on, say, "prices", there is a flash like a bulb: short, sharp & unpleasant.
I use mac OS X 10.2.1

Hmm - I'm using XP and in IE I don't get the flash. I wonder if it's a Mac / IE thing - anyone else out there get it?

Do you get it if you click a normal underlined link? The links at the top are image mapped so maybe that's where it comes from?

[Christine Kenyon]

Hello Dean - and welcome! Can't claim to know anything about rugby, so no comments to make about Saracens . As a resident of the Lake District, I just about understand that Carlisle won 4-0 on Saturday and weren't flooded! However, I am a mountain fanatic and love running, so I fell in love with your website!

A few comments on renovating a property:

1. A couple of years ago we renovated a small 2 bedroomed property (www.troutbeckcottage.co.uk - since sold, but still emotionally attached!!!). We kept a photographic record of the work we did, called it "the story of our pink cottage" (the external paintwork was originally pink) and left it in the cottage for visitors to read. We had tremendous feedback from the people who stayed with us.

2. We are currently refurbishing a bed and breakfast (and can't hide the fact as everytime people ring to make a booking, there is hammering and noise in the background!). At the mo we have no curtains (but curtain rails have just gone up - yippee!), no carpets and no beds, but we do have a website with the previous owners pics of the B&B on it - everything else is our own! Can you maybe post artists' impressions, or somthing similar.

Good luck anyway with your refurb. Hope it works out well for you all.

[alexia s.]

Yes, Dean,
I get the flash when I click a normal underlined link too. Maybe it doesn't matter.

[Ju]

Hi Dean

Looks like you've got your hands full!

We have been renovating for the past three years, all finished now thank goodness. We opened one property a year, and all three were advertised and booked long before they were finished.

My advise is play down the fact the proterties aren't built yet. I don't mean lie, but talk about the good things, the area, things to do, the equipment in the apartments etc. Do no put photos of building work or talk about the progression of the job. Try and put some furniture out on a terrace if you can and take a photo of that.

However, having said that, I think there is a big step from building work to open one property and that to open 9. I think I would be tempted to rent 3 or 4 of them this year, make sure you have all the building work finished by the start of the season, and then you could do the interior work on the other 5 ready for next year. Our experience is that the finishing of the interior is the bit that takes the time. Unless you have artisans doing ALL the work (right down to building the last piece of flat packed furniture and putting up the last picture), putting the finishing touches on one property takes long enough, for 9 you would need to start now. At 3 weeks per property this would take you into the middle of July!!

Sorry I know the thread was about marketing the properties and not the building work but I can't help myself.

Ju

[Dean]

Hi Dean

Looks like you've got your hands full!

We have been renovating for the past three years, all finished now thank goodness. We opened one property a year, and all three were advertised and booked long before they were finished.

My advise is play down the fact the proterties aren't built yet. I don't mean lie, but talk about the good things, the area, things to do, the equipment in the apartments etc. Do no put photos of building work or talk about the progression of the job. Try and put some furniture out on a terrace if you can and take a photo of that.

However, having said that, I think there is a big step from building work to open one property and that to open 9. I think I would be tempted to rent 3 or 4 of them this year, make sure you have all the building work finished by the start of the season, and then you could do the interior work on the other 5 ready for next year. Our experience is that the finishing of the interior is the bit that takes the time. Unless you have artisans doing ALL the work (right down to building the last piece of flat packed furniture and putting up the last picture), putting the finishing touches on one property takes long enough, for 9 you would need to start now. At 3 weeks per property this would take you into the middle of July!!

Sorry I know the thread was about marketing the properties and not the building work but I can't help myself.

Ju

Hi Ju - thanks for the reply.

We have a small army of artisans working there and whilst I hear what you say, I believe that you will always spread out any job to a deadline. i.e. if we say we'll do half now and half next year, then it will extend to that deadline.
We have a realistic time plan and I guess the only finishing touches we have after the artisans are to hang the pictures and to place the furniture! I can't really see how it would take 3 weeks.....

In fact 2 apartments are about to have the tiles put down this week, and the kitchens fitted straight after, with another 3 to be done after that, so the first building is almost done - it will be ready 3 months before the first guests. The second building has had all the walls/windows/floors/roof done so will take longer, but will be ready.

If it's a case of putting the finishing touches together and we are rushed - I have quite a lot of local people who work for reasonable rates who'll help me. I'd rather face paying 10 or 20 times €75 a day, than rule myself out of taking say at least 5 weeks x €1,000 x 4.

I need to take some photos extolling the good points like you say - and keep adding them as time goes on.

Cheers, Dean.

[alexia s.]

Dean,
I'm sure that you have a realistic time plan.
We've had several of those. Each time, we've found that we should have had a seriously realistic time plan. This is easy to figure - at least, where we are - you make your realistic time plan and then multiply it by 2.
(You're not in our area so this may be a totally wild calculation.)
If your realistic time plan works out, can I have the telephone number of your artisans, please? Seriously - you could die, waiting for a plumber around here. Our neighbours import artisans from Poland - I'll import yours if they are reliable.
You seem to be a serious person (you should see some of the members around here - you'd swear they were another species. No names!), so I'm crossing my fingers. This could be the year the plumbing gets fixed!