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455. Solo

 [00:00:00]

Introduction and Listener Celebration

Sarah Karakaian: Hello, welcome back to another great episode. [00:01:00] My name is Sarah Karakaian.

Annette Grant: I’m Annette Grant, and together we are Thanks for Visiting.

Sarah Karakaian: Let’s start this episode like we do each and every week, and that is celebrating one of you, our incredible listeners who is heading on over to ST share.com, sharing everything you can about your short-term rental, so we can share it here on the podcast and on our Instagram account every Sunday.

Annette, who are we sharing this week?

Annette Grant: This week we are sharing at the Peak Shush Mountain. I hope I said that right. It’s S-C-H-U-S-S, again at the peak underscore Shush Mountain, and really falls in line with today’s episode. This is a property that is truly four seasons. It can be enjoyed in the winter, it can be enjoyed in the spring, summer, fall.

It’s in Northern Michigan and it has, um, amazing, amazing windows like OMG, but spring is here. So they need to be clean in those. They have a giant [00:02:00] deck, they have access to a resort pool. And I just wanna share, when you go to this property and you see everything that it can be in the winter, we wanna make sure that, um.

You’re focusing when the seasons change to make sure the guests know, um, like at Shush Mountain, like, Hey, yes, we want you to be skiing in the summer, but we have golf and swimming in the spring. And I think they do a really good job of highlighting all of the seasons in their social media account. And I think you, we all need to lean in on that a little bit more and really show our homes.

Through the seasons because it gives you a really good idea of how you can enjoy the space throughout the year. And woo, I just want everybody to take a peek. They do a really, I, I love their beds. I don’t know if I say that very much, but they have done a lot of different. Throw pillows, a lot of different blankets, and I’m here for a cozy, accessorize, cozy [00:03:00] accessory, accessorizing of the bedrooms.

Well done. Sh. I hope I’m saying that right. S Shush. Shush. S sh s. Shush mountain. I’m going with it. Shoo. Shush. Thanks for using, thanks for going to STR Share and sharing your property with us.

Sarah Karakaian: All right.

Seasonal Maintenance Tips for Short-Term Rentals

Sarah Karakaian: Today we’re gonna talk about maintenance items that we all should be thinking about today because a lot of us in the United States are moving towards the summer months, and there are definitely some things that we can do within our short term rental to prepare it, not only to feel fresh and clean, but also safe.

And while this list is not comprehensive of literally everything you could and probably should do for safety and cleanliness. It’s definitely a great list to get your brain going.

Annette Grant: Why do you need to do this spring checklist? Because it is important you wanna get ahead of any sort of emergency repairs that [00:04:00] could potentially happen. You wanna make sure that you are not having any guest concerns come in. And that changing the season. And for so many of us, we’re heading into our peak season and we wanna make sure that our property is in peak shape.

Window and HVAC Maintenance

Sarah Karakaian: Check your windows, yes, for cleanliness, but also functionality. It is always good to just air the home out with some fresh air for an afternoon. Yes. Let the fresh air in. So open up all windows. Let that cross air go through the property. While you’re doing that, make sure every single window has the capability to easily lock.

Your guest is gonna feel more safe when they walk into the property, and all the windows are secure if they want to unlock them. Mm-hmm. To open up the window. If you allow them to, then that’s great, but you wanna make sure that they’re able to unlock them and they’re not like, well wait a minute, this window actually can’t lock and now I don’t feel safe.

Now is the time to double check that and make [00:05:00] sure you don’t need to improve that functionality.

Annette Grant: And this is for any sort of emergency. You wanna make sure that every bedroom, all of the egress, if something were to happen, they can easily get those windows open and be able to exit the property. So I know there are.

So many homes that are older and maybe they’re painted shut. This is just a huge time to be able to go through, make sure safety is, um, at peak also.

Sarah Karakaian: So there’s tracks inside of the window as well where the windows maybe slide open and close or open and close depending on what kind of windows you have.

Now’s a great time. I like to use a steamer to get in those tracks, maybe even a toothbrush and some soapy water and just clean it out. Doing this once a year is great. And then also if you wanna put the screens in. Make sure the screens are clean, dust free, the exterior of the window is washed. If you need to hire professionals, get on their rosters now because everyone else is having the same thought as you are.

And remember, keeping our properties, our product in top condition [00:06:00] and looking great, really shows our guests how much we care.

Annette Grant: Number two, schedule routine maintenance for your hvac, your ac. We wanna make sure we get ahead of the ac. We all know that summer months, HVAC companies, they get super busy. We don’t wanna wait until your first summertime guest checks in.

They try to crank the AC and it’s not working. Okay? You have to get in front of this, so you should already have your routine maintenance scheduled. If not. Don’t delay. Do it today. And you wanna make sure they’re coming out, you’re changing your filters, they’re doing a check on it. Make sure everything is in tip top shape.

And here’s the deal with this. If you can get ahead of this, this is one of those things that really, it can ruin a guest’s entire vacation. And we do not want that happening. So even if it’s a little bit of an investment, you know, to do this maintenance, to have them come out ahead of time, it is going to pay for itself, no questions asked.

Sarah Karakaian: Make sure [00:07:00] when you are. Technician comes out, they’re also taking care of, yes, you’re changing, hopefully you’re changing your filters as instructed, but if you’ve got mini split units right, there’s other components of these, uh, mechanicals that need cleaned. Mm-hmm. And if you don’t know how to do it, or you’re not sure how to take it apart and safely

maintain the piece of equipment that you are asking them or having asking they have that service available to you, especially like outside with the the AC unit. Are there leaves compounded around it? Is there a bunch of like, I don’t even know what it is. It’s like stuff that sticks the side of the AC unit can do they clean those coils? Can you clean those coils? How do we get these things looking great and operating great.

Forgot Something Basket and Outdoor Safety

Sarah Karakaian: Number three, we’re gonna have you restock your forgot something basket. If you don’t know what the forgot something basket is, you’ll have to check a video out that we have about it because it’s one of our secret weapons and we share it with all of you because it’s such a simple thing.

I actually didn’t even know it [00:08:00] was special. And then Annette years ago was like, this is. Such a genius. I was like, okay,

Annette Grant: if you don’t know what it is, I’ll just tip you in really quick. Please watch video about it. But it’s essentially having a front desk, a concierge at your short term rental without actually having a front desk.

You’re being able to supply the guest with anything they might have. Forgot, hence the name. Forgot something basket. So normally it’s filled with toiletries. Mm-hmm. And in the summer months, we like to equip it with some summer friendly amenities, like,

Sarah Karakaian: yeah. So we’re gonna have sunscreen in there, bug spray. Aloe Vera, what else can you think of that might be appropriate for your short-term rental in the warmer months? But I’m telling you, the amount of times we get reviews, people will even say like, I didn’t even use the thing in the basket, but the fact that they have this is so cool. Or the one time a guest went to a baseball game to watch their son play in some sort of traveling championship that was happening in our area. And she’s like, I, she’s [00:09:00] like, I blew her mind that we had Vera gel in the basket. She goes, ’cause we got sunburned. And I just couldn’t believe. That Sarah had thought about that. So changing out your forgot something basket to accommodate your guests for the season that you’re in is a great way to keep that amenity living, um, and breathing and accommodating them for where they’re at.

Annette Grant: Number four, your outdoor furniture and patio safety check.

Sarah Karakaian: So. Listen, if you don’t take your patio furniture in, in the wintertime, I know some of you can’t. Mm-hmm. There may not be any storage space. Hopefully you’re covering them because here’s the deal, the different screws and pieces of hardware that keep the furniture together can start to fail over time.

If you expose them to the elements which can, which can expose your guests to some serious, serious safety concerns. Uh, one of our, uh, good friends, um, who is an international safety expert, Justin Ford always tells us the story of how a hammock, uh, severely impacted a guest when a screw [00:10:00] or, or some sort of hardware

Annette Grant: snapped. Yeah. Like the, the hook that kept it, you know, taut there, it snapped back

Sarah Karakaian: and hit them in the head and caused, um, some serious damage to that guest and obviously it weighs on him to this day. So, those sorts of things you wanna make sure that you are avoiding, uh, but you also make sure it’s clean and fresh and ready for guest to use.

Annette Grant: Yeah. And when we say patio safety too, it’s like thinking a lot of us have, let’s say, pavers, uh, walkway pavers. We have just, uh, let’s say your deck in general, anything that the weather elements have been sitting on, or, you know, taking a beating over the winter, you wanna make sure that there aren’t slips, trips, falls, that things have not like serious corrosion happening. So, you wanna go through your whole outdoor space. All of it needs a double check since it’s been out in the elements all winter long.

Landscaping and Seasonal Preparations

Sarah Karakaian: Number five are landscaping and lawn maintenance prep. So if you work with a vendor to take care of your lawn care, [00:11:00] your outdoor maintenance. Reconnect with them now because everyone else is doing the same. What are their, what’s their pricing this year? Let’s go over what you, we expect you to do. How often will you be out to cut the grass?

Does that include weeding? Does it include weeding everywhere or just in certain spots? It’s always great to reconnect and make sure. You and your vendor are on the same page, and make sure you understand what that pricing’s gonna be so that you can factor it into your budget.

Annette Grant: Mm-hmm. And if you self maintain the property, you know, taking a look, all right, is your mower ready? Is the the hose ready? Is your trimmer ready? All those things have got to be ready to go. You don’t want to be caught, you know, getting ready for a guest to check in and like, oh, I need to mow the lawn and you’re not able to.

Sarah Karakaian: I don’t know about you either, but when it comes to planting, I don’t have the greenest of thumbs.

My expertise lies inside the home and I have no idea when the best time to plant things is. And we all know that. First impressions are everything to guests [00:12:00] and walking up to a property and being greeted by green plants. Or really colorful flowers is actually a really important aspect of getting that five star review on value and check-in process.

So make sure if you need to replant, I always forget, it’s so annuals and perennials. You need to replant the annuals, right? No, I think it’s reversed. I have no idea. You guys that’s, but here’s what I’m telling you is that if you have to replant the plants, there are certain times of year I know you can do it and you can’t do it, and mm-hmm.

What if what’s supposed to come back, didn’t come back, now is the time to get on top of all of that. What about mulch? Maybe this year you’re gonna upgrade to stones, you don’t have to keep REM mulching throughout the year. There’s a lot to take into consideration.

Annette Grant: And this is a time, like if you need some extermination services, yes.

Make sure that they’re out there taking care of everything. And then also any sort of exterior lighting. This is the perfect time. Make sure that you’ve changing those bulbs out. Uh, when it’s dark out, we gotta make sure our guests know where they’re going.

Sarah Karakaian: Okay, story time, really quick. [00:13:00] We have a property together, like Annette just said, and it’s a town home and there’s an exterior light, and we always, if a guest is going to check in, it’s part of our, uh, arrival checklist to leave the outdoor light on. And we are in a town home situation. And so our neighbors who all have really like tidy properties, but Annette’s mom once came over and did a deep clean. Mm-hmm. And the way she cleaned it, ex this exterior light, I have been forever. It’s beautiful. Shook it about. How impactful it is for your exterior light to be “chef’s kiss” clean. And then of course when you set it next to a, uh, exterior light that isn’t that clean, you’re like, oh my gosh. But the, the light just sparkles. It looks like you really care. So, and I’m a clean freak, and I didn’t even think really about getting that. I mean, she made it look like it’s brand new. So challenge yourselves. Are your exterior lights clean, free of cobwebs? The dust on top of it is gone.

Annette Grant: Fun bugs. You know the bugs in there?

Sarah Karakaian: Yes. Get after it ’cause it’s gonna be so [00:14:00] worth it.

Storm Preparedness and Seasonal Amenity Swap

Annette Grant: Number six, storm season preparedness.

Sarah Karakaian: Alright, so depending on where you’re at in the world, it could be the season for, uh, storms, whether they’re thunderstorms or maybe you have lived in an area where tornadoes are a thing.

Regardless, weather can impact you at different times of the year. So this tip is good always, but do your guests know the safest place in your home in case of an emergency? Mm-hmm.

Annette Grant: And it might be a storm, it might just be like a simple power outage. Also, we know that, um, in areas there’s heat waves that cause Yes. Electric to go out. So we wanna make sure that. You’ve communicated with the guests, do you have extra batteries? Do you have flashlights? Do you have extra bulbs? Are those all in one easy located place, accessible to the guest? And then have that in your guidebook just in case. And then also, we always just want you to them to know in case of E emergency, who should they call? Where should they be? You know, give them the address, everything that’s going on.

Sarah Karakaian: Number seven, it [00:15:00] is time to swap seasonal amenities. Hear us out. If you in your bedroom offer really thick, cozy duvet duvet covers, you might wanna switch to a lighter quilt or a lighter blanket. Yes, I know the inside attempts can be controlled by your thermostat, but there’s still at just that feeling of heaviness that you might wanna remove.

From the, the bedroom or maybe even in your living room, you’ve got some like more fluffy or cozier knit pillow. Throw pillows and, and throw blankets. Trade them in for something lighter. Also, maybe it’s time to get the, uh, pool stuff out again. Um, maybe it’s time to really equip the grill outside. Yes, people can grill when it’s winter, but you know, the usage goes up in the summer.

So time for a deep clean on the grill. A good. Safety check on the grill, especially if you’re, especially if you’re using propane or gas to heat up that grill. Is everything ready for that use? Did it all survive the [00:16:00] winter? Does anything need to be refreshed there?

Annette Grant: Yeah. And were there things that you put out for the winter?

You know, did you put out maybe salt and a shovel that doesn’t need to be out there? Um, during the spring months, maybe it’s time to swap out your welcome mat because it did have a lot of wear and tear over the winter. So we just want you to go to your property, have a fresh set of spring and summer eyes and, and there are all, there’s so many things as host, were so busy.

But take this list, go through and you are gonna be thanking yourselves ’cause you don’t want your guests checking in and feeling like you’ve just kind of cruised through the winter and haven’t had any time to refresh it for the spring.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Annette Grant: And if this episode makes you feel like you got a lot of work to do, you probably do.

Sarah Karakaian: We do too. I’m over here being like, Netty Yeah. Let getting this stuff done.

Annette Grant: We are, we are gonna mark some time off on our calendar to get after it. And we are, there’s stuff that we do wanna like. Just sink our hands into and get dirty.

Can we dirty, sweaty, make it happen and prep for our guests?

Sarah Karakaian: And if we don’t, put time aside, if it’s [00:17:00] not in your calendar, you know, we’re already planning our summer trips or, uh, things that we wanna do in this summer that aren’t related to hosting. I mean, just like everyone else. So let this episode be that moment where you mark it on your calendar to plan, or you get those times in the calendar where you can actually go to your property, get this stuff done, or make the appointments. Put some action into it. With that, I am Sarah Kara Karakaian.

Annette Grant: I’m Annette Grant, and together we are Thanks for Visiting.

Sarah Karakaian: Talk to you next time.   [00:18:00]