With the vacation rental season in full swing most owners, myself included, approach changeover day with a mixture of trepidation, anticipation and sometimes, confidence. Whatever we expect, there are times when we’re surprised, either by the pristine way in which the property has been left by the outgoing guests, or by an ungodly mess. When […]
For many of us the high season is already in full swing but I had a few days with vacancies at Osprey Cottage this week so used them to do some final checks and make sure everything is spotless for the next 12 weeks of back-to-back rentals. We’ll be there for changeovers of course, but […]
I clicked through a Google Ad today to a site advertising a cottage rental here in Ontario. I thought I would approach it as a potential renter and see how user friendly the site was and whether I could be encouraged to book. The home page was fairly good and provided a lot of information […]
My good friend and author of children’s books on composting, Larraine Roulston is an environmental journalist and over the past few years has taught me a lot about living responsibly in cottage country. She and her husband Pete, are building a straw bale home in Elliot Lake which will be a prime example of sustainable […]
There is little doubt that having a hot tub is an advantage in attracting low and shoulder season rentals. When there’s a lot of choice for prospective renters looking for an out-of-season break, extra amenities can be the deal decider, so the more options you can offer the better chance you have of converting a […]
An appliance break down at any time of the year is a challenge, but when the fridge stops working on a hot summer day, it’s important to have a game plan in place. We’re fortunate in living so close to our vacation rental that it’s just a 10-minute drive to get there to manage any […]
Now we are in the grip of winter here in Ontario’s cottage country, my mind turned this morning to all the things that could go wrong with my upcoming rentals. Since we installed the hot tub, bookings for out of season breaks took off – we have folks going into the cottage today for a […]
I read a post on the Traveling Mamas blog this morning that was a chilling reminder of how lack of attention to safety issues can have horrifying consequences. A family of four from Denver on a vacation in an Aspen rented home, all died from carbon monoxide poisoning. They were found dead in their beds […]
Just over a year ago I wrote a post on bed bugs and it has been one of the most-read posts on the blog. Since then the issue has raised its scaly head again with headlines such as "Bed Bug Epidemic Hits Toronto" and "Toronto’s bed bug infestation getting worse" just in the past few […]
This year has seen a big increase in the trend for taking last minute vacations, with owners and agents reporting growth in short notice enquiries. These can be anything from a month in advance, to one I received last week from an optimistic renter on the highway, all packed but with nowhere to go! In […]
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