Starting Up - choosing a property
Now that you have thought about location and your target market, it’s time to think about the property itself.
A good rule of thumb when you are considering a specific property is to think about what sort of things your guests would want. The following sections provide some suggestions. If the property doesn’t have these things already, ask yourself whether the property, your budget, (and local planning rules) allow you to add these things?
Size of property
A major consideration will be the size of the property. This needs to be suitable for your target market. If you are aiming to attract larger groups or families, then your property of course has to have sufficient space for all, and it should ideally have more than one bathroom/shower room and sufficiently large rooms (lounge and dining in particular) to accommodate all your guests at once.
If you are looking to attract couples, then a smaller property will probably be more suitable.
When it comes to self catering holiday lets, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. The chances are that if you have a bigger property, you will also have bigger mortgage and other overheads and so will need to attract larger groups which may not always be possible, especially during the non-peak seasons.
Of course you may already have your property. In this case, bear the size in mind when choosing your target market.
Child friendly
The chances are that you will want to attract families. If so, then you need to think about how child friendly your property is.
Although no property is entirely child friendly, and your guests always have the final responsibility for the safety of their children, some properties are definitely more child friendly than others.
A child friendly property should have a secure boundary so that little ones cannot just wander off, and a garden where children can safely play is definitely a useful asset when attracting families. A house with lots of steps won’t be as toddler friendly as one with a flatter layout.
There are facilities that you can add to attract families such as games and toys for inside and outside use. Have a look round the property to see if they have space for children to play with these toys and games.
Dog friendly
Don’t underestimate the pulling power of a dog friendly property! Dog walkers have to walk the dog whatever the weather and so are often the type who are happy to book during the cooler times of the year and therefore boost your off season bookings.
A dog friendly property should have an enclosed garden and have dog tolerant floors and furnishings. Ideally it should have a space, e.g. a porch, where the dog can bed down.
Parking
Most people would prefer to have good off road parking where they can safely unload the luggage, children etc.
Garden
When thinking about the garden, think about your target market again. If a garden helps you attract your target market then that is fine, but if not then a garden may just be added work for no real benefit.
Unlike the rest of your property, your garden will need weekly maintenance in the growing seasons.
You may wish to consider making the garden lower maintenance for example by reducing the amount of flower beds or by putting in bark to reduce weeds.
Nice views
This is always a winner!
