Preparing Your Martha's Vineyard Vacation Home

Are You Ready For The Rental Season?

Yes, it's true, it is only January and your first tenant may not be arriving until June, but now is the time to start prepping your home. 

If you're a homeowner on Martha's Vineyard and you rent your house, you need to make sure your property is in good shape. This will allow for a more enjoyable experience for your tenants and will cut down on calls to you, your real estate agent and most importantly, will build repeat business. There is nothing better than having great tenants return year after year. 

For our homeowners with an exclusive rental listing, we provide some additional services. One of the things we do for these clients is a full house audit, so you know what you may need to purchase or fix prior to the rental season. 

Here are some of the things we check for:

• Living areas and dining tables with enough seating to match the maximum occupancy listed for the house
• Appliances in proper working order - coffee maker, microwave, blender
• 2 sets of dishes, flatware, glasses, etc.
• Sheets and towels in good condition 
• Pillows (with protectors), mattress pads, and blankets in good condition and free of any staining
• Grill in good shape and clean (needs to be cleaned between tenants by cleaner or caretaker)
• Cleaning supplies so tenants can clean during the week

For a detailed guide, print a copy of Our Recommended Property Amenities to make sure you don't forget anything! 

Another important thing for homeowners to think about is general wear and tear to the property and the fact that some items will need to be replaced on a regular basis. We've had many experiences where a tenant stains a rug or damages something and an owner wants to charge the tenant the cost to replace the rug or other item. However, if that item is not brand new, you need to account for depreciation. We know that pillows and sheets and towels will inevitably get stains on them, regardless of their quality. For this reason, we recommend NOT buying the most expensive brands, even for a very high-end property. In our years of experience with vacation rentals on Martha's Vineyard, good quality, 100% cotton sheets are the expectation from all renters and they would rather have them be newer than the most luxurious. Here is more information about the best sheets to purchase. 

For additional tips on how to best position your Martha's Vineyard property for a successful rental season, please reach out. We'd love to assist you!