Looking for a few things for the apartment

Hi:

I am looking for a few things for my apartment now that my long term tenant has left. I am going for short term holiday lets and need:

• X-Box, Play Station or Wii
• DVDs/Games
• Bikes

Anything else that discerning renters look for?

Also, what is the best deal for TV/Wi-Fi.

I am phase 3B quite a way from the entrance.

Appreciate any help. Thanks

Whatman

Prioritise your requirements and decide who you are marketing to.
Do not spend just for spending's sake. You will not get it back in your rental income.

If you are marketing to older people then why do you want an xBox (or similar)? If you buy one are you going to provide the software to go with it? EXPENSIVE! Or expect your client to bring it with them? I've not been asked if I have one in 6 years of renting and I've had loads of kids in our apartment.

But the thing that ALL ages want is some sort of iPod docking station - people like to listen the THEIR OWN music, not yours.

Yes, we have loads of DVDs, CDs and games in the apartment. Why loads? Because you have to cater for ALL tastes. But its taken us 6 years to build the collection. And when asked, people say they rarely watch the TV or a DVD in the Summer as they are out and about. Families with young children have tended to bring their own with them - ones they know that will keep the kids happy, so I wouldn't bother too much with these.

We have bikes available (foc). No-one has yet asked for them or used them in 6 years (our apartment is on Phase 2)

Regarding TV and WiFi, your only real option is Teleast - as they effectively have the monopoly on Roda. But you need to do your maths carefully - and get permission from your community president to put an aerial up as this is actually against the by-laws . At £20 a month for wifi and roughly the same for UK TV - and bear in mind that you have to pay every month not just in the summer - this is lot to "absorb" in your rental charge and remain competitive. What happens if you get a French or Portugese renter? Are you going to provide TV for them too? (yes we've had several of both nationalities).

If you go for Wi-fi from Telfonica it will cost you €40 amonth and you will have to pay to have the phone installed and for a line as well. All getting very expensive.

On phase 3B you will almost certainly find that you will be limited to Summer lets because, as you say, you are a long way from anywhere. The letting market is VERY tough at the moment. there are only a few people who are getting a good number of lets and they tend to be penthouses with EVERYTHING to hand on the roof.

Our apartment is on Phase 2, plus we manage one for a friend right down by the 1st green (Phase 3a???). Our first couple of years were excellent, the next 2 ok, but the last 2 have not been so good. The crunch is hitting everyone and not even the extras will get you the booking these days. Only price wins. And when there are people renting a 3-bed at £150 a week  - which doesn't even cover standing costs let alone the hot water and air-con (which can cost a FORTIUNE in summer) - it makes my blood boil. One client of ours used €120 of electricity in a week! They left the air-con on at 16 degrees 24*7 - and then had the cheek to get the duvets out to keep warm in bed at night. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Sorry - don't want to sound negative - but the letting market is VERY competitive at the mo and buying some of the extras MAY help. But you will have to spend LOTS to win over everyone else.

 What a really helpful post pommers - I think the resort deserves to be visited much more and at higher rental values.  It's a great place to holiday

I totally agree that the resort needs to be visited more.  It is a great place!

And yes the rental values need to be higher - but idiots that rent at £150 a week do us all no favours.

I am just trying to be realistic for someone that is moving into the holiday rental market and hopefully pointing out that spending a lot of money on extras may not get him the rentals anyway.

Certainly last year for us, people would have been happy with just the basics, as all they all seemed to want is cheap holidays!

 Agreed and by providing more things, there is the potential for more damages, things to go wrong, more maintenance issues etc.  It's impossible to please everyone by providing these things.

I can't believe that people feel that its worthwhile renting at such low prices.  They can't be covering costs and are also suffering wear and tear to their apartments.  Perhaps they make some money from cleaning??

All very good information, thanks everyone.

I have been advertising locally (at work etc) and have some good bookings at good prices so far. I am trying to avoid (at least for now) a lot of the rental agencies that are around and keep this more personal and hopefully word of mouth recommendations will increase the bookings going forward.... Here's hoping.

I also get very irritated by the low rental prices that some people are charging.  Surely they must be actually losing money when you take into account cleaning, laundry, air con and all the utilities.  Good rates can be achieved (we had 26 weeks last year and 17 weeks so far this year and we are not by any means cheap)  There are discerning travellers out there who are willing to pay for quality and I would rather have those in our apartment than someone only willing to pay almost next to nothing and may not take care of the apartment either.  It is after all supposed to be a 5star resort (which I obviously know it isn't) but surely if everyone charged more realistic rates, we would all benefit.

Hi Whatman

I've pm'd you.

Tony

Hi

I totally agree - with Yeomans and Pommers - those that undersell themselves are in the long run not doing themselves any favours for all the reasons discussed.

We attract guests that appreciate the resort and what we offer in terms of quality, value and service  and this has resulted in many repeat bookings for our apartment.

Sandra

 Just a note about Teleast Wifi...you have the option to just pay for the months the apartment will be occupied and then just pay a reconnection fee when you need it again.It really depends how long it will be unoccupied for.Teleast suggested it themselves to us if we weren't going to be using it for months at a time.I can't remember how much the reconnection fee was but it may save you some money depending on your situation.

I do think it is important to maintain your property in order to keep attracting renters.One of the most important things in my opinion is a detailed information pack so people will get the most out of the resort and the area and make the most of their holiday.They are more likely to return if they had a good time!

I think it is important to invest in advertising initially but you find if you make the right impression with renters they will return again and again.All you need is perhaps one week's rental to cover some of these sites and some involve no upfront payment and instead take a percentage of what you are getting instead.

I do think people appreciate small touches like entertainment for the kids etc but be prepared for things to go missing , get broken or suffer from wear and tear .Calculate  the cost of replacing them once a year at worst and decide if it is worth putting them in.However these small extras may be the difference between renters choosing your property over  another.Ask for reviews..you learn a lot from your guests, what they want and need.Most important of all perhaps is a good property manager who maintains the property to a high standard and has high standards of cleanliness.

Remember when setting your rental prices  that you have to pay for water,electricity etc too that the guests use and factor in the cost of maintaining the property like replacing towels,repainting,etc.Sometimes it just may not be  worth renting it out for the money some people may try to haggle you down to.

 Whatman

I do think competitive prices are important but if you can provide extras and compete in price with everyone else you are off to a good start.Good photographs when advertising always attracts people and make sure outdoor ones have clear blue skies!Very few people ask where you are located on the resort unless they have been there before so I wouldn't worry too much about your location.Be honest with people and recommend car hire because I think no matter where you are located on Roda you need a car to make the most out of your holiday especially for families with small kids.Having bikes as an alternative mode of transport for people is good too though  because some people don't like the idea of driving and make sure you provide people with details on how to call a taxi(your address etc) and also where to find a taxi rank in Los Alcazares.

Yes I agree with all of that - it's part of the package.  But we have to remember we are "self-catering apartments" and that part of what our target market wants is the chance to be independent and learn about the area for themselves.  We ensure they get a good head start with lots of local information and an excellent base for their holiday but they do appreciate being explorers - just as we were when we first went to the area (and still do to a large extent).

Ongoing maintenance and adherence to high standards is absolutely crucial - things like (and more)  fresh and clean and unstained towels, unbobbled linen, clean curtains (the voiles do get dusty) and immaculate kitchens and bathrooms - all go towards creating that really good impression (and hopefully repeat business).

We do offer free wifi and discovered that the reconnection charge is quite high - 25 euro I believe so you need to do your sums as to whether it is worth turning it off and on throughout the year.

Good luck with your renting

Sandra

Yes, me too Cat and every time we find a new place we do put it in our information box which we leave for our clients.  But what surprises me is the new places that our clients always seem to manage to find and we do enjoy visiting those previously unknown places when we have time.

Sandra