What amenities are renters looking for in a summer/fall rental?

[dykg]

Hello forum members,

I would like to get your opinion on what amenities renters look for when selecting a summer/fall rental in the Weirs Beach area? I have an opportunity to build a small vacation home however I will need to rent it to make ends meet plus I cannot be there the whole summer. I am intending to speak to some of the rental agencies to get their opinion on this. So for those who are renters, what to you think I should try to include in constructing this home which will make it attractive to renters? The home is not on the lake but is in walking distance to all the attractions to Weirs Beach area.

I appreciate your input.

Thanks!

DYKG

[Argie's Wife]

When I was single and life was simple, I usually lived in a seasonal rental situation for many years.

For a summer rental, I loved a place with a good porch or sunroom, a good ambient heat source (like a Rinnai heater or LP fireplace) for those cool nights, little/no wall-to-wall carpet (allergies), and lots of windows/natural light - oh, and an easy/accessible parking place. That all may sound silly or simple, but for a single gal, it was heaven.

[lawn psycho]

In many cases the camps or houses we've looked to rent are TOO BIG for what we need. Thus, we use hotels but often times would like to rent a small camp, etc. Unfortunately the houses often require full weekly rentals rather than weekends. May not work for your business model of wanting full weeks rent but for us, a smaller place with short term weekend rental is ideal. Most places are too big for what we want as the idea is to get AWAY from people, not lug all the drunk uncles and cousins along with us

On average we stay about 10-14 nights on winni every summer and we come over on Friday night and leave sunday after the day on the water. Edit: The hotel nights are just for over nighting. We spend what more than 14 days in NH

Amenities: Grill, refrigerator, microwave, wi-fi, and KING SIZE bed is always a huge plus (once you own one you understand how hard it is to go backwards). Could care less about hot tub used by multitudes of people(gross).

Big chairs with ottomans to kick feet up at end of day. Gas fireplace for those cool nights would be nice feature that we would use.

Having some beach cruiser bikes or other toys for people to use is a big plus as well.

Lots of kitchen utensils and a large kitchen table come in handy.

Those are the thoughts off the top of my head. We rent large beach houses in the Outer Banks every couple years as a family reunion and these are the things we appreciate having around. The goal is to spend the LEAST amount of time in the house as possible

[Jeanzb1]

We live in Florida, but this will be our third year of renting up on Lake Winni from mid-May until mid-October, six months a year. We LOVE it and will be rolling north next Tuesday. Cannot wait to get our first glimpse of the lake and have our first Sawyer's ice cream cone!

It was NOT EASY AT ALL to find a long-term, affordable, seasonal rental, but we finally lucked out just as we were about to give up. We have an indoor cat, we have to be located on the water, and we could not afford the vast majority of the weekly rental rates. But perseverance paid off in a big way and we found the perfect place and the most wonderful landlord!

NH Buoy, I would suggest you put in a fireplace (preferrably wood-burning), definitely a screened-in porch, make it small (two bedrooms is perfect), and keep it furnished in an updated and simple manner. Comfortable mattresses are a must. And, above all else, keep it spotless! Don't bother with rental agencies because they require a percentage of the rental fee. Rather, advertise on vrbo.com or homeaway.com or craigslist.com.

[MAXUM]

I'm kinda curious about this- I've been in the market for island property and the thought has crossed my mind that when I do end up with something I'd consider renting it, provided I had a good feeling the renters were not going to destroy the place. I did wonder what the demand is though for something like that as being on an unbridged island does make the logistics difficult for a potential renter. Of course for me I can't think of a better place to get away from it all.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

I don't know about renters but our guest really seem to like a few things...

- Eating. (wish our kitchen was bigger)

- A place to sit outside at night around a safe fire with marshmallows.

- A nice sunny place to sit and enjoy breakfast in the morning.

- A nice shady place to sit during the hot part of the day.

- Playing games. (Tables for cards, puzzles and board games)

- Eating. Did I mention that guest like to eat. Plenty of space to store the grub.

If I was building a home with plans to rent, I would include extra lockable closet space. That way you can quickly secure your stuff that you don't want handled by your renters. Place to store your linens and food etc.

[jrc]

You really have to decide if you must rent in order to pay your bills or you want to rent to get a little extra cash.

In a "must rent" situation, you need lots of beds. A lot of people get groups together so they can afford it. Two families with kids need at least eight sleeping spots. A bunch of college "adults" pool their cash and rent a small house instead hotel rooms. The more beds you have the less cost per person or family, this opens more customers to you. Obviously this type of rental can be hard on the property, but if you need the money...

In a "extra cash" situation, go up-scale. Keep the place nice and add amenities you like.

When I bought and owned at Samoset, it was real easy to tell the difference between "must rent" units and "extra cash" units.

[T.H.E. Binz]

I rented for nine summers until I moved up here more or less full time. I agree with all the previous posts, with emphasis on parking and lots of beds. You also need cable TV, DVD player, playing cards, and some games for those rainy days. Several renters were very grateful for the two inexpensive kayaks that I left for renters, although I did make all renters sign a liability waiver for their use. Although I did have some minor damage, over the years I actually had a net gain considering all the fishing poles, lawn chairs, etc. that renters left behind! Good luck.

[songkrai]

New home then renting it out?

Good Luck!

If you have never been a landlord then you had best read up on such. There are many rental companies in the lakes region that will handle such for a fee.

All it takes is one bad renter and your nice new place is destroyed. Will this place have a septic system. Because some will dump everything down the toilet.

My neighbor on lake rents his 10 year old lake house and rents in Summer. So far he has replaced the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the stove, the water heater, the television, the VCR/DVD player, and two toilets and the list goes on. Yes, he does get good rent per week. So it is a trade off. This house is a 3 bedroom house. I have counted on one day 11 cars in driveway. Potentially that is 22 people. And if any children that could be up to 30 people. How many use the toilet and how many times per day. Do the math. And they use one of the reputable rental agencies in town.

And I haven't even mentioned the loud music nor the fireworks at all times of the night. Pets? "My dog is different". OK.

Good Luck.

[lawn psycho]

songkrai, this is precisely why I won't buy a rental unit. My co-worker bought a duplex. For about 5 years he rented one side and lived in the other.

He then built a single family home and became an off-site landlord. Same thing with repairs, complaints from neighbors, tenants ignoring leaking faucet on a almost new kitchen cabinet set, and the list goes on. He even had one tenant move out and sublet and not tell him. The new tenant stopped paying rent after the first month and it took him many weeks to get them booted after filing paperwork (at his own expense). And this is in a respectable area too.....

Unless you are making good money doing it, the hassles are many with rentals.

[JasonG]

I rented for 2-4 weeks every year up there for many years.

If you are building from scratch, then make it look nice, bottom line. If you want repeat business, it needs the WOW factor to be above expectations. Many rental spots are nice, but retro. Clean, but still retro, etc.

Granite counters vs formica

Tile vs linoleum

You get the idea. It doesnt need to be top of the line, but avoid basic. You never know what you may need to do in the future.

Cable TV, internet, wifi, washer/dryer, etc. too. Basically every convenience of home. If someone needs to take a break from their trip to get ice because you dont have an ice maker or go to the laundromat, then its a reason to look elsewhere next year.

A grill is a must. Somewhere to sit after a BBQ, patio, etc.

High end....If you want to push it, a fire pit is nice and fairly inexpensive to build, but its one of those things that is a draw. Hot tub is a plus.

good luck!

[Lakesrider]

Songkrai, hit the nail on the head. We rented our house out for three years during Summers and school vacation weeks. You'll hear horror stories and you'll hear stories of the perfect renters. However after three years we had it. Sure we used every single dollar to pay down the mortgage. We got $1000.00 per week so you can see we paid down about 10 years worth rather quickly.
Then I moved into the house and spent $60,000 fixing it. we had people who ripped cabinet doors off, a basement door got kicked in so they could access the washer and dryer. (We normally added $30.00 for the week to use them)
We had linens stolen, pillows, towels, Pots and pans, stolen, beds pee'd on, etc.

I would certainly NEVER build a house specifically knowing I would need to rent it out. Unless of course you rent only to older couples. I'd say 50 and older. People who would respect your home.

One other story for you. We rented to a Russian family of 4. (Our place sleeps 10. BTW...We provide linens. Something almost no one does for renters. This is one reason we were able to rent our place almost every week in the Summer when other places went empty. We kept a $300.00 security deposit as well. Also used Cyber rental dot com.
Anyway...
I got a call from the neighbor (good to have your neighbors phone number too.) telling us there were 7 cars and at least 20 people staying in our house. Beer cans, trash, fireworks, everywhere, cars parked on my lawn, a boat parked in my back yard on the septic field.....
I had to call the police to get them out. Gave them back their rent but kept their security deposit. So just be really careful and think about building with the express intent of renting out a new home. You might be better off buying and older place and trying out the rental thing.
Renters S%^K!
Oh and if you do rent, be careful with things that you can be liable for. No canoes, boats scooters etc. No fireplace. Do not provide wood for a fire either. Make sure you have insurance for renting out your house and make sure your renters have home insurance that covers them for renting another property. If a renter hurts themselves on your property you want to make certain you are covered. Even then you might be scr%^ed.
Make sure you tell them no candles too. If you have a septic field, put up a sign stating so and not to put anything down the toilet except humane waste. Seriously we found some amazing things in our tank at pump out time. Something you will need to do more often than for a normal home.
Just keep stuff like that in your head. How can I get the shaft? How will someone hurt themselves? What will they steal? (Don't provide good pots and pans, or utensils, furniture, TV etc.. Buy the cheap stuff. Because it is going to get ruined.
Have you figured out what I think of renting now.....

Good luck....

[Jeanzb1]

Pleeeeze don't think that all renters will destroy your place because they won't! We own on the ocean in Florida and rent on the lake for six months, and this will be our third season in the same wonderful cottage. We are in our early 60s and have an indoor cat. We take IMMACULATE care of our cottage inside and out. Not only does my husband mow the lawn of our place, but he also waters the flowers and mows the lawns of three neighbors every single week -- just for something to do! We stained our deck twice, and even scraped, putty'd, and reglazed many windows -- just for something to do! We've taken care of a neighbors' dog when they were away. We act as caretakers during the times when our neighbors are not there. There is nothing we don't do. And never would we ever accept a cent in return. Add to this, we seldom ever have day guests, and I could count on one hand the number of overnight guests we have had in the last two years. In short, we treat our cottage and surroundings with much love and respect, just as if we owned it. So, remember, good renters absolutely do exist!

[Lakesrider]

Agreed. Once again notice the age group. Young people today simply don't respect property that is not theirs. It's kinda like buying a rental car. It probably wasn't babied very much. That said we have had great renters of our home. We even had one that left the place cleaner than when they got there. Guess who we rented to several more times after that. I simply suggest you screen the renters. Bike week was one week we simply did NOT rent out on. I actually came up and used the place that week. Just do your research, and keep the insurance up to date.

[songkrai]

"I would certainly NEVER build a house specifically knowing I would need to rent it out."

Are there good renters? Of course.

But how does one pick and choose? Rent to older couples only? There are laws about such. Can a good rental agency "screen" for such? Yes, but they too have to be careful and follow the laws.

And even if you find "older" people that is no guarantee that the next generation will be the actual people that show up.

I have a friend too who rents a home in Florida. But rents for the winter season to just one older couple. Same couple every year for the entire season and they do take perfect care of property.

But NH weekly rental is different. We are talking here about weekly rentals. Maybe two weeks at a time. Your chances of obtaining a good renter are high but chances of obtaining the bad renters are much higher also.

Yes, if you construct a high end house with granite counter tops may provide a much higher weekly rate and possibly better renters as the cost per week would be higher. But that alone cannot and will not exempt you for getting one family to rent then that family brings in their entire extended family.

Do people rent their seasonal homes with success. Absolutely. But this is a great gamble specially for a newly constructed home that you may one day wish to use yourself in retirement or sell some day.

[lawn psycho]

songkrai, one way the large house renters in the Outer Banks get more responsible customers is they require payment in cash. I think rental agencies have been pressured to allowing people to use credit cards but it does help IMO.

The contracts you sign down there have very strict emergency evictions clauses which stipulate reasons for immediate removal and the eviction law is backed up in NC law. Number of occupants is on that list and the neighbors keep tabs on each others houses. I don't know how NH is set-up for house rentals but strongly worded contracts and frank mention of the regulations prior to rental would go a long way IMO.

There are also provisions in many of the contracts that SMOKING in the house is reason for eviction on top of a significant cleaning fee.

[ThePlut]

I've been renting the same place, for 2 weeks a year, every year for the past 5 years.

My requirements:

- Dog friendly
- Beach
- Dock for boat
- Places to sit outside
- Sleeping for 8 - 10 people (we like to have visitors)
- Washer/dryer
- BBQ
- Reasonable price
- WiFi

We treat the place like we treat our own home, that said, I don't have a showcase house either, I don't want the house to feel "breakable". I want my kids to swim and play outside, we rent to be closer to the boat for two weeks.

[sbtgregg]

Hi . . . I rent out my property on Bear Island and have been a lake house "renter outer" for many years. I agree with much of what the others are saying . . . renters love screened porches, fireplace, equipped kitchen, comfortable beds, grills, eating areas. If I was building from scratch, I would put more SF into the common areas, and less into the bedrooms. Having a greater number of bedrooms is more dear than LARGE bedrooms.