What Can Gatlinburg Vacation Rental Owners Do to Earn More?
Because we've now been selling Gatlinburg area real estate for 18 years, we've developed a pretty good understanding of our area's vacation rental industry. While there have been many changes in our market, some things continue to remain the same:
- Vacationing guests are generally looking for what they don't have at home:
- A log or other woodsy design that reminds them that they are on vacation
- A steeply roofed chalet or cabin with lots of glass & soaring high ceilings
- Recreation choices like a hot tub, jacuzzi bathtub, pool table or other game tables
- A superb Smoky Mountain view or total seclusion
- Furthermore, some important characteristics just aren't negotiable:
- The property must be clean & well furnished - Grandma's hand-me-downs won't work!
- The cabin or chalet should be within at most a 10 or 15 min. drive to at least one of our area's major attractions:
- The Great Smoky Mountain National Park
- Dollywood/Splash Country Entrance
- The Center of Pigeon Forge
- The Five Oaks Tanger Shopping Center
- Downtown Gatlinburg
While many years ago, almost any property would perform well on an overnight vacation rental basis, the massive construction boom and subsequent bust simply created too many vacation rental properties. Although well designed and implemented Smoky Mountain vacation rental chalets and cabins can still perform exceedingly well, worn and badly dated properties in remote locations no longer do. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and even Sevierville vacation rental properties can still rent very well, but you better have as many of the above characteristics as possible!! The old vinyl sided army barracks in the middle of nowhere just won't cut it anymore however...
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