How to rent out a holiday home

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"How to rent out a holiday home?", I asked myself just recently.

Although we bought the "palazzo" already five years ago, I never really thought about "HOW" to rent it out. When I re-organized my blog a little bit by putting up "pages" (the taps below the headline), I called one page as "Guest Residence". Aha! Yes, I would love to share our little gem with visitors! But how to find the interested traveler? Online?

A friend recommended me to look at a cottage in Southern France. They rent out via VRBO. Aha!

A few google keywords and a bit of surfing later, I found the following:
  1. VRBO.com - Vacation Rental By Owner - aims mainly towards the US market, 7 rentals were available in Calabria, 2 of them in Pizzo.
  2. Ownersdirect.co.uk - aims more to UK and Canadian customers with half of the rentals in Canada and only 818 in Europe, mainly in Italy (470), thereof 152 in Southern Italy, thereof only 3 in Calabria, however none in Pizzo.
  3. HomeAway holiday-rentals.co.uk - is mainly focusing on UK costumers with 16,724 self-catering holiday homes in Italy, in Calabria there are 116 rentals registered, thereof 8 rentals in Pizzo.

After that analysis, I know less than before.

I have more readers from the US than from the UK, but would more traveler from the US come to visit Calabria than from the UK? - From several UK airports and even from Toronto, Canada there are direct flights to Lamezia, which is only 20 minutes drive from our holiday home. Pizzo gets lots of visitors from the UK.

I have not yet inquired the fees of the different sites, which will not make a big difference, I guess. But the VRBO site looks most appealing to me, I have to admit.

Have you ever rented a holiday home? How did you find it? What was your experience? Which rental portal would you consider? Your comments are very much appreciated! Grazie mille!

Thanks for reading until here! I will share this French cottage finds. I downloaded these photos just to show my family, how beautiful a rental can (or should?!) look:

What a beautiful guest bedroom!
I can't believe that someone makes a rental sooo nice!
But I think this is what we need to do!

Another bathroom with a natural stone wall - and the cast iron bathtub looks just like ours!

Angelo, CC, please note, a simple clothes rack can do! I like that!

Last but not least, the kitchen:
Simple country style BUT with stunning stainless steel appliances!
And a wrought iron gate that leads to a garden - we have that too!

Love that cottage!!! Great renovation work, complimenti ! It's located in South of France and renovated by a family based in Seattle. The cottage and its village are featured in a blog called Stephmodo by Stephanie. She not only writes about practical and pretty things, but also has filed the renovation project of "La Maisonette", which can be rented via VRBO here or via the link on her blog.

photo source: Stephmodo
 
 
Remark:
All three platforms mentioned above are owned by homeaway.com and were acquisted in 2006 and 2007)
Update May 2013:
Our Guest Residence is ready for rent! If you plan to visit Calabria in the South of Italy, you should include our lovely village Pizzo! The best time to visit is May-September. But April and October can be very pleasant too. If you like to spent here a few more days, maybe you want to stay with us? Please contact me directly for availability and price at writing.Suzie(at)yahoo.com.
 
Update October 2013:
After more research and my own first experiences with holiday lettings, I wrote these posts:
HOW to rent out your house or vacation property - or should I open a B&B?
WHY renting out your holiday home - Six good reasons!

Kitchen Islands - Part II

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After my post Kitchen Island - Part I about simple islands that are sometimes just made of a beautiful wooden table with a marble counter top, I am coming now to the second category of kitchen islands:

The more complex kitchen islands that include a sink and sometimes also a stove with a fume hood.

These islands require more planning. When you already plan to renovate your kitchen and its floor, you might think of providing water, gas and electricity for the island. Once a complex island is done its less flexible, but the advantage is that you face your guests more often during preparing the food and can participate in the communication better. Also you might have more light and space during work then in a classic kitchenette facing the wall.

First, some of my island finds with sinks only:

beautiful country kitchen with blue subway tiles behind the stove and matching stools;
the kitchen island with white marble counter top features two sinks (via Southern Accent)

Italian country kitchen with red counter top and matching stools;
the sink of the island is positioned opposite the stove

although the kitchen already features a sink, the islands provides a second one;
the oven in the back is a pizza oven (!) (via Elle Decor)

nice low budget solution via IKEA

modern kitchen with slim island made in China (via Boloni)

And now, kitchen islands that not only have a sink but also the stove and fume hood:
 
"English Mood" via Minacciolo

lots of stainless steel and reflecting silvery tiles (via Bofi)

"EL System", industrial look stainless steel solution via Elmar Cucina

chic industrial look via Marie Claire Maison

solution via Ikea for the tighter budget - probably same system like above where the counter top just was larger

You might also be interested in the post Kitchen Islands - Part I - about simple kitchen islands.

Kitchen Islands - Part I

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When you have an open kitchen that connects to the dining and living area you may find a kitchen island useful because it can function as a separator between the spaces. Since we also plan an open kitchen, I researched kitchen islands and found that there are mainly two categories:

1) very simple kitchen islands that provide extra work space and some storage (Part I)
2) bold kitchen islands that include kitchen appliances like sinks and stoves. (Part II)

This post covers the first category - the simple islands:

simple but beautiful wooden work bench, via Elle Decor
(I flipped the photo as our stove and balcony are on the left as it is now after flipping) 

wooden work bench with marble counter top, via Elle Decor

custom made island with lots of drawers, via Elle Decor

white lacquered wooden island with drawers and open storage underneath, via Landmark (Villa Limonaia)

white lacquered wooden island with baskets replacing drawers, via Cote de Texas

turquoise steel kitchenette and very basic work bench in rough luxe style

white island with drawers and marble counter top

Although, I am trying to just focus on the kitchen islands, I am surprised to see, that in all the seven beautiful kitchens above, white tiles have been used for the walls. Have you noticed? Four of the kitchens use the classical French subway tiles, two use square tiles and one uses a classic Italian Vietri tile pattern (no 4, the Italian villa). But what else would you use to ensure these beautiful kitchens get an adequate background?

Now a bit more modern and without tiles:

a nice bar counter is something that a kitchen island could offer, via Cote Maison

a modern kitchen with a bar island in a rustic context, via Bulthaupt

modern rustic mix via Bofi

all white and modern, via Binova

Donna Karen's Zen style kitchen - not much to see of the island, but I like it, especially the Chinese stool

"Line Art teak island" was in my files - simple island with good storage space to copy by your local carpenter if nothing similar could be found in a shop.


You might be interested in my post Kitchen Island Part II as well.


Sources: You can find the links on my blogroll or on the pages "resource links" and "my blogroll". If I did not indicate the source, it means I don't have it and you might mail it to me.

Sneak Peek into the Entrance

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Now, a sneak peek into the house does not scare visitors off anymore

Remember, two years ago, when the movers carried the boxes in and a neighbour came with flowers? - Back then it still looked like this:

before
But two years later, finally, we can invite the neighbours over: 

further up the stairways it looks like this

and more further up like this

the stucco is repaired by Angelo while the lamp restored by myself

All the walls and ceiling restoration and painting was done by Angelo and the colour is his choice since he does not like it white - we know that by now ... Some summers ago, I am not even sure if I have ever posted it, the original lamp was "restored" and repainted by myself. Left alone the flooring that is still  not done yet as we have not decided on the material yet. But I am on site next week and then it will go on.