Many vacation rental owners manage their properties from a distance but most have just one, or a few in one location. Ralph Morehouse owns an apartment in Paris, one in Nice, and manages three others. All from his home base in Houston, Texas, which goes to show you can do this business from anywhere as long as you have the systems in place.

I first met Ralph and his wife Karen, in New Orleans a few years ago. Although Ralph has been in the US for quite a few years, his UK accent is unmistakable and we explored the journey that has taken him from roots in the north of England to Texas, via Paris.

With recent terrorist attacks in both locations, we discussed how these had impacted bookings and what Ralph does to reassure rental guests. He also talks about the challenges of acquiring and retaining good staff in both locations.

Finally, Ralph shared the resources he uses to successfully manage the properties.

Ralph talked about:

• The most challenging aspects of long-distance property management
• How the terrorist attacks in Nice and Paris impacted the business
• Managing payments in multiple currencies and the platform that makes this easy
• Co-ordinating enquiries and reservations via multiple systems
• The #1 thing he would do differently if he bought another property

Links in this episode:

Dawn Shears of Red Spiral Hand

Rentivo

Booking Sync