VRS111 – Successful Vacation Rental Owner Series With Kim Bergstrom
Today’s guest is the owner of three vacation rental properties in Oregon, one of which sleeps up to 20 people. She has remodeled all three homes and markets them successfully via a comprehensive website, a blog, and a powerful Facebook presence, alongside her third-party listings.
Kim Bergstrom was brought up enjoying the northern part of the Oregon coast from early childhood, so when the opportunity came to buy the family beach house in 1996, she just continued the adventure.
Since that time, two more properties have joined the Bergstrom collection, the latest of which has been a labor of love to restore to its original glory together with an old-fashioned telephone box!
In our interview, Kim shared more of the history of the Houses on Manzanita Beach and tells us how she manages the rentals of all three in terms of taking reservations and co-ordinating changeovers and emergency issues.
This vacation rental marketing powerhouse has built her successful business around a strategy that encompasses several social media platforms and a very professional website. And after 20 years in the business, she knows that business inside and out. It was a real delight to have her share that experience.
Kim talked about:
• How the question ‘What’s there to do around here?’ launched a business
• The challenge of managing 3 properties
• What happens when a stove dies in one of the houses, and there is no-one local to fix it
• The importance of a robust reservation system
• Why she chose professionals to build the website and create a powerful video
• Her 3 tips for any owner planning a marketing strategy
Links mentioned in the podcast
Manzanita Beach Life (Facebook Page)
Red Spiral Hand (Kim’s web designer)
Video Production: Shields Film
Where you can find Kim:
Website