let's get acquainted

If you landed here, you probably have some interest in managing and hosting a vacation rental property on your own. So... Welcome...this site is for you!

From the moment my husband and I began looking for our vacation rental property,  I knew I wanted to manage the property and work directly with our guests. Since that time, I feel I have learned something new each day. Some lessons I stumbled upon, some I picked up from other hosts, and some came just from the feeling that it was the right thing to do.

It's been interesting, but mostly it's been fun!  I decided to share my journey here in hopes that I could spare others some time and maybe even a little frustration.  I do not claim to be an expert on any level, but I do enjoy learning and collaborating with others.

As you start to read through my posts, I hope this short summary will help you understand my perspective,  how I got to where I am today, and  more importantly, what made me think I could write a blog.

When we bought our first property in 2019, we were both completely new to this vacation rental business! In spite of that, I was determined to manage the property on my own from a thousand miles away.  As a senior project manager for a global company, I was already working full-time remote and was very comfortable conducting business on-line using electronic tools and resources. So, it never occurred to me that I couldn't be a remote host as well. However, I do want to be completely upfront and put my personal disclaimers out here:

• I am not an accountant nor do I have any expertise in accounting or taxes. 
• I am not a realtor.
• I am not a lawyer.
• I had no previous experience hosting a rental property.

So, yes...I admit that I was completely unqualified. But I am going to share with you how I educated myself and what resources I used along the way.  The further we went down our journey as hosts, the more comfortable I felt answering questions that other hosts had. I soon realized that this is not rocket science, but it does require a repeatable model and a desire to be a five-star host.

When we decided to purchase a vacation home, we knew from the beginning that we would be renting it for most of the year. Our goal was to cover our expenses, build equity, and make a little profit on the side to pay back our initial investment.  Truth be told, we talked about this for over a year, reading anything we could get our hands on, and carefully planning each step of the way. 

It was always our plan to use this first house as a stepping stone to the next house that we would keep as a vacation home into our retirement years. So this blog really is a live reflection of our progress as independent and remote hosts.

As a visitor here, you become a part of my journey. I welcome your comments and feedback as you read my weekly posts or browse my site here. It is my goal to provide helpful information to others like me that are experiencing or want to experience an independent and/or remote hosting model. So, let me hear from you,  subscribe to my weekly newsletter, share my posts, and come back often.

Thank you so much for being part of my journey!

Darlene Glaze