Read my top tips for selling a vacation home on Kauai. These are easy tips that will go a long way.

Every seller wants to get the most amount of money for their property when selling right? These tips will definitely help with selling a vacation rental home on Kauai or really anywhere!

I’ve helped sellers and buyers navigate through this process of purchasing a vacation home on Kauai. Things can get tricky because commonly the seller and buyer do not live here. Then add in other hurdles like the vacation rental home always being booked.

These tips will go a long way when selling a vacation home!

Tips for selling a Vacation Home or Condo

Have Vacancy Dates

This is so important! Not many people will make an offer on a property without having their agent view the property. It needs to be shown at least a few times. Once there is an accepted contract the buyer will want their inspector to get in. Hence another vacancy date is needed.

My advice when selling a vacation home is to block out a few dates in the future before listing your property for sale. That way the Realtor can have a few set days to show it.

Have Rental History Statements Available

Every buyer will want to see the rental history statements. Have those ready for your listing agent to hand out. I haven’t had one buyer looking at a vacation rental home not ask to see the monthly statements.

In some cases, owners rent out their units long-term or live in their units. I suggest finding a unit or property similar to yours and asking to borrow statements to show as an example of the earnings that could be made.

Sell it Turn-Key and Furnished

I would say 98% of people who purchase a vacation rental condo want it furnished. Ready to go and hit that VRBO website and start making income. I’ve never sold a vacation rental condo where a buyer did not want the furniture and decorations.

If it is a vacation rental home there is a greater chance of someone wanting to live there full time. Therefore they are okay with the home being sold unfurnished.

I’m not saying the property has to be updated with granite and hardwood floors. However, that never hurts to be updated! I’ll explain more in my next tip.

Also be sure to take care of any miscellaneous repairs like a leaky toilet, broken screen doors. People don’t want to figure out how to do essential repairs right after purchasing.

Have Amazing Decorations!

Recently I’ve learned about the power of decor! It’s really powerful.

Notice I said decorations. I did not say to have amazing floors or countertops or appliances. Recently I sold a home that I thought was lovely! My buyers also thought it was beautiful. Before seeing this home they also liked another home down the road. That was also nice and the owners remodeled it.

Anyways, when we saw this 2nd home we both liked it better. I couldn’t really explain why because I’m the type to see past the staging and look at the home’s overall potential. Plus it was priced lower so my buyers liked that.

It was really really decorated cute with a beachy Hawaii theme. The owners were planning on leaving the furniture and taking most of the decor with them.

On the day of the final walkthrough, I was shocked! The home looked so plain. Then I could notice that some of the furniture was not as nice as I thought. I was almost worried my clients would be upset. The bedframe was so old and cheap. I didn’t realize it with the pretty pillows on top. Then I noticed the home was not that updated. I’m still shocked by how different the home felt without the decorations.

What I learned was that good decorating distracts your eyes. Good decorating will distract from ugly countertops or floors. That is why I’m not recommending completely remodeling a vacation rental home when selling. Decorations can go a long way if done right.

Plus it makes it super easy for the next owner to already have a well-decorated space. A new owner in time can replace flooring or countertops.

Choosing a Realtor that is Great with Technology

There will be a lot of back and forth between the listing agent, rental agent/company, and potential buyers. Choose a Realtor who is great at communicating! Now it’s even more important than before to have an agent who knows how to use video chat and other socially distanced forms of communication.

This blog is all about tips for selling a vacation rental on Kauai. 

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Read these blogs for more information:

Expenses to expect when purchasing a Kauai Vacation Rental

Thinking about purchasing a vacation home on Kauai?

Visitor Destination Area and Transient Vacation Rentals explained