We were approached by the owners of Cloes Lane back in December 2019. They were having a massive refurb carried out on a property in a popular seaside town, and wanted to know would it work as a holiday rental. Not only that, but they lived over 300 miles away! This is where we stepped in.
Our first job was to ascertain whether the property would be appropriate as a holiday rental. Although in a tourist town, it wasn’t a seafront property (which is highly sought after for guests travelling to this area) and at first glance may not have screamed “holiday property”. What we did see however that there was a gap in the market in this area for people who would like to have a seaside holiday, but may not be able to afford the more expensive seafront properties that have high nightly rates. As the owners wanted to keep costs as low as possible owing the big refurb costs, our suggestion was to create a budget friendly, basic yet comfortable holiday home that could appeal to those looking for somewhere as a base to enjoy what the town has to offer.
The second job we had was to deal with the ongoing works with the builders. As the owners live so far away, it was impossible for them to check snagging issues and to ensure the work was being done to a high standard. As experienced property professionals, we were able to deal with this all for them; especially important as the property ran into some unexpected issues which was causing a fairly serious damp issue that needed to be sorted ASAP!
Once the builders had packed up, our “Styled for You” service came in to full force. We wanted to make sure the property looked inviting and unique, without breaking the bank. As the property had just been painted in a crisp white, we wanted to bring a lot of colour to the flat and focussed on adding key bright pieces that would really pop. Rather than spending money on more expensive, pre-coloured furniture, we simply chose our themes and then had the plain furniture painted accordingly, adding in the odd contrasting cushion and throw to really make a statement. They say a picture speaks a thousand words – check out the photo of our orange and pink themed master bedroom!
The final part of our set up process was of course dressing, photographing and getting the property live. Within a few days we had bookings flying in for the Spring/Summer season and we are ready to welcome our first guests!
Although the property had a few set backs with the unexpected building issues, we are really pleased with how this property was transformed from a bare white space in to an inviting, comfortable and cosy apartment all within budget for our clients.