Tips for Homeowners: Desirable Sleeping Spaces

I too get captured by great pictures of the Lake, flower gardens, kitchens and other great features of the home I’m renting.  But I’m always brought back to earth by the bedroom shots of a vacation rental property.  We spend one third of or time sleeping and vacationing guests want to know that their nighttime comfort is not being compromised.   Remember guests cannot test out a mattress.  They have to trust that the homeowner will provide new, or nearly new , good quality beds.  Guests have to judge their decision off of what they see.  Not scientific by any means, but it is the only resource they have.

Look at your bedrooms from a reviewing guest’s eye.  Is the space inviting or utilitarian and uninspiring.  Here are a few clear turn-offs for any inquiring guest:  pancake flat pillows, comforters that are outdated  or have seen better days, old throws, tattered or outdated shades, no accent pillows or reading lamps.

Properly presented bedrooms gives guest a much greater scope of the look and feel of a rejuvenating space in your home.   Treat your vacationing guests  with new comforters, over-stuffed pillows, shams, bed skirts and accent pillows or throws.  For a fractional investment you can turn an undesirable space into a heavenly retreat.  Believe it or not, this complete set was created from what the owner had for access pillows and a very inexpensive bedding set for Wal-Mart for under $75.  Bedrooms are where you’ll win over site visitors.   Make them want to be there!

And if you change out of size of bedding for another, please let us know so we can update your listing and get the word out to our guests!

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Inside Look: Paradise Cove

Ideal family retreat – lakefront with great water views, 5 decks, hot tub, great dock and calm water. Complete main floor living just steps from covered parking area.

This wonderful family oriented lake home is within a wonderful subdivision. Located on the 10 mile marker of the osage arm and nestled within Spring Cove. The three story home has an vaulted living room, family room with a wet bar, four bedrooms and three full baths.

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Guests enter the Paradise Cove through the entry foyer (which is also supplied with the washer and dryer). Straight ahead from the entry is the u-shaped kitchen and dining table that is suitable for 6-7 guests. On the right just past the kitchen is the guest bedroom with a king size bed and hallway access to a spacious full bath with shower/tub combination. Also just past the kitchen is a large vaulted lakeside living room with a fireplace and flat screen TV. Read More…

Sleeps: 10

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2.5

Are you up for a Scavenger Hunt?

Are you up for doing a little digging?

Today marks the start of our first Crystal Water Villas website scavenger hunt.

Your challenge is to look for this fish below somewhere on our website.  It could be on a page, in a photo, in a video, or any other nook or cranny on our website. The first person to find the fish and paste the link in the comments section will win a $50 gift certificate to Shrimp Daddy’s!  Happy hunting. We’ll announce the winner on Monday!

Tips for Homeowners: Clear the Clutter

Guests want to stay at a property that they could easily imagine as their own.  When it is cluttered with your own personal stuff (photos, collections along the mantel, stuffed utensil drawers, etc.) the guest impression could be very different.   It is a known fact from past reviews,  that guests who felt they were staying in someone’s house, rather than a vacation home, found their stay to be an uncomfortable experience.

But be careful in de-cluttering too.  Don’t take out too much as the property will look sterile and not show the charm and character of the home/condo that appeals to reserving guests.  Use plants, accent rugs, colorful pillows and other accents to add life to a room.  Doing so will lift it from being just a rental and elevate it into a very desirable place to spend a vacation with friend and family!

Properly staged rooms can lift a room to another level with simply matching furniture, pillows, lamps and themed accessories.

What Guests Are Saying About: Sue’s Serenity

This wonderful family retreat resides in the middle of a subdivision on a dead end road – offer great privacy for any family retreat. The home is nestled in the trees and yet still takes in the great view of the water and main channel activity – 8 mile marker of the Osage and within the very desirable Buck Creek Cove. The home has a vaulted ceiling, oversized windows, balcony views of the shaded lot and provides guests with three spacious bedrooms, and two full baths.

Guests enter Sue’s Serenity lake home through the foyer that overlooks the upper loft hallway and open floor plan of the lower level living room, dining area and kitchen. Upstairs off the balcony hallway there are two spacious bedrooms (one queen size bed and the other with a queen bed and an additional full/twin bunk set) and one hall bath (full size with shower tub). MORE…

What guests have said about their stay at Sue’s Serenity..

We just returned from our trip and our stay at Sue’s Serenity. We were very pleased with the accommodations, location and facilities. It made our stay very enjoyable. The weather was great, the fish were biting and everything was perfect. Thank you for the hospitality. BK, Wichita, KS May 2011

Thanks so much for letting me enjoy your home! This has been the best vacation. During the week, I’ve had the Lake all to myself! I hope to enjoy this again next summer! W. B., Missouri, August 2010

Hi Sherry, Thank you for all of your help with getting us set up for our stay we had a great time and the place was great. We will keep you in mind for future trips. Thanks again! J N, May 2011

We really loved this place! Very clean, comfortable and peaceful We will certainly be back! Thanks so much! May 2011 St Louis MO