Pretty Picky Properties Blog

Everyone deserves the type of vacation that spoils from start to finish. Visiting an exotic destination, spending long days at the beach, and wonderfully long evenings living in the lap of luxury in a vacation home that could be described as a vacation experience! When your upcoming journey brings you to the historic charms and sandy beaches of Chatham on Cape Cod and you decide that now is the time...

Oh, how we look forward to spring every year on Cape Cod. The winters can be brutally beautiful, with short days, long nights, and snow-covered beaches that really must be seen to be believed, and then one day it happens (just not always according to the season schedule.) We awaken to the sound of snow melting, steadily dripping from the rooftops and notice large patches of earth appearing in our...

A Cape Cod vacation is something that is on nearly everyone’s bucket list, and when your vacation destination dreams come true, it is only fair that the property you shelter in should be a vacation dream come true as well! We at Pretty Picky Properties understand what vacationers seek, and for the larger traveling groups Grayduck 207-C is a classic New England cottage with room for 10! Providing four spacious...

When does your Cape Cod summer rental season begin? We’re not talking about that three- or four-day rental you may have booked over the Memorial Day weekend. We mean, when does your summer rental season really kick in for good – no time off – just back-to-back-to-back rentals? Probably some time in June or early July, right? Point is, whenever it starts, you need to be ready – really ready,...

Many Cape Cod homes do not have any form of air conditioning. Their owners feel it is an unnecessary extra cost. They’ll say things like, “People come to the Cape in the summer for the cooling sea breezes. Who needs air conditioning?” You can rationalize all you want, but the fact is that most families vacationing in a private Cape Cod vacation home on the Cape in the summer want...

It has nothing to do with climate change, but we notice a sea change on Cape Cod this spring – at least in the private home rental market for Cape Cod homeowners. There are just way too many prime weeks still open at this point in the booking season. We think it’s because there are just way more properties in play this year than ever before for rental guests to...

What’s the most important single room in your Cape Cod vacation rental when it comes to managing your summer rentals? You know it’s the kitchen. A big part of the reason so many people rent private homes like yours instead of staying at a resort is they get to prepare their own meals and save a pile of money on restaurant tabs. So the kitchen is absolutely key. Rather than...

There are families who will tell you they could care less whether they have TV In their Cape Cod rental property. But they are a decided minority. Most people want and expect to have television. For many, a vacation without TV would be more like a prison sentence. So do what the market wants — you need TV. Here are five things about rentals and TV you should know: It...

OK, so your Cape Cod property probably doesn’t actually have any broken windows per se. But what about that outdoor shower door that doesn’t latch right any more? Or that toilet in the half bath where you have to hold down the flush handle or the bowl won’t empty completely? Broken Windows, Broken Business is a business book by Michael Levine which has direct application to your summer vacation rentals...

First of all, if you’re going to rent, you can’t sweat the small stuff. How will you feel about that water ring left on your coffee table? When you do summer rentals, you’re running a small business that can gross up to $50,000 each season or more, depending on the property and its location. There will be the inevitable costs of doing business, including expected wear and tear. Vacationing families,...