So you’d like to increase your rental income for those pesky off-season months? Join the crowd, because it’s a tall order.
But, you say, the weather can be great in June and September. Yes, but here’s the problem — too much supply, not nearly enough demand for Cape Cod off-season rentals.
The great preponderance of Cape Cod rental guests are families with school-age children. Those children are in school in June and September. So most of the market is simply not in the market at those times.
The folks who do rent in the shoulder months usually do not have kids with them. And they often don’t want to stay for a full week. Long weekends have greater appeal.
That’s why we encourage owners to offer rental terms down to three nights in June and September.
Of course, you can’t expect to get nearly the same rates as you do in July and August. But when a guest is staying only three or four nights, they are often OK with paying a higher rate per night than they would for a seven-night stay at that same time of the season. We also suggest adding a cleaning fee to make your bottom line look a little better.
If you’re willing to promote shorter stays and set your rates competitively, you have a shot at doing some decent business in June and September. At Pretty Picky in 2016, we saw June and September bookings almost double from 2015, using the tactics described above.
