What to Look Out for When Buying a Holiday Home? Part 2
You have found the right location for your holiday home and now you need to the right size property to invest in. You need to first think about your target market. If you’re planning to cater for couples, a small property will fit the bill. But if you want to appeal to families or groups, the holiday house will need at least three bedrooms.
A three bedroom property should enable you to sit in both camps with couples being attracted to the property in the Spring and Autumn with the larger families looking to holiday in the main holiday weeks.
Once you have considered your target market there are some key attributes you need to consider.
Bed-bath ratio
More bathrooms equate to a better experience for guests and as a result, the property will appeal to more holidaymakers and give you better occupancy. In a property with two or three bedrooms, there should be at least two bathrooms. For maximum appeal, choose a property with an en suite bathroom for every bedroom.
Outdoor Space
Even if the property has no more than a terrace or balcony, an outdoor space is a must. All guests want to be outside during their stay and in the summer, a garden, patio or terrace is particularly important to enjoy some al fresco dining. Add a hot tub to the space and your property has guaranteed extra appeal.
Private parking
No one wants to waste valuable holiday time looking for somewhere to park so make sure the property has guaranteed private parking. Having a designated parking spot means your guests have peace of mind and know they can go out for the day safe in the knowledge that they will come back and be able to park their car safely, at no cost and with ease. In the towns and villages where this simply isn’t feasible for centrally located properties, organise a parking permit for on-street for car park parking.
Connectivity
High-speed WiFi at a holiday home is simply a must and few holidaymakers will consider booking a stay at somewhere without it. Cornwall is reasonably well connected but check to see if WiFi is available at your chosen property. Mobile phone signals in some parts of Cornwall are poor so it’s worth installing a gadget that boosts the signal. If this isn’t an option, make sure you tell your guests about the apps that can help them receive calls and texts via your high-speed WiFi connection.
The only contradiction to this advice is if you’re purposely creating a digital detox, off-grid offering whereby variable phone signal and no WiFi are part of your unique selling point.
Heating
As well as central heating, an absolute must-have if you want to let the holiday home during the cooler months, think about adding a winter-warming feature. Everyone loves a real log fire, either in a fireplace or as a log burner. If your chosen property doesn’t include one already, find out if it’s feasible to add one. It could also add value to your property further down the line.
Pets
When considering buying a holiday home in Cornwall, think about whether you’re prepared to accept your guests’ pets. While you might be tempted to minimise wear and tear by having a no-pets policy, more and more holidaymakers like to take their dogs with them.
By allowing the canine members of the family to come along too you increase the appeal of your property and up your bookings.
A dog friendly holiday home should have suitable walks and beaches nearby (note that most beaches in Cornwall allow dogs at certain times of the day and/or year) as well as enclosed outdoor space for them to securely roam in.
All pet friendly holiday cottages apply a fee per dog and a number of dogs limit in consideration of the additional cleaning and wear and tear to be covered.
This blog was provided by George from Cornish Traditional Cottages.
