When you plan to visit Disney World, are you expecting to find the Disney World experience?    Well, so is the vacationer who is looking at your property.  Whether you own a beach house, condominium, or mountain cabin, the decor that you offer is going to impact your rental success almost as much as the area in which it sits.  Your potential clients are looking at three major factors when trying to decide on the perfect vacation.  The location, the decor, and the cost of your property.  With the right touches, you can maximize the income, making you more successful than your neighbor.

Let's imagine a vacationer looking in the Destin, FL area for a beach condo to rent.   There are thousands of condos along this pristine coastline to choose from. Why would someone choose yours over another?  Given the all other factors are equal, the decor is what the consumer sees first. If your property is not eye-catching, they will click the "Back" button and move on.  Now what is eye-catching to a vacationer? Let's put yourself in their shoes for a moment.  Would you be looking to stay in a "Vacation Home" or someone's "Second Home." No matter how or when a property is acquired, many owners unknowingly make a crucial error from the beginning. 

The lack of planning leaves many vacation properties without a theme.  What is a theme?  Well, when a vacationer is looking to stay in a mountain cabin, he or she will most likely be looking for "Mountain" decor.  Someone visiting the beach will most likely like to stay in a "Tropical" setting .  Never find yourself putting left over furniture or decor from your home into your rental property. This is a very noticeable and costly mistake.  Disney seekers don't want to stay in someone's house, they want to stay at Disney. 

The decor should also flow throughout, starting with wall colors.  Keep a low-tone wall color throughout, and let your accessories do the work.  Also, when you decide on an overall theme, such as the Beach, expand your theme into a more detailed focus, such as Sailboats.  Avoid switching from Sailboats to Seashells from one room to the next.  Vacationers will remember staying in the "Sailboat" house, but if you throw everything in the "Beach Book" at them, they won't remember much of anything about it. If you are decorating a Mountain Cabin, and decide that a Mountain theme is the way to go, the next step is to narrow the theme down to, say, Hunting.  Avoid switching from Hunting to Hiking from one room to the next.  Keep the focus on Hunting throughout the cabin.

Your potential guests may not notice your subliminal marketing tactic, but they will remember your property.   New rugs and wall paint will keep things fresh and will only be noticed if they are not maintained.  These things are necessary, but they are customer keepers, not customer getters.  Let's face it, no one will reserve a vacation property because of rugs and wall paint.  It's the theme and decor that will grab their attention, and keep your property fresh on their mind.