Trusted partner as you
look at homes
Expertise on location,
floor plan and amenities
Professional revenue
estimates and advice
Deep network of service
providers/contractors
Trusted realtor referrals
Responsive service as
you move quickly
Learn the Basics – If you are interested in buying a home that would do well for vacation rentals, then you have come to the right place. Let’s start with the most important factors and amenities for vacation rentals in the Boone area.
Location: The ideal location for vacation rentals is preferably not more than 10-15 minutes to a developed retail area or attraction. If a home has above average amenities, then being a little further out does not negatively affect rental activity.
Mountain Style: When folks are searching for a vacation home, most prefer a cabin or mountain style interior with exposed wood. Mountain modern or cabin luxury decor is an additional appeal when available.
Views: The ideal 10/10 view is a long-range, multi-layered view of the mountains. The better the view, the better premium rate on the vacation home. Valley views, water/river views, or shorter mountain/pastoral views are still a plus, too. Even seasonal views are worth some additional revenue for vacation homes.
Air Conditioning: When you’re in the mountains, often times it doesn’t seem necessary to have A/C with such high elevations. However, vacationers from major cities like to use A/C for specific temperature control and sleep with the windows locked. Often times, a home without A/C can add mini-split systems instead of a full HVAC setup to save on costs, but still offer what guests desire.
Second Living Area: The second living area (often times the basement) is a huge aspect of rental revenue in our market. This space is usually filled with a nice TV, game tables, and additional seating/bar area for all ages to enjoy. Sometimes, an owner will refit their garage to accommodate this space – and that works, too! It’s a great place for younger folks to separate and watch a movie or play games.
Master on Main Floor: A large portion of the rental market is family groups, and sometimes those groups include our elderly folks. Having a master bedroom on the main floor allows for those a bit higher up in age to access their sleeping accommodation without as many steps to worry about.
King Bed: At least one king bed is preferable for rentals. King beds denote a sign of luxury or higher quality accommodation when many guests are booking a home. If you’re not using a bedroom for kids/bunk beds, adding a king sized bed is always a plus!
Lower Level Bedrooms: For most bedrooms, you want to try and ensure they are on the main level or higher; however, for younger kids/couples, lower level bedrooms are a great way to add sleeping space and provide a little extra separation in sleeping accommodations!
Dining Space: One of the items where we’ve had plenty of feedback is the need for your dining space to match the number of sleeping spaces in your home. Your occupancy represents how large of gatherings you can accommodate, and during times like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, 4th of July, etc. you often have groups of people sitting around the table together. We want to try our best to make sure all of those folks are able to be as close together as they can in the same dining space for those special occasions.
Upscale Finish: Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, wood/cabin style dining tables, end tables, chandeliers, and lamps – these are all items guests look for when renting a cabin. When a guest comes to the mountains, they want it look and feel like a mountain vacation! Having a more upscale finish to the home really accentuates the cabin/luxury style and this translates into higher rental revenue.
Hot Tub: The most requested amenity in the High Country! Useable in all seasons, a hot tub is a great way to relax on a warm summer evening, or kick back after a full day of skiing.
Game Tables: This is a great amenity to add to that “Second Living Space” we recommend for your home. Pool tables are the most requested game tables in our market, but plenty of other game tables/features are still valuable.
Items like foosball tables, shuffleboard tables, air hockey tables, arcade cabinets, and more are great ways to offer a place for kids to play and fun for the whole family.
Cabin Furniture: When it comes to furnishing your home, mountain style decor and cabin furniture is always something to keep in mind. Whether that be live edge dining tables, antler chandeliers, log hewn bed frames/furniture, or leather/faux leather couches, chairs, and sofas. A tasteful amount of cabin decor goes a long way with booking activity.
Flat Screen/HD TV and WiFi: Sometimes homes are in need of a little updating in the mountains. Prior to renting your home, making sure your TVs are up to date and your wireless internet is strong and stable is an expectation many guests have when renting a home.
You do not need to buy a home that is currently in a rental program. Our team can estimate rental revenue with a high degree of confidence.
Todd grew up on Hilton Head Island, SC and is an alumnus of the University of Georgia and the University of East Anglia, England, where he received a BA in Communications and Theatre Arts. He also received a Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He moved to Boone, NC in 2004 to work for Appalachian State University for 10 years directing the Community Partnerships and Outreach/Engagement activities. Todd left ASU to go to a medical technology start-up company to handle investor relations. We were blessed to gain Todd at Carolina Cabin Rentals in 2016 where he could focus full time on serving our client home owners as Director of Owner Services. After 4 years of leading the Owner Services Team, Todd has moved into the Sales and Business Development Team. Todd and his sweetheart wife joyously raise their 4 children together through homeschooling on their Catiwampus Farm.
Call Me
Email Me
Landry is a local graduate of Appalachian State University, where he received a degree in Business Administration in 2021. He then became the Manager of Leasing and Marketing at the Standard at Boone, a luxury apartment complex. Landry joined the Carolina Cabin Rentals Sales team in May 2022, eager to work for a company that loves the Lord and provide him with real work-life balance. As a Sales Associate, he is motivated to help homeowners find financial stability and success through passive income. He also enjoys learning more about the real estate business in the High Country. In his free time, Landry can be found playing with his dogs, traveling, or exploring the outdoors.
Call Me
Email Me
Luke studied Business Administration at Liberty University and started his career soon afterward as a writer for Samaritan's Purse, one of the world's largest international disaster relief organizations. After Luke moved to Boone, he discovered Carolina Cabin Rentals and joined the team because of the great company culture and the strong commitment to quality in everything we do. His favorite part about being a Sales Associate is getting to work with homeowners and help answer their questions while working with them to accomplish their goals for their vacation home here in the High Country. In his free time, Luke enjoys hanging out with friends, cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers, and playing pickleball. He is also a certified scuba diver and his favorite television character is Ron Swanson.
Call Me
Email Me