How these homeowners made managing their Martha’s Vineyard home a breeze

The magic of its remote location has kept vacationers flocking to Martha’s Vineyard for centuries. But the island’s isolation makes owning and renting a home to guests a difficult trick to pull off.

It took Laura J. and her husband a few years of renting through a local agent to realize they needed a vacation rental wiz at their side.

“We were working with a real estate agent to manage our property, but we got called anytime there was a problem,” Laura explains. “The agent would manage the lease, let people into the house, and make sure that they had their beach pass. But when it came to anything that had to do with the maintenance of the house, that was on me.”

“So I had a caretaker, and I would call him for support. But God forbid he was off-island—if that happened, we'd have to figure out who was covering for him,” she continues.

Fielding calls, problem solving, and coordinating with her caretaker from her home outside Boston took more of her time and energy than Laura could spare.

“Once, a tenant called me and complained because there were literally three ants in the kitchen. They were making a huge stink about it, asking what I was going to do,” she laughs. “Little things, big things, I was constantly being called. And I’d have to scramble to find someone to go out and fix it whatever it was. It was exhausting.”

“I have a full-time job,” she says. “I realized I couldn’t answer the phone and respond to all of these calls anymore.”

Laura started researching for full-service vacation rental management options on the island. Soon, she signed on with TurnKey Vacation Rentals, and then with Vacasa after the company was acquired in 2021.

On island time

Today, Laura knows her home always has the support of someone on-island whenever she or her guests need it.

“Patrick, our local Vacasa property manager, is fantastic. We love him. We really appreciate his expertise—he just gets things done,” she tells us. “He's always incredibly responsive. If he says that he's going to take care of something, he does.”

“One time, there were some renters that couldn't figure out how to turn on the gas stove in the kitchen,” she continues. “Patrick went over there and showed them how to do it. I didn't have to worry about it—he took care of it and then told me about it later.”

Laura loves that her Vacasa team keeps the headache-inducing aspects of renting her home out of her hair (while keeping her informed about the important stuff).

“With Vacasa, I don't have to think about the day-to-day problems that come up when you rent. If there's something that needs my attention, my local manager will get in touch with me,” she says. “I know that whatever sort of needs or concerns my guests have, they'll be taken care of by Vacasa—and I won’t be pulled into it.”

And Vacasa’s expansive resources have made her entire rental experience simpler, too.

“My previous caretaker was very responsive, but he was just one person. He didn't have the breadth of vendor resources that Vacasa has,” Laura says. “We were paying our real estate agent close to what we're paying now to manage our property, and they were doing maybe a quarter of the work Vacasa does for us.”

Laura says that even her guests have even reached out to say how easy it was to work with her Vacasa team.

“Recently, we had a leak that was coming from our deck into the home. Within an hour of the renters raising the alert, Patrick got the right people there to start fixing the problem,” she recalls. “We actually knew the renters that were there at the time, and they told me how incredibly appreciative they were of the rapid response, quick resolution, and professional manners of the Vacasa team. They were really happy.”

Easy does it

Laura loves that Vacasa’s comprehensive approach to caring for her home covers more than guest support and local troubleshooting.

“Vacasa’s marketing stands out—and we don't have to do anything. Vacasa takes care of it all,” she says. “Renting with Vacasa pays our mortgage and allows us to make upgrades to the home. Recently, we added a bathroom, which we were able to do with the money that we generated from renting.”

Laura has even told a friend on the Vineyard that they should consider working with Vacasa, too.

“To me, working with a full-service vacation rental management company is a no-brainer. Why would I not pick Vacasa?” Laura explains. “I've said to people, ‘Listen, it saves you having to be involved in every sort of minute issue that comes up with the house. You've got someone there taking care of that for you.’"

“It's peace of mind,” she continues. “Patrick always asks what he and the team can do to help. Vacasa has taken a load off of my mind and shoulders, and now I don't have to worry. It’s great.”