After years of struggling to keep their concrete business afloat in a floundering economy, Randy and Freda Higgins were eager to find a new source of income. While on a family vacation in the Smoky Mountains, they noticed that vacation rentals in the area were in high demand so they decided to jump in with both feet.
Randy and Freda sold everything, moved to Tennessee, and purchased a run-down cabin in the historic resort town of Gatlinburg. After spending 7 months renovating the cabin to ensure guests would enjoy their stay, they began researching ways to market the property to travelers.
Hiring a local property management company seemed like the obvious choice, but they became turned off by the 40% commissions and negative feedback they received from other vacation rental owners in the area.
“
When we went live with Evolve, the reservations started coming in right away! Every time we checked our email there would be another booking!"
“
We are so pleased with the way our home has performed. It has enabled us to purchase two more cabins and when they are ready to go we will not hesitate to use Evolve!"
Randy & Freda Higgins, Evolve Homeowners
Solution
Randy and Freda eventually discovered Evolve through Vrbo, and were excited to learn about the low 10% management fee that came with their Core plan. “With Evolve, we would only pay a fraction of what we would pay for someone else to manage our property."
They were a bit hesitant at first, but Randy and Freda liked that Evolve would develop a competitive revenue strategy, create a custom property listing designed to attract guests, and promote their cabin on top booking sites like Vrbo and Airbnb.
Performance
Time with Evolve
13 Months
Nights Booked
224
Total Bookings
48
Rental Income
$170,542
Results
The inquiries started pouring in almost immediately, and Evolve’s 24/7 guest support team followed up with every potential guest — confirming the first booking within 72 hours!
After just 30 days of partnering with Evolve, Randy and Freda’s property had earned an impressive $33,281 in rental income. The strong booking performance continued throughout the first year, with 214 nights booked for a total of $163,718.
Evolve’s low management fee has also allowed Randy and Freda to hold on to the majority of their earnings, not only making their investment profitable, but enabling them to purchase two additional cabin rentals.
START EARNING MORE
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