Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Shop Black Friday Deals at the Lake!

With our 110 outlet mall, in addition to all your favorite department stores, the Lake of the Ozarks offers the perfect place to get a jump start on your holiday shopping. Take advantage of the area Black Friday deals and stay in one of our many vacation rentals at the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend!

Black Friday at Lake of the Ozarks


While you might always hit Walmart and Menards for those great Black Friday deals, the Lake of the Ozarks offers even more holiday savings at our 110 outlet mall. Since our outlet prices are already lower than other shopping malls, the added Black Friday discounts make this weekend a great time to shop at the Lake!

Osage Beach Premium Outlets 

From OshKosh and Carters to Levi's and Eddie Bauer, all your favorite stores have great holiday deals this holiday season! Special holiday hours throughout the entire mall also start this Thursday. Check out each individual stores' deals here: http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/osage-beach/deals.

Walmart in Osage Beach

Black Friday at Walmart is the perfect time to get a jump start on your holiday shopping! Door busters start at 6 PM on Thanksgiving Day this year. While you already enjoy "Every Day Low Prices," now you'll find even lower prices on some of the season's most popular gifts and other holiday items. Take advantage of some of the best values of the year this Black Friday!

Target in Osage Beach

Target is doing Black Friday a little differently with 10 Days of Deals! Take advantage of 100s of doorbusters starting at 6 PM on Thanksgiving Day. You'll also want to do some of your shopping on Friday because when you spend $75, you'll get 20% off one of your Target trips between December 4-13 and if you shop on Saturday, you'll get 50% off your Holiday Shop purchase of $100 or more with coupon.

Menards in Lake Ozark

Menards has mind-blowing deals on tools, home goods, apparel, toys, electronics and even food on Black Friday! Doors will open at 6 AM on Friday, November 27 and the prices will be good until noon or while supplies last. There are also a few deals that you can snag on Saturday, November 28.

Kohl's in Lake Ozark

Kohl's is offering their Best Black Friday ever! Shop online now through November 27 or shop in store starting at 6 PM on Thursday, November 26. You can preview their Black Friday doorbusters here: http://www.kohls.com/sale-event/coupons-deals.jsp.

Places to Stay Near Shopping


At Your Lake Vacation, we have plenty of great places to stay, many of them just a few minutes from where all the Black Friday shopping will be happening. Check out these Lake of the Ozarks condo rentals that are still available for this weekend:

Bridge Pointe Condo 441: 
3 Bedroom, 2 Bath 

This beautiful condo offers a spacious master bedroom with a king bed, a guest room with a queen bed and a loft area featuring two twin beds that overlooks the living room and has a splendid view of the water. Other features include a full kitchen with seating for two at the breakfast bar, a separate dining area with seating for four, tiled floors in the entry and kitchen, a stacked washer & dryer and a top floor deck.

Indian Pointe 622: 
3 Bedroom, 3 Bath

This waterfront condo features a living room with 42" flat screen TV and DVD player, wall of floor to ceiling lakeside windows, laminate wood floors and deck access. The dining room features a 4-top table, with seating for four more at the bar, laminate wood floors and deck access. The kitchen features all the amenities of home including pots and pans! Downstairs you'll find the 2 master suites.

Lands End 637: 
3 Bedroom, 3 Bath 

Bring the friends or bring the family as this condo has it all! The dining room features a 4-top table, with seating for four more at the breakfast bar. The large kitchen features solid surface counter tops, stainless steel appliances and all the amenities of home. In the living room, you'll find a leather sectional with recliners, flat screen TV with Blu Ray DVD player, built in surround sound and a gas fireplace.

Lands End 737: 3 Bedroom, 3 Bath

Another fantastic luxury condo at Land's End, this is a walk-in, end unit, featuring tiled flooring in the dining room and kitchen. Stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops complete the kitchen. The living room features the floor to ceiling 3 panel slider, sectional with chaise lounge, flat screen TV, DVD player, gas fireplace and ambient lighting. Step outside onto the tiled deck for that great 180 degree view featuring the Grand Glaize Bridge and main channel.

Your Lake Vacation wishes you both a Happy Thanksgiving and a great Black Friday shopping experience. Call 877-284-0267 to book your reservations with us today. From one bedroom condos to five bedroom homes, we have everything to accommodate you and your family this holiday season!

For more information please call us toll free at 1-877-284-0267!!
4571 Osage Beach Pkwy, Suite A
Osage Beach, MO 65065
Local - 573-365-3367
Fax - 573-365-5076  

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Location: Osage Beach, MO 65065, USA

Monday, November 16, 2015

Beds, Beds and More Beds

One of the more frequent questions that I am asked is what size beds should the vacation rental home or condo at the Lake of the Ozarks have how many? The answer to that question is not as simple as you would think. The bed situation in any given home or condo can make a big difference in the number of rentals a property receives.

Beds Can Make or Break Your Rental Success


Our research over the years has shown that most guests want at least one room, preferably the master bedroom, outfitted with a king bed. Our properties in the past that did not have a king bed or our properties that currently do not have one can see their rentals reduced anywhere from 15-40% compared to similar properties. While there are exceptions to every rule, a king bed definitely can attract more rentals. Additional beds in bedrooms can also increase rentals. If the room is big enough, you might consider putting two queen beds in the second bedroom or a queen and a twin bunk bed. You want to appeal to the widest variety of guests, and by having additional beds, you can sleep people separately when the need arises.

Most Popular Bed Situations


Here are some of the most popular bed situations based on the number of bedrooms at a property.
  • One Bedroom - should have a king bed and either a queen sleeper sofa or a nice queen air mattress. 
  • Two Bedrooms - should have a king bed, a queen bed and a queen sleeper sofa or air mattress. OR you can put two twins in the second room. 
  • Three Bedrooms - should have a king bed, a queen bed, two twin beds and a queen sleeper sofa or air mattress. You could also set the second bedroom up with another king instead of the queen and you would probably see more rental nights with that configuration. 
  • Four Bedrooms - should have two king beds, a queen bed, two twin beds and a queen sleeper sofa or air mattress. 

Beds to Avoid 


You should avoid using full/double beds unless you can fit two into one room using two double beds instead of two twins or if it is the lower bunk of a bunk bed giving you a twin on top and a double on the bottom. Otherwise, use a queen instead of a full/double bed. When it comes to a sleep sofa or air mattress, we have found that our guests prefer a nice queen, self-inflating air mattress to a sleeper sofa. They are also about ten times cheaper and that much lighter! You could purchase about 10 air mattresses for the price of a good sleeper sofa. If the guests need additional sleeping you have it and if not, you have saved a bit of money.

Russell Burdette is owner of Your Lake Vacation, a professional vacation rental management company at the Lake of the Ozarks since 1986. If you would like more info on renting your home or condo as a vacation rental, please give us a call at 573-365-3367.

For more information please call us toll free at 1-877-284-0267!!
4571 Osage Beach Pkwy, Suite A
Osage Beach, MO 65065
Local - 573-365-3367
Fax - 573-365-5076  
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Location: Osage Beach, MO 65065, USA

Friday, November 13, 2015

Winterizing Your Vacation Home

A vacation home is a big investment, so it only makes sense to use every precaution to preserve it through the winter. During the winter months, your vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks probably isn't going to get much use and therefore, you'll need to winterize it for while you're away. Here are a few tips to follow when preparing your home for the cold winter months ahead:

1. Exterior Maintenance


When winterizing your home, the place to start is outside. You want to prevent any damage to the outside of your home to keep it from affecting the inside of your home. Try these tips for protecting the exterior of your home this winter:
  • Clear all gutters so that rainwater, melting snow and ice can successfully flow away from your home instead of forming ice dams, which can lead to leaks inside your home. 
  • Trim trees and remove dead branches around your home to prevent property-damaging breaks caused by the weight and force of winter winds, snow and ice.
  • Protect your outdoor furniture, cooking appliances and recreational gear by storing them away or protecting them with weather-proof covers.
  • Keep pest from seeking warmth in your home by covering chimneys with screening and blocking any possible entries in the foundation or around the eaves.

2. Prepare Your Plumbing 


Failing to winterize the plumbing in your vacation home could lead to extensive damage while you're away. Before you check out for the winter season, be sure to do the following things to keep your pipes from freezing and busting during those cold winter months:
  • Open all the water faucets and valves inside your home to let the water drain from the pipes.
  • Turn off the main water shut off valve inside your home. 
  • Wrap all exterior pipes as well as pipes in unheated areas of your vacation home with polyurethane or fiberglass pipe insulation.  
  • Use spray foam insulation to fill in the gaps around outdoor spigots.
  • Turn off or remove any back flow prevention devices from your faucets before insulating them.
  • Disconnect and drain your washing machine hoses, ice maker waterline and dishwasher's supply and drain lines.  
  • Turn off the water heater and drain the water from the tank.
  • Drain the water from spray attachments at your sinks and from the handheld shower head hoses.
  • Flush your toilets and remove any excess water from the tanks and bowls with an old towel.
  • Pour one cup of antifreeze into the toilet bowls and an additional cup down the overflow tube in the toilet tanks.

3. Interior Preparations


In addition to making sure your pipes aren't going to freeze on those cold winter nights, there are a few other items that should be addressed inside your home. Follow these tips to ensure a problem free winter for your vacation home:
  • All electrical components in your vacation home should be shut down, with the exception of such essentials as the heating system, security system and outdoor lighting. Use carefully marked breakers in your home's circuit box as a guide.
  • Unplug all appliances from the outlets.
  • Adjust the heat to a minimum of 55 degrees to maintain proper interior humidity and prevent the development of molds and mildew. 
  • Open all cabinets where plumbing is present.
  • Make sure the smoke, fire and carbon monoxide alarms in your vacation home are in working order. 
  • Make sure there is ample insulation in the attic, basement and crawl spaces. This will also help to keep your pipes from freezing. 
  • Empty and defrost the refrigerator, leaving the door ajar and the unit unplugged. 
  • Discard any food, toiletries or medications containing liquids that could freeze. 
  • Seal air leaks that allow cold air into your home, paying special attention to door frames and window sills. 
  • Turn off the pilot lights on stoves and fireplaces and turn off the gas. Also check for possible gas leaks. 

Not all of these items may be applicable in your situation. If you plan to have guests coming and going throughout the winter, you might want to leave the water heater full of water and the refrigerator plugged in. One of the great things about having your Lake of the Ozarks vacation home on our rental program is that you have someone keeping an eye on your house all year round. When a guest checks out during the winter months, we make sure to turn the water off and turn the heat down to 55 for you. We also have maintenance people on staff to take care of any issues that may arise during the cold winter months. For more information about having our property management company at the Lake of the Ozarks manage your vacation home, give us a call at 573-365-3367 today. Now is the time to get everything setup for the 2016 summer season!

For more information please call us toll free at 1-877-284-0267!!
4571 Osage Beach Pkwy, Suite A
Osage Beach, MO 65065
Local - 573-365-3367
Fax - 573-365-5076  
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Location: Osage Beach, MO 65065, USA

Saturday, November 7, 2015

What Makes a Great Rental Home?

My family and I recently went on a vacation to another destination here in Missouri. Therefore, I got to see what the other side of the phone is like and I was the one asking the questions about our rental home, location, amenities, etc. It was actually kind of weird, but I also learned a few things, so it was a good experience.

Great Location


Location was our first priority, as we have season passes to a certain theme park and didn't want to drive a long way to get there. We could have stayed in town and the five mile drive could have taken almost an hour or we could stay 14 miles from the park and have a scenic 20 minute drive with minimal traffic.

Plenty of Space 


Once we decided on our location, we needed enough room for nine of us. We found a number of four, five and up to seven bedroom homes near where we wanted to stay and we found varying price ranges. We settled on a five bedroom, three bath home with two levels and a family room on the lower level that included a pinball machine.

Just Like Pictures


The home was awesome! Most importantly, when we arrived, it looked just like the pictures on the internet. Sometimes you worry that you are seeing the home 20 years ago when it was new. That is why at our company, anytime an owner updates their unit with new paint, new furnishings or new appliances, we take new pictures. All of our properties look just like they do on the internet.

Added Amenities 


It was comfortable for all of us. There were flat screen TVs in every room but one, with 6 TVs in all, plus an X-Box system in the family room. However, the hit of the weekend was the pinball machine. We only stayed two nights and most of one whole day was spent at the park, but we managed to play around 40-50 games of pinball. (I had the high score for the weekend, but I'm not very competitive, so it wasn't a big deal).

What's Missing? 


The only thing the home didn't have that would have been nice was a dresser in one of the bedrooms. That was our only complaint, if you could even call it that. We had Wi-Fi, plenty of room to relax, a well-appointed kitchen, good appliances, soft beds, nice pillows and a great location. All those things together make for a great vacation!

When you have a home or condo that you're planning to rent out to people, make sure it have everything that would make someone feel comfortable. Games for a rainy day, maybe some books or magazines and a pool table, Foosball table, pin ball machine or card table. All of those things can set your property apart from the rest of the crowd and make for a great vacation rental property at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Russell Burdette is the owner of Your Lake Vacation, a professional vacation rental management company at the Lake of the Ozarks since 1986. If you would like more info on renting your home or condo at the Lake of the Ozarks as a vacation rental, please call us at 573-365-3367.

For more information please call us toll free at 1-877-284-0267!!
4571 Osage Beach Pkwy, Suite A
Osage Beach, MO 65065
Local - 573-365-3367
Fax - 573-365-5076  
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Location: Osage Beach, MO 65065, USA
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)