Self-catering holiday cottages in the New Forest are in big demand as the UK holiday scene continues to boom and prosper. For home owners toying with the idea of letting out a property as a holiday home in the New Forest, it can be a tad overwhelming as there are so many options, choices and decisions to make.
New Forest Cottages is thriving with Director Trudie Russo at the helm. The company is celebrating its 40th year promoting private holiday homes in the New Forest and finding the right solution for cottages owners. Self-managing properties can be a great choice for those with plenty of time and eager to take on the responsibility of cleaning, managing bookings, marketing and late night maintenance calls – but it’s not for the faint hearted. This is where the balance of peace of mind and profit comes in to play by using an agent.
Trudie says “For us, working with property owners is about flexibility, keeping things simple, marketing their holiday home to the max and working at very competitive commission rates. Several of our home owners have been with us for many, many years. As we only promote properties in the New Forest area, our IT team, marketing and PR focus is purely on the New Forest as a destination, resulting in our property pages coming top on Google searches. With a growing portfolio [currently the highest ever] we can deliver all of the above”.
The majority of bookings come via the highly optimised website which acts as a ‘shop window’ to complement a physical shop window of their offices in Lymington High Street. It’s here that Trudie and her experienced holiday letting team are based. Trudie says “Being on the high street means we have a regular flow of potential visitors looking for holidays, as well as property owners dropping in – sometimes just for a coffee and a quick chat!”
A great deal of research and optimisation goes into a property page. Obviously, imagery is critical to capturing a potential booking, and New Forest Cottages photography is striking. The property page offers detailed information about the area, locality, map, where to eat and drink and the option of the very popular virtual tour of the holiday home where potential visitors can tangibly explore each room of the property.
Whilst the website serves as an information and booking portal, New Forest Cottages also produce a printed brochure. However, there’s always a friendly voice at the end of the phone who knows the properties and has invaluable, in depth knowledge about the area – qualities that the majority of nationwide booking agents just can’t offer. It is this knowledge that has helped build a significant database of regular clients, who have been coming to the region on multiple breaks for many years.
If it’s for a just a few months, or year-round bookings, if you have a property and would like to know more, contact Trudie on 01590 679655 www.newforestcottages.co.uk or visit them for free advice and a chat at the New Forest Show block 35, stand 318.