Holiday Dream Team with Sunshine Beach Real Estate
Meticulous attention to detail, deep local knowledge and a personalised high-end approach makes Sunshine Beach Real Estate’s boutique holiday rental service so successful, as Melanie Rosettenstein discovers.
Hyperlocal and passionate about their neighbourhood and the homes within it, Sunshine Beach Real Estate not only sells and manages properties, but their holiday rentals division is also thriving. While the agency takes holiday bookings from external platforms such as Airbnb, an impressive 45% of them are made directly through good old-fashioned emails and phone calls – this personalised approach far surpassing Australia’s industry standard of 17% for direct bookings. Holiday Rental Manager Karen Brown, who is a born and bred local, puts this down to an incredibly tailored approach to their short-term rentals.
“From enquiry to booking, preparing the property for arrivals and the collection of keys, we are there every step of the way to make people feel like their hard-earned holiday is in good hands,” she explains.
With her sunny disposition and background in tourism, Jan Musgrave assists with client relations and reservations as well as overseeing the cleaning and maintenance with their extended team of professionals.
“As a call or query comes in, we jump on it straight away to discover what the guest’s requirements are,” she enthuses.
“Do they want to be close to the village or the beach, how many adults and kids will there be, do they want a view, and a big question is what they need the bed configuration to be. We try to find out what’s important to them and then deliver that.”
Jan adds that the team likes to answer clients’ questions in a timely fashion.
“We won’t keep our guests waiting and always aim for a prompt reply,” she says.
Working side by side with Jan, Natalie Cole is that person who’ll always remember your name simply because she takes a genuine interest in every person who walks through the door. A Sunshine Coast native, she loves her neighbourhood and brings her excellent customer service, a solid background in real estate and a bubbly demeanour to Sunshine Beach Real Estate’s holiday division.
“We are so proud of the properties we have on our books and make sure they are maintained at a high standard so that our guests feel like they’re staying in their own home,” Natalie explains. “Our pre-occupancy checks ensure everything is perfect – down to leaving the lights on if we know our guests are arriving late. And we can do this because we maintain good communication.”
Properties available for holiday rentals through Sunshine Beach Real Estate are exclusively in Sunshine Beach and range from apartments to townhouses to luxury homes with a minimum of two bedrooms and its holiday home collection has been specifically curated to suit a range of budgets.
Karen says they know their area intimately and know what guests are looking for.
“Plus, our homeowners know they can trust us to take care of their properties,” she adds. “We provide them with expert advice as well as comprehensive support to ensure that renting out their property is hassle-free.
“Because we offer a turnkey service from marketing the property to bookings, cleaning and maintenance as well as a personal key handover with a smile, our homeowners can rest assured their holiday home is in good hands.”
Sounds like a winning formula!
“When we get a new homeowner onboard, we manage the complexities of getting the home into our system,” she adds. “From styling, photography and ensuring the property complies with all regulations, this hands-on service is designed to attract quality, repeat bookings.”
And the quality of their service shows in the results! Karen says that in the 12 years she has worked in the holiday division of Sunshine Beach Real Estate many of the same guests return year after year. But the service always remains the same. Personal, informed and always with a sunny Sunshine Beach smile from Karen, Jan and Natalie.
Now that’s how holiday dreams come true!
