These business people trusted Vacasa with their luxury 30A home. Here’s what happened next.

Managing a luxury vacation rental in Florida from over 600 miles away isn’t for the faint of heart. But for homeowner John C. and collaborator Tanya F., it's business as usual.

John owns a business, as well as office, retail, and multi-family properties in Little Rock. But his ambitions—and favorite vacation destinations—extend far beyond the borders of Arkansas.

In addition to his Little Rock business, John owns and rents holiday homes in Portugal, Thailand, and Florida. Tanya, his interior designer and logistics expert, manages almost all of his vacation homes.

But when John chose to keep a home in 30A he was fixing up to sell, they knew they needed a different approach.

“John and I talked about it, and we decided to reach out to chat with the local Vacasa expert. He was so personable, and that really reassured me,” Tanya says. “I was nervous about it because I didn't have the time to manage the 30A house on top of all the other properties I manage on a day-to-day basis. I needed good people watching it.”

“So we interviewed each other,” Tanya continues. “They talked to us about what we wanted from Vacasa and I asked them about policies and things I'd like to see implemented. And so it was just a two-way street.”

And so, even though they use another company to care for two of their homes in Florida, John and Tanya decided to give Vacasa a shot.

“I felt like Vacasa had a better handle on that end of the beach—and in a luxury home like this, I felt like it was a better choice,” Tanya says.

And to their immense satisfaction, Vacasa delivered exactly the kind of care they were looking for.

Unexpected opportunities

John came to 30A initially to escape winters in Arkansas. But the Emerald Coast had more to offer him than he’d anticipated.

“When my first house did pretty well as a rental, I wanted a bigger space to have the whole family stay with us,” John explains. “I had intended to sell the home Vacasa manages, but in the process of working on it and staying down there, I actually found that I liked that end of the beach better. There wasn’t so much hustle and bustle.”

“That’s how we ended up down here—we didn't intend to be in the resort market,” he continues. “We're in the residential and commercial real estate business. But somehow, we've now got five properties—and they're all upper-end rentals.”

John fell in love with The Sandbox because it captured everything he believed a beach house should be.

“You’re going to the beach because you love the beach. The house is simple, but it’s designed to be a great beach house: You can see the ocean from every single room in that house. In the living area, you're just enveloped by the beach—you're right there,” he says.

“It’s also at the less populated end of 30A. This home has a private beach, too. That's why I like it,” he continues. “I go to the beach to be cleansed by the sound of the ocean, the view of the ocean. I enjoy the privacy.”

A balancing act

And if John was going to redo a beach house to rent and enjoy himself, he needed someone to get it looking beautiful and running smoothly. Enter Tanya.

“I have done the interior design from start to finish on his other properties. This was a single home and a complete renovation. And I was involved in everything, from the fixtures to the paint,” says Tanya. “What I've found with the other rentals is that if you make it unique, it becomes your guest's vacation home and they’ll return year after year. We try to keep a look that's timeless and that people love to come back to.”

But with multiple properties already on her plate, John and Tanya decided a new approach was warranted in managing this luxury home: Vacasa. And they quickly found success.

“We started managing with Vacasa on Memorial Day and we booked the whole summer in a week,” John tells us.

Accustomed to managing themselves, Tanya and John understand the commitment and attention to detail a successful vacation rental requires.

“I assign a couple of people to look after the other houses, but otherwise I'm not the least bit interested in doing it,” John says. “Vacasa means that there’s less for us to deal with—overall, it's been a very positive experience.”

They attribute the ease of owning the 30A beach house largely to Vacasa’s local management team and their dedicated property manager, Autumn.

“Autumn is a hammer,” John says, playfully. “She gets things done. We really like her and can tell she likes her job.”

“I don't know how many times a week I talk to Autumn, but she's great. She lets me know every little thing that happens,” adds Tanya. “She's not an alarmist. She has a can-do attitude and asks me how I’d like things handled, and is great at suggesting solutions. It's just like anything else: You have to find the right fit, the right person. I feel very comfortable with her and Vacasa there.”

Tanya and John can trust Autumn to do things as they would if they were able to be in 30A every day.

“I love that Autumn goes in after the cleaners and does an inspection,” says Tanya. “She’ll be on the lookout for things like missing items and furniture that needs to be cleaned, and then she’ll help me resolve those issues. I appreciate that so much—it’s what I personally do at my other properties.”

It takes a team

But Tanya and John have not only been impressed by Autumn—their whole Vacasa team focuses on the details that set truly great vacation homes apart.

“I like the policies Vacasa has in place—they know what they're doing,” Tanya begins.

“Vacasa schedules the same housekeeping team to clean my house, every time. I can trust that, because they know what to look for—they know the quirks. And I know that's not true with some of the other rental companies,” Tanya continues.

“It's very hard to manage a property long distance,” she says. “And even though I get down there as often as I can, I have to depend on my people to send photographs, tell me what's wrong, and anticipate my needs. It's all about having a good team—and I value our relationship with Vacasa.”

A strong working relationship from two states away is the product of above-and-beyond communication. Autumn has proven to John and Tanya that their home is in good hands—and that she has their best interests at heart.

“Vacasa’s team asks detailed questions. Rather than assuming ‘I'm just going to do it this way and that’s that,’ it’s the Vacasa way to call you and say, ‘Hey, what do you think we ought to do about this detail? Do you want my people to take care of it? I can bring a contractor over,’” John says.

“Whatever the situation may be, there’s just free-flowing communication and a fantastic response time with Vacasa. I mean, really—if I call Autumn right now, she's going to call me back in five minutes. So that's huge,” he tells us.

Tanya has been impressed with the partnership she and Autumn have been able to build, too.

“Autumn’s on my speed dial and I think I'm on hers—we email frequently, too,” Tanya says. “Even on her day off I have another number for someone to talk to in the office. I try to be very respectful and not call Autumn on her weekends, but she's even reached out to me sometimes and told me things I might want to know.”

“They send pictures and tell me what needs to be done and I can replace whatever we need,” Tanya adds. “I love that communication—and I think she has a good sense of style too. She knows ‘Tanya's not going to like where that is. I'm going to move it.’”

And when John comes to enjoy his beach house, Autumn will make him feel welcome when he arrives.

“Autumn called me this week and asked me what kind of wine Mr. C. likes. She went over and made it really nice for him,” Tanya says.

Thanks to Vacasa’s hands-on, local care, it’s easy to see that John and Tanya’s new approach to managing The Sandbox has been a success.

“If you don't have the time or the staff, you're much better suited to let somebody manage it,” John advises. “Of the management companies that I've had any experience with, I think Vacasa is as good a service as I know of.”