Leavenworth Real Estate Blog

Well, at least I thought I did.  If necessity is the mother of invention then I guess I could place some of the blame or credit there. 

 

It all started back in about 1984.  I was showing a cabin to some folks who lived and worked in the Seattle area and would be using it for a getaway place.  They said they would only be using it a few days a month, perhaps two weekends, and were trying to justify the mortgage payment for such minimal use.  Ultimately they decided it was just too much monthly outlay to put toward something they would use sporadically and so walked away.

 

 It wasn’t the first time I had heard that concern from potential purchasers of recreational properties.  I began to ponder just how to make those places more affordable.  There were only a few factors to work with.  Either the sellers had to come down to about half price in order  to make the difference or the bank would have to loan at ridiculously low rates to reduce the payments and make it work.  Those two entities seemed to be unlikely participants, at least to the degree I needed in order to make a substantial dent in the payment and thus make those properties more affordable.

 

I ordered my brain to work on the problem and then went about business as usual until the light bulb appeared, comic book style, bringing the solution.  Since people would  be using the homes for only  a few days a month, the home would be available for other users to come, stay, and leave money.  The solution seemed so simple.

 

 I called a friend who had a gorgeous log home which he hardly used and bounced the idea off him.  It did indeed bounce off him, sort of like bullets off Superman.  He told me I was crazy to imagine someone opening their home, complete with all furnishings, dishes, artwork, lava lamps, and other valuable and prize possessions, to complete strangers.  Haranguing and cajoling did the trick though, well, and me promising to cover any loss or damages, and so the first vacation rental cabin in Chelan County came to be.

 

It was a fledgling business indeed.  There was no infrastructure, no contracts, no paved road to follow.  There wasn’t even a beaten pathway to guide us.  My wife and I did the cleaning on the first cabin and made the kids help.  They loved it because all kids just love to work.  We learned things that worked and some that didn’t.  There were some wasted motions but pretty soon we had gotten it down to a well oiled process.  Most important of all we learned that people treated the homes as good or better than their own homes.  There was zero theft, minimal damage, perhaps a wine glass or two, and maximum appreciation for their opportunity to enjoy a quality getaway place. 

 

After that it was easy.  I started a new company called Destination Leavenworth and hired my Cousin Carol Porter to manage it.  We were able to garner a dozen or so cabins to start and added to it as we went.  Maids were hired to help us with the quick turnover required in some instances.  I bought a couple of cabins myself to put into the rental pool.  One of them was a great cabin on Fish Lake which my family was able to use ourselves when it wasn’t being rented out.  The kids enjoyed it immensely and have fond memories of it today.  The part time rental scenario made it possible for all that.

 

The income on the cabins we managed was adequate to offset the price of purchase to the degree that it enabled many people to own getaway places who otherwise could not have afforded them.  Destination Leavenworth is still in business today and is owned and managed by Dan Eby    If you’re interested in a quality getaway cabin you can reach them at www.destinationleavenworth.com.

 

So, I don’t know if I actually invented the vacation rental property system but I know it didn’t exist anywhere in my world at that particular time.  There are now more than a thousand overnight rental units in Chelan county which spun off my original idea and company.  Al Gore may have invented the internet and even pants which he can add to his list of accomplishments but I’m claiming vacation rental properties as my own.  Nobel prize material, who knows?  It could happen!!!!! www.prudentialmikewest.com  or  www.leavenworthluxury.com