If you’re considering a holiday home or apartment in a seaside resort as an investment for your future, this podcast is for you.
Scarborough’s Spa Properties are going to boom over the next 4 years, despite the current economic doom and gloom in 2022. Company Director Jon Stanton introduces his journey so far and – along with some sage advice and top tips from ‘the boots on the ground’ – and explains how you too can make your property pay, as well as having free holidays for life!
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT METHOD
It is inevitable that eventually as you work in the holiday rental market you will meet the dreaded awkward customer. Jon explains how to handle such customers who are determined to make an easy transaction difficult.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘Make a point of listening and letting them have the opportunity of offloading all the things they’re concerned about.’
‘The first thing you can do with an awkward customer is thank them for letting you know about the thing that they’re unhappy about.’
‘You can actually build loyalty from this particular customer by treating their issue as both important and something that you need to deal with urgently.’
‘The most important thing is to keep a level head. Try to keep emotion out of it.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jon takes a look at the market and the opportunities available to get the most from your own holiday home and, regardless of the market, how you can take full advantage of the situation whatever it turns out to be by using modern analysis software that can keep you ahead of the curve.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘One thing we spotted, for instance, very early on was that a one-bedroom flat in the middle of summer can make as much money as a two-bedroom flat if it’s really nice.’
‘Sometimes during the middle of winter, it’s worth taking some sort of revenue out of a week that you feel you’re not making money on because what it’s actually doing is protecting the money that you will be making in the summer.’
‘I think it’s really important that you recognise that these tools should be approached as a trusted advisor or a trusted friend. You need to look at the conclusions that they’re drawing and understand the tactics that they’re trying to employ.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jon details how you can ensure good quality regular bookings into your rental property. He talks about changed habits post-pandemic and what you need to consider to keep your season fully booked and lucrative using online platforms and time-saving automation tools.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘There’s a lesson in there about the hospitality business and watching the market and not being too stayed with your product.’
‘The reality is, and we found this last year, the summers are still very very busy, you’re still going to get that business in and, of course, if all you do is drop your price, you’ll just be getting the business in at a lower margin than you would have got if you’d just bided your time.’
‘You need to make sure that the process of booking is made easy and as quick as possible, that the payments can be taken easily, and confirming the arrangements with guests can be done as well.’
‘The other thing the Channel Manager enables you to do is to manage more than one property so you can have multiple properties all managed in the one place.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT METHODLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jon explains the principle of timing and how important it is particularly in a seaside town. At the time of filming, it is low season and consequently, the occupancy and the workload are much lower than it is at the height of summer. Here are some steps you can take to fill those holiday homes over this time and make the most of the slow period.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘We’ve always got the off chance that people still come away in the winter to Scarborough particularly if the property takes pets, which is a good tip with all the people that went and got dogs during the lockdown period.’
‘We haven’t got much time left now before May and June and we don’t want to find ourselves in the middle of April with a sale that is not going to complete in that timescale.’
‘Not having to furnish the property meant that we could bring the property to market just as soon as we completed the sale, and obviously, that was good.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jon interviews Rich Laycock, Spa Properties client, Scarborough lover, holiday homeowner and property portfolio owner, about his experience of holiday rentals, being a landlord, investment diversity, future plans, Spa Properties comprehensive service, and how holiday letting is a good choice in an array of options for your property.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘I used to introduce myself as ‘I’m the mad one from Scarborough that runs other people’s holiday homes’ which seemed to catch on with people but I did actually get informed that I should stop doing that.’ – Jon
‘I don’t want a property that only has one purpose. If I can use this property single let, as a HMO or as a holiday let then that’s good.’ – Rich
‘With a long term view of this property business in Scarborough being the hub of our investments. The holiday market being the hub of our investments.’ – Rich
‘The reality is if there’s cash flowing, if you’ve got a good strategy that’s balancing the risk with different options on it, eventually you’re going to be quids in.’ – Jon
‘We would struggle to do our business without your services.’ – Rich
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Jon interviews his in-house expert in the practical set-up for holiday homes, his wife and partner in Spa Properties, Lynn Stanton. They discuss the 45 properties they have worked on over the fifteen years in the business, common errors made by holiday homeowners when setting up, the advantage of local knowledge, appropriate and practical design choices and furniture, and why you can trust Spa Properties with the setup and running of your holiday home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘We usually have time limits on some, which is a bit stressful, when we need to get them ready in a week. There’s other ones where there’s no time limits but we still get them ready in a week or less even. And we are getting better at it as time goes on.’ – Lynn
‘We’ve had one or two pieces that people have managed to damage and we’ve been able to replace them quickly because we’re not waiting for brand new stock to be made and delivered. We know where we can go to find something that will work.’ - Lynn
‘Now, that’s a three-bedroom cottage that we finished and decorated in a week for 2.5k so you don’t have to spend a lot of money doing this.’ – Jon
‘People want something that’s fresh and well decorated and with any home, if you get the decoration right, the paintwork, the basics, then from there you can put the appropriate furniture together.’ – Lynn
‘Some people want the joy of being able to set the place up and exercise their interior design bones, but then others just want to hand you the keys over and tell you to sort it out.’ – Lynn
‘Trust us, we can do it.’ – Lynn
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mike Moss of Action Coach Business Coaches interviews Jon on the podcast Business Spotlight about Spa Properties creation, fortunes and future. Listen in to find out what Spa Properties can do for you, its plans for the future and how you can be part of it, the coaches and business gurus that Jon follows, his business advice and his inspiration.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘Its primary purpose is to help owners of holiday homes make lots of money out of holiday homes without any of the hassle. The reason they don’t have any of the hassle is we have all the hassle, and that’s what we get paid for.’
‘When you’re in business that’s what you learn isn’t it? There’s nothing outside yourselves that’s going to make a success of your business.’
‘I don’t even remember what my comfort zone looks like. If you push, you grow. If you stop pushing you actually get smaller.’
‘All that assumed knowledge out there comes from a good place. It’s all trying to keep you safe and keep you away from danger. The reality is it’s holding you back.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Double bookings are fairly inevitable in the holiday home industry and as a portfolio of managed property grows can become more likely. Sudden unavailability of properties, such as service problems like plumbing or electricity, can produce a similar result, a holidaymaker with nowhere to stay. Jon details how you can make the best of the situation by dealing with it in a professional manner.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘Like all situations where there is a potential problem for your client, there is always an opportunity to try and make the best of the situation if you can deal with the situation in a good professional manner.’
‘What you’ve ultimately got it’s what most people would kill for. You’ve got a guest who is willing to pay to stop at one of your properties, your only problem at the moment is that you haven’t got a property they can stop in.’
‘They actually were delighted and since then we’ve had them stay a number of times in other properties.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Jon looks at running the property as a successful business and details the things you are going to have to consider when letting out the property including the day-to-day of gaining bookings, managing bookings, and preparing the property for guests.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘On the face of it, it seems like a straightforward process. People want to stop in the property, you get a booking, you know when people are coming, you need to get the property prepared. But in actual fact, it’s much more complicated than that particularly if it’s a larger property.’
‘If you’ve got more than two or three properties that can be absolutely critical because you can imagine what a nightmare your Saturday afternoon would be running around after five or six properties if they all arrived at the same time.’
‘It is so much more than just cleaning. What you’re really trying to do is make sure that when people walk through the door, the very first impression they get on a property is that it was a good decision to hire this property.’
‘All these aspects of a simple booking are things you need to consider. A separate email address for the team and clients to alert you so you don’t lose it amongst the snow of all the junk mail.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The next step after you purchase your property is setting up your holiday home as a holiday let. Jon presents a comprehensive list of considerations and requirements before you begin to let out your new holiday home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘Standard broadband these days really doesn’t cut the mustard. You need to be looking at high-end ultra-fast broadband.’
‘It’s a very good idea to have a fire door in between the kitchen and any other rooms in the building to ensure what you’re really wanting to do which is protect your means of exit.’
‘We’ve got a principle here. The reality is that many things are fashionable in interior décor. The simplest thing to replace in a property is the furnishings.’
‘Theres much said about the value that online travel agents provide for the holiday market, but one thing they do is spend a great deal of money bringing people you don’t know into the area that you are running your holiday home.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join Jon in Scarborough amongst the seagulls as he explains the next consideration on your list when buying a holiday home, where? Your location can affect many aspects of your visits and your business, so Jon is here to map out the factors that you need to consider when deciding where to buy.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘This is sunny Scarbados, this is finally where we picked. I’ve been thinking about the various locations of properties you could pick and broken them down into about eight different areas.’
‘You’ve also got very much your rural places, so this is very much out of the way, far away from people, places like the west coast of Scotland. They present all sorts of challenges as well.’
‘That comes very much down to why it is you’re looking to buy a holiday home.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a holiday home to purchase. If you are buying for your own use you only have to consider your own needs but if you are buying as an investment what factors do you need to consider to get the best return on your money and your time? Jon is here to guide you towards a clear vision before you start the search for your property.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘There are certain things that a particular type of home are going to give you. I’ve basically looked at holiday homes from a point of view of six distinct types.’
‘What we did find is we had to learn how to make the most of the property during the winter, and that can be a tricky one.’
‘A large apartment, for instance, a three bedroom apartment can have quite high heating bills particularly if it is one of the large Victorian properties of which there are plenty in Scarborough.’
‘It’s a conversion that was done in 2004 but it’s a large Victorian building so we’ve got big plate glass windows which are lovely from the point of view of being in here in the Summer, but in the winter it can mean that the heating bill is quite high.’
‘When you look at it it doesn’t have a very large footprint but actually has the feeling of a very large flat.’
‘The two bedrooms have a habit of going first. Once the two bedroom flats have sold out the people who are looking for a two bedroom flat for four people are left in a bit of a quandary because they can’t find anywhere. So they’re looking at nice one bedroom flats.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to Your Own Holiday Home, the podcast to help you navigate your way through the possible benefits and potential pitfalls of owning your own holiday home. Join Jon Stanton as he shares his 15 years of experience running Spa Properties, a Scarborough-based Holiday Property Management Company.
In this episode, Jon starts right at the beginning, before you even start to look for a property, by helping you become clear on your reasons for purchasing a holiday home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘We’ve come to the conclusion that there are two distinct reasons why people want to do this, certainly from what we’ve experienced.’
‘With the difficulties and financial implications of life being what they are people are now starting to recognise that as long as they get the structures right it actually can provide them with a very good second income.’
‘Our continual maintenance of the property, because we are making sure it’s prepared for guests each time there’s a changeover, has meant that the maintenance of the property is a much more gradual process and consequently much more affordable.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you’re considering a holiday home or apartment in a seaside resort as an investment for your future, this podcast is for you.
Scarborough’s Spa Properties are going to boom over the next 4 years, despite the current economic doom and gloom in 2023. Company Director Jon Stanton introduces his journey so far and – along with some sage advice and top tips from ‘the boots on the ground’ – and explains how you too can make your property pay, as well as have free holidays for life!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
‘So we set our business up with the intention of having a company in place that would run our holiday home the way we wanted it to. So, here we are, 15 years later.’
‘The purpose of the Your Own Holiday Home podcast is to give you the opportunity of learning from our experience and the lessons we’ve learnt.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
● Website: https://www.spaproperties.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Jon Stanton
Jon left a successful career spanning thirty years in IT to pursue his passion for property management and has been leading the team at Spa Properties for almost fifteen years.
As well as leading the team at Spa Properties, Jon is an advocate of ongoing business development and professional networking, as well as a senior member of the Scarborough Hospitality Association.
CONTACT
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-stanton/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonspap
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.