AboutJan Leasure Expertise I can answer questions about the ins and outs of vacation home ownership and the rental of vacation homes.
Experience I am a licensed real estate broker in California. I have managed vacation homes for myself and for others for over 25 years. I currently am the managing broker at Monterey Bay Property Management.
Organizations I am a member of the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Residential Property Managers, and the Vacation Rental Managers' Association, among others.
Publications Articles I have written currently appear at www.CaliforniaLandlordSolutions.com and have appeared in a number of real estate and property management publications.
Education/Credentials Bachelor's degree, two masters' degrees, and most importantly, the School of Hard Knocks!
My wife and I just purchased our first vacation condo in Ocean City MD. We rent it out from July through September. The carpet in the 2 bedrooms needs to be replaced as it may be the original carpet from the late 70's. Our condo is ocean front on the 18th floor of a 20 floor building. For rental purposes, would you recommend replacing the carpet with more carpet or would you consider tile or another material. Not looking to spend a lot, but want whatever we put in to be a good investment and last as long as possible.
Appreciate the help!
Steve
Answer Hi, Steve,
Congratulations on your purchase! For a condo at the beach, I especially like ceramic tile. If you get a good installation, it will likely last for as long as you own the condo (or until you get tired of the tile!). It is also easy to clean and maintain. If the tile seems too cold (from a ambiance standpoint), you can add area rugs. Area rugs are a particularly good idea in the bedrooms, since it is nice to step out of bed onto a rug, rather than the tile. When choosing tile and grout, keep this in mind: it is impossible to keep the grout clean to the point that it maintains its original color, so choose a grout that is the color of the sand on your beach, since that is the color the grout will become, over time. Since the grout is (or will be) a sand color, your tile should also be a neutral color. That way, it will always be easy to decorate around it, even as the colors in your decor go in and out of style.
