How we price a short-stay home
The nightly rate on our homes changes from day to day. Danelle sets it using dynamic pricing software that tracks demand in the area, so a weekend with a regatta on at Lake Karapiro costs more than a quiet midweek night. She aims for the best return over the year.
Why one rate all year doesn't work
One rate all year is either too low on the busy weekends or too high for the quiet weeks, and the owner loses income both ways. Daily pricing avoids that. The rate is checked every day against what is booking nearby and moves with it, up when demand is strong and down when it is soft.
What moves the rate
A weekend with an event on is worth more than the same weekend without one, and Cambridge has plenty, from regattas to show jumping (our guide to short stays in Hamilton and Cambridge lists them). Demand also shifts with the seasons, and the rate follows.
A family staying a month while they relocate, or a contractor on a long job, fills the calendar in one go and keeps a home earning through the quieter stretches. Our 20% fee is the same for those stays as for any other.
Price and occupancy pull against each other
An owner's income is the nightly rate multiplied by the nights booked, so the two have to be balanced, home by home.
My side of the business is the numbers behind it. At the appraisal we show you what similar homes we manage earn, set against what your home would earn as a long-term rental, so you can compare before you decide. After that you can watch the result in the owner portal and in each month's statement.
If you would like to see how this would work for your home, ask for a free appraisal on our List your home page. More about Danelle and me is on our About us page.
