How Automating Short-Term Rentals Gives Me More Time with Family

I’ve always loved the towering grandeur of the mountains. Growing up in Dallas, my parents took my sisters and me on vacation each summer and winter to Colorado, sparking the beginning of my love affair with nature and the outdoors. To this day, my favorite childhood memories are the times I spent hiking and skiing with my dad. On each car ride home to Texas after our vacations, I remember dreaming of owning a home in Colorado and continuing an outdoor tradition when I started my own family.

My husband and I raised our three boys the same way my parents raised me: with a great appreciation for nature, taking the boys to Colorado every chance we had, and creating some of our favorite family memories. But, in 2017, life as I knew it stopped: I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a shock; I’d always maintained a healthy lifestyle and cared for my body. It didn’t make any sense and changed how I lived.

During that year, our little family took a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, over Labor Day to celebrate the midway point of my chemotherapy treatment. On this trip, we were given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to purchase a property in the mountains I grew up adoring. Our family catchphrase at that time was “might as well,” and with my dreams at stake, I knew I had to go for it. When the dust settled and the papers were signed, we justified the finances by deciding to rent the property out, beginning our exciting adventure into short-term rental management.

I requested that my husband give me eighteen months to see if I could figure out how to manage our short-term rental properties on my own. Mind you, my only education regarding rental properties was the handful of times I’d rented vacation homes for my own family. I knew, simply off basic business principles, that I needed to witness the ebb and flow of seasonal rentals to determine if this could be a viable business for us. I also turned to social media to help cultivate relationships with other rental managers and build trust with my followers, who eventually became guests! My foray into social media became an absolute joy for me; I love sharing our properties with our guests online with my professional photography background to help guests visualize their vacation through bespoke photography and videography.