What Makes a Vacation Cabin a Successful Rental Investment?

I speak with clients daily who all seem to be searching for the same property: A luxury log cabin with a great mountain view which is suitable for use as both a private getaway as well as a lucrative rental investment.

What Makes a Vacation Cabin a Successful Rental Investment?


For the most part, the North Georgia vacation rental market is glutted with "average" cabins. Buyers should be looking for a "special" property that will stand out from the crowd.

I suggest a cabin that is:

1) Within 10(+-) miles of town - The farther out you go, the more difficult it will be to find a property manager. It can also reduce your number of repeat & referral customers as it is inconvenient for them to get to stores and attractions.

2) Has either a beautful mountain view or is on good water (loud, visible and easily accessible) - A very secluded/private cabin is nice, but is not generally the first cabin requested.

3) A nice kitchen - As there are limited choices for eating out in most mountain areas, guests will use the kitchen quite heavily. If the cabin will sleep more than 4 guests, I would strongly suggest that you consider only cabins which offer a dishwasher.

4) Central heat & air is a must and paved roads are becoming a more frequently requested amenity.


The fact is that while many vacationers say they want to feel like they have experienced "roughing it in the mountains", they really do not want to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced at any time! In fact, our surveys showed that while on vacation paying guests expect their lodging accomodations to be "better than what they have at home".

Finding a cabin that meets your family's needs, but will also serve as a successful rental, can be tricky. Be sure that the agent you select to assist you has a FULL understanding of the vacation rental market in your area or your time and money can easily be wasted!



This North Georgia Real Estate blog is hosted by BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties located in the quaint mountain town of Blue Ridge, GA. Please feel free to call (866-413-1781) or drop me an email gaylebarton@inbox.com if I can assist you with buying or selling your mountain home or property.

Commercial Building For Sale - Central Business District - Blue Ridge, GA

Checkout the gorgeous lodge-style commercial building I have listed in the heart of the CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT in quaint downtown Blue Ridge, GA

**NEW PRICE**  $675,000
More information about this lisiting

This North Georgia Real Estate blog is hosted by BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties  located in the quaint mountain town of Blue Ridge, GA. Please feel free to call (866-413-1781) or drop me an email gaylebarton@tds.net if I can assist you with buying or selling your mountain home or property.

SIGN UP for my NEWSLETTER - Blue Ridge GA Real Estate

I would like to offer you an opportunity to sign up for my FREE seasonal newsletter called
Blue Ridge, GA  - What's New!

The newsletter is written to provide you with real estate related information as well as general information about our beautiful town and the surrounding North Georgia mountain communities.

As a subscriber, you will receive information about upcoming area events, new business openings and "special deals" - many offered exclusively to our clients. [See coupons for local businesses in each edition]

You may opt out of receiving the newsletter at any time by using the link at the bottom of the page.





This North Georgia Real Estate blog is hosted by BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties  located in the quaint mountain town of Blue Ridge, GA. Please feel free to call (866-413-1781) or drop me an email gaylebarton@tds.net if I can assist you with buying or selling your mountain home or property.

Guest writer - J. Byron Wyndham, Real Estate Attorney, blogs on “Short Sales”

Blue Ridge Georgia Real Estate is pleased to welcome guest blogger and local real estate attorney J. Byron Wyndham.  Today, Byron shares with us his perspectives on understanding the secret side of short sales.

Short Sales...Continued


We are seeing more and more “short sales” in recent transactions. With many homes being “underwater” (the outstanding mortgage is more than the home value) in order to sell the house, the owners are asking lenders to accept less than the outstanding loan balance to release the house from the lien of the loan.

The “catch” ? Many owners don’t realize that just because the lender agrees to accept less than the loan balance to release the lien, that does NOT relieve the owner (the maker under the Note) from the obligation to repay the balance of the loan. The lender may file suit against the owner/seller for the balance of the loan that was not paid at the short sale.

The owners may also not understand that their credit can be adversely affected by the short sale. Usually, by the time the seller/owner has requested the short sale, they have missed several payments and have accrued late charges. This will appear on their credit report. But the seller may think that by doing a short sale, at least the stigma of a foreclosure has been avoided. However, in a short sale situation, the lender may “write off” the loan. This write off will appear on the credit report as a negative credit factor.

What options does a seller have? The seller can request that the lender agree to accept the short sale balance in full satisfaction of the loan and that it be marked “paid in full” on the credit report. This will avoid the actions noted above. However, the lender is NOT required to agree to these terms. It is an affirmative request to avoid the negative affects of the short sale. Though the Lender does not have to agree to this, many lenders are trying to avoid foreclosures and having more real estate on their books. In order to have a smaller loss than what would happen in the case of a foreclosure, the Lender might agree to this scenario.

The bottom line-it doesn’t hurt to ask. All they can do is say No! But if they say Yes, the seller can realize the full benefits of a short sale. JBW



For more information about short sales or other real estate related matters, please visit his website or email him at jbwyndham@tds.net


J. Byron Wyndham
2460 E. First St. Suite B-6
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
706.258.6222






This North Georgia Real Estate blog is hosted by
Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties  located in the quaint mountain town of Blue Ridge, GA.

Please feel free to call (866-413-1781) or drop me an email gaylebarton@tds.net if I can assist you with buying or selling your mountain home or property.

SIGN UP for my NEWSLETTER - Blue Ridge GA Real Estate

I would like to offer you an opportunity to sign up for my FREE seasonal newsletter called Blue Ridge, GA  - What's New!

The newsletter is written to provide you with real estate related information as well as general information about our beautiful town and the surrounding North Georgia mountain communities.

As a subscriber, you will receive information about upcoming area events, new business openings and "special deals" - many offered exclusively to our clients. [See coupons for local businesses in each edition]






You may opt out of receiving the newsletter at any time by using the link at the bottom of the page.








This North Georgia Real Estate blog is hosted by
Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties located in the quaint mountain town of Blue Ridge, GA.

Please feel free to call (866-413-1781) or drop me an email gaylebarton@inbox.com if I can assist you with buying or selling your mountain home or property.