Schnauzerjoy

I would love to hear from someone who have experience in renting their house or condo out in Aruba on short term.
Tomorrow we will go to the notary to sign and take over our new house in Westpunt. (Amazingly, the notary finished everything in just over 2 weeks).
We are now in the middle of buying all new furniture, electronics, BBQ, hammocks, pool furniture etc.
When deciding on that, we are having trouble on how exclusive interior we should buy as we have not decided completely on whether we will rent out or not. But in most cases we end up buying something to our own taste which is more expensive and delicate than what you would buy if you just think of furnishing a house to rent it out.
(FYI: Villa 5BR 4 Bath, Pool, very good area, 2 years old)
So now to my question: What are your experiences with short time rentals in Aruba?
How much care do weekly renters take to expensive stuff in the house?
Is the wear and tear reasonable or very high?
Can you put small valuables to the disposal for renters, like Playstation3, Ipod, Cell phone, Boombox, laptop, wireless lan, Skype phones etc or will they mysteriously vanish over time?
Would it be a stupid idea to rent out a house with i.e. 4 huge fullHD plasma screens etc. ?
Should we just forget combining expensive interior with renting all together, or am I overly worried?
Any other comments that you think would help our decision would be greatly appreciated.
I hope this doesn't come across in the wrong way. Don't think that I don't trust other people, we have just never rented a house out before, but since we will only use it ourselves a month or two out of the year at this moment, we are considering renting it out.
Also I know that this is a privileged problem, by no means does it overshadow the joy of getting our own place in Paradise, I just know that there are a lot of smart and experienced people in here that could help us make the decision.

Thanks

Carsten

lou&nay

First let me say, "Wow, I wish I had your income!"
I would not leave any packable valuables in your condo. It's hard to swipe a HD tv, but it is even harder to resist packing an iPod for the plane ride home. The best bet is probably to build an "Owners Closet". You can store all your expensive gadgetry and other personal items in this closet, secured with a key that you do not give to your renters. You can even put towels and sheets in the closet so you aren't sharing those items with renters.

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love god

I would not recommend renting your new house! I have not had the pleasure to be in that situation, but I do have a friend that use to rent out his house. TOO MANY PROBLEMS! He no longer does it.

love god

I would not recommend renting your new house! I have not had the pleasure to be in that situation, but I do have a friend that use to rent out his house. TOO MANY PROBLEMS! He no longer does it.

love god

I would not recommend it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to be in that position....but I have a friend who use to rent out his house. TO MANY PROBLEMS. He no longer rents it out

skdiddy

Unfortunately the issue comes down to a simple fact, and that is, NO, you CAN'T trust people. Even simple accidents occur that can ruin something of value. 4 plasma HD's? Anything can happen.

If I were in your shoes and I needed to rent (you never really said you needed to, I'm only giving my opinion of what I would do) the house would be barren. Small 25" TV, wicker furniture or something similar that will hold up, a cheap sofa bed etc.

As "lou&nay" said, either build a lockable cabinet, or keep a lock on a closet or something to lock up your valuables, your clothes, towels, etc.

I would hire a local realtor/manager to manage it (more cost, but worth it) and instruct them to document everything that occurs before and after a tenant leaves. I would charge a security deposit, refundable upon the managers report. Keep the place well insured and document all items in the house.

I don't have vacation rental experience (other than renting myself) but do own a home that I've rented out for years. People are not treating it like their own home. They treat it like a rental.

Renting does have HUGE tax benefits, however, and obviously it can help you pay your mortgage which is great as well. Just think about it carefully, and if you do it, don't leave anything out for anyone to get their hands on.

Hope this helps, it really is unfortunate that you have to think that way, ya know?

On a lighter note, congrats on the house in paradise...that rocks!! I'll get there one day myself!

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Schnauzerjoy

Thanks for your replies. We have now taken possession of our new house and spent the week getting furniture, electronics, cable, internet, phone etc.
We did research the subject on site with Property Managers and other house owners. It was mixed replies, but in general it does not seem wise to furnish a rental house as it was your home.
And since I work my butt off with my business, I do not want to spend my vacations in a house that is lower standard than my home, so either we make it super or I don't use it
We bought the house with the intention to rent it out, but during the week, the house got painted inside and outside, garden people are laying a new beautiful garden, we bought nice furniture etc. and it just started to feel too good to actually rent out and then come back to see this beautiful home next time if it had been "molested".
So we now made the decision to keep the house as a second home and only let family, friends and maybe business associates use it a little.
I have never in my life been so happy with a purchase as this one, it is turning into a dream home and then right in Paradise as well .
Even though we will only use it as a holiday home (for now at least) and we have 24 hour travel to get from home to home, this is a dream come true. Obviously it is a luxury to have this all to ourselves, but at least for now we will take that luxury.
Getting a house here feels like the best decision, and can only be recommended to anyone who have the chance to do so.
We have chosen the perfect neighborhood, and already in a week made several friendships with the neighbors.
We have gained a lot of knowledge about getting a house furnished here and getting all the infrastructure in place (fixed phone, Internet, cell, power, water, poolservice, garden service, property management, gas company, etc etc), so I will share this here on the forum when I have some time.
Now I am sitting in the new house for the first time with Internet and feel like a king.
I guess I can now say "Welcome to Aruba"

Retagger

Congratulations on you new home!

My wife and I are also in the process of building a home in Aruba. We have also been considering renting the house when we are not there. We know that there are drawbacks associated with renting, so we are probably going to start with friends, friends of friends and co-workers.

We plan on breaking ground within the next 2-3 months, and hopefully, our home will be ready by this Christmas.... We are building in Sabana Liber with Better Homes.

We have also decided to furnish our home as if we were living there year round. We have found the furniture in Aruba to only be slightly more than the U.S. We have shopped in stores such as the Teak House, the Jungle, Euro Kitchens and a few others which I cannot at this time remember the names.

Good luck in your new dream home. If you have any helpful information you can tell a future home owner, please, let me know

Regards,

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David
http://retagger.boundlessgallery.com

skdiddy

Glad to hear it Schnauzerjoy! I think you have made a wise decision. I look forward to your post(s) concerning the purchasing processes you have encountered.

Enjoy!!

SK

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