Use Your Vacation Rental Property’s Floor Plan

The space and layout offered by your rental plays a big part in guests’ decisions. Why not make the most of this by showing a floor plan on your website?

Real estate agents have known for a long time that a property offered with a floor plan will generate much more interest than one offered without. So it must follow that those searching for a vacation rental are more likely to light on your property if you supply them with that basic information at the crucial time when they are browsing the internet. You may not get another chance. A representative floor plan with compass rose can help provide an informative picture of your property. Where will the sun be in relation to the building in the morning? Or at sunset? How big are the rooms and how convenient is the layout? These questions can be answered by a glance at your floor plan.

Pictures of interior

Of course, you’ll be carrying pictures of the property’s interior on your website but when these are coupled with a clear floor plan, this can be a persuasive combination. You may already have one or more floor plans in your vacation rental. Fire and safety regulations may require that you show a plan detailing fire exits. Many properties will have plans lodged with local authorities for building regulation and legal purposes. The real estate agent who dealt with the sale of your property may have kept copies on file. And, if your property is relatively recent, you may have the original blueprints. If you’re lucky enough to already hold or can locate the blueprints, these can also save you time and money as they will show the location of pipes, wiring and services – although this won’t be of interest to your guests! If displaying the floor plan on your website, you will almost certainly need a modified diagram based on actual measurements. There’s little point in showing all the detail of a blueprint, while a hasty hand sketch showing the location of rooms would be a waste of time.

Include measurements

A neatly edited plan drawn from a reliable document, leaving out any unnecessary detail and including any special features, would be ideal. It’s important to include measurements too. If you’re having trouble locating a floor plan, this link may help. But if you really can’t locate a professional floor plan for your property, it may be tempting to draw up your own and save money. A professionally-drawn floor plan is not small beer, but consider the positive impact that it could have on your branding. If you feel competent to produce your own (and remember, the scale must be accurate to create an honest impression) then there are software packages available through the internet which claim to be easy to use. One such, RoomScan, is available for use with an iPhone or iPad. Apparently, to create a useful floor plan of your home you need do little more than tap the walls with your phone and wave the thing around the rooms. It’s claimed to be accurate to within half a foot but you’ll find you need the ‘pro’ version allows you to show doors and windows. Leaving those out wouldn’t do your property any favors!

Total square footage

Finally, think about including a reference to the total square footage of the floor plan. Just like house buyers, your guests will make comparisons between properties and this is a shorthand way for them to understand what they are getting.