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Sunday, April 12, 2009

Getting Ready for Graduation

With Commencement weekend only a little more than a month away, it couldn’t hurt to start planning for the rental weekend. If you are a first time renter, around two weeks prior to the rental we will provide you with a key box that will allow the renters to punch in a code and let themselves into the house.

More importantly, it is good to think about what the renter will see when he/she enters the house. Renters tend to come back to the same home year after year if they are treated well. Putting out small welcome gifts go a long way in goodwill. Some gifts we have seen in the past are flowers, baked goods, bottle of liquor, etc. By accompanying the gift with a welcome note, the renter will feel right and home and will be many times more likely to rebook your home for the next year.

You are by no means required to put anything out. Gameday Housing will do everything we can to help you book homes, but ultimately, renting your home is your own business and the more you do to encourage renters, the better off you will be in the future.

Also, if you have an entertainment system, thermostat, or anything else that may not be easy for the renters to use, it may be a good idea to type up an instruction list to put out before the renters arrive. You can also list anything that you want the renters to stay away from.

If you have any questions about the rental process, please email tom@gamedayhousing.com and I’ll be happy to help you anyway I can.

All the best,

GamedayHousing.com

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Booking Statistics for the week of April 6th

Each week we plan to update the marketplace with booking statistics for the ND market. This should help home owners set their rates and renters compare prices.

Commencement
8 Homes booked at an average rate of $1,675

Nevada
4 Homes booked at an average rate of $2,488

Michigan State
1 Home booked for $3,000

Washington
3 Homes booked at an average rate of $2,250

Southern Cal
2 Homes booked at an average rate of $2,700

Boston College
2 Homes booked at an average rate of $2,400

Navy
1 home booked at $2,000

UCONN
No bookings yet!

Please let us know what other information you might find helpful!

Property Owners - How to get more bookings

Although it is still very early in the booking season (we didn’t even begin until late July last year and still got great results) it is never too early to make sure your website posting is the most enticing it can be for renters.

Many homes have booked several games already. However, if you are unsure about how your home’s price compares to others, we can help you. You may want to think about lowering the price for one key game to ‘test the waters’ and see if your home is just a couple hundred dollars too high. If the lower price point books up fairly quickly you may want to think about lowering it for other games as well.

Gameday Housing wants to see you book games at the best market price you can get, but booking even one more game almost always outweighs higher prices.

If this sounds like something you would like to try, please email tom@gamedayhousing.com

Hotel Rates for the week of April 6th

All data is gathered from www.hotels.com. We looked at hotels within 25 miles of ND Stadium that had either one king bed or two double beds in their standard rooms. Many hotels are already booked up for some of the more popular games. Still, many of the usual favorites such as the South Bend Marriott are still available.

Nevada
Low: $152.99 per night, Knight's Inn South Bend
High: $296.10 per night, Hampton Inn

Michigan State
Low: $152.99 per night, Knight's Inn South Bend
High: $399 per night, Marriott South Bend

Washington
Low: $152.56 per night, Econo Lodge Airport
High: $311 per night, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites South Bend

Southern Cal
Low: $152.56 per night, Econo Lodge Airport
High: $449 per night, Marriott South Bend

Boston College
Low: $152.56 per night, Econo Lodge Airport
High: $399 per night, Marriott South Bend

Navy
Low: $123.11 per night, Quality Inn South Bend
High: $299 per night, Marriott South Bend

UCONN
Low: $123.21 per night, Quality Inn South Bend
High: $633 Candlewood Suites Airport

Please let us know what other information you might find helpful!