Frequently Asked Questions
The following are the most commonly asked questions about our rental and management program. For more detail and incite please see our Property Owner Information Booklet.
1. Who is American Patriot Getaways?
American Patriot Getaways (APG) is a Limited Liability Company and has managed Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area properties since 1999. We are fully licensed by the state of Tennessee Real Estate Commission specializing in short term vacation rentals in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area and Marco Island in Southwest Florida. Currently, we represent approximately 250 properties in Tennessee. APG is one of the Smoky Mountains premier overnight rental companies, offering luxury cabins, chalets and condos at competitive prices while remaining focused on building “customers for life”, by providing unparalleled service through our friendly and knowledgeable team members (Patriots), a state of the art user friendly website, patriotgetaways.com, and by maintaining clean and convenient accommodations for each one of our guests and Partners. APG has recently taken their reputation as, America’s #1 overnight rental company, to the luxury rental market of beautiful Marco Island, Florida. Marco Island is the largest of Florida's islands, located twenty miles south of Naples on the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida. Some of the words often used to describe it are "Mystical", "Magical”, and "a Sun-Drenched Jewel".
We are proud members of the following organizations:
Member since 20032. What is the cost of American Patriot Getaways managing my property?
Great News!!! For 2011 All Start Up Fees are Waived!
The revenue is split 60/40 after adjusted, which is the standard revenue split for this area. For this 40% you receive American Patriot Getaways experience of professional rental management, a top of the industry user friendly website, advertising and marketing of your investment property, all housekeeping, guest management and check in, collection of monies from guest, thorough cleaning upon guest check out and a professional subcontracted maintenance team to help resolve guest issues in a timely manner and maintain your property to the highest standards. As partners in this program, American Patriot Getaways is committed to striving for the highest possible occupancy and both owner and guest satisfaction.
3. What recurring fees are associated with having an investment property with American Patriot Getaways?
There are only a few monthly charges involved with American Patriot Getaways managing your property:
There is a $20.00 per month pest control charge through ORKIN to exterminate the property, unless you have your own extermination company providing this service on a monthly basis.
We split the credit card fees incurred for the rental of your property 60/40 just like our contract; this is the fee that Visa, Master Card, Discovery, American Express charge to accept their cards. This is roughly 2% of the gross credit card charges incurred on your property for a given month. This 2% is split 60/40.
Business License Tax and this runs about $10 a month. This is Uncle Sam not us but unfortunately it has to be paid. You are paying this now because the government sees the cabin as a business. This is separate from the business taxes we pay for APG.
Gross Receipts Tax again this is based on the gross revenue the cabin produces again this is a government charged tax for you to have a rental property.
A linen replenishment fee: which is $4.00 per person that your property is advertised to sleep. (For Example: a 2 bedroom property that sleeps 6 would be billed $24.00 a month) This fee is about half of what we spend each month in replacing worn, torn and stained linens and towels.
You will also be responsible for the cost of any maintenance performed on your property during a given month.
4. Who pays the utilities and taxes?
The property owner is responsible for all utilities and taxes associated with their investment property. Below is a list of companies you may need to contact when getting your property ready for rental.
Sevier County Electric / 865-453-2887 / ElectricBellSouth / 888-764-2500 / Telephone Service
Direct TV / 800-347-3288 / Satellite Service
Dish Network / 800-333-3474 / Satellite Service
Sky Harbor Resort Cable / 865-774-0671 / Sky Harbor Cable
Charter Communications / 888-Get-Charter / Cable
Comcast / 865-637-5411 / Cable
Atchley Cox-McCroskey Insurance / 865-430-2264 / Insurance
Holston Gases / 865-573-1917 / Propane
Heritage Propane / 865-428-4271 / Propane
Sevierville Water Department / 865-453-1736 / City Water
5. How often and when do we get paid for the rentals on our investment property?
Monthly Payments are posted by the 15th of the following month. We also offer direct deposit, which would allow you to receive your revenue a little bit quicker. Along with your check, you will receive a detailed owner’s statement and the occasional flyer or brochure with information to help you improve your investment property.
6. How many days can I expect my investment property to be rented with American Patriot Getaways?
On average, the properties that have been on our program for at least 12 to 18 months are renting about 180 nights per year. Some rent 100 nights a year and some rent 300 nights a year. The best properties with the most “bells and whistles” rent the most. In most cases potential guests are comparing apples to apples and more importantly shiny apples to shiny apples. The shiniest apple usually wins.
7. How do I know when my investment property is booked?
We provide our owners a secure website that they can access with a user I.D. and password 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The information on this site is updated in real time, so when a booking is taken on your property or maintenance is performed, the site is updated in real time. On this secure site the owner can view current rental information, rental history, future rental information, the most recent newsletter, maintenance performed on your property, charges and other important information. The secure site calculates for you, your revenue for a given month, including deducting for any charges against your account. You will know exactly what your revenue for the month will be, before we ever deposit or mail you your revenue check. This secure site is one of the ways we keep you, our partners, informed of what is going on with your property and American patriot Getaways.
8. How do you advertise your properties?
The majority of our advertising is internet based. The majority of our business comes from the internet therefore it only makes since that the majority of our advertising dollar is spent on the internet. We do compliment our internet advertising with some print advertising and sports media advertising, see Section VI. , Advertising the Art of Finding Guests in the Property Owner Information Booklet.
9. What area is the best area to purchase or build an investment property, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville or Wears Valley?
All of these areas have their advantages. Gatlinburg is close to the national park, snow skiing and the old town charm of downtown Gatlinburg is a nice draw. Pigeon Forge is where the growth is happening. Pigeon forge is a little less congested than Gatlinburg and our guest realize that they are only 5 minutes from Gatlinburg when they are in Pigeon Forge. Sevierville also is seeing a lot of growth and is a good location but a bit further from the “action” and not yet as desirable to most visitors. Wears Valley, with its surrounding mountain ranges and proximity to Cades Cove and Townsend is a beautiful area for an investment property and is becoming more and more popular. Location and proximity to the areas attractions is important but what type of investment property and the amenities you offer are much more important.
10. What size investment property produces the best revenue?
All nice investment properties do well over time. On a consistent basis one bedroom properties tend to rent better. They almost immediately begin to rent and rent well. Two bedroom and larger properties tend to take a little more time to generate consistent revenue, but once a nice two bedroom or larger properties have been with our management program for 12 to 18 months these properties tend to do very well. The key to having a successful investment property is having a quality property. As the saying goes, “the cream rises to the top”.
11. What type of amenities should our investment property have to maximize the potential rental revenue?
The most popular amenities are a hot tub outside (in a screened and or covered area is a plus), a Jacuzzi tub inside, a pool table or other game tables (foosball, air hockey), Plasma or LCD TV’s (the larger the better), surround sound system, satellite or cable TV, DVD player, Blu-Ray Player, washer and dryer, dishwasher, gas or wood fireplace, stereo with CD player, rocking chairs on the deck, porch swing, gas or charcoal grill, picnic table, mountain views, high speed wireless internet, theater room, king size beds, water filtration system as needed, paved driveway, charcoal grill. These are what most of our potential guests are looking for in a rental property. Basically potential guests want what they do not have at home; most folks do not have a mountain view, a hot tub or many of the other items mentioned above. The more of these key amenities your investment property has, the more it will rent. Anything and everything that you can have in your property gives you one more opportunity to rent your property. Again the cream rises to the top and our potential guests are comparing other properties to yours and usually the nicest property with the most extras gets the revenue.
Recommended Items for Cabins
· Hot Tub (with hose & hanger installed)
· Game Table
· Updated Décor (APG discretion)
· Quality Electronics
· DVD and/or Blu-Ray Player
· Stereo with CD player (IPOD Dock a plus)
· Rockers
· Gas or charcoal grill
· Fireplace
· Satellite or cable
· Phone
· Kitchen must be totally equipped
· Closet or place to store suit cases (luggage rack)
· Fire Extinguishers
· First Aid Kit
· Cigarette butt cans for every deck/porch
· If there is a problem with water quality then a filtration system must be installed
Suggestions to Help a Cabin Be More Competitive
· Decorate with a theme
o A theme of some sort
o Contemporary décor
o Cabin name should reflect the décor
o Theme should be consistent throughout the cabin
o If the cabin is dark then use lighter colors for curtains, comforters and etc…
o Cabin can be softened up by using rugs, stuffed animals and soft wall hangings
o Minimal drywall, contemporary color if necessary
· Plasma, LCD, Big Screen TV, Theater Room
· Surround Sound
· Playstation 3, XBOX 360 or Wii Game System
· Arcade Game System
· Free long distance
· High speed wireless internet
· Upgrade Stereo with IPOD Dock
· Jetted bath tubs
· Swing
· Movie and local channels, sports packages
· Washer and dryer
· Dishwasher
· Leather furniture
· Hardwood flooring
· Picnic Table
· Log Furniture
· King size beds
· Exterior should look appealing (fresh stain, deck furniture, landscaping, etc.)
12. What if we want to stay in our investment property?
All you need to do is log into your secure owner’s page of our website and you can place an owner or maintenance block on your property at any time (see screen shot below) or you may call our vacation specialists and give them your name and let them know that you would like to put an “Owner Block” or “Maintenance Block”, depending on the situation, on your property. They will verify that you are who you say you are and then block the property for you. We ask that you call at least two weeks in advance to avoid the property being booked when you want to stay. The further in advance you can notify us the better, so we do not book the property during the time you would like to stay. You have two choices upon departure; you can clean the property yourself and leave it as you found it, ready for the next guest to check-in (all linens cleaned, trash removed and ready to be occupied) or our housekeeping staff can clean the property for a fee. This applies to booking the property via your secure owner’s page as well. We leave this choice up to you; just let us know which option you would like to take.
Screen Shot of Secure Online Owner’s Block pageMake An Owner's Block
Location
Property Number
Type of Block
Month & Year
Arrival Day
Number of Nights
Owner Will Clean
Please enter a brief description of the block. E.g., "John Smith" as the name of the guest, or "Change locks" as a maintenance task. 50 characters maximum.
13. Are there a maximum number of nights that an owner may use their investment property?
No, there is unrestricted usage of the investment property for our owners. The intent of the investment property is for rental purposes, so the more days you use for yourself or friends and family the fewer days we have available to book and produce revenue for you.
14. What if we want to let family or friends stay in our property?
This procedure is the same as if it were you staying in the property. Be sure to put in the friend or family members name in the brief description field if booking online or be sure to let one of our vacation specialists know the name and all pertinent information about the family member or friend if calling in your block.