And the most important question halfway through the summer is: how are things going? I can be brief about it. Great! After 9 months of hard work during which we fully renovated 4 apartments, I can say it has all been worth it. But more on that later.
When I was writing the last blog, winter suddenly gave way to a fantastic spring. For almost 8 weeks, we had no rain and the temperature was pleasant to even hot. Not ideal for a recovering patch of grass (due to the drilling for the heat pump) but perfect for tackling the first outdoor projects. It felt a bit like cheating because we knew we still had to finish the fourth apartment before summer. Nevertheless, we enjoyed working outside in April and May. With fresh help, we built a beautiful fire pit and fully renovated 3 verandas.
After family and friends returned home, we had a few weeks left of indoor work. With some reluctance, we also converted “number 3” into a beautiful four-person apartment and named it “Den Gula Ugglan” or The Yellow Owl. Two weeks before the first booking, the apartment was ready and we listed it on Booking.com. An hour later, it was rented for that very day. Finally, because it felt that way by now, finally we could shift our focus to other things than making bathrooms, laying floors, wallpapering, and building kitchens.
We enjoy everything we do here. But to be honest, it is sometimes quite challenging. Two children aged 0 and 2, who are home almost 24/7. The many arrangements related to the emigration. By now, 77 trips to the hardware store were made. But it’s all the more satisfying to now be outside in the sun (mostly) working on the garden and painting.
Fortunately, there is now also time for the things we moved here for. Hiking, picnicking, kayaking, and lounging in the garden. And these wonderful activities are exactly why our guests find and book us. Because they do.
When we started this adventure, I (P) wouldn’t have been myself if I hadn’t made various calculations and budgets for the expected costs and revenues of the venture. The costs were hard to estimate because we didn’t yet know exactly how we would approach the renovation. Estimating the revenues was even more complicated. The property had served as a hotel for seven years, but there were no figures available. The only thing we could base our estimates on was a summary from Booking.com from the previous year.
So that was it. The basis of our revenue forecast for the first year. And I’ll spill the beans right away. We are now at 192% of our forecast! From April, when we went online with our apartments, bookings started to trickle in. And slowly, the calendar filled up. Booking.com did its job and the website was also immediately well-found. So, we saw the opportunity in Glava correctly!
Since the summer holidays began in Sweden, our four apartments have been nearly fully booked daily. Hopefully, the holiday here lasts a long time. 😉 Next year, the challenge will be to secure longer bookings. Sometimes we clean an apartment 5 or 6 times a week. Not a big deal, but it could be more efficient. And we come from one of the most efficient countries in the world. Therefore, we are now looking for good collaborations with travel agencies that can sell our accommodation. And then we’ll see how things look next year. The big question now is: what will the budget be for 2025?
Glorix Greetings from Glava,
Peter and Nienke
