It was a chance occurrence that led Jennifer to place her Creemore area cottage on a rental program: she was thinking about selling, and a realtor approached her because a celebrity wanted to rent it for a couple of nights.
Seeing growth potential, she approached Jayne McCaw, owner of Jayne’s Luxury Rentals. Jennifer knew of Jayne through an acquaintance in Muskoka who was already renting their property through the company.
The cottage, which is close to Blue Mountain, was added to Jayne’s website, and Jennifer has been happy with the results.
Over the past two years, the property has been rented out for a total of seven months – with back-to-back ski seasons providing 10 consecutive weeks each year. That, combined with weeks scattered through the rest of the year, has made this a successful collaboration.
It’s allowed Jennifer to cover the costs of owning the property and paid for a six-week trip to Mexico this past winter.
“It’s 100 percent why we were able to do that,” says Jennifer. “We’re not winter people, so it was nice to be able to travel through the winter while the cottage was rented out.”
As well, with the cottage being cared for by Jayne’s team, it gives property owners like Jennifer peace-of-mind.
“It is an extremely professional team, very responsive, proactive and accessible,” she says.
Humble to Super Elite
A widow at age 44, Dawn wanted to ensure her children stayed close to her and each other. To do so, she bought a humble cottage where they could make memories and spend quality time together.
To help pay for the cottage, particularly its upkeep and upgrades, Dawn began renting it out – for $2,500 a week – putting all the extra income back into the cottage. By doing so, she was also able to up the rental price little by little.
Fast forward 14 years later and Dawn has a fabulous cottage on the Jayne’s Luxury Rentals roster in the Super Elite category. It not only remains a getaway for her and her children on select weeks, but it regularly is rented for $30,000 per week.
Prior to joining Jayne’s, Dawn had worked with two other rental agencies. She says they couldn’t compare to the quality of service provided by Jayne and her team.
It goes beyond just the rental service: Jayne’s team provides high-end linen and cleaning services before and after each guest’s stay. Spotless windows help provide that “wow” factor looking out at the lake as guests arrive, says Dawn.
“The professionalism is second to none,” says Dawn. “I’m now that five-star cottage that I have worked so hard to be. That’s part of working together as a team with Jayne’s Luxury Rentals.”
TEXT CHRIS OCCHIUZZI | PHOTOS ANDREW FEARMAN
