A great time to renovate!!!!

The New and Improved 5 Lynx! Some of the properties in our rental pool are in their original condition and starting to show signs of aging. Sometimes selling the home isn't the best option. In many cases, we have owners with sentimental attachments who opt to renovate their vacation rental instead of sell. This is one owner's recent experience with doing a major remodel.

5 Lynx Transformation

Written by Mindy and Gary Alton (owner's of 5 Lynx Lane)

My family has made some great memories while staying at 5 Lynx over the last 10 years, so when the opportunity to buy the house became an option in the summer of 2008 we were excited and jumped at the opportunity! 5 Lynx was built in the early 1970's and her age was starting to show. The house had a great foundation, but there were a few cosmetic things that were holding it back and keeping it stuck in the 1970's, the interior lighting coupled with the dark woodwork paneling being the biggest issue. We knew with a few small changes that we could bring 5 Lynx into the 21st century! We bought the house both for personal use and as a rental property. We knew that if we were to increase our rental potential that we had to do some up-grades, both inside and outside of the house. We chose to start with the homes interior first. We hired a local general contractor to supervise and oversee the many, many projects that needed to be done. The only thing that wasn't updated in the house was the carpet, everything else was updated including the walls and ceiling being retextured, new appliances, new lighting, new granite tile counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms, new tile flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms, new windows through out, new doors and new millwork, even the toilets are new!

The projects started in November 2008, over the Thanksgiving holiday we were able to pick and choose paint colors, tile, granite and appliances. When we came back a month later what a Christmas surprise it was to find new appliances, counter tops, tile flooring, the new can lighting and a new wood burning stove surrounded by beautiful new tile. Those things were great, but for us the biggest improvement was removing a pony wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. Now there is just one great big space!

The biggest transformations happened between New Year's and Spring Break. Stepping into 5 Lynx for the first time at the end of March was like stepping into a brand new home, as almost everything was new! The walls and ceilings were retextured and all of the cabinets had been painted. There were brand new windows through out the house and the old metal blinds were gone. We spent most of the week buying new furniture, new televisions and hanging draperies and artwork. It's a good thing that 5 Lynx is only a short walk to Sunriver Mall, my daughter and I would take our dog on a walk to the mall and on more than one occasion we carried back a new treasure to decorate our "new" home!

Now you might think that it is time for us to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor and we plan to, but we also plan to tackle the outside of the house and make it just a beautiful as the inside! We had planned on spending around $42,000 on the remodel, but of course once we got into the process it became evident that more needed to be done than we first anticipated like purchasing a new wood-burning stove, replacing the chimney, powder coating fixtures and other odds and ends. While the final project came in higher than expected, we are confident with all of the up-grades that our rental potential has greatly increased. For now we look forward to making many more happy memories at 5 Lynx and sharing our home with our friends and family, we hope our renters enjoy our home-away-from home as much as we do.

- Article written by Mindy and Gary Alton (owner's of 5 Lynx Lane)

If you are interested in discussing ways to upgrade your vacation home, contact Deb Nikita for a personal evaluation and referrals to local, qualified contractors.

Deb Nikita

Bennington Properties, LLC.

Sunriver, Oregon

(800)231-8570

http://www.benningtonproperties.com/

deb@benningtonproperties.com

Gearing Up for Summer 2009

What We Are Doing To Prepare Your Home?

Memorial Day is just around the corner! Our crews are working hard to prepare your vacation property for the busy summer season. The Maintenance Department is in the process of evaluating seasonal items such as barbecues, patio furniture, and bikes. They may contact you if an item is identified as needing repair or replacement. We are happy to help you with that, if needed.

Housekeeping is also working hard to ramp up for vacation season. We have purchased two commercial washing machines with "green" friendly laundry products. Bennington Properties is proud to be the first laundry operation in Sunriver to "go green". This investment also includes two commercial grade dryers to speed up the drying time, to improve the presentation of the linens, and to insure proper hygiene. Remember, this June is when all of the remaining homes will transition onto the linen program. Substantial upgrades in the laundry facility will translate into less time doing laundry at the homes and more time to focus on cleaning.

Another big acquisition in Housekeeping is the "Bonnet Buffer" system. This is a carpet cleaning machine that will be operated by our crew. Keeping carpets looking clean and smelling fresh can be a challenge in the summer. The difficulty is compounded by back-to-back reservations nearly all summer long. Even a professional "traffic area clean" can be difficulty because of minimal drying time, not to mention costly! This system has much less moisture and therefore the drying time will be much faster. Our goal is to present the cleanest carpet possible with the lowest charge to you, our homeowner.

How Can Owners Help?

There are a few areas where our Owners can really help our crew present their home in the best possible manner.

1. Please be sure that all of the items belonging to your home are marked with the property address in indelible ink. If writing space is limited, abbreviations are ok. Example of items to mark: blankets, kitchen rugs, shams, comforters, bedskirts, throws, etc. Our crew wants to keep your items clean and fresh for all guests-they are just as disappointed as you if something gets misplaced.

2. Garbage service needs to be on "normal" pick-up status. Starting mid-June, twice weekly pick-up service will be necessary.

3. When scheduling an Owner Booking, please remember that arrival time is 4pm or anytime later and departure time is anytime by or before 11am. During summer and holiday seasons, we URGE Owners to be mindful of this. If you need to arrive early or depart late, simply add an extra day to the front or back of your reservation. By doing this, the housekeepers and inspectors will have adequate time to clean & inspect your home, especially on back-to-back reservations. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a great season!

You can contact Deb Nikita, Owner Relations Manager, at deb@benningtonproperties.com