A Conversation with Maureen Regan of Seaside Vacation Rentals (York, ME)
March 4th, 2008 by TJ Mahony tj@flipkey.comAbout Maureen Regan:
Maureen Regan is the President of Seaside Vacation Rentals located on the beautiful southern Maine coast. The company, founded 
in 1983, now handles several hundred properties and recently added a dedicated realty arm to its offering (”Regan Real Estate”). Maureen is currently serving her second term on the VRMA Board of Directors. She is past Chairman of the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce, has served on boards for York County Community College, Southern Maine Tourism Association, and the Maine Tourism Commission. She and her family are recipients of the 2003 Maine Tourism Award, the 2005 Business Advocate award, the 2008 Maine Governor’s Conference Award for her contribution to tourism growth in the state and numerous other awards.
Q: Maureen, I have been to the Maine coast and it’s one of the most beautiful and un-commercialized areas I have ever visited. However, due to the long winters/cold springs it also has one of the shortest high seasons. How do you economically manage the short high season? Any interesting promotions to attract guests during shoulder season?
A: You’re right! The winters are long and our high season is extremely short. As you know, we are primarily known as a family oriented vacation area. We have had some success in promoting September to mid October and late spring by linking to local festivals and trying to reach more of the “young professional” audience. We also offer numerous packages to attract them, such as having your own chef come to the house and cook a real New England dinner for you. Another includes hiring a Maine Guide to take you on a private kayak adventure to view islands, estuaries, rugged coastline and our (unique to southern Maine) long sandy beaches.
This year we are sponsoring the Seaside Arts Program which will promote cushion season weeks by working with a famous local author who will give workshops in screenwriting and playwriting. Also, we will offer, with the York Art Association, free special gallery viewings to Seaside guests only.
Many of our properties convert to what we call “Winter Rentals” in the off season. This is a school year long rental and is popular with people moving up to the area to buy or build.
Q: You are serving your second term on the VRMA Board of Directors. What are the main issues you have addressed in your tenure and how would you like to see the association grow?
A: VRMA members are a group that is very diverse in size, geography, years in business. However, the synergy, and excitement of everyone together at the last Conference (record setting attendance for the second year in a row) is contagious and shows that while diverse, the group melds into “the best of the vacation rental industry” and they learn, network and relate as an industry. The educational opportunities VRMA offers at conferences and seminars are unmatched and extremely important to our membership.
The VRMA Board as a group has addressed many issues affecting the Vacation Rental Industry and we will continue to provide our Members with an association that represents our Members best interests in education, marketing and all the other areas Members look to for industry leadership.
Nothing would please the VRMA Board more than a growing membership of professional vacation rental managers working in an industry that truly is recognized by the public as the best lodging option.
Q: One of the challenges of property management is encouraging owners to keep their units up-to-date (wi-fi, HDTV, new furniture, etc). What techniques have you found are effective in motivating owners to invest in their homes to make them more ‘rentable’?
A: I truly wish I had the answer to this, but it is an ongoing struggle. The best motivator we have found so far is to show an owner that they will be able to make more money by attracting new guests and keeping more return guests if they continue to upgrade. We break it down into categories for owners: free (cleaning), low cost (painting, landscaping, and minor upgrades) and higher end choices (adding a bath, new kitchen) they can make and basically keeping our owners informed as to what guests are requesting. We also remind owners that guests have a greater respect for a well maintained and appointed house.
Q: You recently added a realty arm to your business (”Regan Real Estate”). Can you describe the strategic fit you see with Regan Real Estate and Seaside Rentals?
A: Thanks to a workshop I attended at VRMA given by Stewart Couch of Hatteras Realty and Richard Hess from Sun Realty, I realized our company was leaving a lot of money on the table by not offering our own real estate option. Also, we were not really taking care of our guests and homeowners who needed this service.
We were increasingly frustrated when new homeowners came to us from other realtors who didn’t know the rental market and had told these unfortunate buyers that they could get unrealistic prices for their homes and then we had to break the unhappy news to them.
Now we are able to offer a full service operation and when we sell a property that is a rental, we know that the rental information is accurate; the returning rental guests will be taken care of, and we’ve increased our bottom line. We make everyone happy (or at least we try)!
Q: During your downtime you have cited painting as one of your hobbies. What are your favorite subjects (e.g. Maine coast line, light houses, ?) and have you ever sold a piece? FlipKey is moving into new offices and we are in the market for some new art workïŠ
A: It’s impossible to live in this beautiful area and not paint the coastline and lighthouses! I love doing landscapes and bits of architectural interest like an interesting old door or piece of a building. One of my real joys is teaching my two grandchildren 6 and 8 years old to paint. That is so much fun! So if I don’t have the right landscape to sell you, maybe one of them will!