Steve V2: Welcome to Keynotes, a podcast just for Casago homeowners.
This is where we explore how to get the most out of your relationship with
Casago, learn tips and tricks on how to make more income with your property,
and learn a little bit about the short term rental industry along the way.
I've been a vacation rental nerd since my 20s, and the team has finally let
me have this podcast so I can share everything I've learned with you.
I'm your host, Steve Schwab, and this is Keynotes.
Hey, welcome to Keynotes.
I'm your host, Steve Schwab.
Today, I'm with Tim Smith, the owner of Casago in New Smyrna Beach.
We're going to be talking a little bit about his philosophies on hospitality,
property management and homeowners.
Tim, welcome to the show.
Tim, tell me a little bit about your background.
How did you end up getting into property management?
Speaker 2: Uh, by chance, of course, I had several businesses
over the years, sold them.
I had just sold a business and came to new Smyrna beach to buy a vacation home.
Uh, well, it was March 13th of 2020.
And so it wasn't time to go back to New York city at that point
with COVID just sitting in.
So I ended up moving in, had the opportunity for folks that already had a
business there, they were ready to sell.
And I was ready to move on to the next adventure, I guess.
Ended up purchasing it, and uh, that was my entryway.
What did you do before you moved to New Smyrna?
So I was doing consulting for a software company.
Steve V2: Yeah.
What kind of consulting, like sales or?
Sales and implementing for Salesforce.
com software.
Okay, cool.
So you know a lot about CRMs and contacting people
and keeping relationships.
I think so.
Yeah, yeah, I think you do too.
Tim, tell me a little bit about what you do there in New Smyrna with Consago.
Speaker 2: Well, we have a two fold mission.
The primary mission is to work with the owner to achieve their particular goals.
And I've learned even just in the short time that everybody has different goals.
And so we have that mission.
Part of that mission is making sure that the guest has a great experience and
then that just naturally pleases, it gets the results we want for the owners.
Steve V2: Yeah.
Speaker 2: But our goal is just primarily whatever that is, let's make that
Steve V2: happen for them.
That's great.
And tell me a little bit about your personal approach
when it comes to hospitality.
I think the key to hospitality
Speaker 2: is keeping in mind that It's like they're actually in your house.
For some people it is.
You own the house also and so you're, you're the host, but for us it's, we
like to say southern hospitality, which we are born and raised in the South.
It just comes natural, I guess, or it's beat into you either way.
And so we, we want to treat it like they are a guest in our home.
They're coming in.
What can we do to make them comfortable?
How do we treat them like family?
Yeah,
Steve V2: yeah, that's a great approach.
And what makes Casago different than the other property management
companies in New Smyrna?
Speaker 2: Well, I think part of it is that we do, we have a newer approach.
Right?
The company technically has been around for years, but by me purchasing it and
sometimes not knowing what you're getting into allows you to have a different look.
You know, you take all the things we've done over the different careers
I've had, And you look at it from that window, you actually can bring
a fresh approach to that owner.
You're not afraid of change because the whole thing is a change.
Yeah.
And so a lot of existing companies will stay doing what they've done because it's
always worked and that's human nature.
Sure.
But I think with.
anything anymore in industry or business, you have to always be thinking,
what can I do different and better?
Right.
Yeah.
Don't
Steve V2: fight last year's wars.
Right.
Yeah.
So, you know, something that's in Casago is this thing that's
called the owner centric approach.
Can you tell me a little bit about what that means and what it means to
you and maybe how you implement that?
Speaker 2: I think the key with owner centric is keeping in mind that they are,
um, the reason you even have a business.
They've trusted you with, for many of them, it might be their
second most valuable asset other than their primary home.
Uh, in our market, it's never their primary.
And so they've trusted you with that.
So keeping that as the centerpiece or the centric piece is the key to the success.
But part of that does start, like I said, where it's, what does it mean for them?
We have owners that it's all about.
I've got to make money.
I just have to pay it.
I can't keep it up unless you make me money.
We have others that they're fine with that.
They're not worried about the money, but they worried about the maintenance.
Are you taking care of my property?
Is the right person staying in my property?
How are you treating my, my baby, my family home a month a year?
And so just by keeping that focus, then we continue.
To try to do the right thing to make sure that that particular need is met.
Steve V2: Yeah,
Speaker 2: it sounds like you take a real personal approach.
I do.
I think part of it is I just always have in business.
I take it personal, but the property I purchased when I moved to New Smyrna is in
a building where we have 40 other owners.
So it is personal because I'm gonna see them downstairs or I'm gonna see them
next door at the bar or whatever else.
It is personal.
Steve V2: Yeah.
You being the local boots on the ground, the owner of the company,
I think that's so powerful for your homeowners and for your guests as well.
Because when somebody has a problem, the buck stops with you.
You know, they don't have to call some other city or some corporate office
somewhere or whatever that looks like.
They get to talk to the guy in charge.
And that's pretty amazing.
It
Speaker 2: is.
We've heard people, you know, why you?
Well, it because it is me because I am here because if I don't do
a great job when you are in town, I'm going to see you in the hall.
or at the local restaurant, and you can hold me accountable.
Yeah.
Steve V2: Yeah, there's almost a little bit of social pressure there,
on top of the business pressure, right?
What are some practical ways that you make the homeowners feel
like they're the top priority?
Speaker 2: Well, first off, constant communication.
We keep them informed, not just about the industry and about what's
specific to our market, but about their property, what's going on in that area,
what's going on with the business.
Everything.
We let them know that when we have not necessarily done a great job for that
month, what we're doing to change it.
Steve V2: Right.
Speaker 2: So it said open, we're in this together.
How do we, you know, make that happen for you?
That it is a partnership.
I'm not a business without you.
So how do we keep that going?
Open and constant communication, I think solves a whole lot of challenges.
Then the other thing is that the guest isn't always right.
Let's make sure it's the right guest in that property.
And if they're not, or they're going to mistreat the property, or they're
putting too many people in it because it's spring break, you owe it to that
owner to fulfill the commitment you made to take care of their property.
And you may upset that guest.
You may get a bad review for that particular situation, but
it is the right thing to do.
Steve V2: Yeah.
We owe it to the guests to give them a great hospitality experience.
However, our true priority and our feduciary . Is to be the stewards
of that homeowner's property, right?
Right.
And so when we have great hospitality, we're serving the owner well.
We're being owner centric, but the higher standard is being the steward
of their property in their absence.
I think that you're hitting right on that.
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 2: And if we look at it, like I said, where hospitality is treating
it like they're coming into your home, there are some people Either
you wouldn't let in in the first place or you realize we're not the best for
each other and you ask them to move on.
Steve V2: Yeah.
Yeah.
There's some people that I wouldn't leave alone in my house because I'd
be afraid to be going through my sock drawer when I wasn't there.
Right.
And those are not the kind of people we want in our homeowners places.
Right.
Yeah.
Do you have a memorable story with a homeowner that highlights
why maybe a homeowner would think about choosing you in your market?
Speaker 2: I think probably the best one is after Hurricane Ian.
We had a very powerful storm come through in the particular building
that we manage a lot of units.
There was water in every unit.
But I made sure that I was there, immediately went into every unit, got
the team mobilized to get in each unit, clean it up, protect any further damage.
Made sure that we had the right folks there on, on site
immediately for remediation.
And by doing that and constantly, like, not emails, texting, calling every
single owner all day long for, you know, the next week, really, to keep
them apprised of what was going on.
Most of our owners live.
up north or out west.
And so I think that really, I know that it made a difference to
them because they appreciated it.
And other owners came to us because they're like, Oh wait,
you were actually there doing it.
Steve V2: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Boots on the ground.
As you said, we literally had boots because there was water everywhere.
Steve V2: Yeah.
I mean, what a great example of, like you said, boots on the ground, but
making sure that you're taking care of their property in their absence.
Right.
I mean, At the end of the day, one of the highest value, uh, as
a property manager is being the homeowner's advocate in their absence.
Yeah.
Doing what the homeowner would do if they were there.
And obviously you nailed that.
That's, that's fantastic.
So Tim, what would you say to anybody who's a potential homeowner
who's considering coming to Casago for their property management
Speaker 2: needs?
I think to begin with, if somebody was interested in working with
us, my question is always why?
What about the current situation?
Uh, or the current company you're with or how you're doing it yourself.
What about that bothers you?
Because if it's something that we would do anyway, let's save the time, you know,
and not try to promise them something that, you know, isn't going to happen or
is still the same way that we would do it.
Uh, at the same time, the why lets me know what does pertain to them.
We have owners now that have never rented before and they're coming
to us because we Insurance, taxes, assessments, et cetera, are happening.
And so they need to know that we can make them some money, but more
importantly, protect that property.
Hold on to it when they're not there.
Make it, you know, they don't come back in six months and it's destroyed.
So it's really finding out why is the first step.
And then from there, I can show them examples of what we've done
to meet that particular why.
To go in and promise or not even promise, but to tell a story about
something that doesn't matter to them isn't really fair to them.
Right?
And so I want to find out what it is that you need.
Can we meet that need?
And then here's what we've done to meet the need in the past, or
here's what we're working on to make that happen in the future.
And you can.
Ride along with me to make that happen or, um, when we've shown you, then
you'll come back or you'll come to us.
Steve V2: Yeah.
Building expectations.
At the beginning of a relationship always creates much longer lasting relationships.
For sure.
It sounds like exactly what you're doing.
Tim, if somebody's interested in having you manage their property in
New Smyrna, how would they reach out to
Speaker 2: you?
The best way is probably the email, tim at casagocv.
com Or give me a call or text 407 797
Steve V2: 7150.
Tim, thanks so much for coming on the show.
It's always so much fun to see you and talk to you.
Appreciate you being here and we'll talk to you soon.
Thanks for having me.