Innovate

Web Marketing

Island Real Estate was an early adopter of website marketing in 1997.   IslandReal.com is a highly sought after domain name but we were one of the first web site adopters and grabbed it!  Don't forget we also have AnnaMariaIsland.com as well to round out our Website portfolio.

Maintenance on Wheels

In 2008 we had a vision to employ maintenance personnel to handle the vast majority of  our owner vacation rental property maintenance requirements.  As part of the vision we purchased the first supply truck on wheels in 2009 and made quite a splash with our box truck! 

Two Offices

In 2008 we opened our second office on Anna Maria Island as part of Pine Avenue Restoration, 401 Pine Avenue.  In 2010 we made it official and purchased Betsy Hills real estate.  Prior to the 2018 sale of vacation rentals we entertained more than 1,000 walk ins per month for February and March and most of January & April.

Premium Linens 

We were the first to adopt standard linens for all vacation rentals on Anna Maria Island in late 2010.  We grew our linen program from our early days of 900 sq ft to more than 3,000 sq ft and laundering our own linens with over 30,000 lbs per week of laundering capacity using state of the art ozone technology.

Monthly Maintenance

In 2013 we began development of our Monthly Maintenance program.  Our quick engagement to repair rental issues was creating a new dilemma.  More frequent maintenance visits to rental properties was increasing maintenance expenses.  We developed monthly maintenance to take a proactive approach to maintaining  our properties and many Anna Maria Island property managers are now copying the fundamentals of our program. 

Electronic Locks

In 2013 we began a technology relationship with Greenlink which is now Villa Control.  Together we developed electronic locks as well as automated thermostats for Vacation Rentals.  While there is no formal partnership with Villa Control, we continue to collaborate with their technology team to continue innovations for the Vacation Rental industry.  Most of Anna Maria Island property managers now utilize Villa Control for their home automation. 

Organization Restructuring

Island Real Estate Vacation Rentals in 2005 was 3 employees strong and we grew to more than 125 employees in 2018.  During that time we restructured our organization several times.  Most notably in 2012 then 2014 when we added Guest Services and Owner Relations to our organization, respectively.  Both departments were added to better serve guests then owners.

Industry Consultants

Island Real Estate continues to utilize multiple consultants to further ensure we have experts assisting is all aspects of our business. Over the years and currently we have utilized consultants far and wide.  Telephone scoring, home automation, search engine optimization, pay per click optimization, web marketing, vacation rental housekeeping, linen equipment and business strategists.

Yielding Rates

In 2016 Island Real Estate began using statisticians to assist in rate yielding.  We began using data to better forecast fluctuations in supply and demand periods to further ensure revenue generation for our owners was the best in the business.  Kacey Varga is currently our Revenue Manager who is responsible for establishing rates as well as yielding rates as necessary due to supply and demand fluctuations in the rental marketplace.