Frequently Asked Questions

We are vacation rental property managers and owners ourselves; we treat your property as one of our own. We understand how to maximize your returns, and ensure positive guest stays and experiences. We provide vacation rental ownership with peace of mind. You won’t worry if you could be earning more, or if something needs to be fixed or replaced. We thrive in doing the incremental things that other vacation rental managers aren’t focused on, or don’t want to do – but are essential to driving elevated results.

Overall, renovating a short-term rental is a strategic move that can significantly impact its success and profitability. A well-renovated property is more appealing to guests and reflects a high level of care and attention to detail, offering an enhanced guest experience. A modernized space will attract higher rates and occupancy and help to stand out in a competitive rental market, leading to increased rental income. During our renovations, the Momentum team also assesses and repairs infrastructure, piping, connections, and wiring to ensure the property is in good condition, lowering the likelihood for costly emergency repairs and downtime. This strategy to design, renovate and furnish your property to the appropriate market positioning will drive returns and improve property value. 

We understand that time is money. It is our collective goal to have your property designed, renovated and guest-ready as soon as possible, without compromising quality. A typical full-scope renovation is estimated around 45-days from start of property assessment to property listing. Please see sample timeline for more details. Depending on the size of the property and renovation scope, this duration may be accelerated or adjusted, and the Momentum team will assess and provide a more detailed schedule to the client after property visit, assessment, and recommendations of the scope of work.

A full renovation starts with assessment of the property and determining the key property characteristics and their impact on rates, guest appeal and guest experience. We work with our clients on an agreed upon plan, and handle the material procurement, communication with condo association, and construction renovation. Typical scope includes removal of popcorn ceilings if any, full kitchen and bathroom renovations, new luxury-vinyl plank flooring and baseboard, accent wallcovering, decorative lighting, new doors and hardware, air conditioning, appliances, drapery, bathroom fixtures and repairs to infrastructure that can be addressed to prevent future issues. Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) is included, such as new beds, mattresses and headboards, sleeper sofas, seating and stools, nightstands, dressers, area rugs, televisions, and artwork. Operating Supplies and Equipment (OS&E) and all other essential guest consumable items are included such as pillows, blankets, bedding, linens, towels, tableware, kitchenware and cooking essentials, coffee maker and amenities that are necessary for providing guests with an equipped home.

Renovation scope and pricing will vary based on each unique property, its size, square footage and assessed needs for renovation. Some older properties have popcorn ceiling, others require potential layout reconfiguration to optimize the unit or increase the number of beds. In some cases, certain units may have areas that may not require wholesale upgrades, or need new appliances or flooring, etc. Each property will be assessed and evaluated to determine the appropriate renovation scope and cost.

Momentum charges a monthly property management fee of 20% per month on owner collected revenue for the complete management of the vacation rental property. Services include overseeing the listing, strategic pricing and yield management, guest booking and local hospitality support, coordination of property cleaning services and stocking of guest consumables and property inspections. For clients that have units fully renovated by Momentum Management, the monthly property management fee also includes general maintenance and repair or replacement of furniture and operational supplies and equipment.

For clients that have units fully renovated by Momentum Management, we furnish our owners' properties with FF&E and OS&E that is attractive, comfortable, and durable. The FF&E and OS&E is purposely not custom or 5-star luxurious, but absolutely suits guests' needs and provides a high level of guest satisfaction. Importantly, the FF&E and OS&E is readily replaceable to completely minimize any downtime for a property due to guest damage or typical wear and tear. Best of all, the repair or replacement of FF&E and OS&E is included in the monthly management fee. Clients do not pay reserves to fund furniture replacements, or have to worry if kitchenware, coffee machines, televisions or lightbulbs need replacement. Clients also don’t need to worry about management of cleaning, restocking of linens or guest consumables, or general maintenance.

While we are a licensed brokerage company and property manager, Momentum believes in the owner receiving payments directly from Airbnb into the owner’s bank account. Revenue is deposited after each guest stay, ready for owner’s use for mortgage payments, monthly association maintenance fees or other property expenses, or best of all - passive income cash flow!

Owners are responsible for all STR licensing and payment of their taxes, including, but not limited to payment of State of Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) and Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT). Each month, Momentum will provide a statement of gross earnings to owner that matches the revenue directly deposited into the owner’s bank account, along with an invoice for our property management fee based on the gross revenue and invoice for cleaning fees based on the number of cleans.

Yes, owners can stay in their own vacation rental or offer it to family and friends by communicating desired dates in advance with your dedicated Momentum host. Should those requested dates be available, owners can choose to set certain discounted rates and work with the team on personal request bookings. Momentum will look out for the owners requests, and transparently advise the owner of the market pricing anticipated for those time periods and affects of friends and family discounts to their bottom line.

Momentum’s primary focus is to provide full-service legal short-term vacation rental property management services; however, we will consider offering mid-term vacation rental property management services for larger luxury single-family residential properties on a case-by-case basis. Please kindly reach out for further assistance.