Real Owners Weigh-In: Is Evolve Worth It?

The right vacation rental partner can help your business thrive, whether you’re brand new to the industry, a seasoned investor, or somewhere in between. But choosing that partner — and whether they can legitimately get you to your goals — means you need to take different variables into consideration. 

After you’ve learned about our team and whether your property is a good fit for the services we offer, it’s time to decide: is Evolve legit and worth it for you and your business? 

We don’t think you should have to figure that out alone.

Hear from real owners — from locations all over the country — who’ve shared details about their experiences with Evolve’s Core management plan.

Ready to see if you qualify? Get started today by telling us about your property, goals, and past rental experience. And remember: it’s OK if you don’t have any!

In This Article:
Meet Anne: Out-of-State Owner Looking for Management Value
Meet Eric: Owner Trying to Save Time Running a Family Rental
Meet Don & Toby: First-Timers Searching for a Support System
Meet Kevin & Kendra: Busy Owners Adding Another Vacation Rental
Meet Bill: Out-of-State Investor Craving Hands-Off Success
Meet Stacy & Michael: Skeptical First-Time Investors
Meet Joel & Jim: B&B Owners Stepping Into Vacation Rental
Meet Marjorie: Investor Trying to Boost an Underperforming Rental

A Colorado resident with a cabin rental in Packwood, WA, Anne N. was in a bind when her local property manager decided to retire. Though she started her search for a replacement in Washington, high management fees pushed her to look for alternatives.

“The fact that you guys took only 10%,” Anne said, “I thought that was a bargain to be honest.”

For the industry-low fee of our Core plan, we provided expert marketing on all the top listing sites to help Anne’s home get in front of more guests, and created a custom revenue plan to get bookings at the best rates. 

She said, “I don’t have the time or desire to deal with all the administrative aspects of renting the cabin myself. Evolve takes care of all of that.”

With our help — including finding and coordinating with local service providers despite Anne being out of state  — her income increased 50% in just six months.

As an out-of-state owner and a busy attorney, Eric A. didn’t want his family home in Tamworth, NH turning into a second job. When he found out our team would field booking inquiries, handle pre- and post-stay communications, and publish his home on multiple sites across the web, he decided the time-saving benefits made Evolve worth it.

In addition to cutting his time commitment down to just 30 minutes a week, we provided more insurance coverage for every booking, improved his listing with a strategic description and professional photography, and adjusted rates dynamically to help him earn more.

“If you look at all of the hassle of renting, especially from a long distance, my overall stress levels have diminished substantially,” Eric said. “Evolve frees me up to get more work done in my professional life, to get more hobby time, and to spend more time with my family.”

Don and Toby A. lived a few hours from their second home in the Poconos, PA when they realized they could be making extra income by renting it out as a vacation property.

After talking to our team, Don said the free professional photography, broad distribution, tax guidance, and payment process all had him ready to sign up. “Everything was as easy as it could possibly be,” he realized. 

After making nearly $98,000 in less than a year with Evolve, Don also raved about our ability to connect him to trusted, local service providers who help keep the rental in tip-top shape so he can earn five-star guest reviews.  

“Jen — who Evolve introduced me to — treats my house like it’s her own,” he said. “After a guest leaves, she goes through the house [and] lets me know if there’s anything to be concerned about. It’s a great system.”

From finding the perfect property to pricing it right, there’s a lot that goes into launching a vacation rental. Our experts can help you start off strong.

Because Kevin and Kendra F. had success with their first Evolve-supported vacation rental, they were excited to invest in a second property in Tucson, AZ.

After adding three guest houses, the most comfortable mattresses they could find, and other top-booked amenities, they were ready to have Evolve fill their second property with guests. Before long, their booking calendar was full, and they were even seeing strong performance in the off-season. 

As busy owners, growing their business seamlessly was a relief. “Evolve is a one-stop shop,” Kendra said. “They make it so easy.”

Ready to add another property to your portfolio? Our experts can help you find the right home and grow your business with confidence.

Based out of Hampton Bay, NY, Bill S. felt too far away to get his new Florida rental on Flagler Beach up and running. “I knew I wanted somebody to handle most of the work,” he said.

So he partnered with Evolve to build the listing, secure bookings, and set dynamic rates. Then, Bill gathered his own group of on-the-ground service providers, who worked seamlessly with our team to keep his rental business running like a well-oiled machine. 

After 28 months and more than $200,000 in rental income, he and his wife, Dee, were inspired to invest in another property. “I wasn’t looking to make this [first one] an income property, but the performance is way beyond what I thought it was going to be. That’s why I want to buy another one!”

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As first-time vacation rental owners in Granby, CO, Stacy and Michael D. didn’t want to commit to any property management partner until they were confident they found the right one. 

When they learned we don’t require any long-term contracts, they figured Evolve was worth a try — and if they didn’t see 100 nights booked in their first year, they would walk away. But after just seven months with Evolve, they had 132 nights booked at the best rates to maximize their profits.

“The entire process was so seamless and easy,” Michael said. “From the first call we made to Evolve, to helping us find a cleaning company, to the photoshoot, to the property description, to getting our property live on all the listing sites…Evolve has been amazing with not just getting our property booked, but also answering all of our questions and handling our concerns along the way.”

Backed by our Risk-Free Guarantee, a whole suite of services are included in our management plans.

Joel H. and his partner Jim were hospitality pros running a successful bed and breakfast in the heart of California Wine Country. With the growing popularity of vacation rentals, they saw an opportunity to switch gears and get more time together. 

But then they calculated how many hours it would take to run their Calistoga property as a rental, and learned they would need to keep up with monthly — even daily — changes in the market to succeed.

“We wanted to find an option that made life easy,” Joel said. “Nothing is ever finished, and in the world of the 21st century everything moves very quickly.”

After choosing Evolve, they had the support of industry pros with over a decade of experience. We launched Joel and Jim’s custom listing right as their last B&B guests checked out. And, with marketing and pre-stay guest communications covered by our experts, their first booking came within a week.

“The Evolve team has very good communication and is always helpful,” Joel said. “We always recommend Evolve to other vacation rental owners.”

The vacation rental industry is always changing. Our team has their pulse on constant shifts in the market, so you don’t have to spend hours researching on your own.

Marjorie B. thought her cabin investment on the slopes of a ski resort in South Dakota’s Black Hills would make it easy to attract guests. But in her first year running the rental with another company, she barely broke even. “Things were not going well until Evolve,” she said.

Compared to the 30% commission and $400 annual fee she had been paying (often the costs of traditional management), Evolve’s singular 10% management fee for the Core plan and promotion across all the top listing sites was a dream. “It has been perfect and I can’t imagine a better fit with any other company.”

After getting four times the return she had been hoping to get, Marjorie said, “I thought it sounded too good to be true. But it’s been nearly two years and I’m still pinching myself!”

So, Is Evolve Worth It for Your Vacation Rental Business?

We know this won’t be the end of your careful research. There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a legit partner to help start, manage, or grow your business — and these owner success stories only cover a portion of what we do.

If you’re ready to tell us about your home and unique investment goals, we can’t wait to learn more. See if you qualify below to join tens of thousands of other owners maximizing their rental potential across North America.