The Alder Blog

Field notes from boutique cabin management.

Practical, source-cited guides for short-term rental owners in Fannin and Gilmer counties — and the occasional dispatch from a property we've spent too much time on.

Market Guides · May 29, 2026

What Vacasa Actually Charges in North Georgia (2026 Owner Breakdown)

Vacasa's headline rate is 25–35%. The actual all-in cost — including cleaning markup, guest service fees, damage waiver, and add-ons — commonly lands at 35–45% of what guests pay. A sourced, line-by-line breakdown with a real Blue Ridge cabin worked example, plus what changed after the December 2024 Casago acquisition.

Read the breakdown →
Market Guides · May 26, 2026

Broken Bow Cabin Amenities That Actually Book: Lessons From a $265K Year-One Cabin

Most "best amenities for vacation rentals" articles read like a Pinterest board. The Broken Bow market is more specific. Here's the amenity ROI ladder for Hochatown — ranked by what actually moves the booking calendar — built on Blissful Pines, our 7-bedroom cabin that grossed $265,593 in its first 12 months.

Read the guide →
Owner Guides · May 26, 2026

Should I Self-Manage My Blue Ridge Cabin? An Honest Math Problem

A real-numbers look at whether self-managing a Blue Ridge cabin makes sense. The hours per week, the software stack you'll actually need, the five hidden costs that don't show up on a P&L, and the four questions that decide it for you. Plus the middle option most articles skip.

Read the guide →
Owner Guides · May 20, 2026

How to Interview a Vacation Rental Property Manager: The 11 Questions That Filter Out 80%

The questions every owner should ask before hiring or switching a property manager — with the answers a competent PM should give. Includes a free downloadable checklist with scoring rubric.

Read the guide →
Owner Guides · May 19, 2026

How Blissful Pines Earned $265,593 in Year One: The 9-Number Cabin Audit

The 9 metrics every cabin owner should know — RevPAR, ADR, occupancy, direct booking percentage, length of stay, 5-star review rate, cleaning cost ratio, lead time, and year-over-year growth — with the actual benchmarks for each, the worked example from a 7-bedroom Hochatown cabin, and a free spreadsheet that calculates them on your own numbers.

Run the audit →
Owner Guides · May 18, 2026

Fannin County Short-Term Rental Rules: A Cabin Owner's 2026 Guide

The county ordinance was rewritten as Ordinance 2025-02 last August. Here's what actually matters in 2026 — permits, the new mandatory insurance requirement, the single-party-per-rental rule, and what's different inside Blue Ridge city limits.

Read the guide →