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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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