Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Sowle.
Hi Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Garrett and I both started our careers as packaging engineers—we each got our bachelor’s degrees in the field and spent a few years working in it before making the shift into real estate full time. Even early on, though, real estate was always kind of running in the background for both of us.
In 2019, we decided to test the waters by converting a property we already owned into a short-term rental. From there, things took off pretty quickly. For a few years, we were essentially living a double life—working our full-time corporate jobs during the day, then pouring every other hour into building Place To Be Rentals. We were buying properties, figuring out operations as we went, teaching ourselves revenue management, taking on full remodels, and handling all the staging and furnishing ourselves—across multiple markets.
In 2020, we took a trip to the Jacksonville Beaches area and ended up falling in love with a house. By the end of the trip, we had it under contract. At the time, we were still living in Wisconsin, and to most people it probably sounded a little crazy—but we had done the research and knew it was a smart move. From that point on, the goal was to make the move down to the beaches as soon as we could.
By 2022, the business had grown to a point where splitting our time just wasn’t sustainable anymore. We couldn’t give 100% to both jobs, so we made the decision to leave our packaging careers. That was really the turning point—when Place To Be Rentals became more than just a side project, and officially turned into our full-time focus.
Today, the business has naturally grown into four main areas. We own and manage our own properties, manage properties for other owners who want a local and hands-on team, offer revenue management as a standalone service for those who need help with pricing and strategy, and I work with buyers as a licensed real estate agent specializing in short-term rentals.
Getting my real estate license felt like a natural extension of everything we were already doing. By that point, I had firsthand experience buying, managing, and optimizing these properties, so now when I work with clients, we’re looking at more than just the house—we’re breaking down what it can realistically earn, what it’ll take to get it there, and whether it truly works as an investment.
We now live in Ponte Vedra Beach, running the business with our two daughters, who are 2 and 4. It’s been a pretty wild journey to get here, and we’re excited to keep growing and evolving.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not a smooth road—there’s been a lot of trial and error along the way. In the beginning, we were figuring everything out as we went with no real roadmap. We made mistakes on pricing, underestimated renovation costs and timelines, and had to learn operations the hard way. Managing properties in multiple markets while still working full-time jobs added another layer of complexity—it felt like we were constantly playing catch up.
There were also moments where things just didn’t go as planned. Unexpected expenses, slower seasons, dealing with guest issues, and navigating local regulations were all part of it. And mentally, it can be a lot—there’s a level of risk and uncertainty that comes with building something like this, especially when you’re scaling.
The biggest challenge was probably making the leap to go all in. Walking away from stable careers wasn’t easy, and there’s definitely pressure that comes with that. But at the same time, those challenges are what forced us to really understand the business and get better at it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Place To Be Rentals is a short-term rental company focused on building and managing high-performing vacation homes in the Jacksonville Beaches area. We specialize in maximizing the potential of each property—both from a guest experience standpoint and from a revenue standpoint. We own and operate our own rentals, manage properties for other homeowners, and offer revenue management as a standalone service for owners who want help with pricing and strategy but don’t need full-service management.
Another big piece of what we do is real estate. I’m a licensed agent specializing in short-term rentals. Because we own properties here ourselves, I have a deep understanding of the local regulations, what amenities actually drive revenue, and what it takes to make a property successful in this specific market. When I work with buyers, I’m able to give very accurate projections on what a property can earn and, more importantly, a clear plan on how to get it there.
What really sets us apart is how data-driven we are. A lot of short-term rental management is still very “set it and forget it,” but that’s not how we approach it. We’re constantly analyzing market trends, demand patterns, and booking behavior to optimize pricing in real time. Most owners don’t have access to that level of insight, and it can make a significant difference in overall performance.
At the same time, we’re extremely hands-on when it comes to the guest experience. From design and layout to amenities and communication, every detail is intentional. We’ve renovated, furnished, and set up these homes ourselves, so we understand what actually works—not just what looks good in photos. Our goal is to create properties that not only book well, but that guests come back to year after year.
Something we’re especially proud of is how organically the brand has grown. We started with one property and built everything from the ground up—learning through experience, refining our systems, and expanding into management, revenue strategy, and real estate as we went.
At the end of the day, we want people to know that we approach this business differently. We’re not just vacation rental managers—we’re owners, operators, and investors ourselves. That perspective shapes everything we do, and it’s what allows us to deliver a more thoughtful, strategic, and results-driven approach for both our guests and our clients.
What does success mean to you?
For us, success isn’t just about how many properties we own or manage—it’s about building something that actually works in real life and feels good to run day to day.
At a business level, success means our properties are consistently performing at a high level, our owners are seeing strong returns, and our guests are having experiences they want to come back to. It’s when the systems we’ve built are working the way they’re supposed to without constant stress or chaos behind the scenes.
On a personal level, success is freedom and balance. We built this business so we could design our life around our family, not the other way around. So being able to be present with our two daughters, live in a place we love, and still run a growing company—that’s a big part of what success looks like to us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://placetoberentals.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/placetoberentals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/placetoberentals
