Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Oxford.
Hi Lindsay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My first trip to fish in Rockport took place in 2019, with a man I was dating at the time, who I now call my husband. I absolutely fell in love with bay fishing, the community, the water, everything. I developed friendships in Rockport and surrounding areas that pulled me down there more and more.
I was a single mom through most of my twenties and thirties. When I finally had the opportunity to buy my first home in my 40’s, I didn’t want just any house. I wanted something that meant something to me. For most people, a first home purchase is a starter house in the suburbs. For me, it was a bay cottage on the Texas coast. Rockport meant something. The memories made on the bay, the fishing, the unhurried pace of a coastal town that doesn’t try too hard —somewhere along the way it stopped feeling like a destination we’d go to, to fish, and started feeling like home. So I thought, why not build one.
The plan was simple enough: build the home, hand it off to a property management company, and let someone else handle the details. It worked, until it didn’t. The first year was passable. The second year, the bookings dipped, the mortgage payments got heavier, and I found myself at a crossroads that a lot of short-term rental owners quietly face — sell, or fight for it. So I chose to fight.
In October 2024, I pulled it off the vacation rental market completely and dug in. I did my homework on the competition. I looked at everything — the marketing, the “fees” that guests get hit with, the listings, the overall guest experience — and decided to start over with a real foundation. One that made sense. From a guests perspective, I went into every task with intention.
I own a boutique marketing agency so naturally, I rebranded, then relaunched. I developed a strong social media footprint and then I learned everything about the management side of it that I hadn’t even known to ask before. And on every rental platform, including Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com, where I found myself starting from scratch with zero reviews, I built something that could stand on its own.
And it stood. In 2025, I doubled my bookings from 2024 and now, 2026 is already trending to surpass that.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Building a home from a distance is not for the faint of heart. At one point, weeks before closing, I questioned if I had made a horrible decision and considered forfeiting my deposit. But I stayed the course, and learned a lot of hard lessons. I immediately signed up with a property management company, thinking that was my best route. I had no knowledge of running a vacation rental home, taxes, supplies, hidden fees, guest issues, etc….and it was a great solution, until it wasn’t.
More importantly, I learned that no one is going to love your home as much as you do. No one is going to worry like you do and or care about a review like you do. After seeing significant declines in bookings, repeated issues with cleaning, I was forced to part ways and go into uncharted waters. More lessons learned but what a journey it has been.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
There isn’t a day that I don’t do something that helps to improve my vacation rental home. Today, The Best Little Oar House in Texas sits in the top 1% of vacation rentals in Rockport on Airbnb.com — a distinction earned not through algorithm tricks but through the kind of hospitality that’s harder to manufacture than people think. Fifty reviews… every single one gave five stars. (March 2026) I had only gotten 14 reviews in nearly 2 years before making the switch to self-managing. That in itself is something I am so very proud of.
The difference? I don’t really think it’s the home itself — though I keep it immaculate, updated, and stocked in ways that quietly solve problems guests didn’t know they had. It’s the mindset behind it. The dedication to connecting with each guest and making sure they know that I care, that’s a big piece of it. I’m always looking at it from a guests point of view.
When I’m buying something for the house, I’m always thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice if parents didn’t have to pack this? Just grab the kids and go.” I have grandkids now and I stop and think about things like which kids books to add, I make sure the night light is working. Beach chairs, sand toys, extra beach bags…the things that turn packing for a beach trip into a logistical event — I feel like I have thought of it all, until of course I see something new that I feel the house needs. Many of the “extras” are inspired by my own airbnb experiences as a guest. No one should have to worry about stopping for cooking spices, toilet paper, etc. Husbands snoring? Same…and so ear plugs stashed in the nightstand drawers just made sense. Little things like that.
My guests are always greeted with a welcome snack basket at every stay…and a few other surprises they don’t expect. I love it when I find out guests booked the house because they are celebrating something. I’ve left surprises for guests on birthdays, girls weekends, and soon, a mom to be is checking in and she will have a little something special waiting for her. I respond to messages immediately. My cleaning partner is the absolute best and she’s equally thoughtful and kind…she is truly my saving grace. There are times when I go to the home to do some touch ups or restocking and I see something she has added on her own…and I’m reminded of how blessed I really am with her.
I just treat people the way I’d want to be treated. That’s really it.
For me, the home has never just been a rental. My family and I stay here as well as my fishing team. We call it the lucky house because our first 2 years fishing it together, we stayed at the house. And we won 1st in artificial in Babes on the Bay, the largest inshore women’s fishing tournament. Then did it again the next year.
My husband says I am obsessed with making it better — he’s not wrong. But not for the reviews, it’s just who I am. The reviews just happen to reflect it. I genuinely love having a home that others can call their own, while creating memories with those they love the most.
The Best Little Oar House in Texas is located in Ocean Reef Cottages in Rockport, with a large porch overlooking the community pool and the kind of coastal calm that makes guests start Googling real estate before checkout. The community is one of the newest in the area and is located perfectly just between Cove Harbor and Conn Brown Harbor. We even have a boat wash for those who are staying and bringing the boat to fish. It’s a very family-friendly community that is well lit at night and the sunsets on the front porch might be the best in Texas.
From managing the bookings, the supply restocks, the website, the social media to the taxes and the insurance, and everything in between…it’s become a very big piece of my every day. And I couldn’t love it more. So much so that I am actively searching for my next home to turn into another wonderful home for others to make memories in.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Know that there are highs and lows…but there are so many more peaks than valleys. Trust your gut..always. Just remember that faith will take you so much further than worry. Don’t wait to make a business decision or have a difficult conversation…things can’t change until you do.
Self-managing an airbnb, the right way, takes time. But more so, it takes passion. If you don’t absolutely love doing this, that’s fine…but find someone who does and let them run it for you. It shows.
And never rely 100% on vacation rental sites like vrbo.com and airbnb.com to do all the marketing work for you. You should always be marketing your home for increased visibility on social media and Google. If you don’t know how to do that, invest in someone that does. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rockporttxvacationrentals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockportrentalhome
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockportrentalhome
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rockportrentalhome
