Our story began back in 1997. I was living Los Angeles and working in the Tech Industry. At the time, I was single and traveling a lot for my job. I remember wanting to buy a home but I wasn't sold on Southern CA. I always loved the mountains and had an opportunity to first visit Lake Tahoe that year. To says it was love at first sight is an understatement! In 1999, the company I was with at the time gave me a unique opportunity to relocate to somewhere I'd be happier living. I chose Sacramento simply because of its close proximity to Lake Tahoe. I moved up at the end of that year, and as fate would have it, I met my future wife, Cindy, within a few months of arriving. Ironically, we spent a good part of our first conversation talking about our love of Lake Tahoe and how great it would be to someday own a home along the West Shore. We were married in the summer of 2002 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church and had our reception along the shore at the old West Shore Cafe. Two years later, we were not only blessed with our first son, Ryan, but we also were fortunate to buy a 2nd home in the Lake Tahoe Park Association (near Sunnyside) just weeks before he was born. Since then, we've been blessed with two other children, our daughter Lola and youngest son Josh. In 2013, we officially made Lake Tahoe our home and have been living in the community as full-time residents ever since. Our kids have never known anything different as they've grown up experiencing all that Lake Tahoe has to offer. To be able to provide them that opportunity is a huge gift for which we are forever grateful.
Like many of you, our experience started initially as a lover of the area. We would vacation here with our families, and eventually, we were in a position to buy a 2nd home. Before we became full-time residents, for many years, we looked to offset costs by renting our home as a vacation rental. We worked with several local property managers and were always juggling a rolodex of local service providers in order to make sure our property was being cared for as needed. While getting away to our Tahoe home was mostly peaceful, there were admittedly times when it could be a bit stressful. There was nothing worse than showing up for a getaway weekend only to find out that there was some maintenance issue that needed to be addressed (i.e. hot tub water not clean, furniture had been moved around by guests, linens missing, etc.). Within the first year owning our Tahoe home (2005 timeframe), I remember stating to my wife two significant observations about owning a second home in the mountains.
1. The approach to property maintenance needs to be more comprehensive in vacation rental destinations. Non-Present 2nd Homeowners are at a disadvantage simply because they aren't there to keep an eye on the property and oversee work being done. They need a reliable management solution they can trust.
2. The traditional property management model that services vacation rentals is being completely disrupted by major channels emerging (i.e. VRBO, AirBnB). They are becoming less relevant when it comes to marketing and booking the property. The key is broad exposure coupled with active listing / price management along with responsive inquiry / guest management.
After years of watching the market and wishing that a better solution would emerge, I founded Criterion Properties in 2016. In 2024, we re-branded and began operating as Mountain Getaways.
About our name(s)…
The word Criterion is defined as “a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided”. From the beginning, our philosophy has been to set “The Mountain Standard” by serving as your go-to expert for all of things related to the ongoing care, management and representation of your property. And while there will always be a lot of pride associated with the name Criterion Properties, we felt that Mountain Getaways better aligned with the properties we manage and communities we serve.
Experience “The Mountain Standard” Today!
We’ll treat your property as if it were our own.
We’ll return your calls quickly and work with a sense of urgency to ensure your complete satisfaction with our service.
We’ll communicate openly with you and keep you informed along the way.
We’ll work proactively in an effort to always stay several steps ahead of your expectations.
We’ll seek out the little details that make a big difference!
We’ll acknowledge when mistakes are made and work diligently until all issues are resolved.
We’ll communicate in a polite, courteous and respectful manner – ALWAYS!
We’ll be fair in our dealings and will never take for granted the opportunity you’ve afforded us.
Thank you for your consideration of our services!