Author

Alex Jarbo

Alex Jarbo is the founder of Open Atlas, a real estate investing and management firm focused on unique micro resort properties. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and served in the Marine Corps for 4 and a half years, where he was stationed in Washington, D.C., as part of the Marine Corps Honor Guard.

He left the Marine Corps at 22 years old to pursue his career as a real estate professional.

Alex holds an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate Development and is currently finishing a Doctorate in Business with a concentration in Leadership. He is the host of the YouTube Channel Alex Builds, where he teaches the ins and outs of short-term development and management.

He left the Marine Corps at 22 years old to pursue his career as a real estate professional.

Short-Term Rentals 4 min read

Sep 03, 2023Jun 20, 2024 Alex Jarbo

Protecting Your Future in Short-Term Rentals: It Starts By Providing a Powerful Guest Experience

Short-term rentals have become more and more competitive as the market has gotten larger. Why leave your bookings up to fate? Here's what you need to know.

Opinion 4 min read

Dec 20, 2022Aug 09, 2023 Alex Jarbo

Airbnb Is Partnering With Apartment Complexes—Here’s What That Means

Airbnb’s platform usually has two updates each year. One in the Summer and one in the Winter. This year’s Winter update came with a lot of cool features, like a…

Opinion 5 min read

Nov 26, 2022Aug 09, 2023 Alex Jarbo

Calm Down, Short-Term Rentals Are Doing Fine

“Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections than lost in the corrections themselves.” – Peter Lynch I’ll be honest. I went back and forth about writing…

Short-Term Rentals 3 min read

Oct 25, 2022Aug 09, 2023 Alex Jarbo

5 Amazing Freebies You Need To Provide Your Guests

As a vacation rental host, you want to do everything you can to make your guests feel at home. One way to do that is by providing them with freebies…

Short-Term Rentals 4 min read

Sep 28, 2022Aug 08, 2023 Alex Jarbo

Are You Getting Less Bookings for Your Short-Term Rentals? Here are 3 Ways to Get More

There’s been a shift in short-term rentals. Some are attributing the dip in bookings to last year’s Airbnb website redesign. Others are blaming current market conditions. Maybe it’s a combination…

Short-Term Rentals 4 min read

Sep 12, 2022Aug 08, 2023 Alex Jarbo

Stop Relying On Airbnb and VRBO and Build A Business You Control

I could have lost $25,000. That was the thought I had after getting off the phone with a big online travel agency (OTA) that I was using for my property.…

Short-Term Rentals 5 min read

Aug 29, 2022Aug 08, 2023 Alex Jarbo

$550 Cleaning Fee? Avoid Making These Big Mistakes on Airbnb

A $400 cleaning fee? (Soon to be $550.) That was the exact thought my wife and I had as she booked a trip to upstate New York. There was definitely…

Short-Term Rentals 4 min read

Jul 22, 2022Aug 08, 2023 Alex Jarbo

How Should You Invest in Short-Term Rentals Through a Recession?

One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve gotten in the last year has been about how I got into short-term rental investing. The answer? I started when I was…

Short-Term Rentals 3 min read

Jun 27, 2022Nov 07, 2023 Alex Jarbo

3 Tools That Will Automate Your Short-Term Rental Business

When running a business, automation and delegation can make your life easier and amplify your success. This is even truer for the real estate industry. If you’re in the short-term…

Short-Term Rentals 4 min read

Jun 01, 2022Aug 07, 2023 Alex Jarbo

Are Short-Term Rentals Still Profitable With Rising Interest Rates?

As a short-term rental investor, I’ve been asking if it’s still profitable to invest in short-term rentals (STR) with rising interest rates? There is a lot of uncertainty in the…