What are you guys using to find mid-term rental guests?

Question

I've been relying on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com to find guests. I've been able to mix some mid-term guests through these platforms. But I decided to focus strictly on mid-term guests. I've heard of Furnished Finder but is there anything else you guys are using out there?

Jamie Banks · Answer

I pretty much list my properties on all short and long term rental sites. I've gotten bookings from both. Here's a few of them:

- ALE Solutions

- Zillow

- Ministays

- My Key

Sarah Rosko · Answer

Hi Luiz! We’ve been managing MTRs for a while now and have had great success using Furnished Finder. It’s been especially effective for us because most of our tenants are traveling healthcare professionals, and FF is tailored to that market. While the majority of our MTR bookings come through Furnished Finder, we also have some hybrid units listed as  STRs on Airbnb and VRBO. I’d definitely recommend giving Furnished Finder a try.

Zane Cress · Answer

Have 11 MT rentals. I started using FF years ago and it has been mostly reliable. You do have to wait for people to look and then engage them yourself most of the time. Typically the tenants are good because they are 99% travel workers on there. I have had an issue with one person in 4 years. Last year I had to start doing 30+ day listings on Airbnb to fill some openings. Have used FB groups for travel nurses and college rentals as well but with limited success. If you are a pro member and get access to Rent Redi you can also list on multiple sites for very cheap. I have had a few tenants come from the Zillow listings. Keeping one full is pretty easy. The more places you have the more lines you need in the water at all times.

Zane Cress · Answer

Yes all in Athens. I have 2 bedroom 2 bathroom set ups. I am seeing more and more people who want 1 bedroom studio set ups for a lower price per month. They are often solo travelers so unless they plan on having people come visit the extra bedroom is pointless. Just started seeing this about a year ago when contract prices started to trend down for healthcare workers.

Zachary Deal · Answer

Outside of VRBO, AirBnb, and Furnished FF these can be good places to find mid term rental guests: Facebook Marketplace, specific travel nursing or regional FB Groups, craigslist, and insurance placement websites like ALE Solutions

Jonathan Greene · Answer

That makes sense that different properties (and markets) may have different avatars for the stays that use other sites. The fees for MTR are so high comparative on Airbnb to FF that I didn't think it would make sense unless the rental rate was really good.

Allen Duan · Answer

I'm going to disagree with you on this one Jonathan (I love everything else you post though!)

Some MTR operators do very well with Furnished Finder. Some get almost zero bookings from the platform. It does depend on the market and property type, but it also comes down most people misunderstanding how to use the platform.

Example for my market in Los Angeles, most tenant's on FF are looking for smaller more affordable spaces. They are individuals or couples typically. We do get bookings for larger homes through the platform, but they are a minority of the total leads coming to us.

Allen Duan · Answer

We get our MTR bookings from various sources, not in any particular order: Airbnb, Furnished Finder, VRBO, Zillow, relocation companies, corporate bookings, referral companies who send us leads, social media.

What works for you will depend on your property, your market, and the tenant types who would want to rent your MTR. Think about where they are looking for a MTR and get yourself in front of their eyes. Marketing 101 =)

Andy Bahr · Answer

Good Morning Luiz!There are many ways to find Mid Term Rental Guests. And for clarity, that typically means 3-9 months, and can at times go longer. The common ones are Furnished Finder for nurses, and then all the room websites like roomies.com. However, the more tenant sources you have the better right? So building relationships with large Charlotte companies that have people moving here for work or internships, baseball players in summer training  programs, police officers/firemen/etc, teachers, mechanics, contractors, etc. You can also outsource it and hire a property manager. Another way to get started is fill your homes using Air BnB with a 3 month minimum, however those guests tend to not be as invested as someone you find off of Craigslist or someone already living locally.  I've had experience with almost all of these and my favorite is to use a property manager. As a busy realtor in Charlotte, I try to think "who not how" when coming to things. It costs more, but it saves me time, and time is limited. We can always earn more money but we can't earn more time.

Tim B. · Answer

Hey Zane, are your MT rentals all in Ga? Are you seeing stronger demand for a particular unit type/size/configuration?  Working on getting one set up in the Atlanta area.