Airbnb Cohost or Mgt company

[Rachna Condos]

We are in the process of purchasing a home in Bremerton and we live in CA at the present time. I would like to find a local person to assist with making it an Airbnb rental since I am so far away and cannot do so. I checked out Evolve but they don't seem to have cleaners as part of their service. Any ideas on this issue would be appreciated. 

[Alice Horn]

Stay away from Evolve, Vacasa and the other large players. Find a local, boutique property management company. Make sure you look at their booking history and check out some of their listings to see review scores. Hopefully someone from that market will chime in and make it easy for you!

[Rachna Condos]

Thanks Alice. Just for my knowledge why do you not like Evolve or Vacasa?

[Andrew Steffens]

I agree with Alice

Vacasa is about to be bankrupt and they have massive client as well as employee turnover.  Every month (here in FL) I onboard usually 1-2 Vacasa transfers.  They complain of feeling like a number, lack of transparency, poor quality control, and more.

Find a mid sized local company.  Ideally 30-100 units or so.  Small enough to for personalized care but big enough to have some budget for employees and technology.  I would also stay away from people just starting out, its hard being a 1/2 person operation with a low unit count.

Best of luck!

[Rachna Condos]

Thank you!

[Alice Horn]

@Rachna Condos That's exactly right. We "inherit" so many homeowners from the big players who have horror stories (only one booking in 6 months, guests who were allowed to wreck your home with no recourse...the list goes on and on). STR management is a highly local, hands on business and their business model just doesn't make sense.

[Mya Toohey]

I am in Tampa Florida and we have a huge Facebook group that everyone uses to network within the area. That way you can find, reputable local resources for your STR. Best of Luck!

[Rachna Condos]

Thanks for the tip. What is the name of your FB group? I will look for something similar in the Bremerton Washington area.

[Alice Horn]

Also try this group for female STR investors, it's national and very supportive .

 https://www.facebook.com/share/dRxVYnXZKz7nQ7YY/?mibextid=K3...

You might try the VRMA (Vacation Rental Managers Association), we also have FAVR in Orlando and the rest of Florida, not sure if you have a local association.

[Yanina Panfilenka]

Quote from @Rachna Condos:

We are in the process of purchasing a home in Bremerton and we live in CA at the present time. I would like to find a local person to assist with making it an Airbnb rental since I am so far away and cannot do so. I checked out Evolve but they don't seem to have cleaners as part of their service. Any ideas on this issue would be appreciated. 

 Hi Rachna,
I'm on board with everyone about the big players. They don't care about your property, won't suggest the improvements, and just live of you.

I self manage AirBnb in Seattle and hired a remote PM in another property and should admit that if the PM is not local I could do the work and take care of the property much better than a hired PM. And we are pretty much done with that remote PM middle size. 

Everything could be managed remotely but you still need a person to inspect the property every month or more frequently during stabilization and less frequently afterwards.

Being a small-sized but with well established and automized STRs gives a better service comparing to middle size where you are just another client.

[Rachna Condos]

I completely agree. We have never purchased a property so far away and it is overwhelming to think about how to furnish and manage it and finding local cleaners as well as making sure there is someone that can deal with any issues that arise for guests is very important to me.  If you know someone in Bremerton who would be good for this please let me know. 

Thanks for responding.

[Yanina Panfilenka]

Quote from @Rachna Condos:

I completely agree. We have never purchased a property so far away and it is overwhelming to think about how to furnish and manage it and finding local cleaners as well as making sure there is someone that can deal with any issues that arise for guests is very important to me.  If you know someone in Bremerton who would be good for this please let me know. 

Thanks for responding.

 It is overwhelming but doable. Purchased, rehabbed, designed, and furnished 5 bed 3 bath in AZ completely remotely. From my experience, if the place is thought through and there are stickers in place, and the cleaner's team have a check list to go through, minimize the issues the guests might have, and most of them could be solved right on the spot. I had a case when needed to clean the coffeemaker and did it during a couple hours, or organized the TV replacement with a new unit in less than 4 hours.
And Bremerton is a bit of an hour drive but totally doable for me for managing, and will definitely have a local cleaning team and handyman. 
Let me know if you need help to bring your vision of place a to live or/and management.

[Allen Duan]

Sent you a DM @Rachna Condos. Perhaps I may be able to help!

[Kristel Daugherty]

Quote from @Rachna Condos:

I completely agree. We have never purchased a property so far away and it is overwhelming to think about how to furnish and manage it and finding local cleaners as well as making sure there is someone that can deal with any issues that arise for guests is very important to me.  If you know someone in Bremerton who would be good for this please let me know. 

Thanks for responding.

 I would recommend reaching out to Melissa Smith. She's our local STR expert in Bremerton (Kitsap County and surrounding areas in general). I've had her come speak to our local investor group, and she's well-respected in the community.

I'm a Realtor and investor in Bremerton, so if you need anything else in the area I'd be happy to be a resource for you!

[Rachna Condos]

Thank you so much Kristel, your advice is very helpful! We are headed out to Bremerton this weekend to see the house we are purchasing in person. And I appreciate your offer of help!!