Operating STR out of state?

Question

Hello,

I have a STR company located in San Diego and wanting to expand out of state to HOA friendlier areas. For those who operate their STR out of state, how has it been working out for you?

Lisa Graesser · Answer

I manage 3 STR in Florida from NY. You need to have a great, reliable cleaner, a handyman and a list of people that you can call for something that comes up such as AC, plumbing or refrigerator repair. Then all you have to do is make a phone call. Use a lock on the door that can be accessed with a code. You can also puchase remote locks and thermostats that you can control from your phone. Don't let it intimidate you, you can do it. When things come up that need repair you just take care of it the best you can, as soon as you can and guests will be usually be very gracious. Worst that can happen is you have to pay for somewhere else for them to stay(say AC goes out,  as has happened) and I paid for a hotel room while it was fixed and gave them a refund for dinner out.) They were very appreciative and were gracious because they knew I was doing as much as I could to take care of the problem. Go for it!

Julie McCoy · Answer

Hey @Caitlin Corcoran! I second what @Avery Carl said. Even when I was in LA, I was still a good 200 miles from my CA property (which is up by Sequoia) so I learned how to long-distance self-manage in a hurry! And when I was ready to expand, I started looking outside of CA for a less expensive market with less seasonality than where I was. I quickly added 3 cabins in the Smoky Mountains, they all do fantastic, and they've honestly been easier to manage than my one CA house. (part of that is a product of their location and proximity to vendors, but also my guests there are noticeably less demanding than my guests in CA)

I'm happy to discuss in more detail if you want, whether in this thread or in private messages :)

Kelly P. · Answer

Jumping in to add positive reinforcement. I own and manage 2 STRs long distance. I initially used an experienced STR property management company but let them go when I felt that I could optimize the guest experience and my bottom line. I doubled my income year 1 (they were under pricing). I have a full time job and the STR is my side hustle so I needed to automate everything I could. Using multiple digital solutions, I've automated communications, pricing, and digital access (locks). And like @Lisa Graesser said, I rely heavily on a good cleaning crew/human and have a list of techs (plumber, electrician, HVAC, etc.) who I can call to fix things pronto. I've used Yelp a lot to create my long distance team. You can find cleaners via Properly. And the coolest thing is that Amazon Key is a new service where Amazon will deliver supplies inside your house or garage so you don't have to pay anyone to pick up supplies for you.  I love hosting and retaining my profits by doing it myself.

Myka Artis · Answer

It works great! You just have to make sure you have the systems in place to be able to handle everything remotely. I would say I'm remote for about 90% of my places. I hired a cleaning staff from Turnoverbnb and a maintenance staff from Homee/Thumbtack. You could also sublet another property management company to take care of everything for you but I don't think their costs are worth it if you're already taking a percentage yourself.

Nancy Bachety · Answer

@Chai Xiong I usually read and move on but I need to respond to this one. I only want (and earn) 5 star reviews and that is why we self-manage from out of state. No company will do as much or respond to as quickly as we will, from my personal experience only, yours may differ. Just because you’re paying someone to take your sense of responsibility away, you are ultimately responsible. Either you get the five star review or your management company gets the four star review. @Julie McCoy Any experiences with Mgmt companies?

Kelly P. · Answer

@Chai Xiong I'm a control freak too! That's why it was driving me crazy when the property management company wasn't pricing how I thought it should be priced and also couldn't personalize the experience for the guests because they were managing 50+ properties. I have 99% 5 star reviews and have been a super host each quarter I've hosted... myself... long distance. Woot!

Avery Carl · Answer

You will find MANY STR owners who manage their properties remotely on this forum! It requires a little work, but is ultimately very easy. @Julie McCoy has one in CA that she manages from TN (and 3 in TN that she managed from Los Angeles for a few years).

Julie McCoy · Answer

No personal experience with management companies.  For my very first property, I did hire (and still work with) a local realtor who also manages vacation rentals, but we follow more of the AirBNB co-host model and split responsibilities; very different from a management company.  I still have him because we have a good relationship and he does provide value to me by being my boots on the ground; for my TN properties my housekeepers fill that role.

Ken Latchers · Answer

Adding to the great advice above. A critical component if you have several properties or are on several listing sites such as booking.com, Airbnb, VRBO... Is to use a property management system online such as guests or ownerreservations Etc

it automates or handles things you may not even imagine.

Operating STR out of state?

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