Six things you need to ask before hiring an Airbnb manager

[Sofia Sharkey]

Hello everyone, I will be writing a four part series regarding expectations in the short-term rental (STR) industry. Part one is about investors expectations. More specifically, six things you can expect from the STR company / person you hire.

There are two primary reasons why I want to dive into this topic:

• STRs are a niche and relatively new industry.
• Most investors don't actually know what to expect from a STR management company when hiring or partnering with them.

I've heard horror stories from investors who lost thousands of dollars because they did not vet their previous STR management properly. In many instances because they didn't know what to ask for. I'd like to prevent you from making the same mistakes many others have.

To read the full post, head over to the blog here on BP: https://www.biggerpockets.com/... 

Let me know your comments, suggestions, and if you have any other topics that you consider essential to cover in the beginning. 

[Robert Gilstrap]

@John Underwood you make a good point but you fail to recognize two major limiting factors of self management: The skill/expertise required to self manage and the value one places on their own time. 

Someone who makes $60K a year values their time FAR differently than someone who makes $360K a year.  Age and life experience in general also weigh heavily on ones decision to engage in certain activities.  

When I was 20 years old it made no sense for me to pay someone to change my oil or cut my grass or paint a room. In fact I enjoyed the experience somewhat because I was learning something new. 

At 50 years of age I now cannot fathom why I would ever do any of those things when I can hire it out for a fraction of what my time is worth and get a better and faster result in the process.