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Updated about 3 years ago, 11/18/2021

User Stats

261
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166
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Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
166
Votes |
261
Posts

Traveling nurse rentals

Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
Posted

I’m looking to connect with a few people that rent out units to traveling nurses. I have a 4 plex about 5 mins away from a hospital where I just had my baby girl!!

But I was curious what things I should be aware of when considering making a unit ready to rent to traveling nurses. Is the vacancies a lot lower? I see lots of deals structured with 30 day minimums. To me I’d rather stay in a house with my own living space vs staying in a hotel for 30 days at $100 a night.

User Stats

4,233
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5,680
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Luke Carl
Pro Member
#3 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Tennessee Florida
5,680
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4,233
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Luke Carl
Pro Member
#3 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Tennessee Florida
Replied

Ask the nurses that delivered the baby how much they pay in rent and where they live and If they travel. If they are your customer ask them what they need! 

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4,508
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4,190
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Paul Sandhu#4 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Investor
  • The worst town to live in, KS
4,190
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4,508
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Paul Sandhu#4 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Investor
  • The worst town to live in, KS
Replied

Nurses typically stay for 13 weeks.  I've rented to a few.  I'd rather not rent to them again.  They are psychotic mutts.  I rent to traveling refinery workers.  They are either psychotic or a mutt, but not both.

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User Stats

2,110
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2,946
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Collin Hays
Property Manager
Pro Member
  • Property Manager
  • Gatlinburg, TN
2,946
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2,110
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Collin Hays
Property Manager
Pro Member
  • Property Manager
  • Gatlinburg, TN
Replied

I rented a small cabin to a wet nurse for around 2.5 weeks once. 

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User Stats

261
Posts
166
Votes
Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
166
Votes |
261
Posts
Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
Replied

@Paul Sandhu

Or maybe it’s the landlord. I’ve only met awesome healthcare workers.

User Stats

261
Posts
166
Votes
Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
166
Votes |
261
Posts
Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
Replied

@Luke Carl

I’m not in the hospital anymore, I don’t think they would let me in either with all the COVID stuff. But I could call them and ask

Thanks for the info

User Stats

4,508
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4,190
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Paul Sandhu#4 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Investor
  • The worst town to live in, KS
4,190
Votes |
4,508
Posts
Paul Sandhu#4 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Investor
  • The worst town to live in, KS
Replied
Originally posted by @Patrick Flanagan:

@Paul Sandhu

Or maybe it’s the landlord. I’ve only met awesome healthcare workers.

Or Maybe not.  I've rented to over 1800 satisfied refinery contractors that were either psychotic or a mutt.  The psychotics can call out the mutts, and the mutts can call out the psychotics.

User Stats

530
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421
Votes
Bill Goodland
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Allentown PA, United States
421
Votes |
530
Posts
Bill Goodland
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Allentown PA, United States
Replied

@Patrick Flanagan yup, not only nurses but traveling medical and allied health professional students that rotate at the hospital. I use furnished finder and Airbnb.

User Stats

261
Posts
166
Votes
Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
166
Votes |
261
Posts
Patrick Flanagan
  • Property Manager
  • Prineville, Or
Replied

@Bill Goodland

Thank you! I sent you a message

User Stats

18
Posts
37
Votes
Jill Iwanski
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Marshfield, WI
37
Votes |
18
Posts
Jill Iwanski
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Marshfield, WI
Replied

We have a studio apartment that we rent to traveling nurses. They stay for 13 weeks at a time. It works great for us. It is more work having to flip every 13 weeks but it’s worth it. We have had nothing but great nurses rent from us. They are there to work mega hours and most of them travel home for the weekends. Apartment is fully furnished and all utilities are included in the rent. They show up with a suitcase and enjoy the apartment.

User Stats

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2,817
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Joe S.
Pro Member
#1 Real Estate Agent Contributor
  • Investor
  • San Antonio
2,817
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3,221
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Joe S.
Pro Member
#1 Real Estate Agent Contributor
  • Investor
  • San Antonio
Replied
Originally posted by @Jill Iwanski:

We have a studio apartment that we rent to traveling nurses. They stay for 13 weeks at a time. It works great for us. It is more work having to flip every 13 weeks but it’s worth it. We have had nothing but great nurses rent from us. They are there to work mega hours and most of them travel home for the weekends. Apartment is fully furnished and all utilities are included in the rent. They show up with a suitcase and enjoy the apartment.

 How do you target just nurses? 

What size property are you leasing to your outstanding nurses? Can you share some actual numbers of revenue etc.?

  • Joe S.
  • User Stats

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    2,817
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    Joe S.
    Pro Member
    #1 Real Estate Agent Contributor
    • Investor
    • San Antonio
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    3,221
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    Joe S.
    Pro Member
    #1 Real Estate Agent Contributor
    • Investor
    • San Antonio
    Replied
    Originally posted by @Bill Goodland:

    @Patrick Flanagan yup, not only nurses but traveling medical and allied health professional students that rotate at the hospital. I use furnished finder and Airbnb.

    What size property are you using and can you share some actual numbers?

    Also how do you target nurses are those in the medical field?

  • Joe S.
  • User Stats

    246
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    158
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    Robert Tinker
    Pro Member
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Round Rock, TX
    158
    Votes |
    246
    Posts
    Robert Tinker
    Pro Member
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Round Rock, TX
    Replied

    @Patrick Flanagan We use Furnished Finders. Haven't had a traveling nurse yet, but a doctor, also nursing student and pharmacy student. You can also list on Cozy. Cozy will also link to affiliates liker Realtor.com and apartments.com

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    User Stats

    2,110
    Posts
    2,946
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    Collin Hays
    Property Manager
    Pro Member
    • Property Manager
    • Gatlinburg, TN
    2,946
    Votes |
    2,110
    Posts
    Collin Hays
    Property Manager
    Pro Member
    • Property Manager
    • Gatlinburg, TN
    Replied
    Originally posted by @Joe S.:
    Originally posted by @Jill Iwanski:

    We have a studio apartment that we rent to traveling nurses. They stay for 13 weeks at a time. It works great for us. It is more work having to flip every 13 weeks but it’s worth it. We have had nothing but great nurses rent from us. They are there to work mega hours and most of them travel home for the weekends. Apartment is fully furnished and all utilities are included in the rent. They show up with a suitcase and enjoy the apartment.

     How do you target just nurses? 

    You can stalk them at the local hospitals- find the employee entrance.  Get a cheap pair of crutches and kind of hobble around on them in the parking lot.  When you spot a nurse - they’ll usually be wearing white and have a name badge - take a fall to the ground.  Any decent nurse looking for an overnight rental will come to your aid.  

    As they assist you up, slip them a business card with your contact info, and tell them you’ll toss in some fresh baked cookies for the first aid.  

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    User Stats

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    2,817
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    Joe S.
    Pro Member
    #1 Real Estate Agent Contributor
    • Investor
    • San Antonio
    2,817
    Votes |
    3,221
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    Joe S.
    Pro Member
    #1 Real Estate Agent Contributor
    • Investor
    • San Antonio
    Replied
    Originally posted by @Collin Hays:
    Originally posted by @Joe S.:
    Originally posted by @Jill Iwanski:

    We have a studio apartment that we rent to traveling nurses. They stay for 13 weeks at a time. It works great for us. It is more work having to flip every 13 weeks but it’s worth it. We have had nothing but great nurses rent from us. They are there to work mega hours and most of them travel home for the weekends. Apartment is fully furnished and all utilities are included in the rent. They show up with a suitcase and enjoy the apartment.

     How do you target just nurses? 

    You can stalk them at the local hospitals- find the employee entrance.  Get a cheap pair of crutches and kind of hobble around on them in the parking lot.  When you spot a nurse - they’ll usually be wearing white and have a name badge - take a fall to the ground.  Any decent nurse looking for an overnight rental will come to your aid.  

    As they assist you up, slip them a business card with your contact info, and tell them you’ll toss in some fresh baked cookies for the first aid.  

      Would you be open to helping the OP with their marketing plan personally? :-) You seem to have talent that the average person would not be able to pull off. :-)

  • Joe S.
  • User Stats

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    2,946
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    Collin Hays
    Property Manager
    Pro Member
    • Property Manager
    • Gatlinburg, TN
    2,946
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    2,110
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    Collin Hays
    Property Manager
    Pro Member
    • Property Manager
    • Gatlinburg, TN
    Replied
    Originally posted by @Joe S.:
    Originally posted by @Collin Hays:
    Originally posted by @Joe S.:
    Originally posted by @Jill Iwanski:

    We have a studio apartment that we rent to traveling nurses. They stay for 13 weeks at a time. It works great for us. It is more work having to flip every 13 weeks but it’s worth it. We have had nothing but great nurses rent from us. They are there to work mega hours and most of them travel home for the weekends. Apartment is fully furnished and all utilities are included in the rent. They show up with a suitcase and enjoy the apartment.

     How do you target just nurses? 

    You can stalk them at the local hospitals- find the employee entrance.  Get a cheap pair of crutches and kind of hobble around on them in the parking lot.  When you spot a nurse - they’ll usually be wearing white and have a name badge - take a fall to the ground.  Any decent nurse looking for an overnight rental will come to your aid.  

    As they assist you up, slip them a business card with your contact info, and tell them you’ll toss in some fresh baked cookies for the first aid.  

      Would you be open to helping the OP with their marketing plan personally? :-) You seem to have talent that the average person would not be able to pull off. :-)

     Gorilla marketing?

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    User Stats

    6
    Posts
    14
    Votes
    Elena Willis
    Pro Member
    • Portland, OR
    14
    Votes |
    6
    Posts
    Elena Willis
    Pro Member
    • Portland, OR
    Replied

    @Patrick Flanagan

    First of all, contracts on your little baby!! I happen to be a labor and delivery nurse in the Portland area and work with/ know a ton of traveling nurses (none of which are psychotic OR mutt, btw). They are usually looking for a clean, quiet place to stay and are typically very good tenants. Like others have said, the standard contract is 13 weeks but some like to extend 26 weeks. One tip is that many of them are hired for night shift, so the quieter your place during the day while they're sleeping, the better. I also know many traveling nurses who like to travel in pairs (i.e. two best friends) so sometimes two bedroom apartments are great as well. All of the nurses I know use furnished finder and generally expect all utilities to be rolled into the cost of rent. I would suggest spending some time on furnished finder checking out your competition's prices/amenities/furnishings to get some comparisons just as you would do on airbnb/vrbo for a STR. I hope that was semi- helpful!

    And again, congrats on your new kiddo :)

  • Elena Willis
  • User Stats

    6
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    14
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    Elena Willis
    Pro Member
    • Portland, OR
    14
    Votes |
    6
    Posts
    Elena Willis
    Pro Member
    • Portland, OR
    Replied

    Also, excuse all of my ridiculous typos. I could blame my dang phone for auto correct, but it’s probably just all me.

  • Elena Willis
  • User Stats

    261
    Posts
    166
    Votes
    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    166
    Votes |
    261
    Posts
    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    Replied

    @Elena Willis

    Thank you so much!! I’m so excited. Yeah it sounds to me like that gentleman has issues.....

    That’s great info I’ll send you a personal message!

    User Stats

    18
    Posts
    37
    Votes
    Jill Iwanski
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Marshfield, WI
    37
    Votes |
    18
    Posts
    Jill Iwanski
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Marshfield, WI
    Replied

    @Joe S.we use furnishfinder.com. It costs $99/year. They post the apartment. They also vet all the tenants and also the landlord. It has work great. Been using it for 2 years now. The applicant also uses it to contact us with email. We are currently getting $575/month for a 550 sf studio apartment. We spent about $2500 to fully furnish it and scheduled to get our money back in 3 years. We cover all the utilities and high speed internet. It has been a great use of the space that would otherwise be basically unrentable.

    User Stats

    17
    Posts
    16
    Votes
    Lioneil Guevarra
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Oakland, CA
    16
    Votes |
    17
    Posts
    Lioneil Guevarra
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Oakland, CA
    Replied

    @Patrick Flanagan. a lot of them work nightshift as well since they are covering the shifts no one else wants. and a majority have pets.

    User Stats

    1,012
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    604
    Votes
    Brad Hammond
    Agent
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Portland, OR
    604
    Votes |
    1,012
    Posts
    Brad Hammond
    Agent
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Portland, OR
    Replied

    Hi @Patrick Flanagan I think that is a solid plan and a niche I'm looking into in our area.  I agree with what @Elena Willis said.  I have a few friends that were traveling nurses and stayed here permanently.  It is basically going to be set up as a short-term rental (everything included in the price) but with fewer vacancies.  Since most of them do work nights to start off with, make sure you have blackout curtains.  

    Congrats on your little one! 

    • Brad Hammond

    User Stats

    261
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    166
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    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    166
    Votes |
    261
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    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    Replied

    @Lioneil Guevarra

    Thank you for the info!

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    User Stats

    261
    Posts
    166
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    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    166
    Votes |
    261
    Posts
    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    Replied

    @Brad Hammond

    It’s worth evaluating further from my research. There are more “added” costs but I feel like one could rent it for more then traditional rent

    Thank you!

    User Stats

    17
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    16
    Votes
    Lioneil Guevarra
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Oakland, CA
    16
    Votes |
    17
    Posts
    Lioneil Guevarra
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Oakland, CA
    Replied

    @Patrick Flanagan yes you can charge more for rent. Most travel nurses get a stipend of 3000 per month in my area. Since they are traveling, expect to budget more for vacancy. I've built several great relationships, so when nurses come back to the area, they check to see if I'm open to having them stay again. furnished finder is great. gypsy nurse facebook works out sometimes. a lot of what I've done was have the nurses I know post the vacancy in their break rooms.

    what you can try to do is see if you're able to get in contact with the housing department of these nurse agencies. if you find the right person you might be able to posted by them. Don't rule out local medical schools also. if there is a hospital near you then there is a school training them to be one also.

    This also works for traveling business executives.

    User Stats

    261
    Posts
    166
    Votes
    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    166
    Votes |
    261
    Posts
    Patrick Flanagan
    • Property Manager
    • Prineville, Or
    Replied

    @Lioneil Guevarra

    Great info! Do you have many traveling nurse units?