Tips on how to furnish an STR remotely

[Joseph E.]

I'm considering buying an out of state short term rental and self-manage remotely. I've been reading up on some of the operational hurdles that hosts typically face when doing this, but one topic I've been struggling to find great info on is around furnishing.

What are some tips and strategies folks have used to buy and furnish a rental that's not within driving distance? I've seen plenty of great posts on what to buy, but not how to actually go about setting it up. Do most of you just hire someone in market that will move furniture into the rental as it arrives (prior to actually setting it up)? Ideally, I would have most items ordered and delivered, and then I would fly out and make a big weekend of it to set everything up. Curious to know how people typically do this.

Thanks!

[Jason Potts]

I'm down in FL and setting up a 5/5.5 up in the Smokies (10hr drive). I called Wayfair told them what I'm doing and the expectation to spend $30K+, and asked for a commercial account. I ordered everything to my home in FL. I plan on loading up a 26ft Uhaul and driving up next month, and spending 2 weeks there. The first week for furniture building and setup the place. The second week to "vacation" and figure out everything we forgot like @Account Closed noted. I will note my wife is not happy that we have boxed up furniture, TVs, small kitchen appliances, etc. to the ceiling in our home. I'm pitching it's as a family adventure!!! All in I'm right at $34K, and the quotes I received from local furniture companies were in the $50K range. We will see if all the work is worth the savings next month!