Travelling nurses & MTR

Travelling nurses & MTR

Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2020 · 463 posts · 507 votes

I launched an MTR in Asheville, NC in mid-2018. The home is a 1-bedroom and is about 10 minutes away from both downtown and the largest hospital in western NC (i.e., Mission Hospital). MTR was hardly a concept back then, so it was a bit of an experiment. I guessed that most of my applicants and tenants would be traveling nurses, perhaps because I have several nurses in my family. That hasn’t proven to be the case though, even after Mission started hiring travel nurses in droves due to labor disputes. I have had a travel nurse tenant, as well as a travel psychologist, but most of my applicants have not been traveling medical. And my most qualified applicants, meaning most qualified regarding things like income and credit, have typically been digital nomads, recent divorcees, and people relocating to the area. Travel nurses often don’t make as much as it might seem. Meaning, my rent might eat up 50% or so of their net pay, but by comparison might eat up only 20% of the net pay of some other applicant, so there’s an increased risk of the tenancy not lasting long or going so well. Also, traveling nurse contracts are often short, resulting in more frequent turns if you cater to them. I’ve averaged 6 months for my tenants by requiring a 90-day minimum, with month-to-month thereafter. A 90-day minimum, or even a 60-day minimum, won’t work for most travel nurses. And, as others have pointed out in the forums, the need for travel nurses fluctuates wildly, and is hardly stable. So here’s my conclusion. I wouldn’t be comfortable investing in an MTR that’s going to be heavily dependent on travel nurses. If the local market doesn’t have a big lifestyle appeal, resulting in a steady flow of nomads and relocations, I wouldn’t recommend setting up an MTR.

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Realtor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2023 · 245 posts · 231 votes
3y

I manage MTRs in the Charlotte area and while I’d love to house and host traveling nurses, their stipend is low around here too. The inquiries we get are about half of what we can charge and they often come in at or lower than unfurnished LTR prices. Our market is filled with digital nomads, construction workers, contractors, and insurance claims.

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  • Bonnie LowPro Member
    Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y

    I've also been (pleasantly) surprised that there is a much bigger market beyond travel health care professionals for mid-term rentals. I like that there are so many different types of tenants looking for furnished stays who are willing to pay more than long term tenants. I agree that digital nomads, relocations and divorcees have been a surprising number of our prospective tenants. Also construction workers and traveling academics (the latter of which seem to have the least income to work with). That said, my current guest is a wonderful traveling nurse who is the IDEAL tenant. She is on staff at a hospital on the coast working as a per diem nurse then traveling inland to our area 2-3 days/week as a traveling nurse. In total, she works about 5 days/week - half on the coast and half here. So she's booked our MTR for 13 weeks and is here about 2 days/week so there is almost no wear and tear. Quiet, respectful, friendly and pays ahead of time with no hassle whatsoever. I wish they could all be so easy!  Love the traveling nurses but also excited to see there's a lot more potential.

  • Rental Property Investor · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 67 posts · 62 votes
    3y

    @Mitch Davidson - Do you suspect that WNC travel nurses make less than in other markets?  I did some quick online searching and this appears to be the case (i.e. average travel nurse pay in Raleigh is 25% higher).  In-general, I think our wages are relatively low compared to other metros.  I guess that WNC is still a small job market and a highly desirable place to live.

  • Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2020 · 463 posts · 507 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Christian Longacre:

    @Mitch Davidson - Do you suspect that WNC travel nurses make less than in other markets?  I did some quick online searching and this appears to be the case (i.e. average travel nurse pay in Raleigh is 25% higher).  In-general, I think our wages are relatively low compared to other metros.  I guess that WNC is still a small job market and a highly desirable place to live.

    Interesting. I guess that's not surprising. Maybe it's easier to get enough contract nurses here, comparatively, due to the outdoor features and such. A family member of mine has done some agency/travel work nearby (Waynesville). So long as her commute was 50+ miles they'd pay her more per hour ($45 I believe), as well as a per diem for housing, unlike the agency nurses that were more locally based. The work opportunities fluctuated though, meaning nothing stable or long-term.

  • Investor · Asheville, NC · Member since 2020 · 56 posts · 33 votes
    3y

    Also good to keep in mind that travel nursing peaked in 2020/2021, and a lot of hospitals are really trying to get away from travel nurses.  Their contracts can net them a pay rate that is 2-4x what local nurses make, and it's not a viable financial model for hospitals to sustain.  It also leads to general discord among the non-travel staff and doesn't do much for overall hospital morale.  I suspect we will see a drop-off in travel nurse demand for MTRs over the next couple of years.

  • Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2020 · 463 posts · 507 votes
    3y

    Good thoughts, @John Whitfield. 

  • Allen DuanPro Member
    Property Manager · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2022 · 590 posts · 463 votes
    3y

    Perhaps travel nurse demand is very location specific. We manage 17 MTRs in Los Angeles and haven't seen any decline in travel nurses in 2022. They are our best tenants. We also get a lot of local families renovating or repairing their homes, which makes sense with the high population here. Like the saying goes, all real estate is local. I'm very much bullish on MTRs in my market, but I'm not well informed on other markets and it may very well be different.

  • Real Estate Broker · Biddeford, ME · Member since 2020 · 15 posts · 8 votes
    3y
    Quote from @John Whitfield:

    Also good to keep in mind that travel nursing peaked in 2020/2021, and a lot of hospitals are really trying to get away from travel nurses.  Their contracts can net them a pay rate that is 2-4x what local nurses make, and it's not a viable financial model for hospitals to sustain.  It also leads to general discord among the non-travel staff and doesn't do much for overall hospital morale.  I suspect we will see a drop-off in travel nurse demand for MTRs over the next couple of years.


    I agree that we'll likely see a drop off in the need for MTR for nurses but due to the drop in enrollment and employment for this industry, I think it will be a while yet before the drop is significant. I have a friend that is currently employed as a traveling nurse and she indicated that she didn't see it slowing any time soon, especially for those in an area with a large or multiple trauma centers. I also believe that those who did their due diligence when researching their market for MTR will find ample opportunity to pivot to a new target audience. 

  • Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2020 · 463 posts · 507 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Allen Duan:

    Perhaps travel nurse demand is very location specific. We manage 17 MTRs in Los Angeles and haven't seen any decline in travel nurses in 2022. They are our best tenants. We also get a lot of local families renovating or repairing their homes, which makes sense with the high population here. Like the saying goes, all real estate is local. I'm very much bullish on MTRs in my market, but I'm not well informed on other markets and it may very well be different.


     Great feedback, Allen. Thanks for sharing.

  • New to Real Estate · Metro Detroit · Member since 2022 · 25 posts · 11 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Mitch Davidson:

    I launched an MTR in Asheville, NC in mid-2018. The home is a 1-bedroom and is about 10 minutes away from both downtown and the largest hospital in western NC (i.e., Mission Hospital). MTR was hardly a concept back then, so it was a bit of an experiment. I guessed that most of my applicants and tenants would be traveling nurses, perhaps because I have several nurses in my family. That hasn’t proven to be the case though, even after Mission started hiring travel nurses in droves due to labor disputes. I have had a travel nurse tenant, as well as a travel psychologist, but most of my applicants have not been traveling medical. And my most qualified applicants, meaning most qualified regarding things like income and credit, have typically been digital nomads, recent divorcees, and people relocating to the area. Travel nurses often don’t make as much as it might seem. Meaning, my rent might eat up 50% or so of their net pay, but by comparison might eat up only 20% of the net pay of some other applicant, so there’s an increased risk of the tenancy not lasting long or going so well. Also, traveling nurse contracts are often short, resulting in more frequent turns if you cater to them. I’ve averaged 6 months for my tenants by requiring a 90-day minimum, with month-to-month thereafter. A 90-day minimum, or even a 60-day minimum, won’t work for most travel nurses. And, as others have pointed out in the forums, the need for travel nurses fluctuates wildly, and is hardly stable. So here’s my conclusion. I wouldn’t be comfortable investing in an MTR that’s going to be heavily dependent on travel nurses. If the local market doesn’t have a big lifestyle appeal, resulting in a steady flow of nomads and relocations, I wouldn’t recommend setting up an MTR.


     Appreciate you sharing the experience/insight. I work in the hospital setting and have been trying to get a gauge on travel nurses in Detroit area, tough to tell. I would think it too costly and inefficient to be sustainable for hospitals, but as mentioned, sounds like every market is different. 

  • Investor · Arroyo Grande, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Ethan Kohler:
    Quote from @Mitch Davidson:

    I launched an MTR in Asheville, NC in mid-2018. The home is a 1-bedroom and is about 10 minutes away from both downtown and the largest hospital in western NC (i.e., Mission Hospital). MTR was hardly a concept back then, so it was a bit of an experiment. I guessed that most of my applicants and tenants would be traveling nurses, perhaps because I have several nurses in my family. That hasn’t proven to be the case though, even after Mission started hiring travel nurses in droves due to labor disputes. I have had a travel nurse tenant, as well as a travel psychologist, but most of my applicants have not been traveling medical. And my most qualified applicants, meaning most qualified regarding things like income and credit, have typically been digital nomads, recent divorcees, and people relocating to the area. Travel nurses often don’t make as much as it might seem. Meaning, my rent might eat up 50% or so of their net pay, but by comparison might eat up only 20% of the net pay of some other applicant, so there’s an increased risk of the tenancy not lasting long or going so well. Also, traveling nurse contracts are often short, resulting in more frequent turns if you cater to them. I’ve averaged 6 months for my tenants by requiring a 90-day minimum, with month-to-month thereafter. A 90-day minimum, or even a 60-day minimum, won’t work for most travel nurses. And, as others have pointed out in the forums, the need for travel nurses fluctuates wildly, and is hardly stable. So here’s my conclusion. I wouldn’t be comfortable investing in an MTR that’s going to be heavily dependent on travel nurses. If the local market doesn’t have a big lifestyle appeal, resulting in a steady flow of nomads and relocations, I wouldn’t recommend setting up an MTR.


     Appreciate you sharing the experience/insight. I work in the hospital setting and have been trying to get a gauge on travel nurses in Detroit area, tough to tell. I would think it too costly and inefficient to be sustainable for hospitals, but as mentioned, sounds like every market is different. 


    Ethan, I run a STR in Detroit that's near a hospital. I haven't had any traveling nurses. That said, it's a big 5-bedroom, 3-bath house. So I'm catering more to larger groups. That's been doing fantastic though. I'm doing numbers that folks are doing in traditional vaca markets but at the fraction of the cost for the house.

  • Member since 2020 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    Hey @Allen Duan I was wondering if I could reach out to you offline to ask you about MTRs in Los Angeles. I'm 4 weeks away from completing an ADU that I'd like to rent to traveling nurses. Please let me know if you'd be willing to chat. Thanks!

  • New to Real Estate · Metro Detroit · Member since 2022 · 25 posts · 11 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Travis Biziorek:
    Quote from @Ethan Kohler:
    Quote from @Mitch Davidson:

    I launched an MTR in Asheville, NC in mid-2018. The home is a 1-bedroom and is about 10 minutes away from both downtown and the largest hospital in western NC (i.e., Mission Hospital). MTR was hardly a concept back then, so it was a bit of an experiment. I guessed that most of my applicants and tenants would be traveling nurses, perhaps because I have several nurses in my family. That hasn’t proven to be the case though, even after Mission started hiring travel nurses in droves due to labor disputes. I have had a travel nurse tenant, as well as a travel psychologist, but most of my applicants have not been traveling medical. And my most qualified applicants, meaning most qualified regarding things like income and credit, have typically been digital nomads, recent divorcees, and people relocating to the area. Travel nurses often don’t make as much as it might seem. Meaning, my rent might eat up 50% or so of their net pay, but by comparison might eat up only 20% of the net pay of some other applicant, so there’s an increased risk of the tenancy not lasting long or going so well. Also, traveling nurse contracts are often short, resulting in more frequent turns if you cater to them. I’ve averaged 6 months for my tenants by requiring a 90-day minimum, with month-to-month thereafter. A 90-day minimum, or even a 60-day minimum, won’t work for most travel nurses. And, as others have pointed out in the forums, the need for travel nurses fluctuates wildly, and is hardly stable. So here’s my conclusion. I wouldn’t be comfortable investing in an MTR that’s going to be heavily dependent on travel nurses. If the local market doesn’t have a big lifestyle appeal, resulting in a steady flow of nomads and relocations, I wouldn’t recommend setting up an MTR.


     Appreciate you sharing the experience/insight. I work in the hospital setting and have been trying to get a gauge on travel nurses in Detroit area, tough to tell. I would think it too costly and inefficient to be sustainable for hospitals, but as mentioned, sounds like every market is different. 


    Ethan, I run a STR in Detroit that's near a hospital. I haven't had any traveling nurses. That said, it's a big 5-bedroom, 3-bath house. So I'm catering more to larger groups. That's been doing fantastic though. I'm doing numbers that folks are doing in traditional vaca markets but at the fraction of the cost for the house.

     Hey @Travis Biziorek, out of curiosity, what made you target Detroit for STR? I see you're out of of CA. Are you all over in which Detroit is just one market for you?

    I wouldn't think there would be much demand for STR in Detroit, unless you're talking outskirts by a lake? But of course I'm wrong a lot and there are other situations.

  • Investor · Arroyo Grande, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Ethan Kohler:
    Quote from @Travis Biziorek:
    Quote from @Ethan Kohler:
    Quote from @Mitch Davidson:

    I launched an MTR in Asheville, NC in mid-2018. The home is a 1-bedroom and is about 10 minutes away from both downtown and the largest hospital in western NC (i.e., Mission Hospital). MTR was hardly a concept back then, so it was a bit of an experiment. I guessed that most of my applicants and tenants would be traveling nurses, perhaps because I have several nurses in my family. That hasn’t proven to be the case though, even after Mission started hiring travel nurses in droves due to labor disputes. I have had a travel nurse tenant, as well as a travel psychologist, but most of my applicants have not been traveling medical. And my most qualified applicants, meaning most qualified regarding things like income and credit, have typically been digital nomads, recent divorcees, and people relocating to the area. Travel nurses often don’t make as much as it might seem. Meaning, my rent might eat up 50% or so of their net pay, but by comparison might eat up only 20% of the net pay of some other applicant, so there’s an increased risk of the tenancy not lasting long or going so well. Also, traveling nurse contracts are often short, resulting in more frequent turns if you cater to them. I’ve averaged 6 months for my tenants by requiring a 90-day minimum, with month-to-month thereafter. A 90-day minimum, or even a 60-day minimum, won’t work for most travel nurses. And, as others have pointed out in the forums, the need for travel nurses fluctuates wildly, and is hardly stable. So here’s my conclusion. I wouldn’t be comfortable investing in an MTR that’s going to be heavily dependent on travel nurses. If the local market doesn’t have a big lifestyle appeal, resulting in a steady flow of nomads and relocations, I wouldn’t recommend setting up an MTR.


     Appreciate you sharing the experience/insight. I work in the hospital setting and have been trying to get a gauge on travel nurses in Detroit area, tough to tell. I would think it too costly and inefficient to be sustainable for hospitals, but as mentioned, sounds like every market is different. 


    Ethan, I run a STR in Detroit that's near a hospital. I haven't had any traveling nurses. That said, it's a big 5-bedroom, 3-bath house. So I'm catering more to larger groups. That's been doing fantastic though. I'm doing numbers that folks are doing in traditional vaca markets but at the fraction of the cost for the house.

     Hey @Travis Biziorek, out of curiosity, what made you target Detroit for STR? I see you're out of of CA. Are you all over in which Detroit is just one market for you?

    I wouldn't think there would be much demand for STR in Detroit, unless you're talking outskirts by a lake? But of course I'm wrong a lot and there are other situations.


    It's a bit of a story but I'll try and give you the short answer. I have 12-doors in Detroit and this one is my only STR.

    The STR is in Detroit proper, so not a traditional vaca area or someplace outside the city. It's a big rehab we did on a house a couple years ago, turning a duplex into a large SFH. The neighborhood was coming up and I wanted to maximize bedroom count because I figured I might try an STR there in the future.

    That future came faster than anticipated. My family and I left the Detroit area in August 2022 and our tenant in this home (then paying $2,400/mo) had purchased a home outside the city and decided not to renew their lease. So we ended up furnishing the house with much of our stuff from our primary rather than moving everything across the country.

    We went live in mid-July and have had a 79% occupancy rate since. 

    I'm not sure I'd do another STR. I'm definitely hesitant about doing it in a traditional vaca market as that seems extremely overheated. I think most folks are getting into STR's in an effort to boost returns. I get similar or better returns on LTR's in Detroit with, what I'd argue, is less risk.

  • Professional · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2016 · 126 posts · 123 votes
    3y
    I have STRs and MTRs and would not necessarily agree about not doing it if you don't live in a lifestyle appeal market.  I have properties in my small town (Pittsboro NC) that stay booked both STR and MTR.  MTR does include traveling nurses but also insurance (waiting for home repair/rebuild), people waiting on their new homes to be built, other professions in town on a work assignment (Duke Energy, Bayer, have been a couple) and the STR's attract everything from weddings, funerals, graduations, fishing tournaments at Jordan Lake, local classes....in short, we do not have much lifestyle appeal but I still stay booked.
  • Allen DuanPro Member
    Property Manager · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2022 · 590 posts · 463 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Paul Dario Jr:

    Hey @Allen Duan I was wondering if I could reach out to you offline to ask you about MTRs in Los Angeles. I'm 4 weeks away from completing an ADU that I'd like to rent to traveling nurses. Please let me know if you'd be willing to chat. Thanks!


     Of course! Please feel free to DM me and we can chat.

  • Member since 2020 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    @Allen Duan thanks. I just DM’d. Looking forward to talking.

  • Realtor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2023 · 245 posts · 231 votes
    3y

    I manage MTRs in the Charlotte area and while I’d love to house and host traveling nurses, their stipend is low around here too. The inquiries we get are about half of what we can charge and they often come in at or lower than unfurnished LTR prices. Our market is filled with digital nomads, construction workers, contractors, and insurance claims.

  • Alex NebePro Member
    New to Real Estate · Asheville NC · Member since 2022 · 5 posts · 4 votes
    3y

    Hey! I know I am a little late to the party and also VERY new to BP Forums, but I wanted to add my 2 cents and share my experiences as the partner to a travel nurse. 

    Firstly I really enjoyed reading the different view points on MTS from each of you! There a lot of value here that I hope to use. 

    My wife is a NICU nurse and we have been traveling since the end of 2019. She has had assignments in Winston Salem NC, Albuquerque NM, and now in Asheville. Having lived it and met a lot of other travel nurses from all over the country, my take on MTRs and travel nurses' is that there will always be a demand. Reason being the demand for specialties like NICU nurse fluctuate greatly depending on seasons and lifestyle shifts. At times there are very few babies, and then all of a sudden the census in hospitals jump, so they scramble to hire travelers. Additionally another big factor that effects the demand for travelers is wage disputes and strikes. We have seen hospitals offering up to $100/hr for contracts! 

    Point being that if you run the numbers properly and do your research, to me a MTR leased by a traveling professional is ideal. They are less likely to destroy the property, they pay the bills on time, they are happy to pay more than LTR rates, and you can have less vacancy than STRs. Every city we have travelled to, it has been VERY hard to find a MTR that suit a traveling couple i.e. a 2-3br/1-2bt with parking. 

    My suggestion would be to look up travel nurse groups on FB and see what people are saying about different markets and hospitals, and then explore properties within 20 minutes of popular hospitals. I hope that helps! Good luck!!

  • New to Real Estate · Calvert County, MD · Member since 2020 · 17 posts · 12 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Alex Nebe:

    Hey! I know I am a little late to the party and also VERY new to BP Forums, but I wanted to add my 2 cents and share my experiences as the partner to a travel nurse. 

    Firstly I really enjoyed reading the different view points on MTS from each of you! There a lot of value here that I hope to use. 

    My wife is a NICU nurse and we have been traveling since the end of 2019. She has had assignments in Winston Salem NC, Albuquerque NM, and now in Asheville. Having lived it and met a lot of other travel nurses from all over the country, my take on MTRs and travel nurses' is that there will always be a demand. Reason being the demand for specialties like NICU nurse fluctuate greatly depending on seasons and lifestyle shifts. At times there are very few babies, and then all of a sudden the census in hospitals jump, so they scramble to hire travelers. Additionally another big factor that effects the demand for travelers is wage disputes and strikes. We have seen hospitals offering up to $100/hr for contracts! 

    Point being that if you run the numbers properly and do your research, to me a MTR leased by a traveling professional is ideal. They are less likely to destroy the property, they pay the bills on time, they are happy to pay more than LTR rates, and you can have less vacancy than STRs. Every city we have travelled to, it has been VERY hard to find a MTR that suit a traveling couple i.e. a 2-3br/1-2bt with parking. 

    My suggestion would be to look up travel nurse groups on FB and see what people are saying about different markets and hospitals, and then explore properties within 20 minutes of popular hospitals. I hope that helps! Good luck!!

    Thanks so much for sharing your insight Alex! It is very helpful to me, as I am just getting started in MTR.
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