All Forum Posts by: Alexis Miller

Thanks. That's definitely a great resource. My trouble has been cutting through the bureaucracy of big employers to reach a relevant person at those companies who can help.

I own 1 and manage 1 furnished short term rental properties in Pittsburgh. I have been lucky in the past to get referrals for good tenants without having to list the property. When I do post, I have paid for some sites, but seem to get the most responses from the usual suspects - Zillow (and Hot Pads and Trulia) and Craigslist. I have also listed on Airbnb, Furnished Finder ($99 to list 1 unit), and Carnegie Mellon's Off-Campus Housing website ($75 for a limited listing for 1 unit). Those have not resulted in any tenants, but I got a handful of responses the last time I posted there.

Our rentals are between about 2 months and 6 months long, so we've had visiting professors, traveling nurses and students doing internships. Our places are in single family houses in residential neighborhoods, so it feels daunting competing with huge apartment complexes that rent furnished apartments.

Have people found other websites or sources for listing their furnished rental that get good bang for their buck or are free? Or if anyone has contacts at corporations or other businesses or universities that would be willing to pass on our listing to potential tenants, that would be pure gold.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi @Vlad K.,

It actually depends on the municipality here, not the county. So City of Pittsburgh has different rules than other boroughs outside the city. If your property is in the city of Pittsburgh and it has 3 or more units, the most expensive improvements you'll need to consider to get an occupancy permit is that all units need to have 2 means of egress. In most cases, that means building a fire escape or a second staircase so that every unit could escape the building during a fire from 2 different places. That is the main reason why many people in Pittsburgh do not consider a building without an occupancy permit, unless of course you have the budget for that improvement and can still make the numbers work.

Thank you @Anthony Angotti and @Jay Belcher

We're looking in about a dozen neighborhoods give or take and I agree that some areas have amazing architecture but aren't good investments. I'm learning quickly that I can't get emotionally attached to the gems. 

We've got until Dec. 29 to identify our 1031 exchange property, but we don't want to rush into the decision, so we've been spending all our weekends looking at places, both on and off the MLS. We have heard now can be a good time to get a good deal with a bank owned property because they want to get it off their books by the end of the year. Does anyone have experience with that or suggestions other than looking at REO properties?

Thanks for the suggestions about the investor groups. I haven't made it to any of those meetings yet, but hear they are very worthwhile.

My husband and I have successfully flipped a house that didn't work as a rental and have the money in a 1031 exchange, so we're looking for a rental place to purchase as our replacement property. We'd ideally like a multi-family, but are open to single family as well. We're focused on City of Pittsburgh and first ring suburbs.

My experience in real estate has all been personal so far, including doing a 2-year long gut renovation of my current house, and being on the board of a nonprofit community organization that works on housing issues and works with local developers (nearly 10 years). From realtors to construction project managers, architects and builders, real estate runs in my blood too, so I guess it was only a matter of time before the bug bit me too...

I am especially passionate about urban housing and old architecture, so I've been loving the hunt so far!