All Forum Posts by: Brian Barch

There seems to be a general consensus in Appalachia that mountain roads are to be expected with a view. 

It’s mostly the FL residents that take issue with them. This seems to be a known thing as several different locals have brought it up to me.

We just purchased an STR that has very crappy mountain roads. Lots of deferred maintenance. The previous owner only used VRBO, and in the listing it was in all caps "AWD strongly recommended, not required, refunds will not be given for not making it up the roads…."

It was 80% booked last year. A few have told me, some clientele like that. They own Jeep’s and trucks, they like the challenge, and it implies being off the beaten path, which is what they want.

We just bought, and budgeted in paving the roads which is happening next week.

Only one data point here, but it was not a deterrent for our place last year, and it was listed in the listing. 

The two bad reviews they had were because of the road, both elderly couples who ignored the listing. Hope that helps!

I used Ben cox. 10% down. No affiliation but I would recommend 

I really like awning as a favorite. Airdna is good for analyzing a market as well. Note airdna includes cleaning fees, awning does not.

awning will allow you to pick comps, estimate fees, etc and see the whole proforma inclusive of tax benefits

All answers welcome, however those in mountainous areas near large metros, how many days in advance does your average guest book?

I’m new to the game, our Dec. has 14 days booked currently, still with one weekend open. Really just more curious than anything, as to how many bookings are last minute (week of) vs a month+ ahead of time?

Most of our current bookings were inherited with the sale

We looked at cabin in that same resort.

we didn’t care for it very much. It lacked Mountain View’s and the resort is so large that one must drive windy roads for 20+ minutes to get from one side to the other. It was like a maze that never ended.

Also, it’s zoned sort of funny. There are $500k cabin, but also trailer parks, campsites, etc all in one.

To be fair the pools were nice, as was the river, and comparatively the dues were low. In our search, it stood out to me how many listings there were there. Not that it’s bad, moreso a function of the size of the resort, and with the price point I think it’s naturally a little more transient.

to me, the desirable parts of Ellijay are near downtown, or east of 575 where it’s mountainous and there are wineries. To each their own, but to me this resort felt much more blue collar and less mountain resort if that makes sense.

did you have specific questions I could try to answer? Happy to help

awning.com will market it as a business to potential investors for you.  They have licensed realtors on staff

Analyze a couple of different ways, but ultimately just get started.

don’t buy a place you wouldn’t want to stay in yourself

Be a good host. You are in the hospitality business

Buy a place that stands out from others, typically via design, location, view, amenities, etc

   what kind of boost did you see by adding Airbnb?

Looks great!

87 photos?