All Forum Posts by: Bryant Xavier

Hope everyone had a great holiday! I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about 2025. I have a lot of things in store and am looking forward to another year of growth and getting one step closer to my goals. 

What kind of goals / plans do you have for 2025? 

Merry Christmas, Jordan! Hope it was a great day and an even better year. 

from: 

Fellow EXP agent located in TEXAS! 

Welcome! What markets are you in / plan to invest in? 

Grant,

Great question/topic. Fellow STR owner/manager from TX.

I do think there is value in having some pre guest documentation in the event that you have a guest come in and make false claims about cleanliness, etc. I have been in this situation before and having documentation to send Airbnb helped win my case. We take pre guest check in videos between every guest. Short 1.5 minute video walk through of all of the rooms, bathrooms, common areas, etc. 

What I would do is ask the current cleaning crew/company to send you a quick walkthrough video after they're done cleaning. This is a minimal request (in my opinion, especially if you're paying a premium) and takes no time to do. I would also have them review the video before they start cleaning next time they're there. This is what we do for our clients between each guest. It kills 2 birds with 1 stone in the sense that it offers me evidence that the property is cleaned and everything is in place before guests arrive and watching video after guest departs helps me make sure everything is there, and nothing is missing / damaged from last group. This seems beneficial in your case where you're dealing with various different cleaners cleaning your property throughout the month. Some houses have so many decorations, misc. items around the house it is difficult to notice when things go missing over time.

Hope this helps! 

Welcome to BP, Reno!

Which areas are you leaning more towards? My piece of advice would be to make sure you have a great agent in your corner to help you assess the market, make informed decisions, etc. having a good agent can be day & nights difference when it comes to your experience. I have a few in the markets you're looking in and would be happy to make an intro. 

I am right down the way, located in College Station / Bryan market. Have you ever thought about our area? 

Welcome to the BP community! 

Good luck with everything and let me know if I can be of any help. I'm also from Texas and a realtor here in the Bryan / College Station market. 

Reeti,

Great idea in checking on this aspect of the process. Understanding STR regulations in a market is an essential "must do" when it comes to evaluating a short term rental. This is very important and can cost you a lot if you don't pay attention to these rules / regulations.

To answer your question, I would simply search google or even Bing AI chat and ask "short term rental regulations in ___" fill in the blank with the market you're searching in. Most of the time, it's not going to be hidden. It's in municipalities best interest to have this information readily available to the public so their rules are abided by. 

You could also call the city's code enforcement department and ask them their regulations on short term rentals. 

Another way, you could connect with a host via Airbnb/ VRBO Facebook groups in the area you're searching and ask them what they do and how they handle it. Obviously do your own research before asking people on Facebook, but just another way to connect with hosts and see what they do and how they file those STR taxes and maybe some additional helpful info.

Hope this helps! 

Eric,

First, Good idea on searching for a realtor specializing in STRs. Finding good STR's can be a niche market, so it's a good idea to find an agent that is familiar with STR so they can point you in the right direction for zoning, good markets, etc.

Second, I'd connect with some local hosts in your area also in addition to Airdna. Airdna is a good resource and tool, but I wouldn't rely solely on that platform for data. I've heard some rumors of Airdna skewing data a bit (I've heard this first hand and read online.) I'd connect with some local investors either through the Airbnb app.. can message them as a guest and ask for a phone call to see their experiences and see if someone can send you their P/L or share experiences, and or connect with local facebook groups. Most big cities have good Facebook groups dedicated to STR in their area and is a good way to connect with tons of hosts in the area and pick their brain.

Third, I'll check in my resources to see if I can recommend an agent. I'll PM you with an intro given I can find somebody who has STR experience.

Hope this helps! 

Hey, Aaron! 

Congrats on closing soon and what sounds like a sweet deal. I am also from the B/CS area and have some investment properties in town. Would love to connect as I also have a construction team to quote your punch list items needing to be done at the other property, as well as have some advice on management tips, tricks, etc. 

Looking forward to hearing back from you - will send you a message to hop on a call.

Aaron,

This is a sweet deal you got here. How long did the project take?