All Forum Posts by: Dina Schmid

Quote from @Keagan Scott:

Quote from @Dina Schmid:

The Nashville area is one that my husband and I have been interested in for a vacation home/STR but with all the restrictions on STRs in Brown County we've mostly been looking elsewhere. (We did put an offer down on a property that was just outside of Brown County but lost out on that one.) Does this place have a STR license or can it get one?

This exact home is too close to an existing STR. The rule I was told from the planning folks is at least 0.25 miles from existing STR and at least 250ft from nearest residence. It's a great area, it's just difficult finding the right home

 I'm pretty sure I know exactly which one you are talking about. I shake my head at the 1/4 mile restriction because the idea that you can be prohibited from doing something with your home because one of your neighbors is already doing it doesn't seem right to me. I really think that regulation is ripe for a legal challenge. 

The Nashville area is one that my husband and I have been interested in for a vacation home/STR but with all the restrictions on STRs in Brown County we've mostly been looking elsewhere. (We did put an offer down on a property that was just outside of Brown County but lost out on that one.) Does this place have a STR license or can it get one?

I don't know of any online forums specifically for those severely allergic to pets, but there are for those who have fragrance allergies. We haven't had success buying a place to have as a STR yet, but when we do I'm going to try to make sure that only fragrance free products are used. (I myself am allergic to fragrances, but not to the degree that others in the forum I'm in are.) So if you're looking for allergen friendly, I'd suggest you consider fragrance allergies as well.

Is it a vacation home that you also rent out, or is it a business that you stayed in for 14nights or fewer last year?

I think the 10,000 millionaires Dave Ramsey is talking to are the "Millionaire Next Door" types. There's a lot of them and they didn't leverage debt to get there. Sure, they may have taken on debt at some point for a mortgage, but it wasn't how they grew their assets. They had a career (possibly dual career family), lived below their means and invested. Engineer, accountant, teacher, management and attorney are the careers most likely to produce millionaires. 

It's all in his study of millionaires: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/the-national-stud...

Quote from @Toni Escuder:

We've done deliveries in Hocking Hills before. The location can certainly be a challenge and something to think of for sure. Things I would think about when considering furniture deliveries and larger trucks: Are there paved roads up to the house? How sharp are the turns? Would at least a 16 ft truck be able to get to the property? Are there any weight restrictions along the way (i.e., bridges)? We've had FedEx freight refuse deliveries up a mountain before and leave the load at the bottom of the mountain so it definitely can happen. Highway trucks do not have 4-wheel drive (actually had someone ask me this recently) and are not made for off-road environments. 

Also, someone else mentioned it, but I would reconsider a home that made you feel uncomfortable getting to in an SUV. Your guests will complain and that is not something I would want to deal with over and over again. 

So my concerns about getting deliveries weren't overblown and the worst-case scenarios running through my mind are real!

I would never buy a property I wasn't comfortable driving to. The one I mentioned in the original post was one we never even went and visited because the initial approach to the property scared me. I just checked and it's still on the market with the pricing having been dropped over 30% since its initial listing. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who looked at that drive way and said "heck no!"

I'm sticking to easy-ish access properties because peace of mind is too important to me.

Thanks everyone who responded. It sounds like getting furniture and appliances to these places isn't an impossible task, but for my own peace of mind I think I'm sticking to places that aren't that difficult to access.

Quote from @John Underwood:

I have had no problems with the big box stores delivering.

If you order online then UPS or FedEx should deliver.

 Good to know. Thanks.

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Dina Schmid, that is for sure a challenge.

We have a rural lake house, but it is on a paved road in a tiny little lake town. The distance from town is the main constraint in delivery.

So I will say that Lowe's owns their own delivery trucks and staff. They will deliver to just about any rural address. Costco and Home Depot farm out their deliveries so you won't get them to deliver. They were able to deliver my washer/dryer no problem.

What you can do is check with Lowe's or another local stores and tell them your issues. I am betting they can help get the stuff there.

But first thing, keep looking for a rural place that has better access. If it makes you nervous to get to the place, then every guest will have the same issues.

Very helpful. I'd thought about Lowe's/Home Depot and it's good to know that Lowe's will deliver to rural locations. More importantly was realizing that if I'm uncomfortable with the accessibility, then potential renters will be too. So I am going to continue to mentally cross off those places that just seem to be a logistical challenge, no matter how great the view.

I'm continuing to search for a vacation home that we can use list as a STR when we're not using it. We walked away from one that we really liked after it was found to have some serious foundation issues. We've been looking primarily in the Red River Gorge (KY) area and also in the Hocking Hills (OH) area. Occasionally we see places listed that need 4 Wheel Drive to access or require climbing a lot of stairs to reach the front door. I didn't even go up the long, steep driveway to one because I felt completely uncomfortable driving it in my SUV. In my mind it seems like it would be hard to coordinate furniture and appliance delivery as it may require a special vehicle and/or extra manpower to take something up 70+ stairs. I've been mentally crossing places like this off my list, but maybe I'm overly pessimistic.

Is there a trick to getting furniture and appliances delivered to a place like this that I'm just not aware of? Even if we buy turnkey, eventually it will need something and I want to make sure I'm not ruling out places that I shouldn't be.