All Forum Posts by: Greg Seivert

I live in Honokaa.  I don't think there's much going on here on the Big Island, but I would be interested.

I just listened to a BP podcast where Brandon says to blame it on a higher power.  "My accountant is making me raise the rent!  The lawyer says I have to!"  The tennant is more likely to understand, and you're not the bad guy.  Good luck!

Hey Bigger Pockets masterminds- If you were me, what would be your next move? I've lived in Hawaii most of my life. For five years I've house hacked a short term rental with great success. Earlier this year, the value of my house increased enough to take out a heloc, which I reinvested in another vacation rental in St. Augustine, Florida where I grew up. I have systems in place to self manage remotely, and It's also doing well. I've joined BP Pro, analyzed deals, been doing my homework, and I've got the bug! My goal is to buy an investment property each year. Within a few months, I'll pay off some personal debt to get my DTI ratio low again. I'll have a 2021 tax return of about $200k gross (rental and W-2 income). I was in a good position with the Airbnb IPO, so I have about $20,000 in stock as cash reserves. That's my situation. So what's next? Any good ideas from you Bigger Pockets wizards? My main question is where does the next down payment come from? In Hawaii, the cost of living is high, so it's not easy to save. Do I wait until I can take out another heloc on the St. Augustine house? For investments, I've considered another STR, long term rentals, or something different like a warehouse, storage units, etc. Probably along the east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to Melbourne, where I'm familiar and seem to get a favorable bang for the buck. Or where I live in Hawaii (Big Island) if something is affordable enough. Or Utah, California, Oregon where I have family. Do I diversify, or focus on one area? I'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks for your input!

I get so tired of hearing wild success stories, this was really refreshing!  If you don't swing the bat, you'll never hit the ball; the story of my life.  Keep swinging!  

@jinhee hann

Hey, just saw your question.  I'd say it's too heavily regulated now.  You have to be an owner/occupant renting out bedrooms or an "ohana" in your back yard.  About two years ago they made everyone renting single family homes get a stvr permit to keep doing so.  The permit stays with the house, so if you can find one of those it's well worth it.  That's on the Big Island.  The other islands are a bit different.  

My rentals are in Hawaii, where I live.  I do all the property management myself.  For me, it hasn't been overly time consuming or difficult.  Best "job" I've ever had.  

I've been an Airbnb superhost for several years.  One tip that's worked well for me is to use a channel manager like Siteminder to advertise on multiple sites and keep track of it all.  I assumed most bookings would come from Airbnb, but Booking.com was a pleasant surprise that drove even more traffic to my rental.  Have fun!   

Thanks for the post, Cameron.  I'm in your EXACT same situation, and having the same results.  We're stuck in the mud!