All Forum Posts by: Jake Cohen

@Rafael Ramon congrats on getting this great property up and running. Were the numbers quoted for December? When you did the research, did you figure you could still break even in the slow (hot season). I used to manage a hotel in Palm Spring which crushed it for about 6 months of the year Nov-April but the slow season was dead.

Also curious about rental restrictions from the HOA and the city of Indio. Any issues?

I have STRs in Colorado. Starting to expand out of state.

Cheers and good luck.

@Wendy Schultz thanks for the comment. Yes I’ve been investigating Remotelocks as well. The biggest knock against them is they send the door code immediately when a guest makes a reservation. Is that what you find as well? What PMS do you use? I’m trying to only make a change once instead of 3 times so trying to really do my homework.

Thanks!

@Robert Gilstrap the backend is about $15/ mo per door. They have some other cool integrations with PMS systems that will notify guest the room is ready when the cleaners finish cleaning, ability to have a text sent to the guest as soon as they first enter the code to welcome them, send guidebook, etc. I like the idea of the whole system. Can even be integrated to adjust heat settings based on occupancy. Pretty cool stuff.

I have heard about Rboys and looked at it a little. Does it integrate into Smartbnb or webrez?

@John Underwood I definitely see the value in a simple solution. I go back and forth all the time if I should just put regular old locks back on the doors. Do use a kwikset smart key to be able to rekey easily?

I know locks are talked about over and over on this forum.

Came across a company called Lynx and was curious if anyone uses their smart home system.

Thanks!

@Keith Hebert how are your locks working out for you? Just had a consultation with them. Looks like they are now called Lynx. Thanks!

@David Bergmann how long have you been using this system? I previously used some Schlage connect locks but found after a couple years they became unreliable. What locks are you using in conjunction with this system? I have had issue with the hub being one more item to make sure is connected to the internet. I was leaning towards direct WiFi connection locks that are lever only instead of deadbolts as we have issues with wood expanding and contracting in the mountains. 

@Julie McCoy appreciate the feedback. I definitely don’t like the idea of the remote lock code going to the guest immediately. That seems like a big oversight on behalf of the company. I have a couple of the Schlage encodes and they work reasonably well. I was just hoping to try a lever only smart lock to alleviate the door expanding contracting issues with a deadbolt. Good luck!

@Luke Trovinger I have experimented with a number of different platforms. The ones that seem best are Airbnb, VRBO, and Zillow. I tried furnished finder and didn’t find it to work well for this property. Many people have told me it’s great but I think it’s best for 1 or 2 bedroom or shared spaces. 

@Nathan Silver I recorded a webinar about furnishing a property and have a huge list of items on my website that I use in my properties. All are easily acquired and pretty inexpensive compared to what most people charge. Happy to pass on my website if you send me a Direct Message.