All Forum Posts by: January Johnson

You need Holly Hunter in Orlando/Kissimmee.

The Short Term Shop is in several of these markets:

AL:  Gulf Shores (Jonathan Lazzarino)
TX:  Crystal Beach/Galveston and Hill Country/Fredricksburg (Kelsy Ardoin and Stacey Lancaster)

See their website for all of the markets they are in.  Here's a link to podcasts on all their markets:  https://theshorttermshop.com/podcasts/

I pay a neighbor's kid $10 a week to roll 2 cans down to the street and back.  He lives across the street from 2 of my properties in FL.

The 2021 book is Short Term Rental, Long Term Wealth.

The new book is Smarter Short Term Rentals.

Both are published by BP.

1)  I have a broker and I call them to ask for new quotes.  

2) I saved 50% - over $2,250 for the year - on my personal home last year by doing this. I have saved hundreds on my STR rentals. Not every year, but I can usually get a policy for less than the current carrier wants to increase my premium to, so I consider mitigating the increase a WIN.

If I were your age, I would 100% do a house hack of some kind.  I know you don't have money for a downpayment yet, but when you do, rent out rooms or buy a duplex or triplex and live in one side and rent out the others.  Live there 2 years, then buy another.  You will be a multimillionaire investor/owner before you're 40.

 Go to Airbnb and see what the demand is.  There's a map of all the properties listed on that site.  That will tell you something.  Also do the enemy method (dot com) to suss out your competition.  Look at properties with lots of reviews and lots of available dates to rent.  Compete with the top, not the bottom.  Finally, DECOR MATTERS.  Don't cheap out on this, and don't try to take photos with your cell phone.  It will show you're an amateur.  Good luck!

Or REQUIREMENTS for personal use. 

When I lived in TX, no one ever inspected my homes.  I live in FL now, and it is the norm for a new insurance company to check/inspect.  Kin.com had me take my own photos and upload them to their app.  Other companies have come in person to do it.

Every year, I get new 4-point inspections on ALL of my properties and send to my agent to re-shop my insurance rates.  This has never NOT paid off for me.  (Most people do not know that FL 4-points are only good for one year, so get them every 12 months for sure.).  You do not just have to roll over and take it from the insurance companies.  They will ALL try to up your rates, but you can usually mitigate the amount of the increase with a new 4-point and a call to your agent.

If my carrier changes because my agent found a better deal, they typically want to come inspect.  Sometimes they want me to fix something (like cracks in a driveway that no other company had cared about previously).  Mostly they do not.

If you changed carriers, I would expect a new inspection.  Is it possible that you changed some carriers but not others?

I'm sending you a DM with some helpful info.