All Forum Posts by: Jennifer Cooper

Hi Daniel, 

I think that's a tough question to answer because this question is so relative to what your needs are. My properties are performing well in terms of occupancy  compared to others but what does that actually mean? Am I making enough money to break even for the year? No. 

Is this area considered an A rated market? No. My recommendation to others is always to do a very thorough pro forma to make sure the numbers make sense for you.

Quote from @Shehryar Iqbal:

Quote from @Jennifer Cooper:

Quote from @Shehryar Iqbal:

Quote from @Jennifer Cooper:

Hi,

We are closing on our second short term rental in Oakhurst this month. Personally I really enjoy the area which is why I chose to invest there. Heres my listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5...

Happy to share our experience with you.

-Jennifer

 Hey Jennifer, hows the seasonality?

There is definitely a peak season, the end of May through Labor Day. In the slower months I have struggled.

 What would you say your occupancy is during winter months? From my experience oakhusr is more reachable in winter months than other places

I have been in operation for a little over two years my first slow season was awful, I can’t really give you an accurate number but somewhere around 25-30%. My second slow season I decided not to rent it out because the propane bill to heat the home wasn’t worth the hassle, this last slow season was record snow and many homes lost power and heat for several days, it was categorized as a natural disaster. I’m hopeful going into this slow season  because I have traction and great SEO optimization but can’t give any sort of projection at the moment. 

A pro forma is vitally important, to make sure your projected returns match your budget.  When looking into this area as a whole it’s definitely not considered an A rated market when considering returns. 

Quote from @Jennifer Cooper:

Quote from @Shehryar Iqbal:

Quote from @Jennifer Cooper:

Hi,

We are closing on our second short term rental in Oakhurst this month. Personally I really enjoy the area which is why I chose to invest there. Heres my listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5...

Happy to share our experience with you.

-Jennifer

 Hey Jennifer, hows the seasonality?

There is definitely a peak season, the end of May through Labor Day. In the slower months I have struggled.

 I would definitely make sure you are running a pro forma to make sure your numbers are what you need them to be. 

Quote from @Shehryar Iqbal:

Quote from @Jennifer Cooper:

Hi,

We are closing on our second short term rental in Oakhurst this month. Personally I really enjoy the area which is why I chose to invest there. Heres my listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5...

Happy to share our experience with you.

-Jennifer

 Hey Jennifer, hows the seasonality?

There is definitely a peak season, the end of May through Labor Day. In the slower months I have struggled.

I would definitely look septic and the age of your well equípeme tent with that big of a home you definitely need a well performing well. If this home wasn’t being used a ton before budget in for repairs as a sudden change in use really affects things like your booster pump and pressure tank. I agree with the above poster about the whole house generator, the summer heat can be brutal depending on where you are. What is the age of the HVAC? Renters are not forgiving when it comes to being hot.   
Do you plan to self manage?
I have 2 STR's in Oakhurst happy to chat.

Looking for marketing advice for our second STR in Oakhurst Ca.

We have an Instagram and Facebook page. Anyone have any suggestions on how to use Instagram or like a how to course.

Here’s our place: 

https://www.airbnb.com/h/yosem...

I have been managing our first STR since December 2021. My insights are as follows: set expectations in your listing clearly, its the mountains, there will be leaves and dust. We live in southern california, we have spent a lot time close to our rental as we are almost ready to list our second property.

This summer our well booster pump went out, then our pressure tank, and now the capacitator on our AC, which means we will probably be replacing the unit because a capacitator will be more than half the price of a new unit.

Guests run the AC, gas, all the utilities with abandon because they feel they are paying for it. Overall, I generally love hosting and have been a long term landlord since 2010 so Im very used to things breaking and having to immediately fix them.

Hi Brian

When you average our slow season with busy season our occupancy has been about 32%. There is a lot of competition up here. We are in madera county and we just applied for a business license when we were ready to open. Even though our property was in pretty pristine condition I have to say there have been a lot of things arise and with the limited and spotty help to hire that has been a challenge. You definitely won't get a deal on any type of labor up here which has meant we do a lot of the work ourselves. Hiring for electrical work is almost always a month long wait, plumbing 2-3 weeks. Most contractors and licensed personnel are booked well in advance. So those have been my main challenges.  We also love the area so that was our big motivation.

Hi I have been operating in Oakhurst since December 2021, happy to share any insights.

-Jennifer

So far this is probably my number one issue in managing remotely. I can say do not use Top Shelf Cleaning.