All Forum Posts by: Jon Martin

Just when you thought traffic and congestion couldn't get any worse in Santa Cruz (and every other CA beach community) . .. . . Yikes!

You're welcome Amy! I ordered my couch and dressers from Living Spaces. Their prices are pretty reasonable (~$1K for a 3-seater, closer to $2K for a larger sectional) and I have not been charged extra for any of the holding costs. They have everything and also have a decent clearance section. Also, I think even Wayfair has the white glove option, might be worth speaking with their pro customer service. 

Yes, the mover I found on Thumbtack has been a huge help and he's been my go to odd job/handyman guy. 

Try to order from companies that actually bring stuff indoors, or at least with the option to upgrade to "white glove" or "over-the-threshold" delivery. Usually this requires the merchant to sub out the delivery to some kind of logistics company that specializes in this sort of thing and allows for exact date delivery, whereas if its UPS delivering for Amazon they will only leave it on the front door at whatever date ultimately works for them. Some of these companies will hold on to your furniture for you until a specific date, even if that gets pushed back. XPO has been holding on to my Living Spaces order for several months and they haven't charged me any kind of fees, and it is easy to reschedule with them. 

If you are ordering random stuff from all over, the best you can do is time the shipments for your arrival and hope for the best. I'd recommend trying to find a mover on Thumbtack to help, and if the person turns out well then maybe you can trust them to drag boxes inside and other set up tasks if anything shows up after you leave. You will also have a mountain of cardboard to dispose of, so you may as well have that person haul that out for you as well. 

Legally they are the same but they serve very different markets and needs. People want/need temporary furnished housing for all kinds of reasons, and they are willing to pay a monthly premium for the flexibility and ease of move in/out. 

Missing out on traditional LTR tenants is the whole point because those tenants usually have their own furniture, TV, wares etc and are looking for the 1+ year lease and do no want to rent your furniture in addition to the home. 

Agree with everything above. 

Probably only worth it if you plan to spend a significant portion of the year there (3 months/year minimum, preferably 6+) for at least the next 1-2 decades. 

Central Coast resident here. I would avoid this state even if the numbers work. You are seeing a lot of County-wide regulations, which is especially worrying. I personally like properties in unincorporated areas that are in close proximity to hot spots because they tend to be safe from city rules, but County STR regs throw that strategy right out the window.

Another thing I don't like is that LTR laws strongly favor tenants, so an LTR back-up plan is a lot more risky. 

Thanks Jeffrey! the Favorite Jeans is similar to a color I have picked out (BenMoore Whipple Blue) for painting the porches at my STR.

@Jeffrey Page do you recall the paint name for what is on your ground floor porch? Great listing, well done!

I wouldn't call anything underrated if the price to entry is as high as what it is in Gulf Shores. Maybe in the pre-Covid days you could've called it that. 

Aside from favorable ADR to purchase price ratios, I like markets where I can do an enemy analysis and see STRs with underwhelming interiors but have well-booked calendars. That way I'm relatively confident that I can do far better with some TLC and ingenuity. Doing periodic searches throughout the year for the upcoming weekend and seeing what's available can also give you a good sense of the market landscape. Whereas if I look up the Joshua Tree area I can hundreds of listings for the next few weeks, many of which with great designs and amenities but with wide open calendars. 

I will also second the comments above about regional markets that are lesser known outside of that area, but are long-time destinations that are frequented every summer by people within an easy drive away. Especially when most of the homes are already STRs and there are geographic constraints that prevent more expansion, which makes it a relatively safe bet in regards to market saturation and occupancy.