All Forum Posts by: Kyler J Sloan

I could very likely be exaggerating how bad it is, but here is a video of the driveway: 

Too steep for Airbnb?

I have not had much exposure to the mountains of Tennessee, and wanted to get an opinion:

How bad is this driveway (link below)?

Too steep for Airbnb?

Note: my last post was in response to @JD Martin

I may have led you to believe that the driveway is more serious than it is. There is certainly no "cliff", and a jeep that runs off the road will be stopped by trees before it can slide very far.

I will post a video tomorrow. 

But, this is the sort of advice I was hoping for!

Apparently, one has to push for it. 

@Account Closed That is the first good reason given in this forum. However, I would counter with the following: 

[1] The people who feel uncomfortable renting the jeep probably would not consider it anyway. 

I would not be telling them that they "have to" rent the jeep if they rent the place, but that they can if they do not have a 4x4 and it makes them more comfortable. Consider UPS and Penske rentals -- virtually none of the first time rentees have handled a box-truck before the keys to one of them are handed over, and they are FAR more difficult to adapt to if you have only driven your Toyota Carola up to that point. Yet, these giant companies do it with no hesitation (the same applies to ATV and bike rentals). Clearly, if they are doing this, there is a way to protect yourself from liability. 

[2] It is upon me to safeguard myself from liability, and for the guest to decide what they are capable of and/or comfortable with. 

I am not going to pre-emptively exclude an option just because some number of guests might be reckless -- by that logic, none of us should hazard our rentals by allowing guests in. These examples are no different from those you hear on a weekly basis unfamiliar with real estate, saying something like: "what if a guest sets fire to your house?", "What if they refuse to pay rent and won't leave", etc. The difference is, you all know what to do in these situations, and how to protect yourself from them. 

@Paul Sandhu I considered a ATV, but was initially very interested in the utility vehicle below. 

However, I could not put it on Turo, and would have to setup my own insurance, etc. 

@Bruce Woodruff So sad to see what a toll forty years of experience can take on one's imagination, and what it can add to one's resentment and intolerance for change. As a testament to the former, you even had to frame your critique in imitation of my former statement: "This forum should be retitled 'What Real Estate Investors Think About Turo". 

So, the "Smokey Mountain Jeep Rental" company near Pigeon Forge should under no circumstances rent to people who intend to take the jeep to an Airbnb? There goes a vast majority of their profit. 

The suggestion I am making is no different than that -- the Turo car and Airbnb house would be entirely distinct products, on different planforms, with a simple advertisement in the house listing offering a discount on the jeep. 

Tell me, with specifics -- what is the problem? 

@Kevin Leahy Sorry; I meant to respond earlier. I am not sure why I was so fixated on the Home Depot Project Loan. I guess it was the idea of temporarily deferring payments on a large portion of the total expense while I have no renters coming in. 

However, there are some other renovation loans which also allow for a "buying window". 

And -- yeah, it was foolish of me to suggest giving them access to the account (even if I know them pretty well, and do not suspect that they will do something under-handed). It unnecessarily complicates things.