All Forum Posts by: Lauren Kormylo

I have streaming only, with Roku TVs and fast internet. No complaints. 

I'm on Airbnb and Vrbo, and also Houfy (direct bookings) but have stayed away from Booking .com because of the horror stories from fellow hosts. If they improve to the level of the others, I may try them.

Have you tried Proper Insurance or Foremost?  

I looked in thrift stores and on FB Marketplace for my house, but found poor selection, and none of it fit in with the decor I was going for. I wanted a cohesive, fairly upscale look, so bought new from a variety of places including a local furniture store, Amazon, Wayfair, Target online, Home Depot online, Pottery Barn, Article, and others.

The key is to always read reviews of the furniture, no matter where you buy it.  And sort them for the most recent reviews.  You're looking for finishes that hold up to wet glasses and don't chip, upholstery fabrics that don't stain, and furniture that doesn't sag or break. You can find all that at various price points, not just higher end.

Check bed frames and chairs for their weight limits.  I've seen dining chairs that are only rated for 225lb, which is ridiculous, they will not last.  You don't want someone getting hurt when a chair leg breaks off. You will get kids jumping on beds and heavy couples using these.  Queen or King beds that use wood slats can be a problem. I have inexpensive but nice looking wood beds with separate heavy duty Zinus metal frames dropped in instead of the wood slats that came with them. I would only use wood slats for twin beds. I have nightstands with glass tops so there are no rings from drinking glasses.

Just remember that buying online means you will probably be assembling the items.  So it will add time, and then you have to cut up and throw out big boxes. 

I only supply a 12 cup drip coffemaker.  I sleep 9, and supplying all those pods and cleaning the Keuring etc would be too much for my cleaners.  

I assume there's no HOA?

Re trash, you may have to pay someone to take the cans to the curb for you, as you can't expect guests to do that. Either a neighbor, cleaner, or some trash companies you can pay extra to pull the trash cans out for you.  

Another expense is replacing items that are broken, stolen, or worn out over time.  It's usually not a lot, but I've had to replace a broken office chair that was only 2 years old, had better quality bed pillows been switched with cheap Walmart ones, and had a blanket go missing.  Things like that.

Make sure to get fairly fast internet if you'll host a lot of guests.  I assume you'll use streaming only for TV, no cable or satellite?  

Management has to allow you to STR, and not change their minds in the future. I would also be worried about the park rules and keeping my guests from breaking them. Park rules are usually much more restrictive than even houses in HOAs because mobile homes and RVs are close together, and have older residents who are nosy and particular. I would also be concerned with land rent going up over time, and having no control over that.

I started allowing dogs a year ago at my beach property, and this past year 55% of my guests had dogs. It has very much increased my occupancy. It helps that not many large houses in my area accept them.  

I charge a $150 pet fee, of which $30 goes to my cleaner for the additional cleaning.  I did have some damage - someone closed their dog in the powder room while they were away.  The dog bit into the blinds, broke the TP holder off the wall, and scratched up the door and frame. After that, I got a large dog crate and set it up in the master walk-in closet.  I also added a pet blanket for the master bed, because dogs' nails were snagging the stitching on quilts.  Other that those things, I haven't had any other damage. Being dog friendly has definitely been a positive for me.

$3,000 is cheap for hardwood for 2 bedrooms, so I would go for it now.  Especially since later you're going to have the rooms full of furniture, and have to block off time with no bookings.

I bought my STR with carpet in the 4 bedrooms and didn't have the budget then to replace them with hard flooring. So I need to have the carpets cleaned professionally each year, and my cleaner has to use a home machine to spot clean about every month in the summer, when it is fully booked. I am putting out hundreds of dollars a year to keep them looking good. It's mostly stains from drinks being spilled. Luckily, my cleaner will do that for an additional charge, but a lot of cleaners won't. I intend to change to hard flooring when I can arrange to be there for a lengthy time in the off season, because I live long distance.

I second what @Michael Baum says, granite is pretty cheap now, prices have come way down.

  I had to replace the old laminate counter top in my LTR because the previous tenants had a coffee maker that leaked right where the diagonal seam was, and the water buckled the laminate over time.

I had to put in a new laminate counter top because of time constraints. My new tenant was moving in soon, and I didn't have weeks for the granite crew to come and make a template, go back to the shop and cut the granite, etc.  I needed it done fast.  I was shocked that the new laminate counter top cost almost as much as granite would have. 

I have granite in my own house, and after 15 years, it still looks like new. I had a neighbor who was extremely messy, and she couldn't ruin her granite either. I've seen complaints from other STR owners with photos of laminate counters with burn rings from hot pots, which won't happen with granite. Quartz can also be damaged by hot pots, because of the resin binder.