All Forum Posts by: Luke Marsh

We typically are more flexible on early check-in than late check-out. We will try to accommodate people who want to check-in early if it means we don't need to do any extra work. Typically we can offer up to 30-60 mins early. Our check-out is less flexible because our cleaning crew needs to come in within a half-hr after the checkout time and clean the rental. Whatever you decide I would implement it and uphold it 100%, so there are no exceptions to your policy. It is just a lot easier to do it that way.

Your property management software should be able to integrate with a book keeping platform like Quickbooks. I use Innago and have Quickbooks connected to it. It makes reporting and organizing financials a lot easier than excel, which I used in the past. Whatever you are using for a property management software I would look into and see if they have an intergration into Quickbooks, it will make your life a lot easier. 

As a couple others have mentioned, we also use bedbug encasement on mattresses, we do monthly chemical sprays from a local exterminator, and semi-annually we do a heat treatment. All of our cleaners are knowledgeable on detecting bedbugs too. Bedbugs suck, and you can only do so many things to prevent them.

The biggest factor in check-in and check-out times is allowing the cleaning crews enough time. We have used 11 AM check out and 4PM check-in for the entirety of our STRs, and haven't had any issues with cleaning crews not being able to turn the unit over, or complaints of people wanting to check out later. We typically are able to do early check in anywhere from 30 mins to 60 mins early typically. If we were forced to switch times I would definitely do a 10 AM check-out and 3PM check-in.

If you are planning on having the property for a while I would recommend getting granite counter tops. We were able to increase rent slightly after installing them, and our current tenants love them. The durability on them will not only save you money long term but time too. We havent had to deal with any issues on our granite since installing them, and had to deal with issues regularly on the laminate counter tops we previously had. 

@Jonathan Buehler You can definitely manage STR units long distance, I would recommend having everything lined up in terms of a property manager, or if you want to do it yourself getting a local house cleaner, and maintenance/handyman, is essential. I would also recommend using property management software to manage everything, it will make your life much easier. In terms of seasonality, that is definitely expected, I would do a comparative analysis on similar properties in the area to see their pricing, and price it similar.

Hi @Vemmanath Vasudevan As Theresa mentioned I would try to target medium sized cities. You can get a better idea on cost of living, home prices, etc from this article: https://www.todocanada.ca/least-affordable-cities-in-canada-for-single-homebuyers/

I am assuming you have done your research on immigration, but this article is informative for immigrants coming to Canada who are looking to buy a home. https://moving2canada.com/buy-first-home-canada/

I would definitely reach out to a realtor once you know the area you want to purchase in, but a solid listing site is Point2Homes.

@Ralph Miller The $3500 to install float vinyl was pretty over priced, glad to hear that you got a better quote. If you feel like saving more, you can always try to do it yourself. I think with the new quote price or DIY, it is definitely worth it if you can increase rent after it is installed, and after the current lease is up.

Hi @Michael McKay appreciate the thread! Really great to see someone attacking FB ads!

 Have you considered doing more lead magnet type stuff top of funnel? 

I think you are on the right track with the landing page. It uses white space pretty well and has some key components. Ratings and testimonials have helped conversion rates for me, as they build trust so that is good to see. The breadcrumbs with the steps is also a good component, since it will let them know the process and emphasize how simple it is. 

Some things I would change... First is your CTA. I would try to capture their email address and not just the address. If you are capturing it after the address it will likely lower conversions as it is increasing click debt. The color of the CTA button ideally would be more of a contrast than blue, so the hierarchy of focus is set on that field. I would also border the phone number instead of making it completely blue, this will make it more of a secondary CTA. T

he header copy could be adjusted with more of an emphasis on value and time based keywords like "Free" or "Today". Something like "Get A Free Cash Offer For Your House Today". The trust part should be indirectly built on the components of the landing page itself, but if you feel like it needs to be emphasized I would do it by the testimonial you have. 

For the "Why Sell To Us" I would pull the '"Competitive Cash Offer" into its own bullet point and  have it be the first one since it is the most important. 

There are some other recommendations, if you feel like connecting I can share them with you directly. 

Aside from that I would use software like HotJar and see the heatmaps on where your viewers are looking and make adjustments. Also be sure to test page speed, I would recommend unbounce or something similar for landing pages if you do have speed issues.

Excited to see where this goes. Best of luck!

Hi @Alexei Rotaru I ran into a similar problem with one of our units a few years ago. Unfortunately for us there wasn't a central source of the urine so we had to do a variety of things, remove carpet, replace floor boards, paint walls, even flooring in the basement. We used chemicals on it as well. By the end of it we got it smelling much better. As Bob mentioned Odoban or an ozone machine are other alternatives if it is a couple isolated areas.