All Forum Posts by: Nathan W.

I'm still stuck on the login issues with YoutubeTV. 
You can turn off guest mode and leave the app logged in... but someone is going to log you out or delete the app at some point. That's going to require you to give a guest the login.

Maybe I'm missing something but I couldn't figure out a way to give someone a restricted login to YoutTubeTV. If that's true, then once someone has the login they can use that login to buy movies, PPV, upgrade to 4k, NFL Ticket, etc... They could even log into the Google email account associated with the account and send questionable emails, upload photos of who knows what to Google photos, etc.. 

Has anyone figured out a way to create a restricted login to YoutubeTV? One that just logs into YouTubeTV and doesn't grant access to other Google services, etc..? 

OK, thanks. That's what I was wondering. So no guest mode, just leave it logged in. 

I have an operate account for my cabin that I pay for as a backup. Even though it's not my personal account I worry about giving someone a login to it. I couldn't figure out any way to give someone a login that only had limited access. 

How are you handling YoutubeTV? I have it for my own home and I love it but I can't figure out how to offer it to guests. 

I use Roku Guest Mode on my TVs which wipes all logins at the end of their stay. I've played around with the idea of giving guests a YouTubeTV login but that seems risky. Not only is it a bit of a pain for the m to log in each time, but because they have the username and password they can technically sign up for paid services like the NFL Ticket or use the Google account in questionable ways. 

What's your process with YoutubeTV? 

There's no reason why a good builder can't get it done in 4 months. I've been amazed though at how many delays I've run into with contractors in that area. 

One cost to consider is downtime. I've built two cabins in the smokies and they both took about 18 months from start to finish. There's no reason why it should take that long but everything there seems to move on mountain time. I would not be surprised if an expansion like this was estimated at 5 - 7 months and for it to actually take 8 - 10 months. 

Would you host guests while construction was going on? If you do, you risk getting bad reviews even if you warn people. If you don't, you lose out on a lot of income and there's a risk that Vrbo and Airbnb might drop you in their algorithms.

When I built my cabins, I placed them on the right hand side of the lot so that I would have room to build a small pool house someday (about the size of a two car garage). I know the added revenue would more than pay for the cost in the long term. But the idea of taking my cabins offline for that long is painful. 

Have you gotten any recent quotes on the cost to build? If so what's the cost per sqft? How much does the pool add? 

Well, first I'm a long term buy and hold investor. I plan on holding my cabins for 30-40 years so I'm not worried about what happens over the next 18 months. There's been a lot of doom and gloom about short term rentals and the Smokies but I believe in that market long term. 

Chalet Village is prime real estate. If you can build a unique and modern cabin with a view that close to Gatlinburg and the GSMNP I think it will cashflow well at $400k. It all depends on the execution though but it's a risk I would take. 

Property taxes are low in TN which makes it an appealing place to invest. Having city utilities also helps take a lot of the risk out of his build. The main wild card is the foundation cost. 

In short, the value isn't in the 2 bedroom cabin for $400k. The value is in that cabin, in that location, with 12+M people visiting every year. If you build a cookie cutter cabin you're in trouble. But if you build a cabin that stands out and people want to stay in you can make good money. 

Where you do you invest Todd? What kind of returns are you seeing for a $400k property? I love learning about new places. Thanks.

To be all in at $400k for a 2 bedroom cabin in Chalet Village sounds like a great deal to me. 

I have two cabins in the Smokies. So far February (barely) and March were down but every other month has been up YoY. June is up significantly over 2023 and July is looking solid. We will see how the 4th quarter does but right now I'm hopeful that I'll beat 2023's numbers. 

While I agree with Collin on location, views and water front, I also think you can stand out by being unique. So many of these cabins look exactly alike. If you're offering the same product as everyone else then you're left competing on price. You may want to hire an interior designer though and go all out if you're going that route.

I own a 2 acre lot with a view just outside of Pigeon Forge. I'm constantly going back and forth on if I should start building again so I understand your dilemma. My last build went so far over budget though I'm hesitant.  

I don't own a pool cabin but I get their appeal. Some of these "pools" though look like large bath tubs. I don't understand the appeal of those at all. 

Over the past few years investors have been buying cabins with a check list instead of looking at it the way someone looking to book a vacation does. If a cabin had a "pool", 4 or 5 bedrooms, and even a mediocre view it would sell.  No one seemed to care how it looked, how it was laid out, how it was decorated, if the pool was appealing, etc... 

There will always be ups and downs to the market. If you purchased a cookie cutter cabin though, you're going to suffer more than most.