All Forum Posts by: Rob Denn

@John Underwood can you comment on which Digital Watchdog camera you use and how you have it set up? I checked out the Digital Watchdog website but the process doesn't seem very user friendly.  It's hard to even figure out which camera to get.  I a refurbishing a large house to potentially use for rental.  I already have hardwired CAT5/6 lines to all areas of the house including the front door and potential camera sites.  I was just going to use a Ring Camera system with Power of Ethernet (POE) since it's plug 'n play. And it's all contained in 1 app.  But if your system can do the same thing or more, it would be nice to avoid the monthly fees.

This property is in Oakland, CA.  It's in an up and coming area. The main floor is just phase I.  Like I said, it's a huge house on a large lot.  The basement is already partially finished and has the potential for 4-5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  The basement also has it's own separate entrance at the front of the house.  The next door neighbor has subdivided his house for rental, erected 2 rental units in the back yard and put in additional parking on his property. All done with permits. And his house and property are smaller than mine. I would say that the area skews toward the younger side.  Previously, it was more inner-city residential.  Now it's becoming a hipster haven. 

I'm relatively new to the short term rental game. And I just purchased an off-the-market house from a motivated seller. It's a very large home on a large lot. It needs a lot of work but the main level has 2 bedrooms. Each bedroom has it's own bathroom. So I guess these would be called 2 suites. Also, there is a bonus room which can be an office or a small bedroom. In addition, there is a large dining area and living room. My plan is to demo and update everything. My question is about the number of bedrooms. Of course, I'm interested in maximizing my income. My contractor, says that he can easily create 4 bedrooms. But there would probably only be 1 suite unit (bedroom with it's own bathroom) and 3 bedrooms with a shared non-connected bathroom. Which is more profitable for STR: 2 suites or more bedrooms (4 bedrooms/2bathrooms)? More info: The neighborhood is a solid "B" in transition. It is rapidly gentrifying. It is in heart of the city and very urban. There is a main street with restaurants within 2 blocks. Rental prices are relatively high and availability low. Multiple houses in the neighborhood have been renovated and some subdivided and rented out. Permits shouldn't be a problem. It's a very large lot and house and the previous owner already had architectural drawings but didn't pursue anything. Please let me know your thoughts . . .

Ummm. . . so why is everyone telling @Curtis H. to go for the long term rental. Sounds like he's interested in optimizing cash flow. In which case the move to make is STR. Of course, that will increase headache and responsibilities. But it still will optimize cash flow over LTR. Am I missing something?

When doing research and scanning the AirBnB listings in my neighborhood, I came across a Superhost listing that charged approx $165/night.  I was a little surprised because I was thinking about maxing out at $140/night on my unit.  Reading on I found that this particular listing also noted that it could accommodate up to 8 guest.  When I plugged in 8 potential guest, the price jumped to approx $250/night (or more depending on the night).  I  was shocked!  I was even more shocked when I saw that the apartment was only really built as a 1bed/1bath (as noted by some of the reviews). But the host got around this by putting beds in a sun room, using blow up mattresses, etc.  Is this common?  Does it actually work and increase profits without turning off potential guest?  My unit is an official 2bed/1bath flat.  But now I'm considering adding a queen sized hidden murphy wall bed to the large enclosed dining room.  Any thoughts?

I'm deep into renovating my house for use as a short term rental unit in the upstairs flat.  I'm in a desirable area with heavy foot traffic that's close to a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station.  So I thought I would install surveillance cameras for extra security.  Also, a camera at the front door may help with remote guess check in (along with a keyless door lock).  However, after doing some research, I'm thinking I could achieve the same goals with a Ring Video Doorbell.  The Elite version of the Ring Doorbell can be hardwired and won't rely on wifi or batteries. And it can provide video and 2 way audio (unlike most security cameras which are just video).  Does anyone else use Ring and/or other surveillance cameras or video doorbells?  What has been your experience?

Hello Everyone!  I'm also a newbie and in the Oakland area.  @Jana Cain can you also point me in the direction of your favorite meetups or local resources.  Thanks!

After some research here and elsewhere, I was just going to try to monetize my parents old Worldmark Timeshare to pay the yearly fees. But starting next month, Worldmark will institute a $100 mandatory purchase of guest certificates for non-owner reservations/stays. You will get a limited number of free certificates based on your points. But otherwise, you will have to pay for non-owners to stay. This seems to violate the basic tenet of timehares . . . ownership. If you own property, you usually don't have to pay for friends & family to use it. It's an apparent blatant attempt to stop and/or limit STR of timeshares. Even that is contradictory to the nature of timeshares. If I own property, I should be able to rent it in any manor I see fit. I understand that condos are a special class. But it seems that timeshare may be going too far. Many owners rent their time to pay for their maintenance fees. Or gift their time to family and friend. This will anger owners. I know @Myka Artis also uses Worldmark.  Any ideas or workarounds?

Thanks for the reply @Jon Crosby  No, I wasn't planning on  squeezing in several corporate clients.  I could see 1 or 2 business travelers passing thru.  But mostly I was pointing out that I could fit 6-8 hipsters or students packing in to visit UC Berkeley or heading to an event in SF. Or maybe a family coming to visit their child at college.  Just trying to figure out which model makes more financial sense.  I may be able to max out occupancy with consistent corp rentals.  But would I be missing a better "Special Events" market for the local area? 

I'm currently remodeling an upstairs 2B/1Bath flat in Oakland CA. It's in a very desirable area: 1 block from "restaurant row", 1.5 blocks from train stop (BART), 2 blocks from freeway entrance, and 3 miles (15min car ride) from UC Berkeley. And because it's near a BART stop, San Francisco is only a few stops a way by train. The unit will be fully furnished and have all amenities in addition to an in unit washer/dryer. The unit is large and sunny with a dining room and deck and is about 1,100sf. It could easily sleep 6-8 people with air mattresses. My question is about STR vs Corporate. My flat would be the perfect corporate site. Even with the single bathroom, I'm confident I could get corporate & business clients because of the location. However, would it be much more lucrative to do STR with dynamic pricing based on Bay Area events and UC Berkeley activities? I tried to scan other AirBnB listings but they're all over the map. I'm pretty sure I can get $100-150 per/night just starting out. Also, I have employees in the bottom flat 24/7 that can keep an eye on things and help with cleaning. Any opinions?