All Forum Posts by: Robert Love

It's not unusual for it to take 30 days or so to land your first midterm rental. The market is smaller than that for STRs and it typically takes longer. People also tend to take longer to make decisions on a place they're going to stay in longer. Before listing your property did you research the market? Is it already pretty saturated? Given the population of Roseville and it's proximity to Sac, which also has a ton of properties available for longer stays, I would imagine there's a lot of competition. You have to have a standout property in a market like that. You've got to be spot on with your design, decor and amenities so really evaluate your property honestly in comparison to your competition and ask if it's going to be a page one listing. If not, what can you do to make it so?

If you haven't already, I'd reach out to Craftsman Housing. They're in your area and are a middle man with insurance bookings and are often sourcing properties from other owners. 

Be patient and good luck!

@Robert Love I'm curious If you did some market research to determine if there's a market for midterm rentals in your area. I've worked with a lot of midterm rentals and I do find the larger houses much harder to fill. Most corporate relocations and temporary medical workers require smaller units. I've always had good success with midterm rentals on Airbnb - You just have to make your settings to attract a midterm renter. Here is my ambassador link if you would like someone to walk you through it: Sign up to host on Airbnb and use the extra income to fund your passions. Here’s my invitation link: https://www.airbnb.com/r/sabrinac1973?s=39&t=131c0j

Here are a few other places you might try (disclaimer, this is not my list)

AHRN.COM...military housing

TACARES.COM..for displaced families

TEMPORARYHOUSINGDIRECTORY.COM (THD)..for displaced families.

CATALE.COM..for displaced families

ALESOLUTIONS...for displaced families

TRAVEL NURSE HOUSING RENTALS by LANDLORD (FB)

CORPORATE HOUSING FURNISHED RENTAL LANDLORDS and TRAVELERS (FB)

FURNISHED MONTHELY SHORT TERM RENTAL (FB)

TRAVEL NURSING CIRTRU(.COM)

PREMIER INSURANCE HOUSING..

APARTMENTS.COM...

ZILLOW..

FURNISHED FINDER...

FLXLEASE.COM..

NURSEBNB.COM..

.TEXAS RISK SOLUTIONS...

PRIESTON AND ASSOCIATES..

BROKERAGE SERVICES INTERNATIONAL...

NEW ENGLAND CLAIMS SERVICES..

VALICENT INSURURANCE SERVICES, INC..

Hey Robert, we manage over 100 STR/MTR and some LTR properties. Happy to review your listing and give any pointers.

Sometimes folks are reluctant to rent a home that doesn't have any reviews.  You might consider lowering your rates, just to entice some guests to stay and leave reviews.  If short term stays are allowed in your area, that might be another strategy to get some good reviews before switching back to a medium-term strategy. 

Hey @Robert Love, just know you have a super exciting opp ahead of you to create a strongg community and culture for people to connect, some of which may be new life long friends because of you!

1. If your goal is to maximize cashflow, then mid-term. For me, I want most value for my work + build long-term relationships instead of constantly dealing with turnover so I'm a bigger fan of long-term but either could work! 

2. facebook groups, roomies.com, and word of mouth through targeting communities that you personally enjoy (pickle ball groups, church, ect)

3. Great question! I typically write a longer than average post than most with everything laid out (what Im looking for, expectations, general location, rent, room situation, ect). If anyone responds asking a question I've already answered, I'll ignore! If someone writes a detailed response and feels like they actually put effort in, I'll follow up with then for a phone/zoom screen.

4. I have my roommates agree to a rotating chore chart that is built into the lease. I also emphasize 2/3 times during the screening process that my #1 rule is NO DIRTY DISHES OVERNIGHT. That will mitigate 75% of potential roommate issues. Couple others are quiet hours after X:XX PM and rules around guest/pets.

5. Thinking about shared kitchen space, pantry, ect should dedicate and label each shelf or cabinet for each room in the house so old food doesnt get forgotten about. I recommend getting a second fridge and throwing in garage in kitchen if there is space.

6. Monthly house hangouts where we go out to an event, dinner, grill, ect. Surprising but even though you live together, its easy to get into routine and not talk throughout the work days. Events will ensure fun culture, bonding among roommates, and ultimately less turnover.

7. Keep it as clean as possible

Hope this helps! Reach out if you need anything else

Hey @Robert Love - welcome to the community! 

Here are my quick pieces of advice: 

1) I typically start outwith a month-to-month lease with the expectation of a longer-term lease. I consider this a trial period that will allow both parties to exit the agreement if it isn't a good fit. I don't take in tenants that are strictly looking for 2-3 month leases unless its a really slow part of the year. This is reduces the overall turnover and headache of finding new roommates at random times of the year, especially during winter months when not a lot of people are looking to move. 

2) There are a lot of sites out there specific to rent by the room. I use Roomies.com, SpareRoomUSA, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace. 

3) This is where your screening process will be very important. Make sure to fully screen tenants and set up a video call before even taking the time to show the property. You should be able to get a good feel for the person from that initial call. Ask them about their daily routine and try to line up your roommates based on personalities and daily schedules. For my current house hack, we are all similar in age (26-33), work similar hours, and have matching personalities. This just minimizes possible headaches. For example having one roommate who works night shifts while other roommates work typical 9-5 could cause some big headaches as one roommate will be trying to sleep while others are going about their daily business. 

4) If you follow the advice from #3 above, house rules should be a pretty basic part of the agreement. If you are locking in roommates with similar schedules and personalities then you shouldn't have to go to crazy on house rules. In general though some basic rules should include: parking, general quiet hours, having guests/partners over, who's responsible for lawn care/general upkeep etc. 

5) This one is also pretty simple. You might want to consider putting together a weekly cleaning schedule for common areas. This is something you can feel out as you go but I've found that having respectful and considerate roommates in general reduces problems with common areas. The biggest issues come up when you have one roommate who is constantly taking up common areas so once again, something to feel out during your screening process. 

6) Having a cleaning company come out once a month or every few months can be a great perk for rent by the room tenants. This can also help you minimize the headaches of organizing tenants to clean while also keeping your property in top notch shape. Fridge space is huge so plan on allowing people to have mini-fridges and/or a second fridge. 

7) Clear communication is the key here. Being upfront about all expectations before signing any lease will really help you out in the long run. When you find good tenants that fit well, take care of your property, and pay on time every month, do everything in your power to keep those tenants!