All Forum Posts by: Sarah Kensinger

All depends on the market or if you want to be one of the only properties to offer a hot tub in your market, which could potentially tip your property to a top line in revenue and occupancy. 

As for brand...highly recommend the Hydropool Serenity Collection! They are worth the money for a good hot tub that is mentioned all the time in reviews and doesn't have a ton of issues. You can purchase them through a local dealer that has a good track record in the community.

At this time our cleaners take care of the hot tub, but I will say if you have a certified hot tub company that can come weekly, I would definitely go that route! If not make sure your cleaners have some education in maintaining hot tubs. 

The best price for TP is through Minoan! They have everything you could need for an STR at a wholesale price. But I still get dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, paper towels, and a few other items off Amazon since they have a better price.

Thanks for the shout-out! I've been buried with tax preparation and a couple projects, so BP moved from the back burner to completely off the stove! :D

Hocking Hills is wonderful market to invest in due to its location and the fact it's a sub vacation market. It's becoming nationally known, so hosts who manage their properties correctly are still seeing wonderful revenue numbers! Feel free to reach out if you would like to connect, we have several STR in the area.

Easiest answer, which is mentioned above and exactly what we would do, is just put a small sentence in your description and house rules. Something simple along the lines of, no pets due to small shells and turf located at property that may hurt pets, would dissuade even service animal owners.  

I also know many operators that have saved a ton of time using Avalara to pay taxes on multiple properties. We don't use the platform but from what I've heard, it's a great option!

This is only happening in areas that have a strong hotel presence, rural areas that rely on cabins or other STR do not have this problem. Like mentioned it's also beneficial to keep up to date with what's happening in the area your STR is located, and make sure the decision makers are aware of hosts and what they bring to the community. If we let the hotel corporations do all the talking while we remain in the shadows, it does nothing to help the STR world!

I'll answer your questions in the order you gave them...

1. Skills or qualities in no particular order: Communication, patience, empathy, listening ear, backbone, resilience, determination, organization, work ethic, lead a team, thick skin, time management, trusts their instinct, and all-around good ethics! 

2. The biggest challenge is time to manage a property. With a STR you have to drop everything to deal with anything that may arise. A host can't put a guest on the back burner until you have time. For many STR investors they have another job or business that it's not feasible to always be available at a drop of a hat. Many investors just don't want to mess with it or take the time to learn how to make their property a top competitor.

3. We manage remotely as well, so this question may not be a good one for me to answer. All you need is a good team found through other hosts or even trial and error.

4. Get in front of hosts. Local meet ups, facebook groups, anywhere hosts are hanging out join them. Listen to them share their problems, wins, headaches, milestones, etc. Build relationships and you'll find offering services well come. 

Hope that helps!

I could see this property either being a home runner or a bust. And to be honest if you could get some strong social media coverage (like hire someone that knows STR to market the property), you could do very well! Eco-friendly, off the grid properties are getting to be very popular experiences out west! But you need your guest avatar who is looking for an off-grid, unplugged stay, to know your home is available. It also does help if you have a well-known lake, park, etc. in the area but since Salt Lake City is nearby that could possibly be to your advantage.

If you need help running numbers, feel free to reach out. Usually all you need is a couple really good comps to know how your property would do and that is easier to find with a paid version of Airdna. 

This rumor on Airdna is very much just that, a rumor. In many ways that is a ridiculous claim that I would guess a competitor started. At the end of every year, they compare numbers to Airbnb and are always 95%+ accurate. We have also found looking at actuals and Airdna numbers of the same property, that they're pretty well right on once we take cleaning fees out.