All Forum Posts by: Sarah Kensinger

I know a lot of people are down on it around this forum, BUT there have been many people that have used it to scale and purchase their own properties. Do a lot of research, be sure you have everything in writing with a landlord, and also understand the legal complications that can arise. I once heard someone suggest that you should find a property that gives us a complete investment return in 6 months. Then if the landlord decides after a year to not renew the lease you at least have 6 months of revenue off the property. You could check out Michael and Elizabeth Chang founders of TrustBNB, they built their portfolio with rental arbitrage and have some info on their social sites. Don't ever be afraid to think outside the box a bit no matter the norm, if you find the right people and shoot for the stars you'll land on the moon and reach your real estate goals!

Quote from @Aaron Schrader:

One other thing since the WiFi can sometimes have a hard time getting inside the trailers from wherever it is broadcast, they have these boosters that you put inside the trailer and they're about $200, and they amplify the signal so that you can get it inside the trailer.  Just search for an RV wifi booster or amplifier, if you find you need one.

Thanks! Since we can't "lose" wifi/internet I was considering just getting our own internet in the trailer depending on how good the signal is at the park. But a booster might be an inexpensive option for now.

Quote from @Janiece DeFreitas:

Hi @Sarah Kensinger thank you for that feedback.  This is exactly how I would list it, as parent child listing. 

I know of a parent child listing in Columbus that does very well! It can be a great tactic for mid-week bookings on a larger property, yet not have strangers sharing common places. I'm hoping to utilize parent child listing on a possible property myself. 

To me the only way this would work is by doing a parent/child listings. You can't have shared places like that without the owner living there and running it as a true bed and breakfast. Otherwise, it's a huge security risk and not a place most people would book! But you could create multiple listings on the house and charge different rates depending on how many bedrooms are in the listing. 

Quote from @Aaron Schrader:

Hey @Sarah Kensinger those RV's are pretty amazing, I've always known them as a "park model RV".  As for making it manageable in the ways I think you're thinking, if the location that it is parked doesn't have wifi present, I wonder what a cellular internet plan would do to make things like smart locks and internet access work.  Just throwing some ideas out as an RV owner, I've let people use my trailer and have done a walk through with them, so I wonder if you had a video walkthrough available on how to use things and use them correctly in an RV if that would be helpful (or even used).  You could put a QR code in the RV or maybe it auto emails to them when they book, linked to the video walkthrough.  Will the black and gray tanks be hooked up to sewer or will that have to be manually emptied?

Hey thanks for the info!! I made sure the park has WIFI or we would get some in the trailer. Thankfully the park should have great cell and internet service since it's on the edge of town. I too had the same thought of the black and gray tanks and yes, they have the option of hook up. That's actually something I insist on since I picture a mess of making sure someone gets that done. 

I love your idea of the walk-through videos! I'll make note of that and make sure to get some made.

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Sarah Kensinger, we are not hostile to new people. We want you to succeed and we have no idea what kind of research you did as you didn't state it.

There are RV campgrounds that are for living, not for vacationing. Plus you didn't say where the unit was going to be.

I do my best to help new people but most don't know what they don't know. That is why I asked those questions and provided the insights I had.

More info yields better responses.

Real estate is a great way to get ahead and live a great life. It is also a great way to go bankrupt, lose everything and be forced to work like a dog until the day you die trying to get out from underneath your mistakes.

Go ahead and check out the Facebooks groups. If you think this board is hard...

It's not hard at all! Bigger pockets has been wonderful at finding our local network, but with learning it has been a bit of a disappointment. We learned more on Instagram, through webinars etc. You do need to educate yourself on Real Estate that's for sure! It's why we're part of a mastermind.

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Ok @Sarah Kensinger, no need to be hostile about it. You asked a questions and I provided a response.

Go do it and I hope you win.

BTW: I would do anything for my parents and I wouldn't charge them a dime. 

Sorry didn't mean to come across hostile but don't enjoy the hard time the newbies get on here. Lots of my area friends have commented on finding their network and moving on to the Facebook groups and I'm starting to understand. So, I guess I'm just trying to make sure everyone understands I do research and not flying by the sit of my pants. And yes, I know how to treat parents also so he's getting our services greatly discounted much to his disapproval. ;D

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Sarah Kensinger, where is the unit going to be located? What will bring people to stay in the RV park? Lake front? River front?

What do you think the nightly rate might be.

There are a few of these here and there on both AirBNB and VRBO. Their nightly rates are well under $100 a night.

There is a pair of them just down the road from our lake house. They are in a field in the woods. No views. Pretty much a farm like area.

They rent for $35 a night. 

I always run numbers before I commit or offer to help with a property. I am running a business and even though this is my dad I'm not running a charity. I already mentioned it would be in a campground, and the place is within 20 minutes of one of the largest collages in Oklahoma. We're talking hotels are booked completely out months in advance for certain football games. 
To be honest I'm not asking if this is a good idea, I'm doing it. I lived in the area for 10 years before I married my husband and moved to Ohio, so I know the draws and drawbacks of the area. I'm more so curious on the logistics of how to STR an RV.

I'm not sure if people know what a destination travel trailer is, they are meant to be lived in not towed around. Usually run 40+ foot long, have a sliding door with a normal RV door, a kitchen bar to eat at, and are extremely tall and heavy. I probably won't be charging less the $100 nightly and upwards of $150. We stayed in a destination travel trailer last spring in South Dakota, and it was $100 in off season. This is not my dad's RV but he has the same one.

Get one that doesn't move! Also, it was recommended to us to make sure to have a water bucket marked and dedicated to the fire pit. Ask guests to dump water over ashes after every use and have cleaners do it as a routine part of turnover cleaning. There was an awful story of a small child badly burned after the family arrived at the STR. The fire had not had any water dumped on it, the child thought it was a sand pit and it ended badly. We plan on utilizing fire pits but have proper due diligence in place to hopefully keep everything and everyone safe and not damage property.

I have an unusual question that hasn't been asked on here a lot. Has anyone rented an RV (travel trailer) on Airbnb/VRBO? My dad became a FedEx custom critical delivery driver this year and can be gone for weeks at a time. He has a large destination travel trailer that he would like used, and since we co-host thought we could manage it for him. I have done some research and I feel like we are heading into uncharted waters since I'm coming up empty handed on info, etc. I'm more then fine with that and love a new challenge! But if someone has done it, knows someone who has, or knows some resources that would be helpful I'd love to hear about it!

Since I'm sure it'll be asked ;).....we have a campground in a STR friendly area, we know the RV is going to show signs of more use from people in and out and lastly, we are prepared for the famous sewage clogs because people don't know how to use RV plumbing.

I'll be running this RV remotely with boots on the ground so figuring out smart technology has been a bit of a challenge. I did find a way to do smart locks etc., but if anyone else knows some info on making an RV "smart efficient" I'd love to hear about that as well!

Thanks!!