All Forum Posts by: Zach Strong

@Nathan Harden thanks for the insight. What inspired you to become an agent? Has it helped in ways you didn’t expect as an investor?

As a newbie investor I'm hungry for and interested in providing value to anyone who helps me along in my investing journey. For anyone more seasoned than me (all of you, every single one), what member of your team turbo charged your journey and why? What door did they help you open? Have you been able to turn around and open that door for someone else?  

What are your goals? Do you have a clear understanding of what strategy you want to use? Are you going for cashflow or something else? 

I'm new to RE investing as well but the more I learn and do research on successful investors the more I realize that when they analyze a potential deal they've answered the questions above so well that its incredible easy to spot bad deals, as most properties are. 

@Sarah Kensinger Awesome, it sounds incredibly streamlined. Thank you for the comments! 

@Sarah Kensinger do you use Minoan? As someone who is still very new to STRs I'm wondering if a service like Minoan would be worth it or too much of a hassle for newbie getting their other systems locked down. 

@Dan Slaughter I have not looked into Minoan. I'm still a total rookie at this so I'll have to check them out. Thanks!

Has anyone used an affiliate marketing strategy to refresh their property, create unique experiences and provide local products to their guests? 

I've noticed a lot of coffeehouses decorate their spaces by advertising local art that customers can purchase. The coffeehouses get a continuously evolving selection of art to keep their property looking fresh and interesting and the artists get a high traffic location to advertise their wares. It's a great relationship that might translate well to STRs. I've stayed in properties that offer a small selection of drinks or cheeses from local farms but have never seen it scaled to other aspects of the property.

I'm wondering if any STR investors out there employ a similar arrangement? If so, how did you structure it? What was your pitch like?

Have you seen a positive impact in your STR besides the initial cost savings?

Can this be scaled to offset larger items? Furniture? 

Did you attempt it for a time but find it not worth the effort vs. other cost-cutting strategies? 

What's the property like? How much cash flow are you looking for? Renting out spare bedrooms, a garage or storage space might be something to look into.

Thanks for the info @Connor Hennessy, the guidebook idea is something I'd glossed right over. There's a lot of small farms that don't do a great job marketing themselves so a guidebook will be a great addition to my STR.

Thanks for the insight @Michael Baum, do you go into a new STR with a specific guest demographic in mind or tailor the experience to one you notice is showing stronger interest as you operate?

I'm sure the property and location you're listing help define a target demographic but I'd love to know your approach.