All Forum Posts by: Zeona McIntyre

You likely want to arrange a demo with the company to make sure it will link up to your direct booking website to your liking. It is definitely less robust than other softwares, but more affordable as well. 

Hi @Mary B., Many folks just starting out, like to jump to Artbitrage but I don't always think it's the best place to start. Here's the order as I see it:

1. Rent out your own space - we all live somewhere. Rent out your entire place or if you rent a room, clear it with your roommates so you can see if you like hosting. Best part? You already have all the furnishings, linens, etc. Investment Required: $0

2. CoHost - you can start to help a friend or family member manage an underutilized property like a family cabin or 2nd home. The owner is responsible for providing the furnishings and supplies and you are incentivized to maximize earnings as you earn on a % basis. Investment Required: $0

3. Arbitrage - Not everyone goes through this step, but its a good one if you are not ready to buy, as it requires less capital to start. You will still need first months rent, deposit, and furnishings. Depending on your market that could be 10-15k. As you can see, that's a chunk of change to risk if you are not sure you will like hosting or will be any good at it. 

4. Buying a property - Many also want to immediately start here but this requires the most investment and highest risk. Sure you get a larger reward but its a good idea to test it first. Depending on your market, it could be a 50-100k investment. 

Hi @Arturo Ochoa, If you furnish the property using the medium-term rental strategy or 30+ day rentals and buy at least 100 miles from where you live, you can utilize the 10% down 2nd home loan. Until April the rates on these are better than investment property rates and even though you have to furnish it, you usually save more down payment in the end which will help you get to the 2nd property faster. 

MTRs also get you higher cash flow, making it easier if you want to be in more expensive or high demand markets. If you want to connect with a lender that is licensed in all 50 states (which I find is more convenient for investors), send me an email! 

Hey @Alex Neukomm, I also use Hospitable and we have migrated a lot to Medium-term rentals since Covid which are largely direct. We are able to enter these into the system and then those guests get all the same messages, our cleaners can see the check out time, etc.  

Hey Matt, 

A good way around having people in your home is to look for unofficial duplexes. This may be an inlaw suite, a master bedroom with a back entrance that you can airbnb or a basement apartment. These will usually look like just a single family home, so it will require taking a deeper look through the MLS but they are out there! This is what we have clients look for out in Denver which is also a pricey market. I am happy to help you find a solid investor-friendly agent once you have been assigned. Feel free to message me!

Hi Mariel, since short-term rentals are still unregulated in many areas, you often do not need to be a licensed property manager to manage those. This is mainly due to the fact that short-term operators do not write leases. 

Hey Jim, 

This may not be what you were hoping to hear, and yet if you are new to investing or Real Estate, I'd suggest finding something easier to start with then a big development project. It sounds like you could sell it rather easily and then 1031 (tax deferred) the funds into another project, maybe a quad that is in the right area to short term, etc. Happy to discuss with you more if you want to bounce ideas. Feel free to message me. 

Hey John, 

I don't mean to rain on your parade but if you are still manually adjusting prices you are most definitely leaving money on the table. I have been a Host for over 10 years, across 60 units in four countries and when I moved over to pricing software, it was an absolute game-changer. I highly recommend it. Feel free to message me if you want more information on the ones I recommend.

Overall I agree that there are many apps that are unnecessary. 

Orlando works well but is also very park-specific. Although we may not have another pandemic in awhile, its good to note that the tourism there virtually shut down for months. Markets with a natural attraction, such as beach or national park proximity may be a safer bet. I recently bought in Panama City Beach and hear the best things about places along the gulf coast. Let me know if you would like to be connected to an excellent agent up there. 

Hi Jeff! Unfortunately, none of us has a crystal ball, so it's a good chance we will be wrong with whatever we guess. I've heard people calling the recession since 2017. BP released a market update recently discussing yellow flags in certain markets so that may be of interest to you to listen to. 

With uncertainty in the market, it feels increasingly important to only purchase with a good cushion of cash flow. This is common with short-term rentals so you had a good intuition there. If you intend to do a BRRRR with your son also house hacking, that might also be great, knowing that he will likely be able to manage for at least 4 years. House hacks can have incredible returns and great savings on what your son would otherwise pay in rent. Not to mention the incredible learning opportunity for him to manage it.

Feel free to reach out if you have more market-specific questions.