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The area in which two of my short-term rental properties reside is home to a few large companies and a handful of hospitals. These, among other causes like home renovations keeping people out of their homes, make my houses desirable to guests looking for stays of a few weeks to a month or even more.… Continue reading Monthly Management: Handling The Longer Short-Term Stay

This week was one of the longest of my life so far. What started as a trip to check on the placements of my smoke and CO2 detectors turned into a week-long near-nervous breakdown and 12+ hours of driving to prevent the would-be disaster of a burst pipe in the Michigan Winter. In this post… Continue reading Remote Temperature Monitoring: My Battle With Frozen Pipes And How I Watch The Winter From Afar

In a previous post I talked about my renter-from-hell experience and how it opened my eyes to the potential for awful guests in this industry. I tried my best to learn from the experience and protect myself from ever letting it happen again. In this post I'll talk about what raises my antennas before and… Continue reading My Top Airbnb Guest Red Flags

This is a common discussion topic in all of the Airbnb forums I've joined and it isn't a one-sided argument. Allowing renters to bring pets into your home not only opens you up to more customers - It also lets you charge extra in the form of a "pet fee". Obviously, these animals can also… Continue reading Pet Policies: Should I Let The Furry Friends Come Along?

I left the closing table of my latest house excited to get started furnishing and listing my first out-of-state home on Airbnb. I was also excited, nervous, and unsure about a brand new challenge… telling the long-term tenants, who had never met me, that they needed to find a new place to live. This problem… Continue reading Respectfully Removing a Renter: How To Transition From Long-Term To Short-Term Rental

My phone started “blowing up” with pictures and videos from my cleaning partner, showing me the damage and disregard for my house rules by the guest who had recently checked out. I was LIVID at first. But, after a few minutes, I realized why I should be grateful for the experience and started identifying the… Continue reading They Had a Party: The Dreaded Phone Call And How It Improved My Short-Term Rental Business

After I got my first short-term rental up and running, my mind started buzzing about a million miles-per-hour thinking about the possibilities of the business. Especially once I strengthened the automation of my same-state rental homes, I thought about what it would look like to have homes in other places…further away places…places I would want… Continue reading Short-Term Staycation: Utilizing Your Airbnb Business To See The World

Whether you want to rent out a room in your house, try your hand at rental arbitrage, or invest in a whole house to list on Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms, there are several non-negotiables which I always recommend to people looking to get started in the hosting business. In this post we'll discuss… Continue reading My Top 10 Tips For Starting An Airbnb Business

Buying an entire home to use as a strictly-rental investment is not the only way to scratch your itch for hospitality. I mentioned rental arbitrage in an earlier post and it can be an option for those trying to get into the game without owning the home. But, what if you own your primary residence… Continue reading STR House Hacking: Renting Out Unused Rooms In Your Home on Airbnb

I consider myself a top-tier money-saver. I HATE spending. I find great joy in knowing that I'm able to forgo select creature comforts in exchange for a little extra money in my bank account. When it comes to my short-term rental properties, however, I'm smart enough to understand the areas that are NOT skimp-worthy. I… Continue reading Favor Frugality? Know How To Pick Your Battles In Your Short-Term Rental Business