Furnished finder…good or bad idea?

Question

How’s it going BP friends!
hope all are well!
I write today to get some feedback on
Renting my spare bedroom out on Furnished finder.
what might I expect from this?
who has had success going this route and who hasn’t?
and why?
any and all input is much appreciated!
take care y’all!

Jennifer J. Schilling · Answer

As a traveling healthcare professional, I just wanted to put in my two cents. 1) Thank you for considering us! Housing is the hardest part of traveling. 2) Be sure to list specifics like is the kitchen available for use, washer and dryer? 3) pets or no pets? Many of us travel with our fur babies. 4) In your FF ad be sure to list how to contact you privately (email or phone number) and request future renters do so. FF messaging system is messed up/ broken. And finally 5) price. Many of the contracts are dropping in pay. Be sure what you request is reasonable for the area. Just because we get a stipend to pay for housing does not mean we want to use ALL of it for housing lol. (FYI the stipends and OT is where we make most of our $)

I have heard it is very hit and miss with getting healthcare professionals into a rental. From my perspective I think this is due to less demand and the price point maybe too high in some cases. Call the hospitals around you, speak with HR and ask if they have traveling healthcare professionals there. If they say "yes" ask if your place can be added to a list of housing in the area. Many hospitals have a list of rentals available around the hospital. I always try those first. Best of luck! And again, thank you.

Brock Lanoza · Answer

Hey Evan!

I have a few units on Furnished Finder currently and have loved the platform. Here's a few takeaways:

Pros:

+ Great tools. Furnished Finder partners with other platforms like Keycheck, offering a host of helpful tools like background/credit/eviction checks, automated rent collection, and state-specific lease generation

+ Wonderful guests. The folks I've rented to via FF have all been fantastic

+ Easy to setup. I've found that it only takes an hour or so to setup a listing

Cons:

- Not as automated as AirBnB. FF is a bit more "hands off" in that you are still responsible for drawing up the lease, collecting payment, and insuring your property in the event of something going wrong. You'll flex your property management muscles a bit more going through FF than you would AirBnB

Overall, I'd recommend giving FF a try! For the cost ($99/year per listing I believe), it's a fantastic way to rent out a room or unit you own as a MTR to folks who are quite often ideal guests. Just make sure you use all the tools at your disposal (especially the Keycheck background checks and automated rent collection) to ensure you're setting yourself up for success : )

Brett Deas · Answer

Depends on the room. Does it have its own bathroom? who lives in the house?

Typically travel nurses are single females who prefer to stay in a house with other females with their own bathrooms. Proximity is also very important as if you are "on call" you have to be within 30 minutes of the hospital. I think it is relatively inexpensive to throw it up there but make sure you list ALL of the information on the listing otherwise you will get people asking questions then never booking because it was not what they expected.

Evan Alfaro · Answer

My brothah Brock! Thanks for that reply man! VERY helpful!

Drew Sygit · Answer

Seems to work once you figure ot your strategy.

Evan Alfaro · Answer

Jared, thank you brother for the input! Much appreciated!  and to Jennifer, amazing insight here! that was quite the response and I can’t thank you enough. this platform is amazing, I’m feeling so much better taking this first step. I truly thank you all for the wonderful feedback.

Jared Hottle · Answer

I have had great success with it. Many quality leads. Well worth it. Key is running your numbers and making sure it is renting more then a long-term rental after factoring in higher vacancy, paying utilities, furnishing and more hand-holding.

Evan Alfaro · Answer

Thank you Eliott, I will most definitely keep everyone abreast of how it pans out for me.

Eliott Elias · Answer

It varies market per market, it can't harm you to put the property on furnish finder.

Evan Alfaro · Answer

Brett, thanks for that input. It is the Master bedroom and is quite nice (in my opinion). House is situated in the hills and is in a very quiet area. Only people living there are my parents.

Furnished finder…good or bad idea?

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