Using My Own Home To Generate Income

Using My Own Home To Generate Income

Denver, CO · Member since 2018 · 15 posts · 2 votes

I live in the suburbs north of Denver, CO and purchased a 2 bedroom townhome with an unfinished basement in February during a "sellers market". I am now in the process of looking into other living arrangements and would like to use my home to generate income, but with a high mortgage and HOA, the avg rent prices in the neighborhood project that I will have a difficult time covering my monthly costs. I am beginning finishing my basement to add another room and would like to rent each room to college students (I live 5 minutes away from a community college and 2 minutes from public transportation perfect for commuting to some schools in Denver) in an effort to rent higher and cover my monthly costs to profit monthly.

I would love to hear from someone who has overcome the issue I’m facing in terms of buying high and trying to leverage my home to turn it into an asset providing passive income. If you’re that person, please share your story and your successes and failures if you feel comfortable. I would love to learn from you.

Thank you!

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Brandon SturgillBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Columbus, OH · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y

@Jeff Beaman just be sure to check your local ordinances/codes around basement dwellings...these are usually pretty technical and restrictive...in general, basements are not considered "habitable"...and to make them habitable is pretty pricey. Most of the concerns are related to egress and fire.

And in general, finishing below grade space only returns .30-.40 cents on the dollar...

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  • Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    "Have you looked into Airbnb or VRBO. Generally you can get a good price if you just rent out each individual room or you can rent out the entire house."

    --------------------------------

    Can't AirBnB the basement as a bedroom if the basement doesn't meet code for bedrooms. If regulations permit, you could AirBnB the whole house and who they stuff down there is their business, so long as you portray the house as only having the code compliant bedrooms

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    May want to check your HOA agreement and see if they discuss any restrictions on renting.

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2018 · 15 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Elizabeth Butt Thank you for that! I will definitely check them out. From the people you know, how do they go about pricing their rooms? Air BnB suggested a nightly rate, did they follow that when pricing there space?

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2018 · 15 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Joe P. Thank you for sharing your story, the decision of whether to abandon now or go down with the ship trying is proving to be a difficult decision. I appreciate you taking the time to provider your incredibly relevant insight.

    Cheers!

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 7 posts · 3 votes
    7y

    @Jeff Beaman Some use Airbnb’s pricing but others use an outside source and pay them to choose the prices for them. I am not sure what that source is though. Also, they manually raise the prices if an event is happening near the Airbnb that would cause a lot of people to want to book. Another good person to follow on Instagram is @bacheloretteflippad. She is a realtor and flips houses / does Airbnb. She frequently posts on her blog with number on how her Airbnb is doing. Here is a link to her blog https://bachelorettepadflip.com/blog/ . And if you go to her bio on Instagram she does frequent posts on homes.com as well. She has a link in her bio to all of her resources. All very interesting! You might have to scroll through her blog to see Airbnb posts... I know she has two of them and is very open about it. 

  • Real Estate Investor · Westminster, CO · Member since 2012 · 25 posts · 18 votes
    7y

    Hi Jeff

    I think your place is in the same area that I have most of my rentals.  Tell me exactly where your condo is.  It might be worth more rent than you think, I've been surprised at the rents I've gotten for my two bedroom places in Westminster and Thornton lately.  If yours is close to mine, I'll be happy to share.

  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    I doubt your HOA allows airbnb. Rent by the room might get you around $2k a month minus expenses, so you wouldn't be cash flowing.

    What is the penalty if you sell?

  • Rental Property Investor · Concord, GA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    7y

    You've received some valuable comments in this thread. I'd like to reiterate the part about not making the basement into a bedroom. Knowingly doing a code violation like this could come back to bite you. It's just not worth the potential gain. Is there adequate storage in the rest of the house so you don't need the basement for that purpose?

    Another thing already mentioned is to investigate the HOA and local regulations regarding renting the property both long and short term. You don't want to start down a road and find the bridge is out.

    We do Airbnb in our home (three spaces) and it's not as "easy" as some make out. It's a lot of time doing laundry and cleaning. If you have to hire out turning the property, it's going to significantly cut into your net yield.

    Hasn't been mentioned but do you have owner/occupant commitments that could result in calling the loan if you move out? Again, something to check before you start down a path.

    Others have mentioned it but not every property can be successfully turned into a suitable cash flowing situation. (or even a break even). If the market remains strong, it's possible that the property will appreciate and improve your situation. (assuming the rents go up too so you're not just paying higher taxes)

    You'll get it figured out, just make sure to research all the options before you select one. Happy New Year.

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