Temporary Housing for Workers

[John Lewis]

So I see a good bit of people talking about corporate housing and short term rentals but is anyone focused on blue collar workers coming in town for construction type jobs?  I've been focusing on this lately and it's been working out well.  We have a lot of refineries in the area so they have a good bit of workers coming in regularly for construction and turnarounds.  The motels fill up and many would prefer a house with washer, dryer, kitchen, etc.  I've been trying to offer everything the extended stays and some for the same price or in some cases lower.  They are usually being paid per diem and are here for a couple months at a time.  So far this strategy is working well for me.  Anyone else doing something similar?

[Paul Sandhu]

There is a refinery in my town here in Kansas.  I focus solely on the blue collar workers that come here to work.  They are welders, pipefitters, boilermakers, electricians, insulators, scaffold builders and such.  Here, a cheap motel room with 2 beds goes for $350/week.  I charge $350/week for a 2 bedroom furnished house with 3 beds.  It'll have a washer/dryer, cable/wifi, and kitchen with everything in it.  

82 beds in 22 houses, that's what I have.

As far as promotions go, I have a banner in the contractors parking lot.  I have pens with my info on it that I give to everyone that gets a drug screen.  (Contractors must pass a drug screen before they get through the gate.  I do drug screens.)   If it's local people that I'm drug testing, I tell them about my houses and offer them a finders fee (half the 2nd weeks rent) if they refer another contractor to me to rent.  I also have a dump truck with my information on the side of the bed.  I park that near jobsites of other construction projects.  My daily driver has a magnetic sign for furnished houses on both doors.  I put up flyers and business cards on the bulletin boards of all the convenience stores and gas stations.  I also wear Bulwark FR shirts with my advertising on the chest 5 days a week.  Every day I bump up my Craigslist ad so that it's fresh.  I have not had good results from AirBnB or Apartments.com 

The better tenants get a home cooked meal once a week, or they are invited to my house to shoot guns and enjoy a kegorator.  My biggest house has a kegorator.