STR experts managers how does one self manage or market a STR on their own

MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

1w

I’m not sure if Zillow brings in guests but VRBO and Airbnb aren’t difficult to set up so it would probably be worth doing one or both. I also like Houfy for direct bookings of repeat customers to avoid VRBO/AirBNB fees. It isn’t difficult to connect the calendars and the whole thing can set/forget if you aren’t trying to maximize returns.

1 Reply

Thomas Hensley

Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 3 votes

1w

Are STR is on airbnb, vrbo, booking.com, and a self booking site, I wouldn't rely on zillow. Interestingly most of are bookings are from booking.com. But we do actively market the STR, currently we are using airlyn.ai to provide marketing help and the guest guidebook.

1 Reply

John UnderwoodPro Member

Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes

1w

Vrbo and Airbnb is really easy to set up. Probably even easier now days.

.I keep my boat and jet skiis at my lake house too.

Remember that days you are at the property and working on the property don't count against your 14 day personal usage.

I always have small projects that need to be worked on.

3 Reply

Diana Khan

Attorney · 10451 Mill Run Cir #755 Owings Mills, MD 21117 · Member since 2024 · 329 posts · 123 votes

1w

Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:

I am looking at a property that I would like to use the 14 nights a year one night at a time and to park my boat so I dont have to haul it all the way from Vegas to my happy fishing holes.

So maximizing revenue is not important but I would like to cover fixed expenses taxs insurance utls etc there would be no mortgage so maybe make 500 to 1k a month would be just fine.. And it satisfies my 1031 were I dont have to replace debt.

this area seems to attract gamblers and golfers Just over the Utah NV border..

So thinking a full blown manager is not going to be interested and not sure I can navigate VRBO or airbnb myself anyway..

question would be can one just put it on zillow or whatever get a local cleaner for the few nights it would be rented and call it a day ??

@Jay Hinrichs, since you are not trying to maximize every night, I would probably keep the setup as simple as possible. Before choosing the platform, though, I would first confirm that short-term rentals are allowed at that specific property and check any local permit, HOA, and insurance requirements. I've seen investors get the operations figured out first and then find out there was a restriction they did not know about.

If the property checks out, I would also make sure you have one reliable local person for cleaning and someone who can handle a lockout, leak, or other issue when you are back in Vegas. With your goals, you may not need a full property manager, but you do need a simple plan for the things that cannot be handled remotely.

I’d be glad to stay connected, @Jay Hinrichs. I like the way you’re looking at this as a property you can enjoy personally while still letting it help cover its own costs.

0 Reply

Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
OP
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
1w
understood on the rules regarding STR read most of the threads here on bp regarding str .. and I have stayed in half a dozen vrbos on fishing trips where there are no decent hotels. I had one STR in Indy downtown and it was with a PM and frankly not worth it after all said and done.. then we had another one on the Columbia river that was quasi my wife rented it to shirt tail relatives that lasted 1 stay and she did not want to do that anymore after taking the phone calls etc.. And I know how that is I can be that way as well when I want to ask questions of the host.. the last stay I did in Montana the lady actually gave me 4 stars on following directions I think and this after I brought her 4 beautiful Trout so they could have a nice dinner with her mom :) I personally do not kill any fish so was dissapointed in that review.
Podcast Guest on Show #222
JLH Capital Partners51 Review
Website View Page
0 Reply
Jules Aton
MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1w
It sucks that you haven't had good experiences with STR stays. We started out of necessity back when most nice hotels didn't take dogs and have enjoyed many STRs with only one exception.
0 Reply

Lauren Kormylo

Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

1w

If you're only going to use it for about 14 nights, I think a property manager or co-host would definitely be interested. You'd just have to tell them in advance what nights to block off for you.

In Utah and Nevada, a PM must be licensed as a real estate agent or broker and they would be able to handle everything for you, and just send you a check every month. A co-host is usually someone who also owns their own local rentals and would handle your cleaner, pricing, bookings, and communicating with guests, but would not be handling the money (they'd need a property management license for that), so you'd need to do that.

Zillow does not do short term rentals, you'll need to list on Airbnb and Vrbo.

Honestly, it sounds like you should have someone manage it for you if you don't have time or interest to do this yourself. Your cleaner is the most important thing to success. You can't just find a regular house cleaner, they won't do a good enough job for an STR, which requires more. And it requires a cleaner who is absolutely dependable, they can't call in sick when a guest is coming that afternoon.

If I were you, I'd interview a few PMs and look at their listings on Airbnb and Vrbo, looking for great reviews, how booked their calendars are, and discuss what their commission is. If you wanted a co-host which usually cost a little less, Airbnb has some vetted ones that they can connect you with through their site.

2 Reply

JD MartinBusiness Member
Moderator
Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
1w
Quote from @Lauren Kormylo:
If you're only going to use it for about 14 nights, I think a property manager or co-host would definitely be interested. You'd just have to tell them in advance what nights to block off for you.

In Utah and Nevada, a PM must be licensed as a real estate agent or broker and they would be able to handle everything for you, and just send you a check every month. A co-host is usually someone who also owns their own local rentals and would handle your cleaner, pricing, bookings, and communicating with guests, but would not be handling the money (they'd need a property management license for that), so you'd need to do that.

Zillow does not do short term rentals, you'll need to list on Airbnb and Vrbo.

Honestly, it sounds like you should have someone manage it for you if you don't have time or interest to do this yourself. Your cleaner is the most important thing to success. You can't just find a regular house cleaner, they won't do a good enough job for an STR, which requires more. And it requires a cleaner who is absolutely dependable, they can't call in sick when a guest is coming that afternoon.

If I were you, I'd interview a few PMs and look at their listings on Airbnb and Vrbo, looking for great reviews, how booked their calendars are, and discuss what their commission is. If you wanted a co-host which usually cost a little less, Airbnb has some vetted ones that they can connect you with through their site.
Hi Jay, actually this is a great setup for a manager because you're not going to be clogging up the calendar with non-revenue bookings. You can do it on your own (I've done this same thing myself on my place) but honestly it's more aggravation than its worth for that kind of short term usage.
Podcast Guest on Show #243
Skyline Properties
View Page
1 Reply
Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
OP
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
1w
what is a co host exactly ??? and thank you for responding. my thought is I will have the best bang for the buck.. IE the lowest rate in the area for same quality amenities etc. Since gross/net revenue is not anything I am worried about.. my goals are parking for my boat that is safe and accessible stay one night so I can break up my trip to the lakes I am going to fish from Vegas. And to satisfy my 1031 that I have zero basis in so I dont need debt or want debt.
As such either UT or NV with the low property tax etc the holding costs are comparatively low. I will go the manage route and or co host route as I think about it I dont want to get bogged down in managing cleaners etc.. I have enough management stuff in my day to day capital partner business.
Podcast Guest on Show #222
JLH Capital Partners51 Review
Website View Page
1 Reply

Andrew SteffensBusiness Member

Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

1w

I think I would need to know the exact market better to have a more educated insight but I do think a manager would be interested with such little personal use, and I also think you could navigate both Airbnb and VRBO, and Zillow to boot.

[email protected]813-563-0877

Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews

Website View Page

0 Reply

Jules Aton
MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1w
Agree with both @Andrew Steffens and @Lauren Kormylo The lack of hassles with a PM especially if you are fine with low rates to fill beds is a solid option. What I found is the low prices PMs set filled the place months in advance and it was many back to back 3 night stays which wears on the property and costs a lot in turnover fees. If you should decide to try on your own at some point give a holler, happy to share my "smart" phrases and tips I have learned as I fumble forward solo.
0 Reply

Michael Eskenasy

Investor · Pacific Northwest · Member since 2026 · 531 posts · 298 votes

1w

Jay — a co-host is basically the middle ground between self-managing and hiring a full property manager.

You still own the account, the property, and the economics. The co-host handles the operating layer you don’t want to deal with: guest messages, check-in/check-out, calendar coordination, pricing, cleaner scheduling, maintenance triage, lockouts, and the random “the Wi-Fi isn’t working at 10:30 PM” stuff. That’s essentially the role Lauren was describing in this thread.

The big distinction is control and scope. A traditional PM may take over nearly the entire operation, including collecting/disbursing funds, owner statements, vendor management, and sometimes broader fiduciary responsibilities. A co-host can be much lighter-weight: you keep the financial control, and they run the day-to-day guest experience and local execution. Exactly what they can legally do depends on the state and how the relationship is structured.

For your use case, I actually think co-hosting may fit better than full management. You’ve already said you don’t care about maximizing revenue, you mainly want the property to offset its carrying costs, stay available for your fishing trips, keep the boat there, and avoid getting dragged into cleaners and guest phone calls.

So I'd look for a local operator who can do five things well: keep the calendar clean around your personal-use dates, manage guests, coordinate a dependable STR cleaner, handle minor issues locally, and keep you informed without making you the dispatcher.

That gives you the convenience of management without necessarily paying for a full-service machine you don’t need.

And given what you said about the Indy property and the Columbia River experience, I’d optimize this one for low friction, not maximum occupancy.

2 Reply

Cole S.

Technology · Vancouver, Canada · Member since 2026 · 8 posts · 1 vote

1w

One thing I’d make sure of if you go with a co-host is that you still keep ownership/access to your Airbnb, Vrbo and calendar accounts. Makes it much easier if you ever change managers later.

For your situation, keeping the tech setup simple and having one reliable local person sounds like the way to go.

0 Reply

Lauren Kormylo

Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

1w

Jay, here's the Airbnb page for co-hosts. https://www.airbnb.com/host/co-hosts?gclsrc=aw.ds&&c=.pi0.pk20268391843_149755613723&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20268391843&gclid=CjwKCAjwn67VBhBnEiwAXUIN1fuzkjTxW7RSI6TswZMlgidveh7ju4s1D3ILbDMLk7pETDK837ZyJxoCGVwQAvD_BwE

Scroll down and you'll see the stuff they take care of. They can also help you set up the house with furniture, dishes, linens, smart lock, etc. for an extra fee.

Airbnb says co-hosts charge 15-25% of gross revenue. I've seen an average of 20% for co-hosts not connected to Airbnb. One of the perks of using one through Airbnb is that they say "Airbnb does not take a percentage of the payout you share with your co-host". The Airbnb commission on bookings is now 15.5% for the host, and zero for the guest. So it sounds like this would save you money. In comparison, licensed Property Managers usually charge 20-40% of the gross.

0 Reply

Eduard Friesen

Property Manager · Cyprus · Member since 2026 · 12 posts · 4 votes

1w

Honestly man, speaking as someone who manages 50+ short-term rentals, I definitely wouldn't look at STR as something you just throw on Airbnb, find a cleaner and call it a day 😄

I can’t tell you whether you’d make the $500–1k you’re looking for in that area, but operationally there’s a lot more behind it than it seems.

Guest communication, cleaners, maintenance, pricing, check-ins, random problems, reviews, finances, making sure payouts are correct etc. Once you do it properly, it becomes a real operation pretty quickly.

You can obviously outsource most of that, but then you’re usually looking at something around 20-30% of the gross income for management plus cleaning and other costs. And even then you still need to keep an eye on the manager, the numbers, payouts etc. Paying someone doesn’t automatically mean everything runs good😄

For someone who actually wants to build a STR business, go ahead. But if the goal is mainly to cover some costs and use the place yourself occasionally, keep it simple and go long-term rather than creating another job for yourself.

1 Reply

Ahmed Naimi

Member since 2026 · 1 post · 0 votes

6d

f you’re only using the property personally a few weeks a year, self-managing can be pretty manageable. I’d focus on finding a reliable local cleaner first and giving them a repeatable turnover process — room-by-room checklist, restock levels for supplies, damage/maintenance notes, and a final inspection before the next guest.

The booking side can be handled remotely, but having a simple system for turnovers and restocking is what keeps you from constantly coordinating small issues from a distance.

0 Reply

Sabrina RoualdesPro Member

New to Real Estate · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 2 votes

6d

Regardless of what platforms you list on, marketing the property yourself is always a good idea. It gives you an extra sense of control and the option to get bookings directly, avoiding Airbnb or VRBO fees. I've noticed that Instagram is a popular platform to do this on. Look up rentals in your market and see what kind of content they're posting, then start doing that consistently. If you want to get serious about it, you can even invite local content creators to stay in exchange for posting about their stay and collaborating with your account on it. UGC will likely perform better on social and by collaborating, you'll get reach to a whole new audience.

0 Reply

Matthew Tregoning

Real Estate Consultant · Melbourne, FL · Member since 2019 · 205 posts · 113 votes

3d

Jay, since you've already said the guest calls drove you nuts, I'd take that seriously. The person you hire needs to actually handle those calls, not just forward them to you. Otherwise you're paying a fee and still doing the part you didn't want.

0 Reply

STR experts managers how does one self manage or market a STR on their own

STR experts managers how does one self manage or market a STR on their own

Most Popular Reply

18 Replies