All Forum Posts by: Alex Nauth

I've been working in corporate America for about a decade working in marketing and invest in real estate on the side. I would love to go into commercial real estate full time, but not sure where to begin. I know its an interesting time in commercial and its a tough industry mainly based on relationships. Not looking for any to tell me why I shouldn't do it cause I've heard and read plenty of that, mainly looking for any recommendations on who to talk with, classes or courses to take or anything like that. 

Any comments, recommendations, or guidance is much appreciated! And if you're in the industry and would be open to chatting I'd happily pay for your time to do so. 

I tried it in an apartment complex and it was an absolute dumpster fire and lost a lot of money. I also own 4 STR properties that do extremely well. I would suggest going to independent landlords and staying away from larger apartment complexes. I very well could have done it the wrong way, but this was just my experience.

I own 4 STRs in Indy and have looked into the Nashville, IN market. It looks like there's quite a few regulations in place at least in Nashville, IN (not sure about Bloomington). But don't let regulations deter you, a harder market to enter in theory mean less competition since most don't want to track down and follow all the regulations. 

 Definitely! You can find a bunch of lists that mention top amenities such as hot tub, sauna, etc. I added arcade games, board games and accept pets as well. I find the vast majority of my stays are families that love the games and 30-40% of the time they bring their pet as well. People also love the back deck with the string lights and a nice seating area. 

In my STRs the bigger the better as far as bedrooms are concerned. I have two 3/2 properties and two 4/3 properties. They average 4-5 night stays, keep in mind im not in a vacation hot spot. I be sure to offer nice weekly and monthly price discounts. 

Be sure to take a look at your amenities too. I've added a few things for very minimal cost that guests really love and increased revenue ~34% year over year. Also look at pricing softwares and adjust accordingly. I use pricelabs on all my listings and have really enjoyed it. 

STR markets are tough and change fast, best of luck!

Pricelabs has been great for me, but it also takes time to dial in. There's no real perfect solution. Even with pricelabs you have to know how to pull the right levers and have the right settings for your market that just takes time to learn. Also checking it every few days is still important IMO. 

 Interesting, how're the insurance rates where you are? I've heard rates have been going through the roof in FL. 

 What areas are you in? I've looked into Louisville but heard mixed reviews because of regulations. Also bene looking into the Red River Gorge area. 

I've got a couple STRs now so I'd love to get into more of them. What areas are typically best for STR/MTRs in the Columbus area?

I know there's a wide range of investors on here and I'm curious if there's anyone who invested their way out of their 9-5?

This is mainly for people who weren't working in real estate before and just doing it on the side while working their normal 9-5. Would love to know what peoples previous jobs were, how they invested, and how long it took to make real estate full time (without being an agent).

I'm personally working in corporate America as a digital marketer while investing in STRs mainly. Still working my job, but hoping to make real estate my full time job in the next couple years!