All Forum Posts by: Ariel Smith

@Michael Alston welcome to BP! I grew up in Bakersfield so I am very familiar with Fresno. If you are browsing properties on the MLS then open houses are a good way to view property without agent representation. While there, you can ask agents questions and see if you connect with any who would be open to working with you. Great agents are often busy and won't always make time for a phone call, but at open houses they are there to prospect and talk to those who walk in so it's a great way to get in touch initially!

Also as others have said, BP is a great place to ask any question and many things have been brought up in forums so you can always search for your topic and get a lot of information even without "asking" the question :)

@Grace Simpson welcome to BP! If your goal is to hold rental property, then you should definitely hold on to your condos - especially if they are cash flowing here in the bay. Based on your locations, they might even be great prospects for furnished corporate rentals as well. 

So I have a furnished STR l that I property manage in my area and I got my last booking through Airbnb, but I wanted to expand our marketing across multiple platforms. I went to VRBO to add in our listing and when I got to the payment information, it required me to put in a Value-Added-Tax (VAT) Number for my property management business. I had no idea what this was, so I looked it up and found that this is essentially a tax ID number for folks in the European Union.

Why would they be asking me for one of these for my property in the Bay Area? I couldn't bypass it, so when I called in to ask, the VRBO service rep told me that I should have this number but could not explain why or what it is. I tried to give our FEIN and state tax number but they didn't work. She eventually transferred me to the payments company (separate from VRBO) and they told me that since I am in the US I shouldn't be required to put that on my application but that since they come through HomeAway, I would have to contact them. I was transferred back and once again, no one at VRBO could help me.

Am I wrong in thinking that I don't need a VAT number for my property (it has a 30 day minimum anyway so I am not subject to occupancy tax...) or is VRBO's website glitching? Does anyone operating in the US or California have a VAT number?

@Josue Vargas I can recommend someone if you'd like. I'll PM you!

@Sara Bill you shouldn't need a permit for 30 days + but you should want a lease agreement since this "guest" will be considered a tenant.

http://www.nashville.gov/Codes-Administration/Construction-and-Permits/Short-Term-Rentals.aspx

@Account Closed no problem! Unfortunately I can't help with the construction quote, but if you put it in a different forum, then someone might be able to answer.

@Clarence Oliver yeah it's unfortunately quite common from what I know. Agents sometimes forget who they are representing in the transaction. They get clouded and think that they are representing the transaction (not true on the buyer's side - at least in CA). 

@Account Closed in San Jose, the maximum size of an ADU on a lot zoned R1 is 800 sqft and that is only if your lot is larger than 10,000 sqft.

≤ 9,000 sq.ft. lot – 600 sq.ft. maximum

9,001 to 10,000 lot – 650 sq.ft. maximum

> 10,000 lot – 800 sq.ft. maximum

@Clarence Oliver Always worth it to ask for the repair credits in my opinion. Worst thing seller can do is say no and you move on with the sale if the numbers still make sense.

P.S. the Zillow estimate is always garbage, especially at that price point. Have your agent run comps for a more accurate estimate of value.

Best of luck!

@Joel Duque-Estrada welcome to BP! I stayed in an Airbnb in Ewa Beach in March, but it was a room in a home so I'm not sure about the 30 day minimum. Many cities are adopting this minimum though and unless you are living in the property, you have to adhere to the minimum. It seems like the other hosts your seeing might just be ignoring the law. Not sure if you want to risk it especially since you won't be present to deal with any issues. You could always put it on Airbnb with a 30 day minimum stay and see if you get any traction.