All Forum Posts by: Brian Christinakis

hi @Claudia Acanda,

Is this on the River? Tough to give an opinion without having some more info on the property, area, and of course who you're trying to appeal to with a waterfront property (yourself, potential renters...?)

Hi @Mike S.!

What you've described is actually quite normal when first launching a STR. AIrbnb's algorithm gives new listings an initial boost when you first list, so new bookings start coming in. From there it's vital that you're getting clicks (need good property title, good pictures) and that clicks turn into bookings (again good professional bookings, good amenities, something other properties don't have), and lastly, 5-star reviews from those first bookings. All those help you stay strong once you come off the initial boost. At this point, I'd recommend studying your competition (what are they offering that you're not?), consider restaging/new photo shoot, and dropping price for a while to bring in more bookings and get more 5-star reviews, which I'll say again are critical.

Hey @Matt Hubert!

Investor-Agent here originally from Stuart! I live in Miami now, but own/operate a STR in Stuart close to downtown.

TBH, when I was looking in the area, there are some nice houses on Nettles island, but occupancy rates and ADR were not super convincing for the price point. Happy to chat more if you'd like!

 Best of luck! 

Hey @Drew Gelinas,

I haven't had this request personally on any of my properties, but know people in another STR investor community I belong to that have, and that actually seek them out by developing relationships with insurance companies in their area.

You definitely have to break out of the STR mindset here; if you were to post your property on Zillow or anywhere for a MTR or seasonal rental, the address would be public and a walk-through would be expected as well. Do your due diligence on the insurance company, and be sure to have an attorney or someone with experience review the rental/lease contract to be sure you're protecting yourself, but this is fairly common to see. Also happens with home builders that get behind on delivering houses to homebuyers who may have already sold their previous home.

https://strhub.co/ is a good site with a calculator, not sure if you can do a free trial on there but I've used it before!

I love this idea. That said, South FL is failing me miserably right now, it was 58deg this morning in Miami Beach! :( 

Hey Andrew! Fellow STR investor turned South Florida Realtor here. Happy to walk you through some tools I use to evaluate properties- DM me and we can set up some time!

Hey @Cody Cavenaugh, I have a great broker I work with personally who's licensed in FL and TX. Just closed a DSCR loan for me a few months ago. DM me if you'd like me to make an intro.

Let's not forget the liability piece that STR insurance provides in MUCH higher liability limits for incidents ON your property but also incidents off your property while your guests are staying there (like using a bike). Not to mention legal representation, loss of use coverage, etc.

It's not just about damage claims.