All Forum Posts by: Brooke Dyer

Hi Vida! 

This is such a creative idea! I've worked with investors that have rolled out shipping container short term rentals and they're very popular! What market are you looking to build this? 

I'm happy to connect to share our experience. My husband is also a GC and can help with estimates on the build! 

Hi Allende! Let's connect. I'm an investor friendly realtor with a background in new construction and short-term rental investments in North Georgia. Including Gilmer County. I'm happy to help!

Hi Jerry,

I'm happy to help! I've helped several STR investors purchase investment properties across the North Georgia mountains. In addition, my husband & I have cohosted for years in Fannin, Gilmer & Lumpkin Counties.

I highly recommend Scott Farrar with Prime Lending. Scott and his wife Alexis are awesome, and Prime Lending has great new construction loan options nationwide, however they're located in Texas!! They also have great programs for builders!!

I'm located in Northeast Georgia, and we're currently seeing a trend where specific incentives are being directed more towards covering closing costs rather than rate buydowns.

Congratulations on pursuing your Electrical Engineering degree and setting your sights on an exciting goal right after graduation!

I'm a Realtor in Northeast Georgia who specializes in working with investors—and my husband builds single-family residential homes—we’ve learned that a key first step you can take now is to start assembling a strong team. This includes subcontractors, realtors, lenders, and building relationships with experienced investors. These connections will be essential as you begin identifying growing markets, securing land deals, and navigating new construction loans or cash investments. Having a reliable team of subcontractors that you trust to deliver high-quality work within your timeline is vital when you begin your building projects.

If construction is a new area for you, I highly recommend finding a mentor in your region. A mentor will be invaluable in helping you navigate floor plans, budgets, and the logistics of permits and inspections specific to certain areas. Having this guidance will fast-track your learning and set you up for success as you move forward.

Best of luck! Feel free to reach out if you'd like to connect!

Welcome to BiggerPockets, and congratulations on launching your first STR!

First, invest in high-quality photos specifically tailored for STRs. Many markets have photographers who specialize in STR properties—this is an investment worth making!

Next, do your research by reviewing competitors in your area with similar rentals targeting your ideal guests. Study their pricing, occupancy rates, amenities, and guest reviews. Pay close attention to guest feedback to understand what matters most to them, and highlight those features in your listing. Ensure your pricing is competitive and that your minimum nightly stay aligns with market trends. Many hosts struggle at the beginning because their listings don’t match the local market, so taking the time to get this right before launching is crucial!

Equally important is identifying your ideal guest avatar. Who do you want to host? Make sure your listing is tailored for this specific guest. Add amenities and features that they would love and appreciate, and craft your messaging and headlines to speak directly to them. Whether you’re targeting families, couples, or business travelers, aligning your listing with your ideal guest will set you up for success.

Lastly, consider offering a small gift or token of appreciation to your first few guests. This can help you secure those important 5-star reviews early on, which are vital since platforms average your ratings. Even one 4-star review can significantly impact your score when you're just starting out.

Keep in mind...pricing & photos are the two most important things to guests as they book - make sure you have them right from the start.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions! YOU GOT THIS!!

Quote from @Ken Boone:

Quote from @Erica Calella:

For investors utilizing the STR strategy, what is your "gut feeling" for what the upcoming investment landscape will look like in 2025?

I recently spoke with an investor who believes STR sales in WNC are going to hit the market like crazy in spring of 2025. In her opinion, many investors are desperate to get out of their saturated markets but are waiting for interest rates to come down since many of them had purchased back in 2021-2022 at lower rates and higher prices. This makes sense, but what do we think will happen to these properties once sold? Will they likely be recycled into a new STR under new ownership? What are the other possibilities?

I'm thinking that this would also be a good time for me to add another property to my STR portfolio because I think prices will be more competitive once the transaction volume increases. My hesitation stems from the fact that I am unable to wrap my head around how this will affect the overall STR supply in vacation markets.

So I'm on the other side of the Smokies. As far as saturation goes when the boom was hitting we started seeing regular homes and even mobile homes get converted to "cabin/chalet" rentals. In other words homes that are really not STR level homes were turned into STRs.

I believe those homes will revert back to just being SFH. As far as all the other STR that will be sold because people bought wrong and our upside down, I think they will stay STRs so saturation level is not going to change much IMO.

I do believe that we will start seeing better prices as people start to try to get out from their monster debt with properties that are not doing what they thought they would do. 

I do however think the market will stay very competitive.  

I completely agree! You've raised several great points. During the short-term rental (STR) boom, we saw a surge of people buying properties that weren’t ideally suited for long-term success in the STR market. Additionally, many hosts who weren't fully prepared are now becoming absentee owners, especially as the strategy isn’t as easy or profitable as it once was. As mentioned in the original comment, I believe many of these properties will shift back to long-term rentals or single-family homes.

In North Georgia, where I’m located, we’ve seen significant changes in our two most popular STR markets—Fannin (Blue Ridge) and Gilmer (Ellijay) counties—with nearly 1,000 active listings, a 42% increase from 2023. This shift has created excellent opportunities in these areas, with investors eager to sell quickly, turning the market into a buyer's advantage.

Investors remain highly interested in North Georgia, but their approach has evolved. They’re now focused on unique properties with appealing natural amenities, like waterfronts or downtown areas, in growing locations that will consistently attract guests. Their underwriting has also become more conservative and cautious.

Guest reviews play a key role in your short-term rental’s success, and having more 5-star ratings than any other is essential. Earning Superhost status on Airbnb or Premier Host status on VRBO boosts your rental's visibility, as these platforms prioritize promoting top-rated properties in their algorithms.

Equally important is understanding your ideal guest avatar. Are you aiming to host families, snowbirds, couples, or work travelers, etc.? Tailoring the guest experience to meet their needs will not only make hosting more enjoyable for you but also create loyal, repeat guests, ultimately leading to fewer headaches and greater success.

AirDNA data is great! I had a client as well that was able to use similar market data through Pricelabs. In addition, I would search STR platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, market-based booking platforms) that you anticipate launching your rental on and do a competitive analysis of rentals in the area. Analyze guest reviews from similar rentals, pricing, nightly minimum, occupancy rates, amenities.