All Forum Posts by: Christina B.

I think it's not only possible to advertise to this niche, I think you should consider setting up an online group or community around this. Certainly, there's an opportunity here and I think fragrance-free would be a good community as well. Our STR offers a fragrance-free detergent for guests to use. However, I haven't been consistent with the other hand soaps, dish soap, etc. used as no one has brought it up yet. Still, I'm now keeping this in the back of my mind. And hope you can continue to advocate for your community as I do think people with compromised immune systems, etc. would be in this boat (along with severe allergies).

Thx, @Brooklyn McCarty. Agreed. It wasn't the pilfering that bugged me, lol. It's the modest conscience behind the replacement with plastic hangers that bemuses. Willing to extend benefit of the doubt to someone packing up shakers (not paying attention), and yes, all this is small beans and easily replaced. Who was it that said the golden rule (do unto others...) has been replaced by the platinum rule- which is not treat others as you would like to be treated but as they would like to be treated. (I am much more sympathetic to hosts of the places I stay at these days since I became one, lol.) The venting helps!

But I think Andrew's story on this thread:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/530/topics/1199277-craz...

WINS the current prize for CRAZY. May none of us have to go through that but if we do, good neighbors (and good insurance) always help. (And since we're tossing in wishes here, may Andrew's insurance remain untouched, etc.)

@James Carlson Your contributions on this group, especially your insight with regard to CO, have been truly helpful to me. Genuine appreciation for your questions and insight. We do have multiple goals for this property (personal use is very low on that list just due to work, crazy schedules, etc.) and they are panning out. GR made the most sense for ski in/ski out and our budget at that time (relative to Summit County, Steamboat, & Winter Park/Fraser). I am curious how the current leadership will manage the lands, development, etc. and have some genuine concerns. We've certainly experienced a fair share of new build/builder quality control issues.

I do believe the long term has significant upsides but you know that already with your understanding of the mountain communities. We are doing much better than covering costs, etc. but this was a 1031 exchange and I had one simple goal (among others) to beat our previous numbers in the NoVA/DC area. (But it wasn't apples to apples.)

I looked at AirDNA's data recently and don't disagree with their broad picture but again, people here know that the details and other factors can tell a different story and bring success for some in the same area (comparables) and loss for others.

I'm all about reducing risk and my read on climate data and global economies (& yes, politics) incline me toward continued investment in properties that have multiple channels of revenue, above a certain latitude, and more upscale. But I'm here to learn. And may pivot to other ventures while leaving certain assets in place. Thank you.

Thank you, @Dave Foster. Sadly, we won't be in a position to 1031 this until late next year. I appreciate your thoughts and am absolutely keeping an eye on the market, resales, etc. We can pivot to seasonal or MTR (and I've had previous offers for LTR). But there's no school like managing it directly and learning from our guests and others. Grateful for this group.

Good grief! There's a story!! Glad you have a good relationship with the neighbors (which is always worth cultivating). If you can, in the future, when things are more settled, could you create a new post letting us know how this situation resolved? Ideally, the guest pays (however that is- whether it's their insurance, etc.). But I'd be curious if your insurance gets dragged in somehow. Thank you!

@Andrew Steffens There's a part of me that would prefer to pass on reviewing. And I agree nothing was egregious (although our cleaner is charging us $120 in extra fees for the extra time which I honestly find more than reasonable). She wasn't able to get all the blood out and the furniture stains aren't coming out either (although I can try different spot removers the next time I'm up there). But because I took over PM from a previous company, we're back to building reviews. The guest called it nit-picking and I can see her perspective, and offered to pay for the sheets. But like Patricia pointed out, I'm more annoyed that the guest has 12 5-star reviews and I don't think she (guest) changed, I think others were just review-inflating. You've all been there. The guest became defensive and pointed out that 7 rolls of toilet paper (12 guests over 4 days) was not sufficient (lol) and they had to buy more tp, paper towels, and trash bags. As I can't quite tell if the cleaner did not fully restock (I ask the cleaners to be generous with the restock), I'm leaning toward covering all the extra charges ($300 worth if I include the extra time our hot tub maintenance person had to put in to restore the tub/water) but leaving them a 3-star review, knowing they may push back in their comments. Thank you for your thoughts

@Patricia Andriolo-Bull Thank you so much for that clarity. You were more right than I realized. Our cleaner returned today to double check everything and found a tv remote missing (I know this happens a lot), chocolate stains in the carpet, more blood stains on other linens, bath rugs, and furniture, more furniture stains, etc. Given all her extra time she spent trying to restore the property to its usual, I don't think at this point they'd even get 4 stars from me. I also think they'll balk at the extra cleaning charges so I have to figure this out carefully while being honest for future hosts. Everything has pictures and is documented.

Prior to this new surcharge by the HOA, we currently pay CO General Sales & Use Tax of 2.9%, Grand County General Sales & Use Tax of 1.3%, Grand County Accommodations Tax of 1.8%, and Granby City General Sales & Use Tax of 4%. That's already 10% of gross. State, County, and City taxes- I understand.

I underestimated the HOA's ability to impose taxes (or surcharges) as well and this property belongs to 3 HOAs. While it's true that hotels pay more, we don't own/manage multiple properties. For the smaller investor, business owner, etc., the "surcharges" just keep adding up.

Not sure how many here will be affected by this but it adds to the tougher landscape for STRs in the mountains. This was pushed through in the last meeting (no vote) by the Board of Directors and will commence January 2025. It's a 2.7% tax on gross amount of all retail and food sales and they specifically mention STRs. Owners are supposed to certify to the Board if no sales were generated in any particular month, as well as provide a copy of any Colorado sales tax return or alternatively, a report from AirBnB or VRBO regarding the sales for that month.

I find this invasive, crappy, and a whole lot more that shouldn't be said in polite company. It's making seasonal, MTR, and LTR a lot more attractive or a 1031 exchange as soon as we hit the 2 year mark.

Anyone else seeing this in their part of the country? Thoughts?

@Michael Baum Thank you sincerely for the multiple laughs. I needed that. You're right. I can let all this go- but would you still rate that guest 5 stars? (I think providing makeup removal cloths and black face towels will be what I choose, moving forward.)

In our family, my husband is actually way better at sewing, etc. than I am. When our kids were little, I attended one of those preschool days where they give the parents crafts to do while engaging with the kids. Our craft was to sew this little stuffed mouse. My better half looked at my creation when we got home and named it "Lawnmower Mouse" for a reason.

I hear you on the shades. You're not wrong but there's a consistency of look and this is a higher-end rental (although I'm mindful that everything has a range). Still, I'm rethinking how to be more practical... Thanks again!