All Forum Posts by: Duane A. Snow

Start by talking to a bank to find out how much you qualify to borrow.  For rental properties, you are going to need 20% down, so $10K is unlikely to be enough in most areas.

As for what to buy-you mentioned selling your house-where are you going to live now?  If you haven't bought a place, why not look at a duplex or a place with a legal suite where you can live in one part of the property and rent the other part?

Look for a good place-somewhere you'd feel safe living.  Don't buy the cheapest place as on paper it may look great, but in reality you will have higher turnover, lower quality of tenants  and more problems-plus it won't appreciate in value as much.

@Duane A. Snow Milwaukee is a great market to invest in. There is a great selection of SFR's and MFR's. I'd say consider split testing the SFR and LTR approach. You can try this with a duplex. Location will matter oncourse so be mindful of that. Is your strategy more monthly income focused or appreciation?

I gave a presentation on this exact topic at the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin Annual Convention last year, and the key takeaway was that all rental strategies have their merits, but you need to know what you’re signing up for. Some can be passive investments, while others are full-fledged businesses.

Long-Term Rentals (LTRs) are the best starting point for most investors because they offer consistent income, lower management demands, and a truly passive approach. A 12-month lease means stable cash flow, fewer turnovers, and minimal involvement, especially if you use a property manager. Financing is also easier since lenders prefer predictable rental income over the fluctuations of STRs or MTRs.

Short-Term Rentals (STRs) and Mid-Term Rentals (MTRs) can be lucrative but require more hands-on management. STRs, in particular, are closer to running a hospitality business than a passive investment, with constant guest turnover, cleaning coordination, and regulatory risks. MTRs fall somewhere in between but still require furnishing and active tenant acquisition. If your goal is long-term wealth with minimal effort, LTRs are the best place to start, allowing you to scale without making real estate your full-time job.

I have a property in Janesville that is set up for STR/MTR as well as a portfolio of long term rental properties. STR/MTR does OK. I don't recommened MTR being your only plan in Janesville. Plan to serve travelling nurses didn't really work out after Covid and we pivoted to STR to keep the cash flow going. I think Janesville is a great long term rental market.

I think Janesville is a great market for MTR. I could also see there being a larger future market for STRs. An MTR market at Janesville would work well with the larger medical community here and in Madison, (Traveling nurses!) plus visiting executives, etc for the other employment there.  As far as i know Janesville doesnt any local restrictions on either type of rentals currently.

Milwaukee's STR space is getting saturated, especially if you have nothing special to offer. Most STRs are generic, cheap homes with lots of paint and trendy but cheap furniture. Consumers pick up on that. The properties are often flawed and no well-suited for a family to live there long term (lot's of bedrooms, but tiny living room, no yard, no garage etc), that's why they sold for a discount an get used as STR. Long term that makes them tough to sell to anyone else but an STR investor.

There are much fewer quality STRs available to rent, so that's one way to differentiate. And then you got the vacation rental market. The problem with southern Wisconsin is that we don't have reliable snow coverage anymore, so you are limited to the summer season and will sit vacant for the winter. Or you go north, which makes you a lot more remote, far away from the next Home Depot, and a long drive for everyone, but opens you up the snowmobile and ice fishing season.

IMO the most important thing is to buy quality real estate, no matter how you rent it. We have a chronic housing shortage in Milwaukee. Home prices have doubled in the last ten years and we are still well below the national average.

Hey Duane,

I’m Cristiana, and I’ve spent the last 10 years building and leading teams in the short-term and mid-term rental industry across Airbnb, VRBO, Furnished Finder, Booking.com, and 20+ other platforms. Managing 25 properties worldwide, I’ve scaled operations to generate $1M+ annually, which led to acquiring a hotel in Costa Rica.

Beyond operations, I specialize in connecting investors to exclusive, off-market opportunities through my extensive network. To guide you in the right direction, with whether STR or MTR is better suitable; I have a few questions:

- Where are you located?

- What major cities are nearby?

- What drives travel demand in these areas?

Looking forward to helping you navigate the best direction!

Check out Jesse Vasquez Airventure on YouTube. He has a lot of good info on MTRs. He has podcasts as well.