All Forum Posts by: Emily K.

I was hired in December and now they want to make changes. Hope that helps! I’ve been in the industry since 2017 honing in on my skills. I ventured into the analytics side of things BECAUSE of my knowledge. Quote from @Luke Carl:

Would need to know more about this but what it sounds like to me is... You have a property management company that wants to hire you but you want more money than they want to give you? So. Sounds like a pretty easy decision.

Don't take the job. Or. If you don't have other options and want to grow.. take the job and learn as much as you can until you can get yourself into a better opportunity.

I've taken many jobs that didn't pay much. But my broke rear end didn't have any options in those days.

Hello Investors,

I am looking for advice from property managers, virtual assistants and people who use virtual assistants to operate their business.

Aside from STR projects, I freelance my services to management companies. My first client who I have had since December has been paying "per project." What I do are comprehensive revenue analysis and if the home owner likes the financials, the company has me onboard the listing onto Airbnb & VRBO. I take a lot of time to get accurate comparables of the home, input my numbers and calculations on an expansive Google Sheet and give numbers based on 25th, 75th and 90th percentile. If that moves to the next step, I create the listings. I do research on popular attractions near by and by no means is this listing made up of "fluff." In fact, I feel like I know the house in and out when I am done.... Anyways to the point.

The company wants to have "access" to me through out the month for basically unlimited analysis and listings for a monthly rate. I asked what they had in mind and after I did the math it does not make sense at all for me but they are insistent. They also want me to look at a list of possible listings to be onboarded and instead of doing a rev. analysis and tell them "yes proceed with this home" or "no not worth your time or money."- Basically not wanting to pay for a revenue analysis but getting a professional opinion. As a young woman in the industry I do not want to taken advantage of but I want to come up with a compromise where we are both happy.

To The Bigger Pockets Community, do you pay your assistants a flat fee per month or per project? I don't want to lose a client but I don't want to compromise myself either. I am looking forward to your expert advice!

Thanks,

Emily

Quote from @Jon A.:

Quote from @Emily K.:

Quote from @Dave Stokley:

Yeah I've considered this too, every time I drive by one decaying in a nearby parking lot. One thing to consider is zoning... where will you actually be allowed to park this thing and use it for this purpose.

I guess anywhere an RV can stay, the bus can stay. The purpose isn’t to be mobile because it takes a special permit to even be able to drive it

 The biggest question I would have as someone who knows nothing about this market is what part of your jurisdiction this would be legal. Cities are often very restrictive in terms of where RVs can be parked. And would your str guests want to stay in an RV park? Just thinking out loud - I wonder if you wouldn't be better off buying/developing a luxury RV park comprised of these buses.

Putting myself in the shoes of a guest, no I don't want to stay in an RV park nor would I want to be in a city. This is a project that requires a lot of research. These are the kind of questions I need to find answers to! Developing land would be a nice end goal but a very far future goal. Thanks for your input!

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Emily K.! I like it! It will take some doing to get one done up. What kind of acquisition cost are we talking? I assume you can get a deal.

I think it would be a neat twist to the tiny home thing.

If it were me, I think I would do a closed top for the extra space. Main deck as living with the upper deck as the loft/bedroom.

EDIT - I think i would also do a classic bus rather than the modern double. They are nice and probably easier to convert, but the classic would look cooler and would offer a more unique experience.

I would need to do more research. They range from 30k upward to 100k for a brand new one with a new engine. I plan on having it stationary so engine isn’t needed. The cost of transporting it is half the price of the bus itself that’s the only caveat.  

Quote from @Dave Stokley:

Yeah I've considered this too, every time I drive by one decaying in a nearby parking lot. One thing to consider is zoning... where will you actually be allowed to park this thing and use it for this purpose.

I guess anywhere an RV can stay, the bus can stay. The purpose isn’t to be mobile because it takes a special permit to even be able to drive it

Quote from @Shiela R.:

Awesome thinking @Emily K.!  What about finding some land and parking it (and others) near a fire pit, grill etc that you may need to build/install for "glamping" in a communal but secluded setting?

“Double Decker Glamping- A Bussin Time.” Haha love that idea! 

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

The only thing is, just like with many 'tiny homes' you are losing a large % of customers right out of the gate. I would guess 50%.....

But since your market entry cost is lower, it might pencil out in terms of ROI....?

I understand what you’re saying! I personally have seen a shift in the Airbnb market in my area and for me, it’s time to breakout and target people who want a guest experience vs. A home to stay in for the night for convenience purposes. The STRs that do the best are the ones who target a certain niche (families with kids, families with pets, romantic couples retreat, working professionals, travel nurses ect) I would target a specific niche and make it an experience. I don’t think I’m ruling out anyone in terms of the niche I would choose to target. 

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Emily K.! I like it! It will take some doing to get one done up. What kind of acquisition cost are we talking? I assume you can get a deal.

I think it would be a neat twist to the tiny home thing.

If it were me, I think I would do a closed top for the extra space. Main deck as living with the upper deck as the loft/bedroom.

EDIT - I think i would also do a classic bus rather than the modern double. They are nice and probably easier to convert, but the classic would look cooler and would offer a more unique experience.

 I was thinking the same thing! The 5 star restaurant inquired about a clear dome on the second level. I looked it up and I can imagine how dreamy, especially in stargazing region.

Hello everyone!

This is a unique, yet functional idea I have not seen yet and I want to hear your thoughts. As the STR market is changing, it is important to stand out. I was chatting about some ideas with my family member who has been selling double-decker buses for over 30 years. She usually uses them for films, photoshoots, and even for the Lakers parade in 2002! Recently she had an inquiry about a 5-star restaurant being built in one of the double-deckers which had me thinking, what if it was converted into a short-term rental? These are real London buses open top or closed top. Some vintage, some modern. The buses with open tops can be a cool roof deck with panoramic views if you are in an open space. Some of the buses that are available to convert into short-term rentals are in the link below. As someone who could be interested in this idea, what would you want to see on the website and what would you want to know more about? I am looking forward to your input!

Thank you,

Emily

https://www.buydoubledeckers.c...

Quote from @Jay Thomas:

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Thank you!