All Forum Posts by: Jeff Piscioniere

@Tim Schroeder are you committed to a large city?  Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN are year round destinations and a VR on Airbnb or any of the listing sites will do incredibly!

Good luck on your choice!

@Carlos Carbajal so you're saying the good brand to purchase for a smart TV is TCL?  And this brand of TV is available at Costco?  Not being much of a TV/movie watcher myself, what in your opinion is more prevalent Netflix or Roku?  I think it's important to appeal to the most people so if more of the general public has Netflix vs Roku, that's probably the wiser route to pursue.  I agree that it is EXTREMELY important that remotes are as uncomplicated as possible and to be perfectly honest, as large as they possibly can be due to lose.  I live 800 miles away and nothing would annoy me more than to get a message from a current guest saying the smart TV remote is missing and their kids are going crazy because they want to watch a movie.

Thank you everyone!  I did a bit of research and spoke to my tech-savvy buddy of mine and it sounds like with a smart TV anyone can log into their own Netflix account.  I agree with those who don't vacation to stay in their place of lodging but be it bad weather or just relaxing at night, it is a nice option to have.  Where we are in Gatlinburg, "theater rooms" are very popular in the cabins so it's nothing unusual.

Hello BiggerPockets VR friends!  I've heard that some people offer their guests Netflix.  We own a VR cabin in Gatlinburg, TN and this would seem to be a really nice amenity to consider adding.  Here's the problem, I work in healthcare and plead technology ignorance, LOL!  How exactly would it work?  First off, do you need to have a certain type of TV set, i.e. smart tv?  Do guests use there own Netflix account?  What is the typical out of pocket expense to me as an owner?

A side note, anyone looking to connect and discuss VRs, I'd love to call you a colleague!  Feel free to send me a colleague request.

Thank you in advance!

Jeff

The only incentive I see with paying VRBO the $399 is that it doesn't take many bookings and your fees to them for the individual bookings will quickly add up to that $399 and beyond. I use Airbnb, TripAdvisor/Flipkey, and VRBO and VRBO's fees are confiscatory vs the other 2 and as a renter I'd love to be able to tell my VRBO renters to go to my Airbnb or TripAdvisor listings to book there because I'd save them quite a bit of money too! Put it this way, when I want to book a short term VR I'm going to Airbnb then TripAdvisor. I'm steering clear of VRBO because of the fees. If it doesn't exist in the average popular vacation spot on Airbnb or TripAdvisor then I assume it probably doesn't exist at all. As a host however, naturally I'll continue to list on VRBO because I'm not removing my property from millions of eyeballs because bite the hand that feeds you.

I've done quite a bit of research on buying real estate through a self directed IRA with rolled over 401K funds. It's very intriguing but it can get complicated. Just the set up itself can be complicated but once there it's straight forward. There are no withdrawal fees since you're technically doing business within your IRA. You can just never use the property for personal use, you cannot physically do rehab yourself, and even managing through booking sites on your own is still a gray area legally. @Michael Greenberg did you go as far as setting up a self directed IRA LLC with Checkbook control? That seems like the way with the most flexibility and the way to avoid all the fees if you use a custodian.

John D. It's been pretty good. I definitely don't think their app comes close to Airbnb though. In fact it's gotten worse. They had a calendar update function on the app but it has since gone away. It's also not as easy to change rates on the fly like Airbnb. You have to change it through rate categories, can't do it day by day. People also need to be prodded to give you a review unlike Airbnb. I find their fees are comparable to Airbnb though. Good luck!

Donald Murphy I've also been considering the same situation. I've had great success with a STR in Gatlinburg, TN and went to put the pedal to the metal. I could probably use existing cash plus a cash out refi to buy another VR in TN bug am wondering if flipping and/or apartment buildings is the way to go. I've been prodding some local friends in CT but they are resistant. I too have considered partnering but there are the obvious pros/cons, for starters perfect strangers in some cases. Maybe we could chat about this sometime soon. If for anything we could maybe teach each other new things and help each other think of things we otherwise alone may not have even if it all never winds up in a partnership. Reach out to me some time Donald! Thanks? Jeff

We use Airbnb, TripAdvisor/Flipkey, and VRBO. I agree that it appears to depend on where you are located. I probably do 60% Airbnb, 35% tripadvisor, and 5% VRBO. Our cabin is in Gatlinburg, TN. Based on what John Underwood usually says, VRBO is the goto one but clearly that is not the case outside of his local.

@Brett Shoemaker this is a great thread!  I am very partial to the mountains, specifically the Smoky Mountains!  It is the most visited national park in the country and is within driving distance to something like 60% of the country (don't quote me).  Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge IS a 12 month destination and we have had extraordinary luck all throughout the year.  It's quite interesting to see the times of the year that are busy that you otherwise would not think are busy, i.e. March.....who would think March in the Smokies would have near full occupancy?!?!  We actually live in CT (not sure why I am having trouble adjusting that on my profile???) and we self manage and have had very good luck because we have an excellent TEAM in the area, namely a cleaning crew which cleans VRs for a living and a handyman who when no one could give us an answer as to the status of our cabin during the wildfires, actually ventured out to check on it for us without even being asked!  We use Airbnb, TripAdvisor/Flipkey, and VRBO.  It fluctuates back and forth from Airbnb and TripAdvisor as to where most of our bookings come from but by far it's Airbnb that we love the most.  VRBO has been limited although it comes in spurts and I think their excessive fees to both host and guest are a turn off.  So like I said, we self manage our very first VR from 800 miles away while working full time.  It's possible!  Good luck to you!!!