All Forum Posts by: Lauren Kormylo

Patricia, I searched for your name in my group, and you were reported there!  I'm sending you a PM.

I'm glad you were able to resolve it. 

I belong to one page called Vacation Scammer Bammers.  Their members do the same thing this lady is doing, look for scammers.  And the Florida groups have a lot of scammers. If this is the one that has banned you, tell me and I'll try to help.

I'm in a group for STRs in Delaware, and we had one lady get scammed out of around 4K. When I looked into it, I saw that the STR she paid for was managed by Vacasa, yet the "owner" was answering requests from guests for bookings and taking money. Vacasa doesn't operate like that, they don't allow the owner to do that.

I'm a member of one local STR page that vets owners by requiring they see a utility bill with the address and the owner's name. I had to do that to join.

I also suggest you look at co-hosting instead of arbitrage. Check out the free content online of Bill Faeth.  He owns and co-hosts luxury STRs, and has a lot of great advice on what to look for and where to invest, how to be a great host or co-host, etc.  He has a free Facebook group, and is on YouTube and Instagram. I've gotten a lot out of his knowledge.  https://www.billfaeth.com/

If you are new, beware of scammers requesting a video so they can set up a duplicate fake listing.  This is a thing that is discussed often on other forums.  Most of these scammers are overseas and not English speakers, and you can tell by their grammar and word usage, or they use very short sentences so they don't have to say much.

Hey Mike, Kohls has their yearly Toastmaster small appliance sale too, with their big rebate.  I had to really search for them this year, but here they are. https://www.kohls.com/catalog/toastmaster-small-appliances-k...

Each are on sale for $16.99 with a $12 rebate, making them only $4.99 each. Some of these might be too small for an STR, but the immersion blender, toaster, and hand mixer would work in most. You can buy up to 5 with the rebate.

I have streaming only, with Roku TVs and fast internet. No complaints. 

I'm on Airbnb and Vrbo, and also Houfy (direct bookings) but have stayed away from Booking .com because of the horror stories from fellow hosts. If they improve to the level of the others, I may try them.

Have you tried Proper Insurance or Foremost?  

I looked in thrift stores and on FB Marketplace for my house, but found poor selection, and none of it fit in with the decor I was going for. I wanted a cohesive, fairly upscale look, so bought new from a variety of places including a local furniture store, Amazon, Wayfair, Target online, Home Depot online, Pottery Barn, Article, and others.

The key is to always read reviews of the furniture, no matter where you buy it.  And sort them for the most recent reviews.  You're looking for finishes that hold up to wet glasses and don't chip, upholstery fabrics that don't stain, and furniture that doesn't sag or break. You can find all that at various price points, not just higher end.

Check bed frames and chairs for their weight limits.  I've seen dining chairs that are only rated for 225lb, which is ridiculous, they will not last.  You don't want someone getting hurt when a chair leg breaks off. You will get kids jumping on beds and heavy couples using these.  Queen or King beds that use wood slats can be a problem. I have inexpensive but nice looking wood beds with separate heavy duty Zinus metal frames dropped in instead of the wood slats that came with them. I would only use wood slats for twin beds. I have nightstands with glass tops so there are no rings from drinking glasses.

Just remember that buying online means you will probably be assembling the items.  So it will add time, and then you have to cut up and throw out big boxes. 

I only supply a 12 cup drip coffemaker.  I sleep 9, and supplying all those pods and cleaning the Keuring etc would be too much for my cleaners.