All Forum Posts by: Mark Futalan

@Richie Thomas

It’s was a lot of back and forth with the city and county. Apparently the city didn’t have much records because the home was built before the city was incorporated. They deferred to the county records. Once I went to the county and explained to them (on the phone) and they were able to confirm with pictures of the house, the updated their records. I went back to the city and provided them proof of the change. They did their own investigating and looked at the pictures of the house and approved it also. I think I just had to pay a small fee (under $50) if I’m not mistaken. No physical inspection was ever done.

Hope that helps,

Mark

@Richie Thomas

Hi Richie,

Thanks for reaching out. I did purchase the home and yes, I was actually able to get it converted back to a 3 bedroom and have the county records reflect as such.

Thanks,

Mark

@Dennis Gallof

I have this set up on both of my STR's. Schlage connect deadbolt with wink 2 hub. Works perfectly. You can delete, add, check deadbolt battery life and manage who goes in and out with passwords through the wink app.

@Greg S.

What you should also worry about is if those HOA's will modify their terms and policies in regards to STR's in the future. They could be STR friendly now but they can change that at a moments notice.

You can always ask the HOA directly about their regulations on short term rentals.

Just wanted to throw this topic out there for those who own/operate an STR. I haven't really seen it discussed. Have you had any issues with neighbors around

you complaining about your STR rentals? This can be a sticky subject because though most hosts follow all rules and regulations set forth for their city and try to be respectable neighbors,I can also see how a complaining neighbor can make or break your STR investment. How do you find the balance? Is being a reasonable and respectable neighbor with open communication good enough?

Definitely worth it. My VR’s are in the desert and if we didn’t have a smart thermostat, most guests would turn down the AC to its max which can compromise your AC system. We use the nest and set it up so it’s locked within a preset range and put it on ECO mode once they check out. Most guests are fine with that.

@Bradley Chapman

This looks like something that might fit my needs. Have 2 properties on Airbnb and HomeAway, looking to automate messaging and push prices to both platforms I list on. I use wheelhouse but wasn’t sure if igms pushes to HomeAway.

What source are you using to push pricing to Airbnb/HomeAway/Vrbo? Beyond pricing? Wheelhouse?

@Emir Dukic

Do any of these options have a Mobil app? I manage everything from my iPhone and would like to automate communication, calendars etc but don’t want to keep logging into websites to do it. Any suggestions?

Just wanted to get an idea on what other hosts are using to keep their rentals fresh for your guests. Infusers, air fresheners, candles? Are your cleaners proactively doing this? Thanks!

@Shannon Chavez

Hey Shannon. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Rich was my agent on a house I bought in La Quinta last year and we just closed on another one last month. Be happy to share any information I can.