All Forum Posts by: Matt Thelen

Hey Bob – great question, and smart to dig into the details.

I’ve used Nomad and had a really positive experience as a customer and, full disclosure, I work there too.

Most owners choose the 4% fee option, but most importantly, what you get for that price is what sets us apart:
✅ Guaranteed rent (even if the tenant doesn’t pay)
✅ Top-tier leasing (pro photos, syndication to 30+ sites, screening that we stand behind with guaranteed rent)
✅ Maintenance triage 24/7 – you choose to DIY, your own handyman, or use a vetted vendor from our vendor network. Those are listed in least to most expensive - but the key is you choose.
✅ Total transparency and control via a clean online dashboard

Local PMs can be great—but they can also be inconsistent, hard to reach, and not always aligned with your goals. If you find a great one, and you need a local PM, that's great! 

Nomad strikes a balance: tech where it matters, and real people when you need them.

I've tried both routes, and Nomad is the first that felt truly investor-first.

Hope that helps—and happy to share more if it’s useful!

Hi Daniel - late to the party here. I'm from Nomad, and a landlord who has tried a few ways to manage. First, congrats on the purchase!

I totally understand the instinct to go local—it’s what I did with my first property, too. But I’ve since moved to Nomad and it’s been a game-changer.

Nomad gives you the peace of mind of guaranteed rent, high-quality leasing (photos, listings, screening), and 24/7 maintenance triage—all while you stay in control through an easy online dashboard. You get the reliability of a tech-forward system and real humans to support you when needed.

It’s not about being “remote”—it’s about being better. Local PMs can be hit or miss, and I’ve found Nomad to be more consistent, transparent, and aligned with my goals as an investor. For the record, if you need a local PM to visit your home or just want to be 100% hands off, Nomad isn't for you. And a good PM is a great asset to have on your side.

Nomad is definitely worth checking out if you want to maximize returns without giving up peace of mind.

Happy to share more if it’s helpful!

Hey folks, I’m Matt | Nomad (landlord & data nerd) — sharing numbers. Pulled these from Zillow’s rental feed for May 2025 and cleaned them up so we can see which markets are heating up or cooling off.

Quick takeaways

• Most expensive rents: Boston & Miami hit ~$3,000; NYC right behind at $2,885.

• Fastest to lease: Cheyenne (24 DOM), Salt Lake City (28), Providence & Milwaukee (34).

• Slowest: Hawaii statewide (97 DOM), Dallas (77), Atlanta (71), San Francisco (70).

• Biggest MoM improvement: Raleigh -44 % DOM, Boston -38 %, Cheyenne -27 %.

• Largest inventory jumps: Los Angeles (+4,535 listings MoM), Chicago (+2,344), Houston (+1,696).

Snapshot of key metros

City	Avg Rent	Avg DOM	MoM DOM Δ	Active Rentals	MoM Inventory Δ
Phoenix, AZ	$1,850	47	+2 %	5,052	+1,005
Denver, CO	$1,920	41	-5 %	3,924	+614
Miami, FL	$3,000	50	-2 %	6,534	+1,024
Orlando, FL	$1,902	42	-11 %	3,208	+569
Atlanta, GA	$1,900	71	-9 %	4,081	+637
Charlotte, NC	$1,935	46	-22 %	3,574	+456
Raleigh, NC	$1,750	45	-44 %	1,976	+399
Austin, TX	$1,894	48	-16 %	5,879	+1,066
Dallas, TX	$1,600	77	-5 %	3,782	+1,065
Houston, TX	$1,695	56	-2 %	8,823	+1,696
Seattle, WA	$1,800	47	-15 %	4,071	+819
Los Angeles, CA	$2,300	55	+6 %	20,265	+4,535
San Francisco, CA	$2,655	70	-26 %	2,783	+580
Boston, MA	$3,000	56	-38 %	17,529	-275
Cheyenne, WY	$1,500	24	-27 %	181	-5

(I trimmed the full dataset for readability — happy to share the whole CSV if anyone wants to dig deeper.)

Questions for you:

1. -Do these days-on-market (DOM) numbers line up with what you’re seeing on the ground? Faster? Slower?

2. -In your market, is higher inventory translating to better tenant quality or just longer lease-up times?

3. -Any tactics you’re using this season (rent incentives, flexible move-in dates, etc.) that are actually working?

Looking forward to comparing notes. I’m always hunting for better signals on when to drop price vs. hold firm.

PS: I co-founded Nomad, a rent-guarantee platform for small landlords. Mentioning for transparency — no links or pitches here.

I've found both are great for many things - but not sure which is best at maintenance (yet)

I worked with ChatGPT on this and thought I'd share in case you find it useful:

How to Troubleshoot Rental-Home Maintenance Issues With AI

Save your tenants time, spare your own weekends, and slash service-call costs.

Why Use AI for First-Line Maintenance?

• Faster answers than digging through manuals or YouTube.
• Structured step-by-step guidance that adapts as the user reports results.
• Lower costs—many “emergencies” turn out to be tripped breakers or loose flappers.
• Cleaner work orders for pros when a visit really is required.

How the Workflow Works

Stage	Who Drives It	Goal	Typical Outcome
Tenant First-Pass	Tenant	Fix minor issue or gather data	50–70 % solved in minutes
Landlord Diagnostic	Landlord / PM	Confirm next cheapest test; decide DIY vs. pro	Clear, actionable work order
Professional Repair	Handyman or trade pro	Execute repair once failure point is known	One visit, no “discovery” hours

Copy-and-Paste Prompt Library

Visit the website or app of ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or another free AI and use the following prompts

(Repeat for breakers, garbage disposals, HVAC, leaks, toilets, appliances, faucets, smoke alarms.)

A Universal Catch-All Prompt

1. List the three most likely causes.
2. Give step-by-step tests I can do with household tools.
3. Flag any safety hazards that require a licensed pro.”

Best Practices for Tenants

1. Disclose context up front (brand, age, last service date).
2. Describe symptoms with senses—not just “it’s broken.”
3. Attach photos or a short video; the model will ask smarter follow-ups.
4. Always ask: “Is any step unsafe for a beginner?”

Best Practices for Landlords & PMs

• Keep this prompt library in your tenant portal FAQ.
• Require tenants to paste ChatGPT’s log when submitting a ticket.
• For your own triage, request photos + yes/no answers only—no essays.
• Escalate immediately for sparks, gas odor, active flooding, or CO alarms.

Turning Prompts Into Serious Savings

Property managers who embed these scripts report:

• 30–50 % fewer nuisance calls
• 25 % shorter technician visits (problem pre-diagnosed)
• Happier tenants who feel empowered rather than ignored.

Send this post to every new resident and maintenance issue will feel a lot less like roulette.

Hi - Matt from Nomad here. I wanted to clarify a few of the assertions above to make sure what Nomad does is accurate. 

First, Nomad doesn't arbitrage. This is a common misconception but we're an online platform where the owner chooses their own price and selects their own tenants. Nomad guarantees rent at the amount the owner rents their home for.

We charge a transparent monthly fee for this and our digital property management platform - but we are not a local property manager.

We also give owners the ability to use a repair triage service and our vendor network, or address repairs with their own handyman.

Our goal is to make renting better for owners and residents. We aren't perfect...who is? But we strive to do right by everyone we work with. We have many hundreds of 5 star reviews (see the full set for yourself  https://www.trustpilot.com/review/nomadlease.com) that demonstrate this.

Thanks for all the discussion and let me know if I can answer any questions!

If you're a renter on Zillow and ask a question, request a tour, or request to apply, Zillow sends a message like this to get in touch.

On the tour side, they also may ask a survey. I love it and want to understand how it works.

Does anyone know if the results of these surveys impact the rental owner's listing? For example, if someone clicks that they didn't hear back will the listing be featured lower?

@Jay Thomas thank you. Have you or your clients used it? Any reviews?

Has anyone tried Zillow's rental income protection upgrade? Thoughts? Reviews?

We use Appfolio directly and it works well