All Forum Posts by: Melissa Bovee

Also, it's pretty new that you can schedule messages with Airbnb... so most ppl who wanted to automate things did it on PM platforms before Airbnb would do it. 

What area of SD is the property in? It looks like they are not prohibiting STRs, just requiring a license after July 2022. Especially if you are in a desirable area for vacationers, I would try it out as a STR and apply for a STR license when that process rolls out. You may get one, or two. I agree with John above that the investment in furniture, dishes, and all the other stuff that goes into a STR is sort of at risk. To minimize that, I would see if you can be in town for a couple weeks with a truck to try and source good quality used furniture on local listing services.

If you are considering renting it for a minimum of 30 days, I believe you will be exempt from any short term rental rules and taxes.  Most places define short term as less than 30 days. I don't know much about the "medium term" rental market in SF, but I would say that you may as well try it because rents will only be going up... It would be a shame to rent it long term to someone who can lock in rent control at these depressed renal rates (and then never move out).  You could list it on Airbnb, VRBO, furnished finder etc. and see how it goes while you watch the rental rates and decide if/when you want to sign longer leases.  The one cost will be getting the units furnished, but if you live in the area it isn't hard to source a bunch of decent 2nd hand furniture on Craigslist or FB market

I would search listings on Airbnb and on VRBO to see what they go for.  You can clearly charge a premium based on all the amenities, but your potential guests will be comparing your place to the other places available so you have to consider those alternatives. I stayed in something similar for a family reunion in the Smokey Mountains and it was great.  As long as the town is one with some draw where people would want to meet up, I'd say it sounds great.  I would not pay a bunch of money to gather my family in a random town, just for a cool house to stay in, so make sure you are buying in a vacation destination. 

I agree with Luke that this seems overly restrictive... You have to pay a fee to stay in your own home??  You could buy anything and get a property management company to manage if you don't want to do it yourself. I do not think it is normal for a property manager to charge a fee for someone blocking off days for personal use. 

I have only validated the data from mashvisor on the property I ended up purchasing. The revenue it showed for the property matched the records I received from the previous owner. I’m not sure how others have validated the data. I also don’t know how you would validate the aggregate data. In my market there is a wide range of prices and seasonality based on location and property type. The most useful thing for me was to be able to get individual property IDs and analyze which properties were out performing, then study the listings to find out why. This helped me significantly in setting up my listing and deciding what projects were worth it for my renovation. 

My go-to for stocking supplies and linen is Costco. For furniture I used wayfair a lot. 

This guest checked in 3 hours ago. This is what I have so far. First I want to make sure they are ok and get any medical attention if needed. Anyone have experience with this and what to say / do... or better what not to say?

Thanks for the help :/

Does the Schlage app integrate with your reservation system to set up guest access for each check in/ out time or do you set up the access duration manually? How does it work to allow HK access only when no guest is there? Is that automatic or manual? That is an interesting concept... all my service providers have continued access and a permanent code as there are times when a guest has a problem and I need to send someone out. But then I get a notification each time they enter so I know when say, the carpet cleaner arrived, and I would know right away if they were there at an improper time. One more question about the free Schlage app: how many guest and permanent access codes will it allow at one time? Do you ever “run out”? 

Thanks! Melissa 

Remote Lock works fine for me.  It was in place when I bought and I have had no reason to look for an alternative.  It can handle many permanent users (me, HK, maintenance, lots of other service providers) and it can handle all guest access each with individual entry codes.  I have it set up to send me a message each time a service provider enters, and only the first time each guest enters.  Notifications can be customized for each user. I can also adjust how often the lock connects to wifi and receives new information (Tradeoff quick response to remote adjustment for battery life of my lock). I can control settings for if and when it auto locks itself. It can handle multiple locks on the same property but I don't use that. The only upgrade I want is the option to automatically assign the entry code for a guest to be the last 4 of the phone number.   This is the code I use because my messaging system can use it to send check in instructions.  Currently the only manual step I have for a booking is to set the guest door code to the last four of their phone number. All else is automated.