All Forum Posts by: Patricia Joseph

Hi Katie, hiring a VA to manage the admin tasks for your STR can reduce your workload and stress, but as the OP mentioned most VAs are task oriented and need clear instructions. I've worked with an outsourcing company that vets VAs for you based on your needs. You could also look into Airbnb's cohost program, but, again, the VA will need clear guidance. There are tech tools that can handle specific tasks as well: Turno (cleaner mgmt), Avalara (taxes), Guesty, Hospitable (guest communications). Hope info is helpful!

Hi Jon, if you have the time, patience, and systems for managing a STR, then self-managing is the way to go. They definitely require more effort to manage successfully. Airdna gives the Columbus market a high score for STR investing but you need to do your own due diligence by running a revenue projection report and looking at the calendars of other STRs in the market on Airbnb. Have you considered MTRs? They require less effort but tend to generate more revenue than LTRs, and you can still utilize Airbnb for booking management. Hope the info is helpful.

Hi Cherie, welcome to the community! You're definitely in the right place. There are several Facebook groups for short-term rentals that would be great resources to connect with other STR investors:

Smarter Short Term Rentals with Avery Carl (she's an agent and has written 2 books on STR investing)

Build Short Term Rental Wealth with Bill Faeth

These 2 groups are a great start for asking questions and seeing what others are doing in the STR space.

Hope this helps!

Hi @David Taylor...welcome to the Biggerpockets community! I'm a STR-focused agent in the Atlanta area. Reach out with questions or if you need any assistance...happy to help!

Hi Yuran, thanks for connecting! I'm an Atlanta realtor and would be happy to assist. Let me know how I can help.

During 2021, I had the opportunity through my broker to help institutional fix & flip and buy & hold cash investors (ibuyers) find properties in the Atlanta market. Despite my limited experience working with investors, I studied their buyboxes, learned their formulas and was able to successfully get offers on 90% of the properties I submitted. As a result of this experience, I've changed my focus from working with first-time homebuyers to working with investors.

Thanks @Chris Mason for your thorough explanation! I'm not giving up and am determined to find my buyers a lender willing to approve a mortgage.

Thanks @Chris Mason! What is AUS? I was hopeful that the buyer with the stronger credit would've been approved for the W2 only mortgage, but the underwriter declined. Unfortunately, both buyers are head of household with no other income. From the info I've received, looks like buyers will have to wait until after they've filed their 2017 taxes, showing no losses, in order to get approved for a mortgage. That sucks!!

Sorry @Jake Thomas for my late reply! I definitely appreciate the info and you really make a good point about getting listings. I'm struggling with whether it's more important to discount my fee just to get listings, or continue to seek out sellers, who value my service, and will pay the 6%. At the same time, I'm asking myself: am I cutting off my nose to spite my face by not discounting?

Thanks @Christopher Phillips for the info! This is my first time working with buyers, who also have business income.

Unfortunately, @Upen Patel both buyers have W2 and business losses:(