All Forum Posts by: Robin Smith

I just listened to a BiggerPockets podcast episode featuring the author of Co-Living for Cash Flow, Miller McSwain. It sounds like he has some solid systems and SOPs in place to help people get started with rent-by-the-room investing.

Has anyone here followed his strategy or used his resources? Curious if it’s beginner-friendly and worth diving into.

Still need to join pro to get results.

I’m in! I’m entering to win a free one year subscription to bigger pockets pro. I am unable to analyze any deals using the calculator because I have zero free submissions left. So in an order for me to use the investment calculator I need a pro. I’m stuck in purgatory. Any suggestions?

Hey Christopher,

This is such an interesting question. I actually looked it up and saw that Meta is building a huge data center in Monroe, which they say will be their largest one yet. That definitely caught my attention too.

I don’t think you can go too wrong with midterm rentals there, especially with all the construction expected over the next five years. That’s thousands of workers who may be coming in from out of town and needing temporary housing. Even after construction wraps up, there will likely be a lot of employees and contractors sticking around, possibly needing furnished places while they get settled or work on short-term assignments.

But I also wonder what else is driving Monroe’s economy outside of Meta? If Meta were to slow down construction or pull out in the future, what would happen to demand for rentals in the area? Are there hospitals, colleges, or other steady employers that would keep things going?

It seems like this could be a great opportunity, but maybe it’s worth digging a little deeper into what kind of tenants would be there five or ten years from now. Is Monroe growing in other ways too? Are housing prices still affordable enough to make the numbers work long-term?

I’d love to hear what others think or if anyone’s already investing there. This feels like one of those spots that could really change over the next few years.

I’m in Baton Rouge and have owned one midterm rental for about two years. I’m looking to expand into more MTRs in the future, so I’m really interested in learning what others are seeing out there.

@Damian Deshong @Stephen Keighery 

I’m in the same boat as you, Damien—thanks for asking such a great question! And Stephen, I really appreciate your thoughtful answer.

Congratulations! And thank you for all you have done for our area!!

You need to connect with @Joshua Janus!

I use KeyCheck through Furnished Finder, though I should mention I only manage one unit at the moment. It offers state-specific lease templates, which helps ensure you don’t miss anything important. The screening feature includes a “soft” background check—credit report, criminal history, and eviction report—so it won’t affect the applicant’s credit score. For rent collection, KeyCheck uses Stripe, which has worked smoothly for me so far.

Most travel nurses and medical professionals are looking for a 1 bed / 1 bath unit, not just a room, and definitely want a washer and dryer. (I have a mid-term rental and follow several travel nurse social media pages.) So if you have a 4 bed / 3 bath setup, that crowd may not be your target market.

Furnished Finder has a helpful stats page you can check out (landlord tools?) : since it only includes MTR listings, it gives you a good sense of what's available in your area, how many people are searching there, and other useful insights.

Include the internet and utilities. That’s a lot to ask for guests that are only going to be there a short time. MTR is hospitality, and I’d think you’d lose potential guests if they knew they had to set up utilities. You should look into setting up a cap for electric if you have hot summers or cold winters.