All Forum Posts by: Sarah Sass

Thank you for the advice. @Jaime Duron I might have go your research route. I've had enough on my plate that it's pretty low priority but would be nice to get done. @Jonathan Greene, have you tried an app or is there a reason a real estate attorney is necessary? I'm leery of hiring an attorney for something as small as handling my property taxes.

Hi guys, 

I had a friend recommend using Abode for immediate property tax appeals and other home savings. I love the idea of not talking to someone and only paying a cut if it works out. However it looks like they’re currently only in Texas for property taxes which is not one of my markets. Does anyone know of the equivalent for Tennessee? 

Thanks Tyler! The quote includes trellising on 3 sides, a 220 volt outlet hardwired to the outside, and lockable gates that slide open on both sides. I'm glad it's in line with typical spending. 

Super helpful advice on avoiding the 110 V hot tubs and on going for a rotomolded tub. I'm limited with a maximum width x depth dimensions of 61" x 95". Given price, reviews, and durability, I'm looking at the following hot tubs and would love your opinion. All of my options are around the same dimensions so I've been looking at gallon amount as a more accurate gauge of how many people would fit.

Largo LS 5 person tub:
- $3,358.0: 200 gallons
- H 29.5 in, W 61 in, D 71 in
- Includes: Control Panel, Cover, Ozone water purification filter unit, LED Display, Power Cord, Pump, Sensors

Malta 4 person
- $3,589.00: 240 gallons
- H 30 x W 57 x D 81
- Includes: Cover, Filter Unit, [Ozone water sanitation system], Power Cord, Pump 

Ohana Spas dual facing lounger
- $3,705.99: 200 gallons
- H 29.5 x W 71 x D 61
- Includes: Cover, Filter, Ozonator, Light 

LS100DX
- $2999.00: 205 gallons
- H 32 x W 62 x D 71
- Includes: thermal locking cover, ozonator, multi-color underwater LED light, waterfall feature, two cup sliders, filter

 Thanks Michael, it's good to get that additional verification.

Question 1: Does $4698 for materials and labor to prepare my house for a hot tub seem in line?

Question 2: Any 4-5 person narrow hot tub recs to speed up the process? I've been stalking the forum posts to narrow down what to get. e.g. One that is durable and easy to clean with affordable source-able parts. Home Depot's offerings seem tempting since I can view the price online, which has been an issue with hot tub specific stores in the Smokies.

Context:  I'm looking to add a 4-5 person hot tub to my STR near Pigeon Forge. It would run off my property's well water. I received an estimate to make room for a hot tub that does NOT include the cost of a hot tub. I'd have to widen my ground level porch and extend the roof accordingly. It would be installed in the middle of the porch, as circled in the below photo.

Per my handyman, "All materials and labor to build deck section and install hot tub supplied by you including water, drain and electric hook up. Estimated cost $4698." 

I did consider the far left hand corner of the porch, however it's double the cost of materials. Thus the unique middle of the porch location.

My application took 5 weeks in the fall of 2019. The main hold up was getting an appointment for the fire marshal walk through, which looks to be no longer required. 

Similar to everyone above, I ask: 

“1) 🧺 Place used towels in the bathtubs.
2) 🗑 Place your trash in the black kitchen trash can lined with a trash bag. Please do NOT put any trash outside or on the screened porch. Bears 🐻 will break in.
3) 🧼 Run the dishwasher if you have any dirty dishes.
4) 🔥 Turn off the fireplace if it is on
5) 🔒 Lock the doors on your way out.”

I’ve had no complaints or poor reviews on this from guests. I have two sets of sheets and towels for each clean, in case a quick clean is needed.

I recommend having items like “lock the door”, as I’ve encountered doors left unlocked/not fully closed by guests before that. 

For my newest rental, I started my cleaner off by raising her wages by $10 a clean and setting communication + cleanliness expectations. I let her know that if cleanliness is up to par on the reviews over the next 2 months, I would be raising her wages another $10 a clean. 

There have been some private comments made by guests but I now have the 5 star reviews I need. For any comments, I immediately have a conversation with my cleaner and also discuss if any additional supplies are needed. 

Like others, I do holiday and birthday bonuses. 

Superhost status makes a noticeable difference when it comes to getting bookings. Can you find a superhost to cohost your listing?

If you have friends willing to visit your place, have them request your place for a stay on a set of unbooked weekdays. You can send them a special offer for as low as $10 and Venmo them $10. You’ll receive most of the money back via Airbnb. They can then review your place in a detailed and honest manner. Depending on the visit, it may cost you a half cleaning fee.

I recently launched my second AirBnB. The first two days saw some bookings. That’s from the algorithm prioritizing brand new listings. After that, I hit a lull in bookings and my prices dropped to dirt cheap with damage-prone guests. Once I made it to 13 reviews, things began picking up again with 5-star rated guests. I’ll echo the need for a gifted handy person at the ready. 

I can speak to the short term rental side of things. Some things to be aware of:

- Zoning: As others noted, it is now much more difficult to find a home in the correct zoning for STRs. Finding one that makes sense financially is extremely difficult. I looked for a while before buying in a different market. As of 2022, zoning no longer permits new Airbnb’s in most zones  

- Fees upon fees upon fees: The STR hotel tax is no joke. Add in the permit fees and PM fees, and net earnings can be surprisingly lower than expected. I have a property that brings in ¼ the revenue of my Nashville place but will likely prove more profitable thanks to no city taxes or fees.

- Cash flow: Gross earnings are quite high and more importantly, home values continue to rise year over year. My property has been appraised at 50% higher value than I paid for it less than 3 years ago. Given recent developments, I believe the growth will continue. 

If you rent longer than 30 days, you’ll skip a large portion of the taxes and fees levied on STRs. 

I'm glad I'm doing a STR there but as rental rates have grown, it's only a matter of time until I switch to LTR for Nashville.