All Forum Posts by: Sofia Sharkey

@Bill Williamson I use lockstate and has been wonderful. I tried August and other systems but they all gave me issues.

@Ken Swearengen congrats! Interesting choice going to Raytown, good luck with the STR.

@Tom Sharkey

Hello all, I’m looking to expand and open a vacation rental in southwest Utah next year (Washington country, Bryan head, or St. George).

I’ve read about this market and the code for zoning in St. George but would like to hear from others who actually know in that area.

If you have STRs there:

- Do you stay busy year round?

- Any specific area you would recommend or not recommend?

- Do any of you have an str in a multi family, what are the regulations on that?

Please feel free to share as much as you want regarding this market. Also I’ll be going to visit from August 24th to the 29th in case anyone wants to meet (while social distancing).

Thanks in advance!

@William Hurd depends on the regulations in your city, the demand, and ultimately your numbers.

It can be great (covid has a tremendous impact on the travel industry).

@Elena Coney

I absolutely second what @Brenden Mitchum said and I’m someone with experience in the short term rental industry. Here are my thoughts.

1. Vacancy is not everything. It boils down to profits. I can have units vacant for a whole week and that’s ok because my prices are optimized. Meaning when I get a booking, I get a good booking. It’s less stress, less logistics, and more profit.

2. Since you have airdna, look up revenue and vacancy around that area for similar listings (i.e 2 bed / 2 bath etc)

3. Go to Airbnb and check listings in that area with the same specifications as your house. Check the calendars to see their prices and how far they are booked for

4. Ultimately, know your numbers. Get paper and pen and figure out how much does the place need to make to cover the mortgage and bills. For instance, if you need $2K a month minimum, and you see the average price is $200 a night - do the math and see how booked does your place need to be? Go from there.

Those are better ways to determine if this is a good investment for you going forward.

Good luck!

@Anna Del Carmen if you want to turn one of them into a STR, I'm you gal. Send me a DM if there is anything I can help with!

Cheers

@Griffin D. If you decide to turn any of your units into STRs, I would be happy to help with management on that. Send me a PM if there is anything I can help with.

Best!

@Paul Sandhu lol that’s too funny!

@Luke Carl I’m very curious about this parrot story now 😄!

Luke, I totally see your point and have been there before. Here is what happened.

Tom and I have a very well behaved and trained husky so we were frustrated when traveling to see that not many Airbnb’s would allow dogs, I wanted to extend that option to our guests. Last year we decided to test it and allow pets.

It did not go well. Someone came with two “service animals” that scratched a door frame and peed everywhere. Someone else’s dog ate the tv remote and after only a few tries we stopped it.

Then COVID happened. Many nurses and other working professionals needed to travel with their dogs and we needed to keep some bookings so we revisited the topic. This time with more thought, rules, and instructions.

This time it worked and we opened a door to an audience that needed an option. It might not be long term but we’re happy to allow furry friends and make a little extra in the warm months.

@Tom Sharkey nice!