All Forum Posts by: Sarah Kensinger

I would highly suggest doing a lot of research in the area and making sure you can sustain the STR and/or project you're thinking of, with the occupancy and ADR for that location.

So, what is the deal with you crashing in here again posting all these tips. :D

Your more than fine! You probably would do everything I listed because you're self-managing. ;) For some people self-managing is just flat not for them, but usually I property can do better than what most people think if the owner has done their DD when it comes to running a STR.

The numbers are hard right now, so hard! If you want a deal you have to look and look. then not waste any time when it does come up! I wouldn't force the numbers, it's just not worth the risk and I promise other deals will come up!  And don't lose your confidence! Your mindset makes up 95% of who you are and if your confident you can run a STR well, then you'll run a STR well!

It all depends on the area, who your guest avatar is, and if you picked up free furniture off the side of the road, from a thrift store, or from Facebook marketplace. Some hosts are more cautious about accepting bookings from local people for a variety of reasons. One reason is do they have a home being treated for bedbugs and they want to stay in your STR during that time. If the property is in a class B or higher and the ADR doesn't fall below $125 or so, you should have decent people that wouldn't bring in bedbugs. And if it does happen there are ways to take care of it, plus if the STR is covered with Proper Insurance they cover bed bugs to a certain point.

@Andy Perez @Jose Troncoso

Here is another furnishing guide that HostGPO is offering for free right now.....HostGPO Furnishing Guide.

BTW they're a great way to get good quality items less expensive. Unfortunately, you have to pay a monthly fee for HostGPO, but there is another buying group called Minoan that offers almost the same brands with no membership cost.

Lastly, there's so much valuable info on social media that you can use, to learn how to run a STR. Find the people that add value and share what they're learning, not just selling you a product.

We're finding that LTR has the same problem, it's not just in the STR market. A good time to start learning how Pace Morby does creative financing!

We're about an hour from Akron and might be able to help you out! Feel free to DM me!

So long as your properties are in a STR friendly area, this would be a great opportunity for someone! I'll keep my eyes and ears open and if something comes up, I'll send them your way!

Automation is a must to keep ahead of competition....so is providing digital guidebooks.

If you don't have a good PMS like Hospitable, Guesty for hosts, Hostfully, etc., check some options out and decide what would be a good choice for you. Usually, the right PMS can automate pretty much everything. If you have team members like cleaners, maintenance, etc. it might be helpful to check into Monday.com or Breezeway as well. 

Lastly if the properties are dated or "worn out" attention must be given to that, or the property needs to come off the STR market. It won't book and it would be a waste or your time and the owners to keep trying to get bookings.