All Forum Posts by: Sarah Kensinger

I have a couple of contacts for the Arizona area, and they may have some other connections as well. I believe they charge around 25%, but you'll need to ask them to find out for sure. 

Sojourn Properties and ALLSTR

Turn-key is great when it comes to listing the property right away, but many times you do need to swap out some furnishings for one reason or another. Don't forget in this STR market a property has to stand out and be unique. Unfortunately turn-key ready to list from day one, usually doesn't fit that category. But I would highly recommend finding a property that is nearly ready and after a few simple changes can be listed within 14 days of closing.

Lastly, I'm not sure if the influencers online offer turn-key properties for a charge, but I would be hesitant to pay someone to do that! Rather connect with a realtor in the area you're interested in and give them your buy box. If it's a vacation market many many times, there are properties listed for sale that are turn-key.

If profit is $1478 on a STR after all expenses...which I think I'm understanding with how you wrote everything out....and profit for a LTR is $1000 a month...although there could be more expenses besides a management fee. I think you have your answer.

Also, I'm not too sure about the tax rates being higher for a STR. Any occupancy tax should be paid by the guest and if you don't use a PM, you could use the STR to offset taxes from a full-time job...i.e. W-2.

Yes, many are doing this strategy successfully! We actually just had someone in Atlanta ask us to arbitrage his property and it's a question that is presented us every several months. I would suggest learning all you can and getting in the right rooms with the right people. Unfortunately, this forum isn't really the place for that. It might take some time to find those people but they're out there. 

Here are some resources for you to check out....

Michael and Elizabeth Chang...one of the best rental arbitrage hosts out there. Preston Seo...A new name for me, but I've heard some good about Preston and his show. And Jake Mercer has posted a lot of helpful arbitrage tips on this forum which you can find on his profile page. He would be a great person to connect with as well!

Hope that helps give some direction and a start in the rental arbitrage world.

Here are the designers I gather inspo from....
Somerled Design and Brianna Michele Interiors, their Instagram pages showcase all their work. Of course, you'll want to match the design aesthetic to you home and area. Take a close look at the photos they had taken as well, it's one of the best styles for marketing a STR and may give you some ideas. I know many on here are saying it's just too many photos on your listing, but Airbnb and especially VRBO have shared that those with over 30-35 photos are given preference on the page rankings.

What if you tried renting the home as a 28-day rental in the slow season? Many people do that with great results and then in the high season it's a STR. If you could work with insurance agencies for displaced homeowners that could yield great returns! 

Best of luck and Merry Christmas!

30% is rather high for a PM, not even a boutique STR company charges that much! Self-managing all depends on a homeowner's lifestyle, commitments, and to be honest some people just aren't good at hosting. So that's why it's a more of a personal decision according to each one's goals. There have been studies that the right PM company (not the well-known nationwide companies) does generate more revenue, but it's been a while since I looked to see if a more recent study has been done. But it all depends on the owner, their priorities, and what they want to put their energy towards.

Depends on the landlord and the type of person they are. I rather would advocate for the arbitrager to agree on handling all maintenance expenses. That seems to work out quite well for everyone! Besides an arbitrage unit as a STR, is left in far better condition than long-term tenants. Especially since a STR must be in pristine condition at all times to market well for guests.

If you can't find the info you're looking for on here, message me! I'll see if I can connect you with someone in our STR mastermind that just bought a STR property in Greece a couple months ago. To say all of us were jealous is an understatement! :D

I noticed a couple things that could be adjusted....

--> Longer description with bullet points of key things people should know about the property and even distances to local attractions.

--> You have the amount of photos Airbnb likes to see on a listing, but I would reorder them a little differently. The first 5 photos are your "hook" to draw people in, so those should showcase the best parts of the home. Like that amazing southwest fireplace!

--> I would hire a professional STR photographer to come in and take new photos for you. Also, style the property for the photo shoot as well, i.e. light the fireplace for the photos etc.! You have nice photos already, but a styled STR property and a professional edge could make a world of difference.

--> It might also help to give the property a design refresh, and putting wallpaper up behind the beds would add a nice punch of color to the home. Even some wallpaper in the common areas adding a nice focal point would help as well. If you would like some inspo from STR designers to do a bit of DIY, or if you would like to check into their services let me know. I can give you their social handles where they showcase all their work. For me I love to gather ideas and see what can be implemented.

--> You might also want to check into a STR marketing company to target past guests. Lately, I learned about Go STR Marketing and it seemed perfect for the host that only has one or two STR. 

Hope that helps! Also, keep in mind booking lead times are very small, average is 30-45 days. So don't lower your prices to quickly, because many people are booking last minute trips. I'm not sure when that'll change with longer lead times, it's been pretty short for a while now. Unless you're in certain areas that don't have enough STR, like near western national parks.