All Forum Posts by: Travis Rasmussen

@Jodie Steen

Hmm, this is a tough call. I am a Superhost and manage properties out of state (I'm in California and I typically invest in Florida). 

First off, you're doing great by making sure IT'S LEGAL. That is by far what I tell everyone first, you don't want to put money into an investment which is, well, illegal on it's jurisdiction. 

If I understand correctly, you have a triplex and each room is a 1 bed/1 bath?

To comment about the six weeks a year you are out of your house: while we do have out of state rentals, we Airbnb the extra rooms in our own house. Personally, I would never Airbnb our entire house while gone.

2 big reasons for that

First, the people that stay in your house when they are renting your a room (and not the whole house) tend to be a LOT more respectful than people that KNOW you aren't there. The people that stay in the extra rooms in our house are always nice, courteous and respectful. The people that stay in our condo out of state tend to be more disrespectful, messier, and rougher on the property. I wouldn't want that in my primary house.

The second is just logistical, I wouldn't want to have my personal stuff around if someone was going to stay in my room and I would hate to move everything out for just a couple weeks a year and have to move back in after.

If you do decide to go out of state, let me know. I also made a quick 101 for people looking to start hosting, if you want it, send me a DM.

@Tyler Work

Good Point! When I was thinking about my personal own residence, we only Airbnb the extra rooms, it totally skipped my mind that you can do a whole house cleaning fee when that is what they are booking!

I can't really charge $80-90 for a cleaning fee when it's just a room! Lol

@Lacy Langley

Vacation rentals are awesome! If you decide to move forward, feel free to message us later for some tips! My wife and I are Superhosts and love being able to help hosts start right.

@Jeffrey Lee

Not sure about loan wise, but that is a great idea! 

First off, I echo what @Chai Xiong said above--make sure it's legal before you start. Luckily you aren't buying it specifically for a vacation rental, so it gives you other options. 

As for it being a wine country area, it will probably always get booked on the weekends. My wife and I do extra rooms out of our primary house and we are located right next to wine country, pretty much every weekend we are booked. 

If it's your first time doing Vacation Rentals, feel free to ask for some tips when you set it up! I'm sure us hosts would love to help you :)

Hi All!

I am buying my first Multi-Unit, super excited. One thing I am trying to figure out though is how to properly verify all the tenants are actually...

1. Paying

2. Paying on time

What things should I be asking for from the Seller? Also, any other tips from the experts?

@Josh Gold

Hi Josh! Short term rental and Superhost here.

My wife and I started doing it out of extra bedrooms in our house. This was originally to test out the Airbnb model before we moved on a property.

It ended up being great, we mainly had guests on the weekend for weddings (we are near wineries) and generated 400-800 in extra income.

The benefits of doing Airbnb vs a long term tenant are as follows

1. The guests leave

-You don't need to worry about someone being at your house 24/7 or roommate problems because they are only there for a short amount of time

2. Decent extra income depending on the area

The biggest downside? 

-You have to clean and flip the rooms, this by far takes the most amount of time when done properly. 

I hope this gives you some insight! 

@Tony Robertson

Short Term Rental! If you have a good cleaner you always have eyes on the property to make sure everything is going well.

@Rebecca Cramer

How long have you been Airbnb-ing?

Brand new? No reviews? Experienced and 100+ Reviews?

If you are new, I would STRONGLY encourage just offering the whole first night for free. Reviews are the lifeblood of the short term rental market and I would take that cost to continue investing in my reputation as a host. Can you just imagine the review if someone put that a bad experience transformed into a glowing review? Also it prevents them from calling Airbnb and trying to get the whole stay refunded...

Now, if you are more experienced and have a ton of reviews, you might be able to take a little less of a hit and just flat out offer a $250/refund (half of the night). Regardless I would definitely take the proactive role and just offer them refund of some portion. It will show great good will as a host. 

@Elvis Payano

If you are looking to jump into the STR (Short Term Rental Market) get as close as you can to the parks, with cities that allow it as pointed out above.

I manage properties out there so let me know if I can help at all!

@Imran Maqbool

Hi Imran, I'm in Cali and I invest in Short term rentals in Florida AND manage them. They are extremely profitable if you do it right. We are even looking at buying a 2nd rental out there. Let me know if I can help at all!