All Forum Posts by: William Beck

Well I used to work there. So I have a ton of opinions on Evolve. I know the point was made about cutting corners, but I think they are doing it with economies of scale with various purpose built teams to tend to their 20,000+ homes. I used to sell Evolve on the sales team. I guess it's now called the "Owner Growth" team, which is kind of silly since that sounds like a guy at GNC trying to sell me workout supplements.

They might be a good fit but depends on your situation. The biggest issue of working with Evolve if you need a full service provider is - do they have a full service partner(s) where you are looking? Some areas they have amazing partners, other places, not so much. I've been out of the company for over 2 years so I keep in very close touch to insiders there to keep a pulse on what's going on. I do use them for my STR investment property since they save me time as I'm a busy dude. Good luck with your search

@Christy Flora Yeah I've worked with a ton of buyers and trying to go through the headache of getting a property rezoned or a special use permit... I've just never seen it succeed. My opinion, I think they (Stone County P&Z) don't want to issue more of these permits because they have these purpose built developments scattered throughout the area that have resort amenities and are meant for vacation rentals and they are of the opinion that we've got plenty and need to reserve housing supply for residents. I'm all for a free market, but it does kind of make sense why they are doing what they are doing. I still work with a ton of investors though and there are great options, especially turnkey ones!

HOA's aren't evil, but just like everything else during your analysis they play a factor. Do you get benefits from the HOA? Is it just a drag financially or do they not let you do what you want to do?

Pro Tip: Go to Vrbo and enter in "Walt Disney World", don't enter in guest count or timeframe for calendar dates. You'll see the highest performing pins cluster around the good performing areas. That's done for a reason by the OTA's using their conversion algorithms to point people towards the properties that they think they should book. That's where I'd start looking for sure. They are all clustered by the parks. 

For example, Davenport, FL? I'm taking a Hard pass on that because of that!!

The cabins have definitely appreciated! I hope the prices come down so I can go get one in the next 12 months. It's always been and probably always will be the STR Mecca.

STRs are here to stay. The top performers are going to do better, the bottom half will probably struggle more. Probably a great time to pick up another investment with prices declining. I'm extremely excited. 

Vrbo is my top channel for bookings without a doubt. 

Not sure if this helps but I worked with a few people in Seven Springs about an hour southeast and they were pretty successful. I always get a little concerned about urban STR's just in general due to constant ebbs and flows in the regulatory environment... and NIMBY's. Also, Logan, OH is a top place that flies under the radar but that might be far.

Haven't experienced it or heard that there's been a recent algorithm change for Vrbo. I know they made the switch from paid advertising in 2016 to Best Match. Have you had your listing for a while or is it new? It could be ramping performance if you're relatively new. 

Love the plethora of opinions you can get from soliciting a 'this or that' question on Bigger Pockets! 
I'm on team KING!